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authorScott Main <smain@google.com>2010-08-23 12:41:45 -0700
committerAndroid Git Automerger <android-git-automerger@android.com>2010-08-23 12:41:45 -0700
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parent5a98fef352ed835406fa74a5563eadd9708f7cf9 (diff)
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am 5a98fef3: Merge "docs: add dev guide for getting user location" into froyo
Merge commit '5a98fef352ed835406fa74a5563eadd9708f7cf9' into gingerbread * commit '5a98fef352ed835406fa74a5563eadd9708f7cf9': docs: add dev guide for getting user location
Diffstat (limited to 'docs')
-rw-r--r--docs/html/guide/guide_toc.cs13
-rw-r--r--docs/html/guide/topics/location/index.jd107
-rw-r--r--docs/html/guide/topics/location/obtaining-user-location.jd454
-rw-r--r--docs/html/images/location/content-tagging.pngbin0 -> 16634 bytes
-rw-r--r--docs/html/images/location/getting-location.pngbin0 -> 25174 bytes
-rw-r--r--docs/html/images/location/where-to-go.pngbin0 -> 19859 bytes
6 files changed, 502 insertions, 72 deletions
diff --git a/docs/html/guide/guide_toc.cs b/docs/html/guide/guide_toc.cs
index d0318cf..35ce17e 100644
--- a/docs/html/guide/guide_toc.cs
+++ b/docs/html/guide/guide_toc.cs
@@ -220,9 +220,16 @@
<li><a style="color:gray;">Accelerometer</a></li>
</ul>
</li> -->
- <li><a href="<?cs var:toroot ?>guide/topics/location/index.html">
- <span class="en">Location and Maps</span>
- </a></li>
+ <li class="toggle-list">
+ <div><a href="<?cs var:toroot ?>guide/topics/location/index.html">
+ <span class="en">Location and Maps</span>
+ </a></div>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="<?cs var:toroot ?>guide/topics/location/obtaining-user-location.html">
+ <span class="en">Obtaining User Location</span>
+ </a> <span class="new">new!</span></li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
<!--<li class="toggle-list">
<div><a style="color:gray;">Wireless Controls</a></div>
<ul>
diff --git a/docs/html/guide/topics/location/index.jd b/docs/html/guide/topics/location/index.jd
index e988ecb..5f98902 100644
--- a/docs/html/guide/topics/location/index.jd
+++ b/docs/html/guide/topics/location/index.jd
@@ -4,94 +4,63 @@ page.title=Location and Maps
<div id="qv-wrapper">
<div id="qv">
- <h2>Location and Maps quickview</h2>
+ <h2>Quickview</h2>
<ul>
- <li>Android provides a location framework that your application can use to determine the device's location and bearing and register for updates.</li>
- <li>A Google Maps external library is available that lets you display and manage Maps data.</li>
+ <li>Android provides a location framework that your application can use to determine the
+device's location and bearing and register for updates</li>
+ <li>A Google Maps external library is available that lets you display and manage Maps data</li>
</ul>
- <h2>In this document</h2>
+
+ <h2>Topics</h2>
<ol>
- <li><a href="#location">Location Services</a></li>
- <li><a href="#maps">Google Maps External Library</a></li>
+ <li><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/location/obtaining-user-location.html">Obtaining User
+Location</a></li>
</ol>
+
<h2>See Also</h2>
<ol>
- <li><a href="http://code.google.com/android/add-ons/google-apis/index.html">Google APIs add-on download&raquo;</a></li>
+ <li><a
+href="http://code.google.com/android/add-ons/google-apis/maps-overview.html">Google
+Maps External Library &raquo;</a></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
-<p>Location- and maps-based applications and services are compelling for mobile device users. You can build these capabilities into your applications using the classes of the {@link android.location} package and the Google Maps external library. The sections below provide details. </p>
+<p>Location and maps-based applications are compelling for mobile device users. You
+can build these capabilities into your applications using the classes of the {@link
+android.location} package and the Google Maps external library. The sections below provide details.
