So people upload GPS co-ords to the website.., and the website handles the notification on a map.
Google Maps uses a text file that is pretty much in XMLish format, it is pretty cumbersome but it ia what it is. So to add a point, you add block of xmlish code to the text file. maybes 6 or 8 lines minimum, if your point has no mouse over text of comments. So in the example I shown you I have manually created those points in the text file.
The web page then has a few lines of code that uses the API key I got from the google maps people, reads the points from the xml file then plots the points on the map.
No here lieth my problem. I want people to be able to simply go to my page, scroll google maps to where they saw there UFO, Click on the map and add a point with a short string describing the sighting, direction of travel, etc.
This in itself is reasonably achievable, I have found code that will sort of do that. But, for practical reasons I want every point to be stored in an SQL file in a database structure. It needs to be this way as there is lots of other stuff that needs to be recorded such as region (for emailing) direction of travel anticipating the next region, again for emailing. Time of sighting, description, Otionally who saw it, and probably a lot of other stuff when I get that far.
So I need to write server side code that each time a visitor uploads a sighting, it ipoint to weed out spammers) then creates server side xml on the fly. See storing it as SQL, has a heap of advantages, searching for points, particular sightings, particular times and types. Like search for all sightings in southern California between July 2017 and December 2017. See where i am going with it.
Do you send email notifications to other members?
Well I hadn't got that far but yes, I was going to break up the planet into chunks or regions.
When you add your email (also to be stored in SQL) to the notification list, you would have an option to subscribe to regions of interest. So if I add a point in your region, the server would look through the SQL subscriber list and generate an email to all people who subscribe to that region.
It would be super short and simple and all relevant info in the subject heading. Perhaps something like.
"Msg from UFO Track. UFO Sighted in your area"
That way people don't actually have to open the email. Reducing the risk of hackers doing the virus dance.
The user then just clicks on his bookmark on his phone, PC, tablet or whatever. Thr page loads, they log in and it maps to there preferred location by default. Click on a button that says show new points, you get a list in a list box and click to see them.
I stopped on the mobile, and started making a program to handle emails and stuff...
UFO-Tracking-and-monitoring/PC APP.py at master · UFOAPPS/UFO-Tracking-and-monitoring · GitHub
I got that phone app mostly working.
It turns GPS on for 5 seconds, and gets data.
Users can just send their current ZIP code.., instead of actual co-ordinates.
I also sorted out a GPS option.
Before co-ordinates leave your phone.., the longitude & latitude are muddled up by 1 - 2kms (or whatever) using a random number and adding/subtracting to it.
The safer co-ordinates are then sent via email, IM or any other vessel. Your real ones never leave your phone and delete immediately.
So instead of 33° 51' 54.5148'' S and 151° 12' 35.6400'' E
The number sent is 35° 52' 64.5449'' S and 152° 11' 25.5460'' E
I tested it, and its usually around 1km - 2km difference.
But I am open to leaving that out of the App completely.
Well done,, so how have you gotten past the problem of storing past sightings. Does your app, send the new sighting via text or something to all the other users of the app. How do I know here in Australia on my app, that you have just seen a ufo. If it is via email of text, and you have 200 users, thats 200 texts or emails your app needs to send when you add a sighting? How have you solved that. I use a corporate phone in my job and while I get an amount of private use, I would be questioned for sure on that kind of traffic.
