Divetime iPhone App

[Divor]

PS.........Well worth the money if your a diver with the Iphone!!!

I'm one of those too, but I can't afford anything anymore because the damn thing keeps flooding.

 

[xmesox]

Hi,

I am involved in the development of this application and it's unfortunate to hear of inaccurate GPS details. Unfortunately our divesites co-ordinates are only as accurate as our sources or those who have added that particular site.

It's important to note that the ambition of the app and site itself is to allow users to help others by correcting any GPS/DATA errors that may be present. The iPhone app fetches the data from the site database so any changes made on the site will reflect on the iPhone.

It's extremely easy for users to adjust the GPS co-ordinates of a site, just by registering and clicking 'edit this site' you are able to adjust the descriptions, details and co-ordinates. Our goal is for this to be a highly user orientated app/system, relying on various users updating information for the scuba diving community, hence why we are providing the app for free.

 

[hudson]

Here's a suggestion: assign a confidence level to GPS coordinates (and perhaps other bits of data) and only increase it as multiple people enter coordinates that are sufficiently close. Make the confidence level visible to the end-user, and perhaps allow filtering on that as well.

 

[JPENDERGRAST]

I have DiveTime, Dive Log, and Nitrox tools, and like them all for the most part. The Dive Time app shouldn't be used to map your dive location... Don't get offended, but a person would be an idiot to plan a trip to the Oriskany, Duane, or the Vandenburg by using the coordinates on Dive Time. On the other hand, it is a GREAT app for checking out dive sites for a vacation you're headed to- especially if you're on the road and forgot to Google it before you left. Then, you can do the research from the list of sites on the application.

 

[xmesox]

Here's a suggestion: assign a confidence level to GPS coordinates (and perhaps other bits of data)

Thanks for your guys feedback.

We actually do have a confidence level setting in the GPS data. When one enters a site you are asked to select the following:

Class A1 (GPS receiver with Selective Availability deactivated.Data was acquired with at least a consumer quality GPS receiver with Selective Availability deactivated.)
Class A2 (GPS during Selective Availability.Data was acquired with a consumer quality GPS during Selective Availability.)
Class B1 (High quality digital map.Data was electronically read from a high quality digital map.)
Class B2 (Unknown accuracy.Data comes from sources of unknown accuracy.)

Majority of the sites are B1 as far as I know.

But as you say, I don't think it currently displays to the user which GPS method is used which is an issue I will bring up with the developer. And hopefully make it so that should a user log in and see a site that they know is not accurate and should they not have the correct GPS details they can simply change that sites GPS Class to "unknown accuracy". This can still be done through the site by editing a dive site.

I'm glad to see that the application can at least help for vacations, but we will continue to try to make it suitable for all uses.