Chapter 9
Location-Based Services
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS CHAPTER
- Displaying Google Maps in your Android application
- Displaying zoom controls on the map
- Switching between the different map views
- Adding markers to maps
- How to get the address location touched on the map
- Performing geocoding and reverse geocoding
- Obtaining geographical data using GPS, Cell-ID, and Wi-Fi triangulation
- How to monitor for a location
- Building a Location Tracker application
You have all seen the explosive growth of mobile apps in recent years. One category of apps that is very popular is location-based services, commonly known as LBS. LBS apps track your location, and may offer additional services such as locating amenities nearby, as well as offer suggestions for route planning, and so on. Of course, one of the key ingredients in an LBS app is maps, which present a visual representation of your location.
In this chapter, you will learn how to make use of Google Maps in your Android application, and how to manipulate it programmatically. In addition, you will learn how to obtain your geographical location using the LocationManager class available in the Android SDK. This chapter ends with a project to build a Location Tracker application that you can install on an Android device and can use to track the location of friends and relatives using SMS messaging.
DISPLAYING MAPS
Google Maps is one of the many applications bundled with the Android platform. In addition to simply using the Maps application, ...
