it took 17 months to overcome established and quite popular web site, quite long time even though iKatastr.cz offered from the beginning more functionality  (more maps, less clicks, simple UI) and faster performance.

Lesson learned: even you start later and you are outsider, you can eventually catch up and become a leader !

now from this perspective, katastr2 seems flat

One last note, I was hoping that mobile iKatastr would help to increase visits to iKatastr.cz, but this has never happened, rather SEO optimization is only what makes difference to  increase search results that consequently increases visits.

Here are 2  graphs, note, that Android version has started  7 months later thus reflects only period of 12 months

// for (NSInteger x = minX; x < = maxX; x++) {{
//for (NSInteger y = minY; y < = maxY; y++) }}

this number is constant for this relation :spherical mercator resolution (e.g. used by OpenLayers)  * zoomscale (used in MapKit)

spherical mercator resolution calculated as : spherical mercator width / view width

zoomscale in MapKit is calculated as : view width / mkMapRect.size.width

that is : spherical mercator width / mkMapRect.size.width = 0.149291  always.

So now any resolution from Spherical Mercator can be directly mapped into the MapKit internal coordinate system (mkMapRect) and vice versa without heavy calculations from mkMapRect to WGS84 and then to Spherical Mercator.

more about projection used in MapKit can be found here : LocationAwarenessPG

#1 remove subview from MKMapView (quite bad as you will loose all overlays too)

#2 use undocumented function (bad too as this will be rejected by Apple approval process):

// get MKMapTileView from view hierarchy

UIView * mkMapTileView = [((UIView*) [ ((UIView*)[self.subviews objectAtIndex:0]).

subviews objectAtIndex:0]).subviews objectAtIndex:0];

// call undocumented method

if ( [mkMapTileView respondsToSelector:@selector(setDrawingEnabled:)]){

[mkMapTileView performSelector:@selector(setDrawingEnabled:) withObject:(id) NO];

#3 use method swizzle

inspired by http://www.mikeash.com/pyblog/friday-qa-2010-01-29-method-replacement-for-fun-and-profit.html

http://atastypixel.com/blog/making-uitoolbar-and-uinavigationbars-background-totally-transparent/

this method is fine as it is official method and enables you to ‘subclass’ a class that you don’t have access in compile time.

#import <objc/runtime.h>

// original method declaration

static void (*_origDrawLayerInContext)(id, SEL, CALayer*, CGContextRef);

// set up subclass in runtime..in some entering method

UIView * mkMapTileView = [((UIView*) [ ((UIView*)[self.subviews objectAtIndex:0]). subviews objectAtIndex:0]).subviews objectAtIndex:0];

Method  origMethod = class_getInstanceMethod([mkMapTileView class], @selector(drawLayer:inContext:));

_origDrawLayerInContext = (void *)method_getImplementation(origMethod);

if(!class_addMethod([mkMapTileView class], @selector(drawLayer:inContext:), (IMP)OverrideDrawLayerInContext, method_getTypeEncoding(origMethod)))

method_setImplementation(origMethod, (IMP)OverrideDrawLayerInContext);

// implement our Override

static void OverrideDrawLayerInContext(UIView *self, SEL _cmd, CALayer *layer, CGContextRef context) {

// possibly call original method if you leave it empty base google maps will not be displayed. You can draw custom content here as well…

//  _origDrawLayerInContext(self, _cmd, layer, context);

}

This is a great unexpected surprise as judging panel of the Mobile Application of the 2011 year in Czech selected iKatastr. This is a great satisfaction as unlike previous idea “MapShake” that has been realized on www.mapshake.cz  generated no attraction, iKatastr is complete opposite. With MapShake, however, I have realized something important - simplicity. Although MapShake.cz and  the iPhone application “WhateverMap 1.0″ released in 2009  enabled to view cadastral maps , it was not straightforward, not explicit. With Jiri Kaminek working on Whatevermap 2.0 engine in the whole year 2010 we were about to do the same mistake for iPhone – release a universal map composition app. In fall 2010, Jirka was in Sweden and was finalizing Whatevermap 2.0 with some great demos. Fortunately MapShake failure warned me just in time and we agreed to make the iKatastr as pilot of the Whatevermap 2.0 engine. The idea was simple - let’s take the universal Whatevermap 2.0 engine and create single purpose map application of iOS. Jirka has done a great job. And another great thing is that Whatevermap 2.0 is working fine, is configurable remotely (all map definitions are stored on server so we can update them independently from the AppStore upgrade process) and moreover if you know how to define your own map composition – you can load into iKatastr literally whatever map :).

watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97LnrViar38

#1 iKatastr is still on top in the category Navigation in Czech app store after 4 months ! on iPhone it keeps 2nd place right after Mapy CZ provided by largest internet search in CZ Seznam.  On iPad, however, iKatastr is still 1st in category Navigation.

#2 Users of iKatastr has reported quite lot positive feedbacks, see here : http://appcomments.com/app/id396352287/iKatastr_reviews?country=143489&show=show_all_comments&sort=sort_recent&sortorder=sort_ascend&page=1

#3 IKatastr has been mentioned in Czech magazine “Mobility” 1/2011, on page 85.

 Quoted from the magazine press:

“There are just few  high quality applications in the Czech App Store. Even fewer of them are for free.
 iKatastr developed at Mendel University in Brno belongs to this narrow group with functionality that is also unique in the international comparison. “

——————-
 Jiri Kaminek (developer of the iKatastr) will reveal more statistics about usage of iKatastr in his upcoming thesis.  I can tell here just the following interesting observation : iPhone usage of iKatastr is approximately 10x higher than of the web  (www.ikatastr.cz)