Import GeoJSON points, lines, polygons in favorites

[DIrgi]

I "played" a little bit with overpass-turbo and extracted all french departments (still a draft) to display "low_emission_zones"
catchword "Crit'Air" as a first starter ( I know other countries have zones like this as well but this can/will be step II).

I found a similar discussion here, dealing with BRouter NoGo areas. But finally it's not the same. The "No go" areas deal with what the name says, defined zone where the BRouter algorithm should plan a bypass.
Well finally a low emission zone is something similar in the end. But I don't want to go that deep into it because if so, it requires life data to tell you if and when the zone is temporary active for whom and so on.
However for me it's just fine to see this area as a transparent polygon overlay on the map because depending on your vehicle it's finally not allowed to enter no matter if there's an alarm or not.

Coming to Cruiser:
I tried to install it in every possible way into Cruiser but finally there's not really a solution for this so far (at least I didn't find it). Even when I load it in as overlay, the maximum I received was like seeing the area border as a kind of a surrounding track but not just as a informal transparent polygon area. See the screenshot picture from overpass to see what I mean.

Cruiser offers the possibility to import own pois and tracks. Can we have the same solution for polygon area overlays? And then to select the color and transparency? - that would be great.

For a first test, I attached the data from the map above as gpx file (zipped) and as original Overpass-Turbo query content for copy/paste to reproduce request if needed.

overpass query request.txt
Crit'Air.zip

[devemux86]

@DIrgi thanks for the suggestion.

Overpass can export in GeoJSON format?
GeoJSON is the appropriate format for storing all kinds of geometries and polygons (also with holes).

Cruiser can display GeoJSON content, it's just not public yet, unless we need it. 🙂

[DIrgi]

Yes it can export geojson but it does not work neither as track nor as route.
The extracted file has round about 80MB. Check by yourself, I attach it.
export.zip

[devemux86]

As mentioned, the GeoJSON format is not currently public in Cruiser.

We can think how it could be used, e.g. in "My collection" requires a new implementation.

For now can use GPX tracks and draw them as lines.

[DIrgi]

"My collection" makes absolutly sense.

Like a track, POI or Route. Then maybe an "area" just as overlay (without any routing influence - just informal)
with own defined colors and transparency, switch on/off in settings on demand.

ECO zones are coming more and more - See screenshot for Europe - Even in the OSM data they are not 100% listed.

i.e. I started the tread with an example picture about french department zones. I check via JOSM but in France there are no "low emmission zone" definitions so far for whole departments (ZPAd) , just for certain city areas(ZFE). But since these emission zones affect a complete department, I asked for the department borders to receive the outcome for the low emission department zones.
That these zones are existing for complete departments can be read on the official government page - See link crit'air, where the city zones are ZFE and the department zones are the ZPAd.

[devemux86]

An old image:

[devemux86]

Displaying polygon overlays is one thing.

Store them like favorites / routes / tracks with adjustable properties,
this requires more work and a new menu category in "My collection"?

[DIrgi]

Will we see GeoJSON format in Cruiser 5 ?

[devemux86]

It will be available, we will see when, as many things are in the works all the time. 🙂

[devemux86]

Next Cruiser will also import GeoJSON files:

• GeoJSON points into "Favorites"

• GeoJSON lines into "Tracks"

• GeoJSON polygons into ?

We can rename "My collection | Tracks" to "Tracks / Areas" and store 2 overlay types:

• Lines
• Polygons (with a different icon)

[bios4]

GeoJSON polygons into ?

...a new section called "Areas"!?
Why mix it with "Tracks"?

[DIrgi]

Or zones but area is on a more broader scale

[devemux86]

It's better to not introduce a new interface just for a different type,
which can only come from one format and its uses are still in doubt.

We can always create different groups to separate the items.

There are the main categories "Favorites" and "Routes" with specific uses
and practically everything else.

[bios4]

So why ask then when you don't want to introduce a new category at all?

I even don't get why it should be "better to not introduce a new interface just for a different type"...
I also wonder what the icon shall then look like for "Tracks/Areas", but hey.

I'm sure you will figure something out.

[devemux86]

The question was asked 2 days ago, work has progressed a lot since then.

The icon is the smallest part of the work, the implementation (and maintenance) has a much higher cost.

[MotoUKRider]

I have a (slightly modified) Polyfile creator (using Leaflet) here for creating custom map areas, turns out that GeoJSON is also offered so I can conjure-up all sorts of fancy areas/zones where a simple radius may not be sufficient.

For starters, the London Congestion Charge Zone:
(it's a very busy list, so the JSON is outside of the screenshot!)

GeoJSON content:
london-congestion-charge-zone.txt

[devemux86]

This quickly becomes complicated. GPX are designed to host points and lines.
Also routing with line geometries as avoid areas will have performance issues.

And there is no way for the users to design or find these shapes,
as it is expected everything to be handled with the app interface.

The best is to follow BRouter website's model and interface and use avoid circles.
We could use the favorites: groups having a flag to host no-go points with radius.

[devemux86]

About the favorite no-go areas we have this thread:

• Store no-go areas in favorites #545

[DIrgi]

Radius areas might be easy to define but a zone is never radius based. Finally with a circle you either add areas which are then not included or vice versa, which are normally out of it

[0709wiwiwi]

For starters, the London Congestion Charge Zone.