+</p>
<h2 id="location">Location Services</h2>
<p>Android gives your applications access to the location services supported by
-the device through the classes in the <code>android.location</code> package. The
+the device through the classes in the {@code android.location} package. The
central component of the location framework is the
-{@link android.location.LocationManager} system service, which provides an API to
-determine location and bearing if the underlying device (if it supports location
-capabilities). </p>
+{@link android.location.LocationManager} system service, which provides APIs to
+determine location and bearing of the underlying device (if available). </p>
-<p>As with other system services, you do not instantiate a LocationManager directly.
-Rather, you request an LocationManager instance from the system by calling
-{@link android.content.Context#getSystemService(String) getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE)}.
-The method returns a handle to a new LocationManager instance.</p>
+<p>As with other system services, you do not instantiate a {@link android.location.LocationManager}
+directly. Rather, you request an instance from the system by calling
+{@link android.content.Context#getSystemService(String)
+getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE)}. The method returns a handle to a new {@link
+android.location.LocationManager} instance.</p>
-<p>Once your application has a handle to a LocationManager instance, your application
-will be able to do three things:</p>
+<p>Once your application has a {@link android.location.LocationManager}, your application
+is able to do three things:</p>
<ul>
- <li>Query for the list of all LocationProviders known to the
- LocationManager for its last known location.</li>
- <li>Register/unregister for periodic updates of current location from a
- LocationProvider (specified either by Criteria or name).</li>
- <li>Register/unregister for a given Intent to be fired if the device comes
- within a given proximity (specified by radius in meters) of a given
- lat/long.</li>
+ <li>Query for the list of all {@link android.location.LocationProvider}s for the last known
+user location.</li>
+ <li>Register/unregister for periodic updates of the user's current location from a
+ location provider (specified either by criteria or name).</li>
+ <li>Register/unregister for a given {@link android.content.Intent} to be fired if the device
+comes within a given proximity (specified by radius in meters) of a given lat/long.</li>
</ul>
-<p>However, during initial development in the emulator, you may not have access to real
-data from a real location provider (Network or GPS). In that case, it may be necessary to
-spoof some data for your application using a mock location provider.</p>
-
-<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> If you've used mock LocationProviders in
-previous versions of the SDK, you can no longer provide canned LocationProviders
-in the /system/etc/location directory. These directories will be wiped during boot-up.
-Please follow the new procedures outlined below.</p>
-
-<h3>Providing Mock Location Data</h3>
-
-<p>When testing your application on the Android emulator, there are a couple different
-ways to send it some mock location data: you can use the DDMS tool or the "geo" command
-option in the emulator console.</p>
-
-<h4 id="ddms">Using DDMS</h4>
-<p>With the DDMS tool, you can simulate location data a few different ways:</p>
-<ul>
- <li>Manually send individual longitude/latitude coordinates to the device.</li>
- <li>Use a GPX file describing a route for playback to the device.</li>
- <li>Use a KML file describing individual placemarks for sequenced playback to the device.</li>
-</ul>
-<p>For more information on using DDMS to spoof location data, see the
-<a href="{@docRoot}guide/developing/tools/ddms.html#emulator-control">Using DDMS guide</a>.
-
-<h4 id="geo">Using the "geo" command in the emulator console</h4>
-<p>Launch your application in the Android emulator and open a terminal/console in
-your SDK's <code>/tools</code> directory. Connect to the emulator console. Now you can use:</p>
-<ul><li><code>geo fix</code> to send a fixed geo-location.
- <p>This command accepts a longitude and latitude in decimal degrees, and
- an optional altitude in meters. For example:</p>
- <pre>geo fix -121.45356 46.51119 4392</pre>
- </li>
- <li><code>geo nmea</code> to send an NMEA 0183 sentence.
- <p>This command accepts a single NMEA sentence of type '$GPGGA' (fix data) or '$GPRMC' (transit data).
