804390 - Maps geolocation is very inaccurate

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Firefox OS Graveyard :: General, defect, P1)

Description

[Chris Peterson [:cpeterson]]

STR:
1. Open Maps app in SF office

RESULT:
The Maps app says I am at the intersection of Market and Van Ness, over two miles away.

Could this be inaccuracy be related to bug 804344?

Comment 1

[Robert Kaiser]

In my experience, geolocation is quite accurate once I get a GPS fix, which can take a bit. I'm using my own Lantea Maps app though, and not the Nokia Maps app we have preinstalled.

Comment 2

[Andrew Overholt [:overholt]]

CC dougt

Comment 3

[Chris Jones [:cjones] inactive; ni?/f?/r? if you need me]

We're working out the bizdev side of A-GPS.  There's nothing more we can do here until that's sorted out.  All the technical work has been done for a long time.

Comment 5

[Andrew Overholt [:overholt]]

Shouldn't unassisted GPS give a decent location if it's got a lock?

Comment 6

[Chris Jones [:cjones] inactive; ni?/f?/r? if you need me]

Yes, and it does.  You just have to wait so long it's basically useless for modern apps that expect accurate fixes within a few seconds.

Comment 7

[Robert Kaiser]

Well, in Brazil all the AGPS stuff that can give us faster locations probably won't work - unless we are using phone cell towers. From what I heard, there's almost no WiFi available, and so the WiFi-based Google location stuff probably won't give us anything...

Comment 8

[Andreas Gal :gal]

Why does AGPS not work in Brazil?

Comment 9

[Robert Kaiser]

As I said, if it uses cell towers, it probably works. If it uses the Google Location Services we use on desktop, which uses available WiFi networks, then we have two potential problems: 1) WiFi availability is very rare in Brazil and when there's no WiFi networks in reach, there's no chance to derive a location from them, 2) Google Location Service only gives reasonable results if the data of nearby WiFi APs is in their database, and if it's not (like almost everywhere here in Austria), you only get an extremely rough location, based on your IP address, which on mobile data usually means the middle of your country or your capital city with an accuracy radius that includes the whole country (in some cases, it's the region instead of the country, but still pretty unusable for detailed location).
In any case, unless we use cell towers for AGPS, we probably only will get reasonable location once we get a GPS fix.

Comment 10

[Doug Turner (:dougt)]

Robert, you are conflating two very different ideas.  Wifi positioning is not AGPS. 
Different things all together.  Please read before commenting further:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_positioning_system


Also, you are also making assertions about Brazil's WiFi density.  Do you have a source for this data?  It would be helpful if we had that data.

Comment 11

[Robert Kaiser]

(In reply to Doug Turner (:dougt) from comment #10)
> Robert, you are conflating two very different ideas.  Wifi positioning is
> not AGPS.

Right, A-GPS is cell-tower-based in the usual definition. I thought assisting location data with WiFi positioning would also fall under that category. Still in most cases A-GPS means using an Internet connection, which has its own possible problems in terms of Brazil, due to WiFi absence and very limited mobile data contracts.

> Also, you are also making assertions about Brazil's WiFi density.  Do you
> have a source for this data?  It would be helpful if we had that data.

I was told this was the outcome of our user experience studies and was discussed in an October 5 presentation (which I'm still waiting to get a recorded version of so I can get that info from more than people telling me about what was in there). We're discussing that lack of WiFi at multiple levels, including sending of feedback data and even acquiring updates, which all seem problematic in the settings that our on-site studies in Brazil seem to have found.

Comment 12

[Jeni]

Issue is reoccurring with build 20121214070202.  

Repro Steps:
1. Go to settings, turn GPS on, hit home button
2.launch browser
3. go to http://m.here.net/
4.  geolocation dialog should appear; click Allow
5.  geolocation icon in the status bar should appear
6.  should be able to determine the location
7.  View Location to see where at

Expected
1. View your exact location or a close by

Actual
1. Actually shows that that I am between Longview and Portland, Washington.  Picture is in Map View Settings and just shows a picture of Washington.  No street view shown even after selecting to view that way.

