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Highway☆ now available in the iOS App Store! Next steps...

Started by catsynth, May 25, 2017, 04:14:09 PM

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catsynth



Hi all.  I am excited to announce that my Highway☆ app is now available as a free download in the app store! 

You can get it https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/highway-star/id1209913631?ls=1&mt=8.  Please do download it if you feel so inclined. And a big thank you to all who helped test and gave suggestions.  Here is a screenshot from the final version.



So with 1.0 out in the world, here are what I see as the next steps:

1) Android version
2) Travel Mapping!

As always, feedback is welcome.

Cheers 😺

-Amanda (CatSynth)
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44


hbelkins

Which routes are included in it? I made it a point the other day to drive home via KY 1144 and a portion of KY 498. Neither route registered nor gave me any points.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

catsynth

Oh dear.  Thanks for letting me know.  It should cover as many as possible, but I'm sure there are missing ones, especially in states I don't know so well.  It's a mixture of a few different data sources (Open Street Maps, Wikipedia, etc.).

I will review Kentucky this afternoon and see what's up.  Fortunately, adding new ones is a server/backend issue so doesn't require an app update.
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

bassoon1986

Catsynth, do you want to know of highways that aren't shown? I'm in Louisiana, and it's much like Kentucky: tons of state routes, many of them short in length.

There were a handful in my hometown not shown. It's mostly the major, multi-parish highways that show up.


iPhone

catsynth

Quote from: bassoon1986 on May 25, 2017, 06:20:31 PM
Catsynth, do you want to know of highways that aren't shown? I'm in Louisiana, and it's much like Kentucky: tons of state routes, many of them short in length.

There were a handful in my hometown not shown. It's mostly the major, multi-parish highways that show up.


iPhone

Yes please.  Louisiana is definitely one of the states that gave me a tough time.
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

catsynth

Quote from: hbelkins on May 25, 2017, 04:39:00 PM
Which routes are included in it? I made it a point the other day to drive home via KY 1144 and a portion of KY 498. Neither route registered nor gave me any points.

Hi!  I added KY 498 and KY 1144 manually (and awarded you the points).  That's quite a complex task in the current architecture, so I can't make a habit of it.  It's best if I can ingest a canonical list of routes at once via a script.  Any suggestions on a good data source for all KY routes is welcome.

Thanks
-Amanda
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

hbelkins

Quote from: catsynth on May 27, 2017, 02:22:06 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on May 25, 2017, 04:39:00 PM
Which routes are included in it? I made it a point the other day to drive home via KY 1144 and a portion of KY 498. Neither route registered nor gave me any points.

Hi!  I added KY 498 and KY 1144 manually (and awarded you the points).  That's quite a complex task in the current architecture, so I can't make a habit of it.  It's best if I can ingest a canonical list of routes at once via a script.  Any suggestions on a good data source for all KY routes is welcome.

Thanks
-Amanda

I appreciate that, and I wasn't really angling for points, just pointing out something that I thought you'd be interested in.

Which leads me to ask, how do you wish to receive reports of missing routes? I haven't yet downloaded the non-beta app but I didn't see a function in the test versions to do so.

As for a list of Kentucky routes, at one time there was a listing of truck weight classifications somewhere on KYTC's website that allowed sorting by route number. Since we're well into the 3000s for state routes (not including the 6000-series frontage roads, most of which are not posted except for far western Kentucky; or the hidden 9000-series for the parkways) and the system is constantly evolving as new routes are built and sections of the old routes are renumbered, that's probably the best option if you can find some way to import that information. I don't know where on the site that information is located, however. Possibly on the Division of Planning's section of the site.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

catsynth

Quote from: hbelkins on May 27, 2017, 03:26:35 PM
Quote from: catsynth on May 27, 2017, 02:22:06 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on May 25, 2017, 04:39:00 PM
Which routes are included in it? I made it a point the other day to drive home via KY 1144 and a portion of KY 498. Neither route registered nor gave me any points.

Hi!  I added KY 498 and KY 1144 manually (and awarded you the points).  That's quite a complex task in the current architecture, so I can't make a habit of it.  It's best if I can ingest a canonical list of routes at once via a script.  Any suggestions on a good data source for all KY routes is welcome.

Thanks
-Amanda

I appreciate that, and I wasn't really angling for points, just pointing out something that I thought you'd be interested in.