- For example:</p>
- <pre>geo nmea $GPRMC,081836,A,3751.65,S,14507.36,E,000.0,360.0,130998,011.3,E*62</pre>
- </li>
-</ul>
+<p>For more information, read the guide to <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/location/obtaining-user-location.html">Obtaining User
+Location</a>.</p>
-<p>For information about how to connect to the emulator console, see
-<a href="{@docRoot}guide/developing/tools/emulator.html#console">Using the Emulator Console</a>.</p>
<h2 id="maps">Google Maps External Library</h2>
@@ -128,9 +97,9 @@ Google APIs add-on, visit</p>
<p style="margin-left:2em;"><a
href="http://code.google.com/android/add-ons/google-apis">http://code.google.com/android/add-ons/google-apis</a></p>
-<p>For your convenience, the Google APIs add-on is also included in the Android
-SDK. <!-- To learn now to use the Maps external library in your application, see
-[[Using External Libraries]].--></p>
+<p>For your convenience, the Google APIs add-on is also available as a downloadable component from
+the Android SDK and AVD Manager (see <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/adding-components.html">Adding SDK
+Components</a>).</p>
<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> In order to display Google Maps data in a
MapView, you must register with the Google Maps service and obtain a Maps API
diff --git a/docs/html/guide/topics/location/obtaining-user-location.jd b/docs/html/guide/topics/location/obtaining-user-location.jd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc782d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/html/guide/topics/location/obtaining-user-location.jd
@@ -0,0 +1,454 @@
+page.title=Obtaining User Location
+parent.title=Location and Maps
+parent.link=index.html
+@jd:body
+
+<div id="qv-wrapper">
+<div id="qv">
+
+ <h2>Quickview</h2>
+ <ul>
+ <li>The Network Location Provider provides good location data without using GPS</li>
+ <li>Obtaining user location can consume a lot of battery, so be careful how
+long you listen for updates</li>
+ </ul>
+ <h2>In this document</h2>
+ <ol>
+ <li><a href="#Challenges">Challenges in Determining User Location</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#Updates">Requesting Location Updates</a>
+ <ol>
+ <li><a href="#Permission">Requesting User Permissions</a></li>
+ </ol>
+ </li>
+ <li><a href="#BestPerformance">Defining a Model for the Best Performance</a>
+ <ol>
+ <li><a href="#Flow">Flow for obtaining user location</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#StartListening">Deciding when to start listening for updates</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#FastFix">Getting a fast fix with the last known location</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#StopListening">Deciding when to stop listening for updates</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#BestEstimate">Maintaining a current best estimate</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#Adjusting">Adjusting the model to save battery and data exchange</a></li>
+ </ol>
+ </li>
+ <li><a href="#MockData">Providing Mock Location Data</a></li>
+ </ol>
+ <h2>Key classes</h2>
+ <ol>
+ <li>{@link android.location.LocationManager}</li>
+ <li>{@link android.location.LocationListener}</li>
+ </ol>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+ <p>Knowing where the user is allows your application to be smarter and deliver
+better information to the user. When developing a location-aware application for Android, you can
+utilize GPS and Android's Network Location Provider to acquire the user location. Although
+GPS is most accurate, it only works outdoors, it quickly consumes battery power, and doesn't return
+the location as quickly as users want. Android's Network Location Provider determines user location
+using cell tower and Wi-Fi signals, providing location information in a way that
+works indoors and outdoors, responds faster, and uses less battery power. To obtain the user
+location in your application, you can use both GPS and the Network Location Provider, or just
+one.</p>
+
+
+<h2 id="Challenges">Challenges in Determining User Location</h2>
+
+<p>Obtaining user location from a mobile device can be complicated. There are several reasons
+why a location reading (regardless of the source) can contain errors and be inaccurate.
