Description

GeoDB stores the following data:

• Latitude and longitude of an Earth location.
• The time zone data in the form of time offset from Greenwich.
• The elevation.
• The rules for computing daylight time.

GeoDB allows the locations to be organized into multiple databases.
You can build these databases on your Palm by importing comma separated value (CSV) memos from the Palm's MemoPad, by installing pre-made database that you have already made, are supplied with GeoDB, or obtained from others.

Why GeoDB

There are other database applications that can store similar information such as in GeoDB. However, none of these offer sufficient accuracy to take full advantage of the accuracy in RiseSet and Earth & Sun.

To allow long location names to be displayed, the main display screen rounds all coordinates to the nearest whole degree. However, the latitude and longitude values may be entered to an accuracy of better than 0.1 inches (0.25 cm). This may seem like 'overkill', but it allows for future use of GeoDB for high precision data applications such as surveying. Each application which imports data from GeoDB can use as much of the precision as it needs.

We hope you find GeoDB a useful adjunct to your Palm applications.

Installation

The geodb11.zip archive file includes:

geodb11.prc

The executable file to be installed in your Palm.

geodb.html

This file -- geodb.html

gdbdls.gif, gdbedit.gif, gdbeditdls.gif, gdbempty.gif, gdbmain.gif, gdbmenu.gif, gdbmenum, gdbmenud, gdbmenme.gig, gdbnew.gif

Images for geodb.html

geoDBData.zip

A zip archive of locations and databases to be used with the 'Import' or the Palm Desktop 'Install' commands.

Using the Program

• Select: This bottom makes the highlighted record the item to be imported into other applications. Pressing this after highlighted a record exits GeoDB.

  If you exit GeoDB without selecting a record the previously selected record is retained.
  If you exit GeoDB when no locations have defined, or all of them deleted, the entire database (GeoDBData.pdb) is deleted.
  In that case, when other programs try to access a location it will appear that GeoDB has not been installed. Be assured that it is still installed in your Palm OS.
  See the discussion on database below for much more information.

• Edit: This button opens the highlighted record in a dialog box where each entry can be changed.
  Also use Edit to review the information about a location. When done you can use use the Cancel button to be sure that no information was changed.

• New: This button opens an empty edit dialog box to add a new record to the database.

• Find: This button is used to search the database for a location. Tapping the Find bottom brings up a dialog box to enter the location for which to search. Find looks for locations whose name starts with the letters you enter. It is a case insensitive. The first location found is displayed at the top of the screen.
  If no locations is found, the screen is scrolled such that the top location would preceded the desired location had it been in the database.

• Scrolling arrows: Use these buttons, or the hardware scroll buttons, to scroll the records up or down. Note that the scrolling buttons are shown as inactive (grayed out) since there is nothing to scroll.

You create a location entry by taping the New button.

This pops up a dialog box, as shown to the right, with all of the record fields empty.
The rules for filling the fields are as follows:

• Name: The name can be up to 17 characters long.

• Longitude: The longitude field is filled with up to 13 characters in the following format:
  1. Degrees -- e.g. 44.6427
  2. Degrees:Minutes -- e.g. 44:38.562
  3. Degrees:Minutes:Seconds -- e.g. 44:38:33.721
     The only allowable input characters are: digit, '.' and ':'. That is, digit, period, and colon. Should you forget this, tap the i in the upper right of this dialog box.

  Be sure to set the correct direction for the location -- North or South for latitude, East or West for longitude -- using the pop-up selection list to the right of the number.

• Latitude: The same rules as longitude apply.

  If you do not know location latitudes and longitudes which you would like to put in your GeoDB, you can use the data supplied in GeoDBData.zip, and the following URL's: world-wide location server, or USA only location server.

• Elevation: This field may be used for the elevation of the location (above sea level). None of the applications at http://www.40-below.com/palm currently uses this information. The units are not defined by GeoDB: the importing application must specify what is to be entered. It is suggested to enter an "f" after the number for "feet", and an "m" for "meters". The field will hold up to 13 characters.