Which leads me to ask, how do you wish to receive reports of missing routes? I haven't yet downloaded the non-beta app but I didn't see a function in the test versions to do so.

As for a list of Kentucky routes, at one time there was a listing of truck weight classifications somewhere on KYTC's website that allowed sorting by route number. Since we're well into the 3000s for state routes (not including the 6000-series frontage roads, most of which are not posted except for far western Kentucky; or the hidden 9000-series for the parkways) and the system is constantly evolving as new routes are built and sections of the old routes are renumbered, that's probably the best option if you can find some way to import that information. I don't know where on the site that information is located, however. Possibly on the Division of Planning's section of the site.

Thanks, I appreciate the attention and support, so happy to add them .

I don't have a specific button in the app for reporting missing highways yet. For now, I would suggest bundling them up in a support request (off of the MORE tab). I am also working on a way to automatically find misses in the algorithm, i.e., where a route candidate isn't matched properly.

And thanks for the info on the KYTC website! Will poke around and see what I can find.

-A
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

catsynth

Quote from: bassoon1986 on May 25, 2017, 06:20:31 PM
Catsynth, do you want to know of highways that aren't shown? I'm in Louisiana, and it's much like Kentucky: tons of state routes, many of them short in length.

There were a handful in my hometown not shown. It's mostly the major, multi-parish highways that show up.


iPhone

I have a new system for locating and bulk-adding a lot of the missing short highways and such.  I just added several hundred for Louisiana last night, and they now show up, like LA 998 in Belle Rose.



(why this one?  check out this article :D)

I have also updated CT, DE, and NM.  KY has a YUGE list, currently in the process of updating.
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

hbelkins

I went to Lexington today and the app picked up a bunch of 2xxx and 3xxx-series routes.

Incidentally, it didn't know I was driving on the four-lane Mountain Parkway but knew when I was in proximity to a 3xxx-series route.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

catsynth

I recall adding several KY parkways by hand.  It's quite possible I missed the Mountain Parkway.  Can add that one.
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

bulldog1979

Bus. M-28 doesn't come up here in Michigan, yet it is a state-mainted highway. It didn't work in Explore nor when I was driving last night. (All of the business routes in Michigan are fully state highways).

H-63, a county highway appears when I scroll around on the Explore tab, but not any of the other county-designated highways like H-58. All of the BL/BS I-75s are coming up as if they were tagged as BS I-75 in Bay City, and the Bus. US 131s were coming up named after the list article on Wikipedia ("Business routes of U.S. Route 131"). US 127 didn't want to show on the Explore tab either. The three BL/BS I-196 appear missing as well.

catsynth

Quote from: bulldog1979 on June 03, 2017, 01:30:03 PM
Bus. M-28 doesn't come up here in Michigan, yet it is a state-mainted highway. It didn't work in Explore nor when I was driving last night. (All of the business routes in Michigan are fully state highways).

H-63, a county highway appears when I scroll around on the Explore tab, but not any of the other county-designated highways like H-58. All of the BL/BS I-75s are coming up as if they were tagged as BS I-75 in Bay City, and the Bus. US 131s were coming up named after the list article on Wikipedia ("Business routes of U.S. Route 131"). US 127 didn't want to show on the Explore tab either. The three BL/BS I-196 appear missing as well.

Thanks for the info on those!  We will review Michigan data.   H-63 must have snuck in with recent updates ;)
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

catsynth

A new update, 1.0.1 is now available in the app store!
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

Great Lakes Roads

On Sunday, June 4, I took a trip up to Grand Rapids, MI.  I tested the app to make sure that it worked. There was one error that I caught on my phone... Indiana State Road 39 was caught twice... One that said SR 39 and the other one said IN 39...

Overall, great job on this app!!

catsynth

Quote from: Great Lakes Roads on June 09, 2017, 02:42:46 PM
On Sunday, June 4, I took a trip up to Grand Rapids, MI.  I tested the app to make sure that it worked. There was one error that I caught on my phone... Indiana State Road 39 was caught twice... One that said SR 39 and the other one said IN 39...

Overall, great job on this app!!

Aw, thanks!  And hope it was a nice trip.