+Some sources of error in the user location include:</p>
+
+<ul>
+ <li><b>Multitude of location sources</b>
+ <p>GPS, Cell-ID, and Wi-Fi can each provide a clue to users location. Determining which to use
+and trust is a matter of trade-offs in accuracy, speed, and battery-efficiency.</p>
+ </li>
+ <li><b>User movement</b>
+ <p>Because the user location changes, you must account for movement by re-estimating user
+location every so often.</p>
+ </li>
+ <li><b>Varying accuracy</b>
+ <p>Location estimates coming from each location source are not consistent in their
+accuracy. A location obtained 10 seconds ago from one source might be more accurate than the newest
+location from another or same source.</p>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+ <p>These problems can make it difficult to obtain a reliable user location reading. This
+document provides information to help you meet these challenges to obtain a reliable location
+reading. It also provides ideas that you can use in your
+application to provide the user with an accurate and responsive geo-location experience.</p>
+
+
+<h2 id="Updates">Requesting Location Updates</h2>
+
+ <p>Before addressing some of the location errors described above, here is an introduction to
+how you can obtain user location on Android.</p>
+
+ <p>Getting user location in Android works by means of callback. You indicate that you'd
+like to receive location updates from the {@link android.location.LocationManager} ("Location
+Manager") by calling {@link android.location.LocationManager#requestLocationUpdates
+requestLocationUpdates()}, passing it a
+{@link android.location.LocationListener}. Your {@link android.location.LocationListener} must
+implement several callback methods that the Location Manager calls when the user location
+changes or when the status of the service changes.</p>
+
+<p>For example, the following code shows how to define a {@link android.location.LocationListener}
+and request location updates:
+ </p>
+
+<pre>
+// Acquire a reference to the system Location Manager
+LocationManager locationManager = (LocationManager) this.getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
+
+// Define a listener that responds to location updates
+LocationListener locationListener = new LocationListener() {
+ public void onLocationChanged(Location location) {
+ // Called when a new location is found by the network location provider.
+ makeUseOfNewLocation(location);
+ }
+
+ public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status, Bundle extras) {}
+
+ public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {}
+
+ public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {}
+ };
+
+// Register the listener with the Location Manager to receive location updates
+locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER, 0, 0, locationListener);
+</pre>
+
+ <p>The first parameter in {@link
+android.location.LocationManager#requestLocationUpdates requestLocationUpdates()} is the type of
+location provider to use (in this case, the Network Location Provider for cell tower and Wi-Fi
+based location). You can control the frequency at which your listener receives updates
+with the second and third parameter&mdash;the second is the minimum time interval between
+notifications and the third is the minimum change in distance between notifications&mdash;setting
+both to zero requests location notifications as frequently as possible. The last parameter is your
+{@link android.location.LocationListener}, which receives callbacks for location updates.</p>
+
+<p>To request location updates from the GPS provider,
+substitute <code>GPS_PROVIDER</code> for <code>NETWORK_PROVIDER</code>. You can also request
+location updates from both the GPS and the Network Location Provider by calling {@link
+android.location.LocationManager#requestLocationUpdates requestLocationUpdates()} twice&mdash;once
+for <code>NETWORK_PROVIDER</code> and once for <code>GPS_PROVIDER</code>.</p>
+
+
+<h3 id="Permission">Requesting User Permissions</h3>
+
+<p>In order to receive location updates from <code>NETWORK_PROVIDER</code> or
+<code>GPS_PROVIDER</code>, you must request user permission by declaring either the {@code
+ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION} or {@code ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION} permission, respectively, in your Android
+manifest file. For example:</p>
+
+<pre>
+&lt;manifest ... &gt;
+ &lt;uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" /&gt;
+ ...
