NTsocial Application User Guide

1. Profile Settings

1.1 Overview

The Profile page sits on the far right of the bottom navigation bar. It acts as your digital identity control center inside the decentralized mesh network. Information configured here is public and automatically shared with other nearby nodes, so decide carefully what you want to reveal.

1.2 Page layout & access

After launching the app, tap the rightmost “People” icon (Profile) in the bottom navigation bar. The page scrolls vertically from top to bottom in this order: avatar area, basic identity, detailed profile info, social links, language preferences, and the publishing/long-range toggles.

1.3 Identity & avatar management

Because NTsocial has no central server to manage accounts, each profile is automatically assigned a globally unique color QR code as a visual identity. Even if someone imitates your nickname, they cannot replicate the exact same QR pattern. To improve visual recognition across the interface, NTsocial also allows a custom avatar to be displayed alongside the QR code.

• Identity fingerprint: The system generates a unique cryptographic key for every user and converts it into an Identicon (geometric identity image), shown as the color QR code.
• Custom avatar:
  • Action: Tap the “Change Avatar” button to open the Android file picker and select a photo stored on your device.
  • Processing: Once selected (image/*), the image is linked to your fingerprint and stored. The UI shows both the QR code and your uploaded image; if the file is missing, only the QR code appears.

1.4 Profile editing

This area lets you edit the public information broadcast across the mesh. All fields support IME action navigation (ImeAction.Next) for quick switching. Remember: whatever you enter here is shared network-wide, so disclose only what you are comfortable sharing.

1.4.1 Core identity

• Nickname: The primary name shown in Public Feed and Private Chat. English, Chinese, and Japanese are supported.

1.4.2 Basic info

• Tagline: A short, single-line status description.
• Bio: A multi-line introduction field (three lines shown by default).
• Location: Manually enter your region or city.

1.4.3 Social links

To establish cross-platform trust, add other service accounts here. Specific fields optimize the keyboard layout:

• Website: Opens a URI-focused keyboard for personal sites or company pages.
• Email: Opens an email-optimized keyboard.
• Social ID: Share public IDs such as GitHub, Twitter (X), or Instagram.

1.5 System preferences

1.5.1 Language selector

NTsocial supports real-time language switching between English, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese. Choose a radio button and the UI updates immediately. Tip: if the online list in “People” feels stale, switch to another language and switch back to refresh it right away.

• English (en)
• 繁體中文 (zh-TW)
• 日本語 (ja)

1.6 Advanced network settings

1.6.1 Long Range Mode (LE Coded PHY S=8)

The Long Range toggle (S=8) sits at the bottom of the page and is critical for outdoor use. Only newer Bluetooth chipsets fully support this advanced mode. Since version 1.2.6, when you enable it, NTsocial detects nearby nodes intelligently—if any node has weak signal, it shifts that link to a slower long-range mode. This can push Bluetooth beyond 100 meters, so we strongly recommend enabling it for hiking or cycling. If all nodes are within strong range, NTsocial still uses the highest-speed 2M mode even when the toggle is on, keeping network throughput at full speed.

Each peer connection is independent, so only the weaker links drop to long-range mode; nearby peers remain on 1M or 2M. For outdoor activities, this feature is strongly recommended.

• Function: Designed for lower bandwidth, long-distance links that can extend range up to four times in open areas. Indoors with obstacles or strong Wi-Fi interference, it may not significantly increase range.
• Status display: If the Bluetooth chip supports this mode (supportsLongRange is true), the toggle is available. Otherwise the switch is locked and the message “Long Range Unsupported” appears, indicating that the hardware does not support the feature.

1.7 Publishing

This is the most important step on the Profile page. After filling in or editing your information, tap the “Publish Profile” button to broadcast updates to other nodes. You can also press it manually to push your latest profile whenever a new node appears.

• Action: Tap the “Publish Profile” button at the bottom of the page.
• Technical behavior: Data is written to the local database via the Write/Notify mechanism and pushed to nearby peers based on NTsocial’s sync protocol.
• Reminder: In a mesh environment, edits stay in memory only until you publish. Always publish after changes to sync with others.

2. Overview

NTsocial integrates an advanced offline map engine with decentralized tactical situational awareness (ATaK) features. It allows users to operate without internet access, using the mesh network for team track monitoring, real-time position awareness, map annotations (CoT-like markers), and geospatial collaboration.

This module is divided into two parts:

• Offline Map Management System: loading and configuring map data, themes, elevation, and tracks.
• ATaK Tactical Channel Operations: position reporting, tactical object plotting, and channel management.

3. Offline Map System

NTsocial uses a fully offline rendering engine and does not rely on Google Maps or other online services. It works anywhere without cellular coverage, but users must import their own map data files. NTsocial supports mainstream formats from the open-source mapping community (.map/.xml/.DEM/.GPX). In Taiwan, we recommend the open-source project “魯地圖” (MOI.OSM - Taiwan TOPO).

3.1 Entering the map view

1. For first-time use, download the latest map data files. Download the .map/.xml/.DEM files.
2. On most Android phones, files are stored in the Download folder. No manual unzip or relocation is needed; NTsocial will handle the files automatically.
3. Tap “Map” from the bottom navigation menu in the app.
4. If no map data has been imported, the app will ask you to select at least one existing map file on your device (for example, a .map file).

