>>if you run stock iOS or Android with the Google services, I believe you are already screwed anyway: I wouldn't trust them not to constantly leak stuff about you in the background even if you don't actively use the GPS, at least to build their traffic info and to keep their access network-based location database updated.
are you sure this is true? - i can still run the phone on airplane mode(with GPS off) after i have the maps downloaded and can go anywhere afterwards. i don't think there is any communication with the outside world after that.
I am not sure if you looked at the repo I linked. In the intro I clearly state that I am doing this work for my own curiosity and for a hypothetical scenario (where GPS is denied). Moreover, the tech I am relying on (TERCOM) has applications in other fields as well such as navigating under water (submarines use a version of this). Or missile systems such as tomahawks which use tercom extensively.
> I am not sure if you looked at the repo I linked
I did skim it to get a grasp of your approach. But I'm answering statements made here too.
I think your project is worth pursuing. I'm genuinely curious what you come up with. This is actually why I spent quite some time writing my comments: I hope they helped you in some way. I do believe your project could use clearer presentation of the motivation (here or in the readme). In particular, the "GPS is not private" statement and the fact you didn't know about the existing private open source offline mapping solution also rang an alarm in me (a comparison with the "state of the art" would be nice). "Imagine GPS is jammed / is not available at this time at your place with your hardware" is actually sufficient as far as I am concerned. Relying on a privacy-preserving solution out of principles even on a spy phone comes with caveats that need to be exposed but I believe in this approach.
I'm not pushing back. If you have something like a blog that I could follow, I would subscribe to its RSS feed because I'm quite interested actually. If not, well it's already quite nice you share your curiosity work with the world.
>>the fact you didn't know about the existing private open source offline mapping solution also rang an alarm in me
why? that's a bit of an overreaction from your alarm bells honestly. i didn't know about organic maps because i never looked up for this solution and never came across this specific app in my readings. what i am working on (and want to figure out) has less to do with commercial angle of privacy (which organic maps solve) and more to do with navigating without relying on any external signal. i truly think we should be able to navigate earth (land/sea/air/subs) without any external human controlled signal (GPS/Internet/radio etc); that in my mind is true offline navigation. but you can argue that organic maps is also an offline navigation app and i think for an everyday user that's true.
your comments are helpful. thanks for being so thorough with your thought process. i am trying to write on https://trulytyped.com/user/4f448758/deepan-wadhwa - but i have not written anything technical yet and there is no RSS button there yet. let me add it today haha. thank you.
>> the fact you didn't know about the existing private open source offline mapping solution also rang an alarm in me
> why? that's a bit of an overreaction from your alarm bells honestly.
Maybe. Let me explain myself. In a former life, I worked in academia and you kinda triggered my research mode (which is, believe it or not, quite positive for you). There, your work is easily more solid and convincing if you reaserched a bit the state of the art. By working on an alternative to GPS navigation, in such a setting, I would expect you to know the field well.
Now, I understand that you didn't particularly look into apps pretty much focused on GPS positioning since they are not supposed to do what you want, and I'm aware that you aren't doing academic research nor pretending to.
> let me add it today haha. thank you.
No pressure, I'll try to think of coming back to check once in a while. Thank you as well.
are you sure this is true? - i can still run the phone on airplane mode(with GPS off) after i have the maps downloaded and can go anywhere afterwards. i don't think there is any communication with the outside world after that.
I am not sure if you looked at the repo I linked. In the intro I clearly state that I am doing this work for my own curiosity and for a hypothetical scenario (where GPS is denied). Moreover, the tech I am relying on (TERCOM) has applications in other fields as well such as navigating under water (submarines use a version of this). Or missile systems such as tomahawks which use tercom extensively.