+&lt;/manifest&gt;
+</pre>
+
+<p>Without these permissions, your application will fail at runtime when requesting
+location updates.</p>
+
+<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> If you are using both <code>NETWORK_PROVIDER</code> and
+<code>GPS_PROVIDER</code>, then you need to request only the {@code ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION}
+permission, because it includes permission for both providers. (Permission for {@code
+ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION} includes permission only for <code>NETWORK_PROVIDER</code>.)</p>
+
+
+<h2 id="BestPerformance">Defining a Model for the Best Performance</h2>
+
+ <p>Location-based applications are now commonplace, but due to the less than optimal
+accuracy, user movement, the multitude of methods to obtain the location, and the desire to conserve
+battery, getting user location is complicated. To overcome the obstacles of obtaining a good user
+location while preserving battery power, you must define a consistent model that specifies how your
+application obtains the user location. This model includes when you start and stop listening for
+updates and when to use cached location data.</p>
+
+
+ <h3 id="Flow">Flow for obtaining user location</h3>
+
+ <p>Here's the typical flow of procedures for obtaining the user location:</p>
+
+ <ol>
+ <li>Start application.</li>
+ <li>Sometime later, start listening for updates from desired location providers.</li>
+ <li>Maintain a "current best estimate" of location by filtering out new, but less accurate
+fixes.</li>
+ <li>Stop listening for location updates.</li>
+ <li>Take advantage of the last best location estimate.</li>
+ </ol>
+
+ <p>Figure 1 demonstrates this model in a timeline that visualizes the period in which an
+application is listening for location updates and the events that occur during that time.</p>
+
+<img src="{@docRoot}images/location/getting-location.png" alt="" />
+<p class="img-caption"><strong>Figure 1.</strong> A timeline representing the window in which an
+application listens for location updates.</p>
+
+ <p>This model of a window&mdash;during which location updates are received&mdash;frames many of
+the decisions you need to make when adding location-based services to your application.</p>
+
+
+ <h3 id="StartListening">Deciding when to start listening for updates</h3>
+
+ <p>You might want to start listening for location updates as soon as your application starts, or
+only after users activate a certain feature. Be aware that long windows of listening for location
+fixes can consume a lot of battery power, but short periods might not allow for sufficient
+accuracy.</p>
+
+ <p>As demonstrated above, you can begin listening for updates by calling {@link
+android.location.LocationManager#requestLocationUpdates requestLocationUpdates()}:</p>
+
+<pre>
+LocationProvider locationProvider = LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER;
+// Or, use GPS location data:
+// LocationProvider locationProvider = LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER;
+
+locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(locationProvider, 0, 0, locationListener);
+</pre>
+
+
+ <h3 id="FastFix">Getting a fast fix with the last known location</h3>
+
+ <p>The time it takes for your location listener to receive the first location fix is often too
+long for users wait. Until a more accurate location is provided to your location listener, you
+should utilize a cached location by calling {@link
+android.location.LocationManager#getLastKnownLocation}:</p>
+<pre>
+LocationProvider locationProvider = LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER;
+// Or use LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER
+
+Location lastKnownLocation = locationManager.getLastKnownLocation(locationProvider);
+</pre>
+
+
+ <h3 id="StopListening">Deciding when to stop listening for updates</h3>
+
+ <p>The logic of deciding when new fixes are no longer necessary might range from very simple to
+very complex depending on your application. A short gap between when the location is acquired and
+when the location is used, improves the accuracy of the estimate. Always beware that listening for a
+long time consumes a lot of battery power, so as soon as you have the information you need, you
+should stop
+listening for updates by calling {@link android.location.LocationManager#removeUpdates}:</p>
+<pre>
+// Remove the listener you previously added
+locationManager.removeUpdates(locationListener);
+</pre>
+
+
+ <h3 id="BestEstimate">Maintaining a current best estimate</h3>
+
+ <p>You might expect that the most recent location fix is the most accurate.
+However, because the accuracy of a location fix varies, the most recent fix is not always the best.
