Find if a user is facing a certain Location using Digital Compass by constructing a triangle and usi

Posted by Aidan on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by Aidan
Published on 2010-06-06T19:25:18Z Indexed on 2010/06/07 9:42 UTC
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Hi Guys,

I'm constructing a geolocation based application and I'm trying to figure out a way to make my application realise when a user is facing the direction of the given location (a particular long / lat co-ord). I've done some Googling and checked the SDK but can't really find anything for such a thing. Does anyone know of a way?

To clarify Android knows my location, the second location and my orientation. What I want is a way for Android to recognise when my orientation is "facing" the second location (e.g within 90 Degrees or so). We're also assuming that the user is stationary and needs updates every second or so therefore getBearing(); is useless.

Alright so we get it has to be math, there appears to be no simple SDK stuff we can use. I did some searching of my own and found Barycentric Co-ords http://www.blackpawn.com/texts/pointinpoly/default.html . So what I'm trying to do now is map the camera's field of view.

For Example if the person is facing a certain direction the program should construct a triangle around that field of view, e.g it should make one vertices the phone's position and then go out either side for a set distance making the 2 end points vertices constructing a triangle. If I had this I could then apply Barycentric co-ords to see if the point lay within the newly constructed triangle. Idea's anyone?

Example.

I could get my current orientation, add 45 to it and go up X distance one side and subtact 45 and go up X distance the other side to find my 2 other points. Though, how would I make android know which way it should go "up" I guess? It would know its baring as this stage so I need it to recognise it's bearing and go out that direction.

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