Motion Tracking Mobile App

[CaptKirby]

I don't know if most of you know this, but I am a software developer by day. Recently my work has asked me to learn how to write mobile apps for phones, tablets etc...

I have also been thinking about how to apply this to airsoft. I have come up with an app idea and I was wanting to gather some information as well as gather interest.

I am going to look into writing an airsoft app for (at first iPhone, but will later port to andriod phones) that will basicly be a position tracking and tatical movement application. Would be able to keep up with teammate positions, as well as allow teammates to designate enemy postions and such. As well as allow people to draw up battle plans on the map and such. However the usefulness of this application will depend on Internet availability.

So my questions are:
A) Are you interested in this type of an application?
B) Would you be willing to pay for this type of service?
C) In fields that you have been too, how often do you have internet access through your phone on the field?
D) What features would you like to see in your airsoft application?

[VADER]

I have tested an app similar to what you are talking about.  Check out www.battletac.com  It is actually not an app but an interactive web site you log in to.  An actual app would be much better in my opinion.  Great idea, make it happen Captain!!!

[cloakndagger]

If you can just make it integrate into the maps or navigation app already on phones able to carry such an ap, all your work is half done for you. On android our maps app integrates with the phone gps to show the location of the phone, while lattitude is an ap to show your friends location. Also apps exist to track the location of signed up phones from a computer. Grabba pittle here and there and you have a tactical trackpng app. A few suggestions.
noone will want a big brother app. Make it only activateable on the mobile devices using it not from any internet terminal

Allow for adjustment to the location refresh rate. Gps can burn battery like crazy, so being able to sample less when just marching would be a godsend

Keep it simple, the fewer bells and whistles the better

Map freezing. allow the user to lock in a field map hefore game time so it is a picture, not a file being constantly refreshed by the net. Saves battery

Enemy reporting. Allow users to designate engagement or sighting of enemies on the app viewable by their whole team. Also, as the report ages, it should fade out until after 1hr it disappears

Action log. After the game, some will want to check what they did. Allow an action log to be created for the user, his team, or the total battle, presented in a list like you would document a chess match.

All said you have a good idea. Would i pay for it? Maybe. A subscription fee, no. A one time fee with no upgrades, yes.
Internet access is available on cellsouth at all our fields except stonewall for me.