Zooming improvements

As I understand OruxMaps works with both single-layer and multi-layer map. So far I haven't needed the single-layer map functionality, so the following only applies the multi-layer map (created via Trekbuddy). Here are a few quirks I found related to zooming out/in:

1) Multiple map packs: I created 3 map packs, one with zoom level 1-9, second 10-14, and third 15-18 (my microSD card certainly does not store the whole US map to zoom level 18!). The following are the problems I encountered:
a) If I'm at zoom level 15 (i.e. my third map pack), with autoload enabled always, zooming out stops (i.e. does not autoload zoom level 14 in my second map pack). Even worse, if I try to load my second map pack manually, the third will be autoloaded, with zoom level changed to 18 !! Certainly not a behavior I expected. Thus the autoload (always) option is not functional.
b) If I'm at zoom level 9 (i.e. my first pack), with autoload enabled always, zooming in works only from times to times, sometimes requiring me to press the zoom-in button several time (maybe just slow response?). But here is the bigger problem: when I zoom in at level 9 (and when it works), my second map pack is loaded as expected, but the zoom level autoloaded is 14 - the highest level in my second map pack! (I would expect it to be 10, naturally!)
c) Ideally I think the autoload function for scrolling outside of available image in the current map and autoload function for zoom in/out should be separately configured. When I have a multi-layer map divided in three map packs simply for the sake of saving disk space, I naturally expect the correct zoom level be loaded across the map packs, but I don't want autoloading of map when I scroll/pan out of the region in my map. Even more ideally, I want a way to tell Orux map that several of my map pack is in fact the same map pack for organization purpose, and OruxMaps should automatically zoom in/out across those related map packs without I having to mess with the settings.

2) Double tapping & long presses: Currently double tapping does nothing (as far as I tried), and it is certainly a waste of such a natural gesture. I would really love to see double-tapping to zoom in functionality - i.e. zoom in at where the double tapping occurred. It makes it so much easier to zoom in since now I need to carefully position the place I want to zoom in at the middle, and then tap twice (once to bring up the buttons) to zoom it. Also, it would be great if the long-press can zoom out instead of bring out the menu. The menu item is not location sensitive (that is, it's content is always the same no matter where I long-press the screen) and therefore can be placed in the regular menu (brought up via the menu button), but zoom-out is location sensitive and I think would be better candidate for the long-press action.
a) On a related note, rumors go that there is multi-touch api in android 2.0 (I haven't check but apparently some app already uses it - for a unrooted device of course). Even though I don't have a 2.0 phone yet, it's something out there

3) Zoom in/out speed: On my device it takes about 0.5-1 second to zoom in/out a map. To be fair it's not slow but it feels quite sluggish when I try to jump a few levels at one time. I don't know the inner working so I can't comment on whether the performance can be improved, but I would like to suggest a few ways to at least make it _feel_ more responsive:
a) Whenever the zoom level is loaded, the images from one zoom level above and one below can ideally be cached (it should not take too much memory I think) so that when user zoom in/out, those images can be displayed immediately.
b) If performance-wise permits, it would be nice to display a digitally zoomed in/out version of the currently viewed image instead of a blank screen while the image from the next zoom level is being fetched/processed.

4) Missing tile: since I don't have the entirety of my region in the same set of zoom levels, sometimes some part of the map is missing in a certain zoom level. Say I'm on zoom level 10 and images from some edge is missing for this particular zoom level. If an image is available from zoom level 9 of the same region, it would be nice if those images can be digitally zoomed in to fill in the blanks in zoom level 10.

This post is much longer than I planned!! I really appreciate your software and wish to hear your response!

Oh and a quick remark: I'm pretty sure that the shorten form for "mile" is "mi" not "mil". "mil" just looks wrong to me somehow. I would also appreciate a space between number and unit, but that's a personal taste issue.

One more thing (sorry I keep forgetting!): I've seen other applications drawing a circle with the radius of the gps accuracy centered at the current location on the map. I think this is (toggleable by option ideally) a great way to see the information instead of having it in one of the dashboard widget.

de wrote:One more thing (sorry I keep forgetting!): I've seen other applications drawing a circle with the radius of the gps accuracy centered at the current location on the map. I think this is (toggleable by option ideally) a great way to see the information instead of having it in one of the dashboard widget.

Hi, de;

First of all, thanks for your comments; Oruxmaps is housed in a 60% on your comments.

'Auto load map' feature was implemented thinking in maps with one layer. But now you can have (like me) a mixture of one-layer and multi-layer maps in your sd, each with its own scale. Really the zoom (which is a digital zoom in one-layer maps) was not designed to work searching a more/less detailed map with multilayer maps. But it is time to do a revision of the zoom functions.

'Double tapping': I was saving this nice feature for a good function
I have three candidates, but the zoom seems a good function. The 'double tapping' is not implemented in 1.5 sdk, but yes in 1.6 and upper. And I hope that android 2.0 will add more gestures (the famous multi-touch api).

About zoom speed: Yes, you are right, it is very slow. Each time you zoom in/out, a new map is loaded. I would like to do what you suggest: a preload of one level above/below; but the memory for each program is low (16mb) and OruxMaps uses 50% of it with the cache of current level.
But I am working with the order in which the tiles are loaded, and improve the responsiveness of the zoom.

Missing tile: I will study this case, but I think that there is not an easy solution.

'mil': Again you are right; as you can read, my English is not very good, specially when I have to summarize in 2-3 words an expresion. Please if you read in OruxMaps a phrase, word or expresion that you do not understand, it is my fault; make me a suggestion about it.

'gps accuracy centered at the current location on the map': It is a good idea, added to my 'TODO' list.

Thanks,

orux