3.2 Importing and switching map files (.map)

• Open the sidebar and scroll to the “Offline Maps” section.
• If no maps have been imported or you need to add a new one, tap “Import map file (.map/.zip).”
• The file picker will open. Select the .map file stored on your device (or a .zip containing the map).
• After import, tap the filename in the list to activate the map.

Note: The system automatically remembers the last map you used.

3.3 Map visual themes (.xml)

• Rendering themes determine the map’s visual style (road colors, contour display, and more).
• In the sidebar “Rendering Theme” section, tap “Import theme (.xml/.zip).”
• We recommend importing a .zip that includes all assets (images and icons).
• After import, select the theme you want to apply. Choosing “Default” uses the built-in rendering style.

Text scale: If map labels appear too small, adjust “Text scale” in the sidebar. Options range from Small (0.35x) to Extra large (0.85x).

3.4 Digital elevation model (DEM) & hillshading

• The system supports SRTM HGT elevation data for hillshading.
• In the sidebar “Elevation data (DEM)” section, tap “Import HGT (.hgt/.zip).”
• Select the .hgt file that matches your current map area.
• After import, the system automatically overlays hillshading during map rendering.

3.5 Track management (GPX)

• In the sidebar “GPX tracks” section, tap “Import GPX.”
• After import, check the filename in the list to display the track (blue line) on the map.
• You can select multiple GPX files at the same time for overlay analysis.

3.6 Basic map operations

• Zoom: Use two-finger pinch gestures, or tap the + / - buttons in the top-right corner.
• Recenter: Tap the TW button in the top-right corner to reset the view to the default center point (Taiwan).
• Pan: Drag the map with one finger.

4. ATaK Tactical Channel Operations

ATaK channels are designed for outdoor team collaboration. NTsocial allows users to create an unlimited number of ATaK channels, and the map can display multiple channels at once, enabling simultaneous management of multiple teams’ geographic information. ATaK channels include real-time member location synchronization and map object data. Each member automatically reports GPS coordinates, and each member can create map objects based on their field observations.

4.1 Channel activation & visibility

• Tactical channels that a user joins are automatically listed in the “ATaK channels” section at the bottom of the left sidebar.
• Open the left sidebar and scroll to the bottom.
• Show/Hide: Check the box to the left of a channel name to show or hide its members and objects on the map.
• Expand info: Tap the arrow to the right of a channel name to view the member list (including last report time) and the map object list.

4.2 Self location reporting (PLI - Position Location Information)

• After joining a tactical channel, the system automatically reports location in the background. The reporting interval is set by the channel creator.
• Reporting mechanism: The system uses the channel “update interval” to capture GPS coordinates and broadcast them securely.
• Freshness guard: If GPS data is too old (for example, indoors with no fix), the system pauses reporting to avoid sending incorrect coordinates.
• Privacy: Location data is only sent to tactical channels you have joined and enabled. Members can leave channels at any time.

4.3 Member tracking

• Channel members are shown on the map as circular icons.
• Abbreviations: The letter or number inside the circle represents the member identifier.
• Color coding: The system assigns different colors automatically (red, purple, green, blue, and more).
• Details: Tap a member icon to view the full nickname, channel, and the time of the last location update.

4.4 Tactical objects (Map Objects) management

A. Create objects

• Long-press the desired location on the map. Zoom in first for accuracy.
• The system will show the “Create map object” dialog. Fill in the following fields:
• Publish channels: Select the channels to synchronize the object (multi-select supported).
• Name: A short label (for example, CP-1, Target-A).
• Attribute: A short note (for example, resources, food, drinking water, tents, camp, fire).
• Description: Detailed information.
• Icon: Choose a representative symbol from the grid (for example, personnel, medical, hazard, rally point).
• Tap “Create” to broadcast the object to the mesh network.

B. View & edit objects

• Tap an existing object icon on the map.
• The info panel shows the object name, coordinates, attributes, description, and the current “Alive Channels.”
• Edit: Tap “Edit” to update the name or description, or to sync the object to additional channels.
• Delete: Tap “Delete” and choose the channel(s) in which you want to remove the object.
• The system sends a delete operation (Op: Delete) to the selected channels to remove the marker from members’ maps.

5. Troubleshooting & Notes

Blank or grid map

• Confirm that the correct .map file is selected in the sidebar.
• Confirm that offline map data for the area has been downloaded.

Location not updating

• Ensure Android location permission is set to “Allow all the time” or “While using the app” for NTsocial.
• If Battery Saver is enabled, background location reporting may be blocked. Add NTsocial to the battery optimization whitelist.

Object sync delay

• The ATaK protocol relies on mesh network transfer. Sync delays can occur when nodes are sparse or signals are degraded.
• If an object is marked as “deleted” but the icon remains, try refreshing or restarting the app.

File compatibility

• Map files only support Mapsforge-compatible formats (OpenAndroMaps recommended).
• When importing ZIP files, ensure there are no extra macOS system files (such as __MACOSX) to avoid import failures.