+You should include logic for choosing location fixes based on several criteria. The criteria also
+varies depending on the use-cases of the application and field testing.</p>
+
+ <p>Here are a few steps you can take to validate the accuracy of a location fix:</p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>Check if the location retrieved is significantly newer than the previous estimate.</li>
+ <li>Check if the accuracy claimed by the location is better or worse than the previous
+estimate.</li>
+ <li>Check which provider the new location is from and determine if you trust it more.</li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>An elaborate example of this logic can look something like this:</p>
+
+<pre>
+private static final int TWO_MINUTES = 1000 * 60 * 2;
+
+/** Determines whether one Location reading is better than the current Location fix
+ * @param location The new Location that you want to evaluate
+ * @param currentBestLocation The current Location fix, to which you want to compare the new one
+ */
+protected boolean isBetterLocation(Location location, Location currentBestLocation) {
+ if (currentBestLocation == null) {
+ // A new location is always better than no location
+ return true;
+ }
+
+ // Check whether the new location fix is newer or older
+ long timeDelta = location.getTime() - currentBestLocation.getTime();
+ boolean isSignificantlyNewer = timeDelta &gt; TWO_MINUTES;
+ boolean isSignificantlyOlder = timeDelta &lt; -TWO_MINUTES;
+ boolean isNewer = timeDelta > 0;
+
+ // If it's been more than two minutes since the current location, use the new location
+ // because the user has likely moved
+ if (isSignificantlyNewer) {
+ return true;
+ // If the new location is more than two minutes older, it must be worse
+ } else if (isSignificantlyOlder) {
+ return false;
+ }
+
+ // Check whether the new location fix is more or less accurate
+ int accuracyDelta = (int) (location.getAccuracy() - currentBestLocation.getAccuracy());
+ boolean isLessAccurate = accuracyDelta &gt; 0;
+ boolean isMoreAccurate = accuracyDelta &lt; 0;
+ boolean isSignificantlyLessAccurate = accuracyDelta &gt; 200;
+
+ // Check if the old and new location are from the same provider
+ boolean isFromSameProvider = isSameProvider(location.getProvider(),
+ currentBestLocation.getProvider());
+
+ // Determine location quality using a combination of timeliness and accuracy
+ if (isMoreAccurate) {
+ return true;
+ } else if (isNewer &amp;&amp; !isLessAccurate) {
+ return true;
+ } else if (isNewer &amp;&amp; !isSignificantlyLessAccurate &amp;&amp; isFromSameProvider) {
+ return true;
+ }
+ return false;
+}
+
+/** Checks whether two providers are the same */
+private boolean isSameProvider(String provider1, String provider2) {
+ if (provider1 == null) {
+ return provider2 == null;
+ }
+ return provider1.equals(provider2);
+}
+</pre>
+
+
+ <h3 id="Adjusting">Adjusting the model to save battery and data exchange</h3>
+
+ <p>As you test your application, you might find that your model for providing good location and
+good performance needs some adjustment. Here are some things you might change to find a good
+balance between the two.</p>
+
+ <h4>Reduce the size of the window</h4>
+
+ <p>A smaller window in which you listen for location updates means less interaction with GPS and
+network location services, thus, preserving battery life. But it also allows for fewer locations
+from which to choose a best estimate.</p>
+
+ <h4>Set the location providers to return updates less frequently</h4>
+
+ <p>Reducing the rate at which new updates appear during the window can also improve battery
+efficiency, but at the cost of accuracy. The value of the trade-off depends on how your
+application is used. You can reduce the rate of updates by increasing the parameters in {@link
+android.location.LocationManager#requestLocationUpdates requestLocationUpdates()} that specify the
+interval time and minimum distance change.</p>
+
+ <h4>Restrict a set of providers</h4>
+
+ <p>Depending on the environment where your application is used or the desired level of accuracy,
+you might choose to use only the Network Location Provider or only GPS, instead of both. Interacting
+with only one of the services reduces battery usage at a potential cost of accuracy.</p>
+
+
+ <h2>Common application cases</h2>
+
+ <p>There are many reasons you might want to obtain the user location in your application. Below
+are a couple scenarios in which you can use the user location to enrich your application. Each
+scenario also describes good practices for when you should start and stop listening for the
+location, in order to get a good reading and help preserve battery life.</p>
+
+
+ <h3>Tagging user-created content with a location</h3>
+
+ <p>You might be creating an application where user-created content is tagged with a location.