• GMT Offset: This is the time zone (hour) difference from that of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This field will hold 5 characters. The input for the GMT Offset normally will be whole numbers. E.g. 5, 10, etc. indicating the correct time zone for the location. However, some locations like New Foundland, India, and South Australia use half-hour GMT offsets -- such values may also be entered (e.g. "9.5" or "9:30"). It is a function of the importing application to use this offset properly (Earth & Sun V2.0 can).

  Examples: the East coast of the US is 5 West, central Europe is 1 East. In all cases be sure to specify East or West of Greenwich by using the pop-up selection list to the right. Some Examples of GMT Offset are shown below.

  
  

• Daylight Time: The last entry is that of daylight time (sometimes called Summer Time). For each location you should set the correct rule for computing Daylight Time for the location. Use the pop-up selection list. It is pictured to the right. The rules are as follows:
  1. No: Never use daylight time.
  2. Yes: Always use daylight time.
  3. Australia: Start: Last Sunday in October -- End: Last Sunday in March
  4. Europe: Start: Last Sunday in March -- End: Last Sunday in October
  5. N. America: Start: First Sunday in April -- End: Last Sunday in October
  6. S. America: Start: First Sunday in October -- End: Last Sunday in February
  7. User defined: See below.

This ends the discussion about the buttons.

Enter Your First Location

To begin entering data into GeoDB tap the New button. Follow the instruction discussed above.
The completed dialog box when finished entering data should look something like this:

Menu Items

Command

• Copy: This menu item causes the highlighted record to be copied and stored in the database. Once this is done editing the copy allows for simple changes to locations that are similar.

• Delete: This menu item deletes a record from the database. To use it you must highlight the record to be deleted, bring up the Command menu, then tap Delete. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

  As discussed above, if you delete all of the locations in the active database and you exit GeoDB the entire database is deleted.
  In that case, when other programs try to access a location it may appear to the program that GeoDB has not been installed. Be assured it is still installed in your Palm OS -- just add some locations.
  See the discussion on database below for much more information.

• Edit This menu item is the same as the main screen button.
  
  
• Define DT: Define Daylight Time -- This menu item bring up a dialog box for defining the rules for Daylight Time to be used when the 'User defined' entry is selected.
  The example to the right is for New Zealand.

  The starting and ending month (January is 1, December is 12) must be specified, as well as, the the week of the month it starts or ends. The day is always Sunday.
  Possible week choices are: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Last. A month could have five Sundays. In that event the selection "Last" means the fifth Sunday, not the fourth).

• About: About gives you two important details:
  • The current build number so that you can stay up-to-date.
  • The date when the GeoDB database was last updated.

DataBase

• If the active database (the one being displayed) is empty when GeoDB is exited the database is deleted from the Palm OS memory.
• When GeoDB is launched if the database which was active at the time GeoDB was exited cannot be found in the Palm's memory an empty database whose name is 'GeoDBData' created. It is then the active database.

• Find: This is the same as the main screen button 'Find'.

• Selected: This menu item scrolls the screen to the currently selected location.

• Top: This menu item scrolls the screen to the first entry in the database.

• Open: This menu item allows you to open another database currently installed in Palm OS memory.
  Tapping Open pops up a dialog box to cycle through all of GeoDB's installed databases. Once one is Opened the current database is closed (but not deleted) and the opened one becomes active.

• Rename: This menu item renames the active data base. This is handy when you are building a new database.
  See the New memu item below for more details.

• Info: This menu item displays the active database's name and the number of records in it.

• New: This menu item attempts to create a new empty database. As discussed above the default database name is 'GeoDBData'. When you tap New GeoDB will either create a new empty database with the name 'GeoDBData' or open the 'GeoDBData' database if it already exists in the Palm OS memory.
  To insure that you have a new empty database, be sure you have no database named 'GeoDBData' when you tap New.

