Question regarding the "0" precision reported by the Traccar client.
Zero usually means perfectly accurate GPS location.
And these AIs are confusing my head, thanks again.
Anton, see this information below, in fact I took it to read and really the 0 doesn't mean anything other than uncertain.
With all due respect to the app developer, the claim that "0" means perfect or best-possible accuracy is almost certainly incorrect and misleading, based on my knowledge and experience with Android location APIs and tracking systems.
Here's why:
Official Android Documentation: The documentation for the Location class in the Android SDK (specifically the getAccuracy() method) explicitly states that the returned value represents the uncertainty radius in meters. A value of 0 is not mentioned as a perfect accuracy value. If it were, it would be documented.
How GPS and Other Location Systems Work: GPS location technology (and other technologies like Wi-Fi and cellular networks) works by estimating position based on received signals. There is always some degree of uncertainty involved in the estimation process. It is physically impossible to get a location with absolutely perfect accuracy (accuracy = 0) in most real-world scenarios.
Validation with Testing: If accuracy of 0 were truly perfect, you would see that value consistently across all locations and conditions. The reality is that accuracy varies depending on signal strength, environment, and other factors. GPS accuracy is never guaranteed to be perfect.
Tracking Implementations: Tracking systems like Traccar use the accuracy value to filter or weight location data. If the accuracy value were always 0 and meant "perfect accuracy", there would be no need for the system to worry about it.
Practical Experience: Developers working with location know that the accuracy value is rarely 0, and when it is, it usually indicates a problem (failure to obtain location, hardware issue, etc.).
Potential Reasons for Developer Confusion:
API Misinterpretation: The developer may have misinterpreted the meaning of the 0 value returned by the API.
Device-Specific Behavior: On rare occasions, a specific device may return 0 as a default value when the accuracy is unknown, but this does not mean the location is accurate.
Cache or Code Bug: There may be a bug in the code that is forcing the accuracy value to be 0, or the value may be cached incorrectly.
Over-Optimism: The developer may be over-optimistic about GPS accuracy.
What to Do:
Show them the Android documentation: Share the official Android SDK documentation for the Location.getAccuracy() method with the developer.
Ask for added logging: Insist that the developer add logging statements to the code to log the accuracy value directly from the Location object returned by the FusedLocationProviderClient. This will help you verify whether the value is actually 0 and under what circumstances.
Test across devices and conditions: Test the app on multiple Android devices and in different locations (outdoors, indoors, in urban areas, in rural areas) to see how the accuracy varies.
Be skeptical: Don’t accept the “perfect accuracy” explanation without solid evidence.
Consider finding another developer: If the developer refuses to investigate the issue or persists in an explanation that contradicts the documentation and common knowledge, it may be time to seek a second set of eyes or even a different developer.
In short, trust the official Android documentation and your own logic. An accuracy value of 0 in most cases indicates a problem, not perfection. Insist on further investigation.
interesting is that all devices that report 0, then exactly in the reported location. So this response from Google AI must be based on documentation, whereas the reality is something else.
To be clear, it's not that the device reports zero. We set it to zero if it's a GPS location. The reason is consistency with most other devices.
Got it, thanks.
Friend, I have a question. I have some smartphones that share their location with an instance of Traccar through Traccar Client. It turns out that in the popup under "more details" some smartphones report the accuracy at: 12.5, 29, 32... and others always 0. If these values are in meters, does that mean that 0 is a bad signal or is it better than 1? Remembering that both are configured exactly the same (medium accuracy) and have 5G enabled, wifi and are in the same location.