Hi, can you recommend a “simple” (i.e. beginner) mapping application? I plan on providing GPS location from an external device. I hope to keep the GUI side simple … showing GPS ‘bread crumbs’ on a map – nothing much more than that.
Thanks a lot,
Rich ..
Hi @richf,
I’m sure we can help you with a mapping demo!
Are you intending to use a NMEA-based GPS, connected to the Notecard using the AUX pins? If so, this tutorial will help you get started with the hardware component - Continuous Asset Tracking with External GPS and Immediate Location Sync
My colleague put together this nodejs demo that may help you with the GUI (web) component of your project, GitHub - tjvantoll/trackflow: A testing app for viewing _track.qo Notes from Notehub projects.
Let me know if that helps!
Thanks,
Alex
Ha, @abucknall and I were typing at the same time 
The only thing I’ll add is a lot of the services we can route data to have simple map dashboards you can use. I’ve built simple maps with both Datacake and Ubidots.
TJ
Hi Alex (and TJ) - thanks for the quick response. I like the “trackflow” solution since it keeps things simple .. without the need of a third party addon .. such as Datacake. I assume that each PC/laptop showing the map will need node.js installed?
I was planning on feeding the (external) GPS data into the microcontroller (which talks to the Notecard) via a serial port. Will I be able to merge the (external) GPS data into _track.qo? Or is it better connecting the lines to the AUX RX/TX?
regards, Rich..
I like the “trackflow” solution since it keeps things simple .. without the need of a third party addon .. such as Datacake. I assume that each PC/laptop showing the map will need node.js installed?
Yes. Or you could host the web app somewhere, which would be my recommendation. I show off my personal favorite hosting workflow in this video at around the ~26:30 mark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJIe5iw3Blk. You should be able to fork the TrackFlow GitHub repo, and just deploy the fork with environment variables that match your project. In theory
I was planning on feeding the (external) GPS data into the microcontroller (which talks to the Notecard) via a serial port. Will I be able to merge the (external) GPS data into _track.qo? Or is it better connecting the lines to the AUX RX/TX?
Connecting via AUX RX/TX is likely going to be easier, because Notecard has a built-in workflow for looking for an external GPS there.
You could also tell Notecard about your location using card.location.mode and "mode":"fixed". I haven’t tried that approach myself but it should work card Requests - API Reference - IoT Connectivity at Blues.
If