Calculating exact distance in iPhone - iphone

Question

I am trying to calculate distance from start using Core Location framework, but when i put the Application on an iPhone device, the data is not correct. Distance keeps on fluctuating and showing random data. Kindly help me out. Also, Altitude is showing zero.
- (void)locationManager:(CLLocationManager *)manager
didUpdateToLocation:(CLLocation *)newLocation
fromLocation:(CLLocation *)oldLocation
{
//Altitude
if(startingPoint==nil)
self.startingPoint=newLocation;
NSString *currentAltitude = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:#"%g",
newLocation.altitude];
heightMesurement.text=currentAltitude;
[currentAltitude release];
//Distance
if(startingPoint==nil)
self.startingPoint=newLocation;
//if(newLocation.horizontalAccuracy <= 100.0f) {
// [locationManager stopUpdatingLocation];
//}
//test start.......................................................
//startlocation
NSString *sp = [[NSString alloc]
initWithFormat:#"%f",startingPoint];
NSLog(#"\nStarting point=%#",startingPoint);
ssp.text=sp;
//endlocation
NSString *ep = [[NSString alloc]
initWithFormat:#"%f",newLocation];
NSLog(#"\nStarting point=%#",newLocation);
eep.text=ep;
//test end............................................................
CLLocationDistance mydistance=[newLocation distanceFromLocation:startingPoint];
NSString *tripString = [[NSString alloc]
initWithFormat:#"%f",mydistance];
distLabel.text=tripString;
[tripString release];
//test........................
[sp release];
[ep release];
}//Location Manager ends..
//Time interval of 3 sec....
-(void)locationUpdate:(NSTimer*)timer{
if(timer != nil) [timer invalidate];
[self.locationManager startUpdatingLocation];
}

Answer 1

As to why your altitude may be zero, please see this answer to a similar question.
This may just be a problem with your NSLog statements, but both the starting and ending points are printed out with NSLog statements that say
NSLog(#"\nStarting point=%#",
The way you seem to have scheduled a 3-second timer is not really the way iOS wants you to use CLLocationManager. The preferred way is to tell CLLocationManager what your location criterion are, and then just start it updating. You don't actually need to keep telling it to start updating every 3 seconds. You can just do it once, and then if you ever decide you don't need any more updates, then call
[locationManager stopUpdatingLocation];
If the OS has no new location information, it probably doesn't make sense to keep asking. It'll tell you when it has new location information, via locationManager:didUpdateToLocation:fromLocation. So, I would recommend starting the process more like this:
CLLocationManager* locationManager = [[CLLocationManager alloc] init];
if ([locationManager locationServicesEnabled]) {
Reachability* netStatus = [Reachability sharedReachability];
if (([netStatus internetConnectionStatus] != NotReachable) || ([netStatus localWiFiConnectionStatus] != NotReachable)) {
locationManager.delegate = self;
locationManager.desiredAccuracy = kCLLocationAccuracyBestForNavigation;
locationManager.distanceFilter = 100.0; // 100 m, or whatever you want
[locationManager startUpdatingLocation];
} else {
// TODO: error handling
}
}
self.locMgr = locationManager;
[locationManager release];
The location manager will often deliver you multiple results, with increasing accuracy as it hones in on your location. If you're continually restarting it, I'm wondering if that's causing it problems.