The Active Transport Toolkit is a powerful application but we hope it's also still intuitive to use. As a cyclist, you're clearly pretty smart so you won't need much in the way of a user manual. This is a good thing because we've spent so much time developing the app we haven't written much of the manual yet. If you do need some general guidance however you may find the information below useful. As this is a Beta release, it's possible the application may behave somewhat unexpectedly and, try as we may to put it down to user error, we've probably screwed up. Please let us know if we have !
The Tracker Menu |
In the context of the ATT, a tracker is essentially you. The Tracker Options menu therefore handles all the settings related to how the app and other people using the app interact with you. The most important settings relate to whether tracking is turned on and whether you are visible to other people using the app.
The "Track My Route" Setting
If the "Track My Route" setting is checked then the app will attempt to track your position using the GPS of your device. If the ATT can locate your position then periodically it relays that information to the Light Ltd. server (located at Pacific Net in Richmond, Tasman) where it is stored. If this option is not enabled then no positional data is sent to the server. The setting is persistent so if the app is turned off while tracking is enabled, tracking will automatically be re-enabled when you next run the app so that you don't have to stop and start the tracking every time you close or reopen the ATT. While tracking is enabled, your approximate speed, average speed, distance traveled and cost saving (based on the running costs of a small car) will be updated on the app and the borders around the values will turn green.
The "Keep Screen Active" Setting
Normally, in order to save battery power, your device will automatically turn the screen off after a period of time. However, if you have a handlebar phone holder and you're using the app to find your way around the city or locate a friend for example, you may want the screen to remain active. The "Keep Screen Active" setting does just that. As the screen does take a lot of power, you may wish to have this option turned off for longer trips.
The "My Visibility" Setting
By default, your position is not visible to other people running the ATT however there may be times when you wish other people to know where you are. If your visibility is set to 'Visible to Friends' then you will be visible to those people you have accepted as a Friend (see the section on Friends below) who are running the ATT and have the "View Trackers" option checked (see below). This can be really useful when meeting up with friends in town for example - rather then txting/phoning and to ask 'how far away are you?', you'll know exactly how far (it's surprising how useful this feature is once you get used to using it).
Setting your visibility to 'All' unsurprisingly makes you visible to anybody who is running the ATT and has the "View Trackers" option checked. Under normal circumstances, we don't recommend using this setting but it can be useful for a marshal at an event or a leader of a cycle group ride to make their position visible for example.
The "Auto Center Map" Setting
When "Track My Route" is checked, this option is enabled. When "Auto Center Map" is checked, the app will automatically center the map on your current location.
The "Auto Rotate Map" Setting
When "Track My Route" is checked, this option is enabled. When "Auto Rotate Map" is checked, the app will automatically orientate the map based the direction of your movement.
The "View Trackers" Setting
When this option is checked then any people running the ATT who have accepted you as a 'Friend' and who has their visibility set to 'Visible to Friends' or anybody who has their visibility set to 'All' will be visible to you on the map.
The "Edit No Track Areas" Setting
There may be areas such as around your home or work that you do not wish to be tracked.
When this option is enabled, the app is in 'Area Edit' mode which is a powerful feature that lets you create areas where the app will not track your position. Just zoom in on the map where you wish to create a 'No Track' area and then 'long click' on the map to create the points of the area. Click on the the first point of the area that you created (coloured green) to complete the area. A window will then be displayed allowing you to enter a name for that area and save it.
When you are in a 'No Track' area, no positional information is sent to the server even if the 'Track my Route' setting is checked. Additionally, the app will automatically go into a sleep mode when it is in these areas, tracking will be turned off and the ATT will only check your position infrequently to save battery power (if you then leave that area tracking will automatically turn back on). Note that if the app is closed while in sleep mode then the 'Track my Route' setting will need to be checked the next time you run the app.
The "Friends" Button
Pressing the Friends button will open a new window allowing you to manage friends within the context of the ATT.
To send a friend request to somebody, enter the username of your friend (not the full name - if they can't remember what their username is they can view it by pressing the 'View Profile' button on the Tracker window).
Pending requests will be shown in orange on the Friends window. To accept/reject a friend request, click on the friend and then press 'Accept friend request' or 'Reject friend Request' buttons. Similarly, to cancel a friend request that you have sent, click on the the friend and then press the 'Cancel Friend Request' button.
To make yourself visible to other friends on the map, click on the Tracker menu and make sure that 'Track My Route' is checked and 'My Visibility' is set to 'Visible to Friends'. For your friends to see you they will need to have the 'View Trackers' option checked on their Tracker menu (see above).
Markers |
How many times have you come across a car parked in the cycle path or glass on the road but didn't know how to report it or by the time you got to where you were going it wasn't worth reporting ? Markers are very useful ways to let people know of issues or hazards you've come across or just something interesting you've found on your travels.
When a marker is created, it is automatically sent to everybody running the application and displayed if they have that Marker type visible. Additionally, for certain marker types such as vehicles obstructing cycle lanes, glass on the road etc., an email is automatically generated containing the marker details (including your name and email address) and sent to the relevant person or department to deal with the issue.
There are two methods for creating markers: If Tracking is turned on and the application has found your current location, to add a marker to your current location just select the Marker menu item and then click the 'Add Marker' button. Alternatively, to add a marker anywhere on the map just 'long click' on the map.
Once a marker has been placed, it's position can be adjusted by dragging the marker. You can only move markers that you have created.
Images can be added to the marker when it's created or images can be added to the marker at a later time. Images can be attached from the mobile device's gallery or a photograph can be taken vie the app.
Marker Images can be added either at the time the marker is created or added from the gallery later (when wi-fi is available for example).