Q: @MotoUKRider
Did you manually click and place all those points ?
Or was a file already publicly available somewhere ?

[MotoUKRider]

@0709wiwiwi I might need a new mouse! I had nothing else better to do, so made it manually using my Polyfile webpage by following the reasonably high-quality map that the Transport for London offer.

[devemux86]

GeoJSON area overlays will be available in the next Cruiser.

• They will use a highly optimized format.
  The above France example is 75 MB, but it will be only 2.5 MB in Cruiser.

• Currently there is no hole support.
  I'm not sure if we need it? Not to complicate things.

• Do we need any extra info in the areas list?
  For tracks we have length, duration, ascend, descend.

[Ciutnik]

@0709wiwiwi suggested changing the "NoGo" to "nogo" in the name and that was it! Now it works OK 👍 I wasn't aware of case sensitivity. Thanks for looking into the problem 🙂

[devemux86]

@Ciutnik really, it wants lowecase?

This is problem of Android and how it handles the external file names.
If it has valid characters (and it has) it should work.

[0709wiwiwi]

short ...I suppose (should read the documentation) that BRouter expect it this way as non Capitalised.
By the way the routing can escape out of nogo zones but can not not enter them is same in Locus. .is expected behaviour ;-).

[devemux86]

BRouter no-go documentation is here:

https://github.com/abrensch/brouter/blob/master/docs/users/android_advanced.md#using-nogo-areas

[0709wiwiwi]

this proves that external files cannot be trusted.

This tale of doom does come back very often.
File transfer support are like oxygen for Cruiser.
Without oxygen, Cruiser can not survive.

[WolfgangZ42]

The fact that Android tightens the security restrictions from release to release is understandable on the one hand, but annoying on the other. The restrictions for external files may also become critical, but Import/Export will still have to exist. So external file handling has to be there anyway.

But nevertheless to minimize the use of external files, the nogo areas in "My collection" - okay! All "My collection" items are handled globally, thus all nogo-areas would then be applied in all profiles. That's sub optimal.
But couldn't we define different nogo-folders and activate them via /Routing/Options/Advanced - individually for each profile? The .gpx files are then loaded not externally but out of "My collection". Default could be e.g. My Collection/Tracks+Areas/nogo_areas and if no differentiation is needed you don't have to change anything.
By the way, I am currently already working according to this: the file nogo_Munich_MR_track(.gpx) is available in My Collection/Tracks/nogo_areas (for display) and as an external file for /routing/options/advanced (for routing).

. . .

I accept the objection that this idea increases the complexity of Cruiser. But the topic of nogo areas has already been placed in the "Advanced" section. And we can see what leveling down to mediocrity feels like at K3 ...

[devemux86]

@WolfgangZ42 thanks for the detailed description.

Indeed, we could improve the use of all favorite types with the profiles.

I still have to think about an optimal implementation. 🙂

[devemux86]

Import GeoJSON points, lines, polygons in favorites is available in:

• Cruiser 5.0.0 (Beta) #610

• "Closed" GPX tracks / routes can also be imported as polygons

• Polygons can be used as no-go areas in route planning

[DIrgi]

I'll test.
Question: Can "no go areas" just be "visible only" without any influence on the routing calculation - just for informal reasons?
Thinking about the environmental zones where it might be to complicated since additional daily live information are needed.

[devemux86]

Can "no go areas" just be "visible only" without any influence on the routing calculation - just for informal reasons?

They can as the visibility and the no-go flag are set separately.

[devemux86]

Please do not set many and complex polygons as no-go areas.

This can significantly slow down the route calculation.

[DIrgi]

Test wit New Cruiser APK: cruiser-5.0.0-b1

First of all it seems that I can import polygon areas to mark/display the french environment zones.
I just want them to be displayed and not as no-go-area - so I don't know at this point if a no-go area will work for planning as well.
Never the less.

Question: will it be possible to have this as an hatched area on demand in all 4 directions like this:
(just an example)

[DIrgi]

btw if someone need to have the french crit'air zones:
Here they are, ready for direct import:
Crit'Air.zip

[devemux86]

I just want them to be displayed and not as no-go-area

Import them only, make them visible, but do not set them as no-go areas.
Then they will be used only as overlays.

I don't know at this point if a no-go area will work for planning as well

I tried to all these France polygons as no-go areas and routing became too slow.

If want to use them as no-go areas, you need to import them as separate layers
and enable only the no-go areas you need in your route, not the whole France!

Question: will it be possible to have this as an hatched area on demand in all 4 directions like this

Do you mean a pattern instead of the semi-transparent fill color of the polygons?
With the new map engine, such things are more easily possible. 🙂

[DIrgi]

yes, "pattern" English translation named it as "hatched". Finally I'm not aware how it'll look like at the end maybe it's to strong to disturbing....
It has to be checked but as long as it's not there it cannot be checked. At least the transparency grade should be adjustable and probably the distance between the hatching lines or the amount of has to be in a good relationship otherwise it's probably to "strong" but a hatched or and area with a pattern helps to display that it's an "no go area" or a special zone.
i.e. If I make it green it can be easily mixed up with forest, gras and so one.

[devemux86]

• Import GeoJSON points, lines, polygons in favorites is available in Cruiser 5.0.0 #641

  • "Closed" GPX tracks / routes can also be imported as polygons

  • Polygons can be used as no-go areas in route planning