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Apply HN: Graticule – an Android real-time location sharing app

4 points by emilburzo 11y ago

Graticule allows you to share your precise (GPS) or approximate (network) location with anyone you choose to, in a very "get out of my way" style. Features: - no registration required - you get a private web tracking link that you can share with anyone (they don't have to have the app installed) - the tracking code is disposable, change it any time you want - as easy as technically possible on battery/data usage - no identifiable information sent from your device (except your location, of course) - encrypted communication - passive mode (piggybacks on other active apps, like running/cycling ones) What can I do with it? - give peace of mind to your family or loved ones when travelling - showing off while paragliding/flying/??? (assuming you still have enough signal for a data connection) - putting a cheap android phone in your car, on your pet, or anywhere else and track it - guide someone remotely to a location - no longer have to answer "Where are you?" or "How far are you?" What do I need? - an Android device - data connection - GPS or Wi-Fi turned on (depending on what kind of accuracy you need -- precise or approximate) If it seems like it's trying to be too many things at once, you're probably right, since you can use it in a lot of scenarios. Actual real-world usage so far (from people that have taken the time to say thanks) - driver in Norway giving his family peace of mind when commuting on icy roads in the winter - same as above, only also for cyclists, hikers and other outdoor types - an unnamed police department using it for bait cars - truck driver with a youtube channel giving his viewers his approximate location - ground crew tracking a paraglider pilot for easier recovery (when doing cross-country flights) - parents showing their children where they are when travelling for business https://graticule.link