• Delete: This menu item is used to delete the active database.
  Tapping Delete causes the entire active database to be deleted -- not just from GeoDB but from your Palm OS's memory.
  Furthermore more it causes GeoDB to be exited. This ensures that the database is emptied and that when you re-launch GeoDB you will have an empty GeoDBData database.
  This command has two uses:
  • It provides a means for you to delete a database from your Palm OS's memory.
  • It provides an empty database so that a new one can be built using the Import command, discussed next.

Memo

Actions of the menu items:

• Import: This menu item adds the locations in a MemoPad memo, in Comma Separated Values form, to the active database.

• Export: This menu copies the locations in the database to a MemoPad memo, in Comma Separated Values form.

  Because of the MemoPad restrictions, large databases must be exported in parts. The memo can be exported in parts by first starting with the 'Top' button. Then once the last locations from that export is found the next part can be done with the 'From Highlighted' button.

GeoDB Import/Export Limits and Examples

The data to be imported must be in a comma separated values CSV format. There is a problem with this format because of the European use of ',' for the decimal point, but this format was chosen because it is easy to create/import to other database software, such as Excel.

Rules for Synchronization, Import, and Export:

1. Memos to be constructed in the Palm Desktop are limited to 4000 characters.
2. This limit applies to the synchronization process from/to the Palm Desktop to the Palm OS.
3. This limit applies to the export from GeoDB to a memo in MemoPad.
4. GeoDB can hold an 'unlimited' amount of data. Thus to build a large database in your Palm OS, synchronize a number of memos to the Palm OS's MemoPad then import them one at a time into GeoDB.

Example of importing the entire US data into the GeoDB database:

1. In the Palm Desktop create a new memo. Call it, say, 'us1' on the first line. Save it.
2. Edit memo us1. Cut about 1/3 of the us.csv file and paste it into us1 starting on the line following 'us1'. (us.csv is 321 line so 1/3 is very close to the memo size limit.)
3. Repeat this for the other two parts into memos us2, and us3.
4. Synchronize the Palm Desktop and the Palm OS device. This will move the three memos us1, us2, us3, into the Palm's MemoPad. This will also save the current GeoDB database(s) to your Palm Desktop.
5. Open GeoDB. Use any or the 'New', Rename', or 'Delete' memu items discussed above to obtain an empty GeoDBData base.
6. Open GeoDB again (if necessaary). The GeoDBData database will active and empty.
7. Open the 'Memo' menu. Import the three us1, us2, us3, memos.
8. Rename the GeoDBData database to be, say, 'USA'.

Note on Database Backup

Use of GeoDB by other Palm OS Application

Contact Info

The Bray Palm OS Page can be found at: http://www.40-below.com/palm/

Registering

This archive may be freely redistributed, provided it is made available only in its complete, unmodified form with no additional files. It may be distributed for commercial use if it accompanied by an application that imports its data.
Any other use must have prior written authorization from David W. Bray at bray@davidbray.org

Unauthorized commercial use includes, but is not limited to:

• GeoDB itself as a product for sale.
• Accompanying a magazine, book or other publication for sale.
• Distribution with 'Media', 'Copying' or other incidental costs.
• Available for download with access or download fees.

Disclaimer

Foot Notes

^*Acknowledgment

^*Program Changes starting at Version 1.0

1. An empty database is completely deleted upon closing GeoDB.
   This eliminates requiring at least one location in the database to prevent access errors. (V1.0 Bld:301)
2. Improved error messages. (V1.0 Bld:303)
3. Added dummy button for refresh, and other fixes for OS5 (V1.0 Bld:308)
4. Fixed a bug in the Daylight Time computation. (V1.1 Bld:315)
5. Added commands: 'DataBase/Find', 'DataBase/Selected', 'DataBase/Top', 'DataBase/Open', 'DataBase/Rename', 'DataBase/Info', 'DataBase/New', 'DataBase/Delete', 'Meno/Import', 'Memo/Export' (V1.1 Bld:315)
6. An import error message corrected to '9 fields'. (V1.1 Bld:316)
7. Changes to improve OS4/OS5 compatibility (V1.1 Bld:316)

The current Bld: is 316.