I want to develop an Android Application the gives the distinct map of my college. Can anyone tell me what it takes to develop such a service. Is OpenGL necessary for such an application? The basic idea is to have something like Google maps that shows where the user is and directions.
My college is situated in a hilly region so the google maps images are not very clear. Can I use Google Maps and perhaps modify it in some way so as to build a crisp clear application? Or is it better to start afresh?
OpenGL isn’t necessary for a mapping application (although it can be used), in fact most mapping applications, Google maps included, use pre-rendered image “tiles”. Each tile covers a set geographical area and includes all the information that the user may need.
A good application for generating tiles is TileMill. Tilemill needs mapping data to generate the tiles and a good source for this data is OpenSteetMap. Once you have created your custom tiles you can use the android location api to get the users location and display the relevant tiles with a marker.
Another option is to use something like Mapp although this costs money.