brudgers 11y ago
Curious as to where you see Graticule going.
- emilburzo 11y ago
  Whenever I try to think about that my mind races too far ahead, then I worry about the technical limitations and I get a little discouraged. So I try not to and take it one step at a time. But to somewhat answer your question: a personal safety device that is always active, not something that tries to detect an emergency situation (which I find very hard) and only then activate. In my experience, even the last known location is better than nothing at all.
buss 11y ago
Google used to do this and I think they shut it down? Or, at least, it never took off. What would you do better? How will you make money?
- emilburzo 11y ago
  > Google used to do this and I think they shut it down? If you're referring to Google Latitude, you're correct. > What would you do better? I'd focus more on the search and rescue (SAR) aid part than the social part. To expand, I specifically made it for my own personal use as I'm a (hobby) skydiver/paraglider pilot/motorcyclist/hiker/cyclist/skier... you get my point (not bragging, just trying to give some background). These are all activities that while you are mostly with a group, there's a lot of time when you are on your own and it's really easy to go missing if the wrong series of events happen. I don't have any really serious personal examples, but I do have one from my country: a sailplane pilot when missing while doing a cross-country flight. There was a massive nation-wide SAR operation for about a week, they've looked for him border-to-border. After that, the operation was pretty much called off. It took a few weeks until some hikers found the sailplane by accident, ~ 13 km from where he took off, pretty much the last place anyone looked (because it was a good thermal day, so everyone thought he made at least 50km+ cross country). While something like Graticule might not have saved him (it's unknown how bad the crash was), it sure could have reduced the SAR. > How will you make money? Currently charging for the "PRO" version where the whole tracklog is persisted, not just the last beacon. Other than adding more features in that version, no idea (it started as my "soul project" not a cash cow).
vit05 11y ago
What is the difference between your product and others like Glympse, Find My Friend and family orbty ?
- emilburzo 11y ago
  I'm going to compare to Glympse, since that was what I researched the most before deciding to make Graticule, but it might apply to the others. Differences: - no time limit on the tracking link - it's not just for driving; surprisingly I stil got enough signal to use it even when paragliding at 1800m/5905ft (can obviously vary) - no need to pick a destination (disadvantage: no ETA) - just hit start and send your link (they mostly fixed this, after I released Graticule, in Glympse Express) - privacy oriented, no social stuff (good or bad, it depends I guess) - choose your location source: precise (GPS) or approximate (wifi/cell triangulation), for privacy or battery reasons - choose the beacon interval, for privacy or battery reasons There's probably more, but it's been a while.
GFischer 11y ago
I think it's a very cool project, congratulations :) Some questions: - Are you solo? Will you work with someone else if YC decides to fund you? - What would you focus on if YC or other investor should fund you? Market development? Improving the MVP? - Have you shown it to interested parties? Would this be better as part of some SAR suite/extreme sports app/map app, or as a standalone? One of my uncles used to go on sailing yatch races, I guess this could be useful for his family, but he hadn't heard of it. Do you think it's ready to be advertised?
- emilburzo 11y ago
  > I think it's a very cool project, congratulations :) Thank you, that actually means a lot to me. > Are you solo? Yes. > Will you work with someone else if YC decides to fund you? Truth be told, I seriously doubt I'll any funding, especially being in Romania/Eastern Europe where bureaucracy is ... let's say, plentiful. (When I started freelancing I had to go through influential acquaintances just so the <IRS equivalent> clerks could make up their damn mind on what paperwork I need so I can legally pay taxes -- something apparently nobody else in the city was doing) If by some miracle that happens, I do have someone in mind, a bit less technical but a lot more think-like-a-user type, he's helped with a lot of feedback early on. No idea if he would quit his day job for something like this though. In the meantime , I'm just happy to get some real feedback (good or bad). > What would you focus on if YC or other investor should fund you? Market development? Improving the MVP? First priority would be figuring out how to reach my target audience, which has proven kinda difficult. Advertising an app online for people that are mostly outdoor has proven counter-productive :-) UI/UX/introduction/video tutorial/documentation would be the second most important thing, as some things that I thought were obvious have proven otherwise. (Too many people have mistaken a 'Send feedback' for a "send this link to a friend") That's about it, anything else I think is too soon. > Have you shown it to interested parties? I've shown locals about it, they thought it was cool, but technology penetration is not so high in the extreme sports area. So they either don't have the smartphone for it, a data connection, good enough battery and so on. In other areas like the US the response was even more positive, but as I've said before, I have trouble reaching the more outdoorsy types, especially while at the same time not being too spammy. > Would this be better as part of some SAR suite/extreme sports app/map app, or as a standalone? Graticule does have a passive mode, where you start it and it will only transmit if there's another app requesting location (like Strava, Runtastic, Waze, whatever). Other than that, I'm not sure what it could be integrated with; it would be nice to have it 'always-on' (even if it's just once every hour), but I don't think people are going to be receptive to that ideea. > One of my uncles used to go on sailing yatch races, I guess this could be useful for his family, but he hadn't heard of it. Nice! I'm not sure how far a data connection goes on water, but it's worth a shot. > Do you think it's ready to be advertised? I'm actually pretty happy to say that since I've opened it up for public use, it's had 100% uptime through a lot of infrastructure changes. It's a nice personal challenge (I like being both a sysadmin and a dev) treating it really important to keep it up and reliably running.

4 points by emilburzo 11y ago

brudgers 11y ago

Curious as to where you see Graticule going.

emilburzo 11y ago
Whenever I try to think about that my mind races too far ahead, then I worry about the technical limitations and I get a little discouraged. So I try not to and take it one step at a time. But to somewhat answer your question: a personal safety device that is always active, not something that tries to detect an emergency situation (which I find very hard) and only then activate. In my experience, even the last known location is better than nothing at all.

buss 11y ago

Google used to do this and I think they shut it down? Or, at least, it never took off. What would you do better? How will you make money?

emilburzo 11y ago
> Google used to do this and I think they shut it down? If you're referring to Google Latitude, you're correct. > What would you do better? I'd focus more on the search and rescue (SAR) aid part than the social part. To expand, I specifically made it for my own personal use as I'm a (hobby) skydiver/paraglider pilot/motorcyclist/hiker/cyclist/skier... you get my point (not bragging, just trying to give some background). These are all activities that while you are mostly with a group, there's a lot of time when you are on your own and it's really easy to go missing if the wrong series of events happen. I don't have any really serious personal examples, but I do have one from my country: a sailplane pilot when missing while doing a cross-country flight. There was a massive nation-wide SAR operation for about a week, they've looked for him border-to-border. After that, the operation was pretty much called off. It took a few weeks until some hikers found the sailplane by accident, ~ 13 km from where he took off, pretty much the last place anyone looked (because it was a good thermal day, so everyone thought he made at least 50km+ cross country). While something like Graticule might not have saved him (it's unknown how bad the crash was), it sure could have reduced the SAR. > How will you make money? Currently charging for the "PRO" version where the whole tracklog is persisted, not just the last beacon. Other than adding more features in that version, no idea (it started as my "soul project" not a cash cow).

