GPS-Share: New Open-Source Project For Sharing GPS On A LAN

[GrayShade]

Random example:
Using google maps on a laptop that doesn't have an embed GPS.
That laptop is going to be tethered to a smartphone anyway (to get internet access to download tiles), it might as well receive a GPS feed from the smartphone over that connection.

Very practical use : the person riding shotgun in a car wanting to check the map on a big screen.
While the smartphone still serves as a make-shift satnav.

The project doesn't seem written with phone tethering in mind.

[DrYak]

The project doesn't seem written with phone tethering in mind.

No, indeed, it's not. It's just written with making GPS coordinates available over network.

A smartphone is *a possible* applicaiton, because it creates a network (e.g.: when tethering) and it has a GPS position to share with devices that don't.

Modern Satnavs (those who present a USB *network* device instead of USB *mass storage* - e.g.: Tomtom astarting from version 10 - or anything with Wifi) would be abother example : Runs Linux (though usually made inaccessible, unlike back when mass storage was used), create a network (obviously) and have a position to export (ovbiously).

Again, possible use: driver uses the satnav to drive, shotgun rider uses laptop (e.g.: navit) to check maps and routes.

Other possible use, appart from looking at maps on a non-GPS equipped laptop :
cameras.
Lots of modern cameras offer Wifi connection to download pictures to smartphone without needing to jockey SD cards (specially since some constructor like Apple don't even offer card reader inside the phone), not all of them feature GPS at the same time (e.g.: all GoPro have Wifi since the HERO3, only the blackedition of HERO5 has built-in GPS).
Some cameras definitely run Linux on the wifi fileserver chip (though typically not on the main camera)

Again this add the possibility to GPS-tag pictures taken on phones which lack GPS, but connects to smartphones.

[zeenix147]

The project doesn't seem written with phone tethering in mind.

Yes because that was already implemented in 2015: https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/GeoclueShare

[ldo17]

The project seems to be intended for stand-alone GPS devices, not phone tethering.

Does it matter? Given that Android phones are now so cheap, is there still a point in buying stand-alone GPS devices?