rosidl

ROS Message

Writing some notes on how different types of ROS messages are defined.

There are 3-4 main standard ROS message:

1. std_msgs
2. sensor_msgs
3. vision_msgs
4. nav_msgs (as part of nav2)

Some new kinds of messages I’ve been exposed to through MIT-PITT-RW:

• can_msgs
• geographic_msgs
• gps_msgs

You can find some of them through here https://github.com/ros2/common_interfaces.

• geographic_msgs
• gps_msgs

Geographic_msgs:

For GPS: https://discourse.ros.org/t/future-of-ros-2-gps-support/33297

• there’s also sensor_msgs/NavSatFix
• I haven’t worked that much with GPS, so I’m actually not sure about the options

Geographic_msgs vs. gps_msgs?

• gps_msgs is specialized for GPS-related data, focusing on the direct output from GPS receivers and their status.
• geographic_msgs is more general and versatile, dealing with geographic information beyond just GPS, including maps, routes, and waypoints.

Don't invent new message types unless you have to...

This is a philosophy I try to use at WATonomous. Use standardized messages. Else people have to build the message types themselves. You would need to maintain them otherwise.

As I do more of the WATonomous stuff, find myself looking into these:

• trajectory_msgs - link

https://docs.ros2.org/foxy/api/trajectory_msgs/msg/JointTrajectory.html