vit05 11y ago

What is the difference between your product and others like Glympse, Find My Friend and family orbty ?

emilburzo 11y ago
I'm going to compare to Glympse, since that was what I researched the most before deciding to make Graticule, but it might apply to the others. Differences: - no time limit on the tracking link - it's not just for driving; surprisingly I stil got enough signal to use it even when paragliding at 1800m/5905ft (can obviously vary) - no need to pick a destination (disadvantage: no ETA) - just hit start and send your link (they mostly fixed this, after I released Graticule, in Glympse Express) - privacy oriented, no social stuff (good or bad, it depends I guess) - choose your location source: precise (GPS) or approximate (wifi/cell triangulation), for privacy or battery reasons - choose the beacon interval, for privacy or battery reasons There's probably more, but it's been a while.

GFischer 11y ago

I think it's a very cool project, congratulations :) Some questions: - Are you solo? Will you work with someone else if YC decides to fund you? - What would you focus on if YC or other investor should fund you? Market development? Improving the MVP? - Have you shown it to interested parties? Would this be better as part of some SAR suite/extreme sports app/map app, or as a standalone? One of my uncles used to go on sailing yatch races, I guess this could be useful for his family, but he hadn't heard of it. Do you think it's ready to be advertised?

emilburzo 11y ago
> I think it's a very cool project, congratulations :) Thank you, that actually means a lot to me. > Are you solo? Yes. > Will you work with someone else if YC decides to fund you? Truth be told, I seriously doubt I'll any funding, especially being in Romania/Eastern Europe where bureaucracy is ... let's say, plentiful. (When I started freelancing I had to go through influential acquaintances just so the <IRS equivalent> clerks could make up their damn mind on what paperwork I need so I can legally pay taxes -- something apparently nobody else in the city was doing) If by some miracle that happens, I do have someone in mind, a bit less technical but a lot more think-like-a-user type, he's helped with a lot of feedback early on. No idea if he would quit his day job for something like this though. In the meantime , I'm just happy to get some real feedback (good or bad). > What would you focus on if YC or other investor should fund you? Market development? Improving the MVP? First priority would be figuring out how to reach my target audience, which has proven kinda difficult. Advertising an app online for people that are mostly outdoor has proven counter-productive :-) UI/UX/introduction/video tutorial/documentation would be the second most important thing, as some things that I thought were obvious have proven otherwise. (Too many people have mistaken a 'Send feedback' for a "send this link to a friend") That's about it, anything else I think is too soon. > Have you shown it to interested parties? I've shown locals about it, they thought it was cool, but technology penetration is not so high in the extreme sports area. So they either don't have the smartphone for it, a data connection, good enough battery and so on. In other areas like the US the response was even more positive, but as I've said before, I have trouble reaching the more outdoorsy types, especially while at the same time not being too spammy. > Would this be better as part of some SAR suite/extreme sports app/map app, or as a standalone? Graticule does have a passive mode, where you start it and it will only transmit if there's another app requesting location (like Strava, Runtastic, Waze, whatever). Other than that, I'm not sure what it could be integrated with; it would be nice to have it 'always-on' (even if it's just once every hour), but I don't think people are going to be receptive to that ideea. > One of my uncles used to go on sailing yatch races, I guess this could be useful for his family, but he hadn't heard of it. Nice! I'm not sure how far a data connection goes on water, but it's worth a shot. > Do you think it's ready to be advertised? I'm actually pretty happy to say that since I've opened it up for public use, it's had 100% uptime through a lot of infrastructure changes. It's a nice personal challenge (I like being both a sysadmin and a dev) treating it really important to keep it up and reliably running.