GPSd on Android/AOSP:
---------------------

The files in this directory are not an official part of gpsd, and have
never been  part of any gpsd release.  They are not maintained and
may be dangerous to your system.  They are here only for your amusement,
and in the hope someone wishes to maintain them.

As of December 2025, gpsd version 3.27, this no longer buillds.

The files in this path, as well as the Android.bp in the path below,
are used for building the GPSd client as a platform library for AOSP.

Five components are currently implemented;
gpsd executable,
Shared library, libgps (builds libgps.so)
Static library, libgps_static
Test client, gps_test (builds executable gps_test)
Android GNSS 1.1 HAL, (builds android.hardware.gnss@1.1-service.gpsd)


Build instructions:
-------------------

1) clone gpsd into your Android build tree at;
platform/external/gpsd

2) initialize your build environment for your target device;
cd platform/
. build/envsetup.sh
lunch

3) build the component;
m libgps
or 
m gps_test

This will build the component and output it at;
platform/out/target/product/<device name>/vendor/


As a platform dependency:
-------------------------

You can add the components to your device's dependency list by adding
it to the PRODUCT_PACKAGES variable in one of your device's makefiles.

For example;
PRODUCT_PACKAGES += libgps gps_test

Following this, performing a full build for your device will
incorporate the component(s) into the vendor partition image for
your device.

Note that for the HAL, you also have to include some additional
components;
PRODUCT_PACKAGES += android.hardware.gnss@1.1 \
        android.hardware.gnss@1.1-impl \
        android.hardware.gnss@1.1-service.gpsd


Running gps_test:
-----------------
gps_test is an extremely simple test client that continually prints
fix and SV details to the console.

It accepts one parameter, which is the IP address or hostname of
a running instance of GPSd.


Building other components using libgps:
---------------------------------------
gps_test is a good starting point for building other components using
libgps. libgps can be added either as a shared object or static
linked. For use as a shared object, add "libgps" to the list of
shared_libs that your module depends on. For static, use
"libgps_static" in the list of static_libs.


GPSd:
-----
The only configuration needed for GPSd is to set a system property
with the launch parameters to use. This should be appended to the
PRODUCT_PROPERTY_OVERRIDES variable in an appropriate device specific
makefile. This is a comma-separated list of parameters.

For example (note that this is the default if unspecified);
PRODUCT_PROPERTY_OVERRIDES += \
	service.gpsd.parameters=-Nn,-D2,/dev/ttyACM0,/dev/ttyACM1


GNSS 1.1 HAL for Android:
-------------------------
This is the part that wraps everything together on Android. It makes
it possible for location services on Android to be fed location data
by gpsd.

The HAL is able to operate with or without gpsd running on the same
device. By default, the HAL will look to localhost:2947 for gpsd,
however, it is possible to change both the host and port by setting
the system properties "service.gpsd.host" and "service.gpsd.port"
to reflect the hostname or ip address of the gpsd host, and the
port number it is listening on.

The HAL also has a special automotive mode that can be activated
by setting the system property "service.gpsd.automotive" to any
value. When the automotive mode is activated, the HAL will feed
the location services with the last known fix coordinates until
the first valid fix has been received. If the fix is later lost,
it will correctly NOT continue to feed a fix. The updated fix will
be stored in persistent system properties every 30 seconds while
there is a valid fix.

The purpose of automotive mode is to make it possible to immediately
input a destination into navigation software without having to wait
for a valid fix. A valid fix can take minutes to establish, even with
a clear view of the sky, but worse, a fix can even be impossible if
the vehicle is parked underground or in any structure that
effectively blocks the signals. The consequence is that without
automotive mode, it would be necessary to drive the vehicle from
its current location to somewhere with a clear view of the sky,
and then wait potentially several minutes for a valid fix before
being able to enter a destination. With automotive mode, it is
possible to immediately enter a destination, and begin driving.
Once a fix has been established, the navigation software will
update to the current location on the route.

Note that in addition to including the components, it is also
necessary to make adjustments to the device's selinux policy in
order for the HAL to properly interact with the network. A typical
policy file will be provided.


VERY IMPORTANT: SEPOLICY!
-------------------------
In the old days prior to Android 8, it was possible to achieve full
system functionality by simply disabling selinux enforcement. This
is no longer enough with Android 8+, since the init process does
its own selinux checks before it will even attempt to launch a daemon.

And not only this, but it is also very important to enforce a certain
degree of security. As such, appropriate policy for the GPSd process
and the GNSS HAL are included, however, it is necessary for it to be
included in the device configuration.

Add the following to an appropriate device specific makefile;
BOARD_SEPOLICY_DIRS += external/gpsd/android/sepolicy


Putting it all together:
------------------------
Adding the following to your device's makefile will build and install
GPSd and its GNSS HAL:

PRODUCT_PACKAGES += android.hardware.gnss@1.1 \
        android.hardware.gnss@1.1-impl \
        android.hardware.gnss@1.1-service.gpsd \
        gpsd
PRODUCT_PROPERTY_OVERRIDES += \
	service.gpsd.parameters=-Nn,-G,/dev/ttyACM0
BOARD_SEPOLICY_DIRS += external/gpsd/android/sepolicy


Contact: Adam Serbinski <aserbinski@gmail.com>