+Think of users sharing their local experiences, posting a review for a restaurant, or recording some
+content that can be augmented with their current location. A model of how this
+interaction might happen, with respect to the location services, is visualized in figure 2.</p>
+
+ <img src="{@docRoot}images/location/content-tagging.png" alt="" />
+<p class="img-caption"><strong>Figure 2.</strong> A timeline representing the window in which
+the user location is obtained and listening stops when the user consumes the current location.</p>
+
+ <p>This lines up with the previous model of how user location is obtained in code (figure 1). For
+best location accuracy, you might choose to start listening for location updates when users begin
+creating
+the content or even when the application starts, then stop listening for updates when content is
+ready to be posted or recorded. You might need to consider how long a typical task of creating the
+content takes and judge if this duration allows for efficient collection of a location estimate.</p>
+
+
+ <h3>Helping the user decide on where to go</h3>
+
+ <p>You might be creating an application that attempts to provide users with a set
+of options about where to go. For example, you're looking to provide a list of nearby restaurants,
+stores, and entertainment and the order of recommendations changes depending on the user
+location.</p>
+
+ <p>To accommodate such a flow, you might choose to:</p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>Rearrange recommendations when a new best estimate is obtained</li>
+ <li>Stop listening for updates if the order of recommendations has stabilized</li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>This kind of model is visualized in figure 3.</p>
+
+ <img src="{@docRoot}images/location/where-to-go.png" alt="" />
+<p class="img-caption"><strong>Figure 3.</strong> A timeline representing the window in which a
+dynamic set of data is updated each time the user location updates.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2 id="MockData">Providing Mock Location Data</h2>
+
+<p>As you develop your application, you'll certainly need to test how well your model for obtaining
+user location works. This is most easily done using a real Android-powered device. If, however, you
+don't have a device, you can still test your location-based features by mocking location data in
+the Android emulator. There are three different ways to send your application mock location
+data: using Eclipse, DDMS, or the "geo" command in the emulator console.</p>
+
+<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> Providing mock location data is injected as GPS location
+data, so you must request location updates from <code>GPS_PROVIDER</code> in order for mock location
+data to work.</p>
+
+<h3 id="MockEclipse">Using Eclipse</h3>
+
+<p>Select <b>Window</b> &gt; <b>Show View</b> &gt; <b>Other</b> &gt; <b>Emulator Control</b>.</p>
+
+<p>In the Emulator Control panel, enter GPS coordinates under Location Controls as individual
+lat/long coordinates, with a GPX file for route playback, or a KML file for multiple place marks.
+(Be sure that you have a device selected in the Devices panel&mdash;available from <b>Window</b>
+&gt; <b>Show View</b> &gt; <b>Other</b> &gt; <b>Devices</b>.)</p>
+
+
+<h3 id="MockDdms">Using DDMS</h3>
+
+<p>With the DDMS tool, you can simulate location data a few different ways:</p>
+<ul>
+ <li>Manually send individual longitude/latitude coordinates to the device.</li>
+ <li>Use a GPX file describing a route for playback to the device.</li>
+ <li>Use a KML file describing individual place marks for sequenced playback to the device.</li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>For more information on using DDMS to spoof location data, see the
+<a href="{@docRoot}guide/developing/tools/ddms.html#emulator-control">Using DDMS guide</a>.
+
+
+<h3 id="MockGeo">Using the "geo" command in the emulator console</h3>
+
+<p>To send mock location data from the command line:</p>
+
+<ol>
+ <li>Launch your application in the Android emulator and open a terminal/console in your SDK's
+<code>/tools</code> directory.</li>
+ <li>Connect to the emulator console:
+<pre>telnet localhost <em>&lt;console-port&gt;</em></pre></li>
+ <li>Send the location data:</p>
+ <ul><li><code>geo fix</code> to send a fixed geo-location.
+ <p>This command accepts a longitude and latitude in decimal degrees, and
+ an optional altitude in meters. For example:</p>
+ <pre>geo fix -121.45356 46.51119 4392</pre>
+ </li>
+ <li><code>geo nmea</code> to send an NMEA 0183 sentence.
+ <p>This command accepts a single NMEA sentence of type '$GPGGA' (fix data) or '$GPRMC' (transit
+ data).
+ For example:</p>
+ <pre>geo nmea $GPRMC,081836,A,3751.65,S,14507.36,E,000.0,360.0,130998,011.3,E*62</pre>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ol>
+
+<p>For information about how to connect to the emulator console, see
+<a href="{@docRoot}guide/developing/tools/emulator.html#console">Using the Emulator Console</a>.</p>
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