Comment 13

[Jeni]

This issue happens with both GPS turned on as well as when it is turned off.  No difference being seen

Comment 14

[Jeni]

Issue is reoccurring with build 20130104070203 as well.  

Repro Steps:
1. Go to settings, turn GPS on, hit home button
2.launch browser
3. go to http://m.here.net/
4.  geolocation dialog should appear; click Allow
5.  geolocation icon in the status bar should appear
6.  should be able to determine the location
7.  View Location to see where at

Expected
1. View your exact location or a close by

Actual
1. Actually shows that that I am between Longview and Portland, Washington.  Picture is in Map View Settings and just shows a picture of Washington.  No street view shown even after selecting to view that way.

Note: This issue happens with both GPS turned on as well as when it is turned off.  No difference being seen

Comment 15

[amiller]

UCID: set-225
https://moztrap.mozilla.org/results/case/62485/

Comment 16

[Deepa Subramanian]

Repros on Unagi device Build ID: 20130115070201   using the december 5th kernel 
v 1.0.0-Prerelease.

Notes: Followed steps on Comment 14

Comment 17

[Matt Brandt [:mbrandt]]

Nominated tef? This seems important enough that we should get an assignee.

Comment 18

[Andrew Overholt [:overholt]]

We'd like some product input here regarding AGPS partnering.

Comment 19

[Doug Turner (:dougt)]

this has nothing to do with agps.  basically we don't have a network geolocation provider on b2g.  Without it, you're not going to get a location inside or without line of sight.

Comment 20

[Andrew Overholt [:overholt]]

When we have some sort of partnership deal worked out, please re-nom as a blocker.

Comment 21

[Jeni]

Issue repros with build 20130125070201 Dec 5th Kernel.  The Here notification shows on McMinnville, Oregon currently.

Comment 22

[Jeni]

Issue repros 
Build ID: 20130125070201
Kernel: Dec 5
Gecko:  http://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-b2g18/rev/94a2d6fcdfde
Gaia:   6369dbf33b622faf4b4d176fed30b77c5c319dfc

Comment 23

[Jeni]

Build ID: 20130130070201
Kernel: Dec 5
Gecko  http://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-b2g18/rev/4593f3e765eb
Gaia   f7f5a0cd17e3d04308cc5850b254947e127122b9

Comment 24

[Jeni]

Please disregard comment 23, this no longer repros when GPS is turned on.

Comment 25

[Jeni]

(In reply to Jeni from comment #24)
> Please disregard comment 23, this no longer repros when GPS is turned on.

please disregard this comment.  issue still repos.  Tested on 4 devices...  3 did not show gps location correctly

Comment 26

[Jeni]

issue repros on    
 Unagi Build ID: 20130225070200
    Kernel Date: Dec 5
    Gecko: http://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-b2g18_v1_0_1/rev/3a5a27992a75
    Gaia: 5691a16fff8e1403c75ed9d6f3a443b7e58198c6
GPS does not find where we are located via m.here.net

Comment 27

[Dietrich Ayala (:dietrich)]

Minusing for 1.1 until a business relationship for agps is locked for a given release.

Comment 28

[Karen Ward [:kward]]

We have a business relationship with Nokia Here for Maps and the Locate Me button doesn't work reliablly.  Is it because of this issue?

Comment 29

[Kan-Ru Chen [:kanru] (UTC+9)]

Last time I tested the Maps it was very accurate.

Comment 30

[Karen Ward [:kward]]

Bertrand Neveux working with partner to resolve service issue behind the apps' behavior

Comment 32

[Jason Smith [:jsmith]]

Should be fixed by bug 871072. qawanted for retest.

Comment 33

[Jason Smith [:jsmith]]

I confirmed this is definitely fixed by bug 871072.