I ran into a similar redundancy on Friday here in California: both CA 16 and SR 16 registered simultaneously ;)

http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

davewiecking

Pretty neat app; I downloaded it awhile ago, but just fired it up last night while watching TV. It immediately added DE 1 (which is OK because I'm about 100' from it where I sit), and also DE Alt 54, which to the best of my knowledge is at least half a mile away. Is it supposed to detect roads from that far away, or does the database have slightly incorrect info for Alt54 (which has its eastern end at DE 26). This is on my iPad, which doesn't have mobile internet.

Interesting that the overhead views are rather old-I'm guessing 2007 or so (based on the state of development of several lots near me).

hbelkins

Quote from: davewiecking on June 11, 2017, 12:46:06 PM
Pretty neat app; I downloaded it awhile ago, but just fired it up last night while watching TV. It immediately added DE 1 (which is OK because I'm about 100' from it where I sit), and also DE Alt 54, which to the best of my knowledge is at least half a mile away. Is it supposed to detect roads from that far away, or does the database have slightly incorrect info for Alt54 (which has its eastern end at DE 26). This is on my iPad, which doesn't have mobile internet.

Interesting that the overhead views are rather old-I'm guessing 2007 or so (based on the state of development of several lots near me).

It picks up roads that you're not actually on, but near. My experience yesterday bears that out. I was on KY 52 in Irvine, on the north side of the Kentucky River. The app picked up both KY 851 and KY 332x (there are a few 3000-series routes and I can't remember specifically which one) that are both on the other side of the river.

Also, if you have no cell signal, the app won't remember to add the roads. In Lee County, KY 52 intersects KY 1746 and KY 2453 in an area where there's no service. Those roads didn't show up when I reached an area with service.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

catsynth

Yes, it works by proximity to location.  It was originally tuned from experience with a prototype on California freeways, but I might tighten the radius a bit in the future.

In terms of queuing up detections when no signal is present, that is a bit trickier to implement.  But I will look into it for a future update :).
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

davewiecking

Re the proximity issue: might there be a way to make it user-selectable? Maybe just as a test version? Different folks could try different settings, and you might get some useful feedback. It just seems odd that I got credit for 2 roads without leaving the sofa; on the other hand I can imagine a situation where a California freeway is as wide as the distance from me to Alt DE54, so you need to build that kind of proximity into the App.

catsynth

Hmm, that's a cool idea!  I'll put a parameter for that in the next test version (though I am inclined to have a fixed value for app-store releases).

This week, focusing on the Android version, but will keep folks posted when the next iOS test version is ready.  Any additional folks who want to get on the beta list are welcome :)
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

kurumi

It looks like the app needs to be running in the foreground and in the "Live" page (not the "Me") page to pick up new routes... is that the case?

Also, a cool feature (but potentially a lot of work) is to have a Pokedex-like interface where all interstates are displayed, but the ones you haven't visited yet are just shadow shields. Same for US routes. ("gotta catch 'em all!")

Thanks for creating the app!
My first SF/horror short story collection is available: "Young Man, Open Your Winter Eye"

fillup420

I gave this app a try on my last road trip. It picks up nearby roads nicely, but I also somehow got credit for US 258, which I was over 300 miles from at the time.

catsynth

Quote from: kurumi on June 15, 2017, 01:41:26 AM
It looks like the app needs to be running in the foreground and in the "Live" page (not the "Me") page to pick up new routes... is that the case?

Also, a cool feature (but potentially a lot of work) is to have a Pokedex-like interface where all interstates are displayed, but the ones you haven't visited yet are just shadow shields. Same for US routes. ("gotta catch 'em all!")

Thanks for creating the app!

Thanks for the kind words.  With respect to collecting while on different pages of the app, it *should* work at this point, though it doesn't automatically update the "Me" page in real time.  I will log that as an enhancement for the next update.

With respect to the other "Gotta Catch-em All" feature, I definitely like it.  It is a fair amount of work in terms of UX, but worth investigating :)
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44

catsynth

Quote from: fillup420 on June 15, 2017, 08:43:49 AM
I gave this app a try on my last road trip. It picks up nearby roads nicely, but I also somehow got credit for US 258, which I was over 300 miles from at the time.

Oh my, the radius is probably too large (as discussed in earlier posts), but it isn't *that* large :D
Feel free to report US 258 in the app (though posting here counts as a report as well).
http://www.catsynth.com
Highway☆ App for iOS
Highway☆ App for Android

Completed 2di: I-80, I-87 (NY), I-84 (E), I-86 (E), I-97, I-44



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