Location based services on the rise

Rohit Arora

Location-based services (LBS) have witnessed all the ups and downs of trade and finally are at a cusp of technological prowess and business friendly application development. Faster 3G networks, stable position determining technologies, enhanced handset capabilities, increased user acceptance of data relevant services and a mass market approach of service providers have all contributed to the rise of LBS. Add to this, the availability of Location API support in ubiquitous java application platform (J2ME) on mobile phones opens a window into the innumerable opportunities in application development. 

ZDNet research believes that LBS applications will have a marke of around $771.9 million by 2010, with a consistent CAGR of 10.5% in Asia alone. In another generic research by Juniper, the total available market for mobile location based services would be $8.5 billion by the end of 2010. The largest geographic market will be Asia Pacific, with Europe and North America second and third respectively. The demand for location based services is continuously increasing as operators upgrade their networks to faster and more capable 3G which promises to be a nirvana for speed and connectivity.

What is a Location Based Service (LBS)

The World is full of information with myriad data resources. But, data becomes useful only when packaged in the right format and presented in a right context. One significant data source is ‘Geographical Location’. Information based on location of a consumer and services derived with such data are termed as Location Based Services. These services could be weather, traffic, events, hotels, petrol pumps, adjacent ATM locations and such other user relevant facts presented on a convenient interface.  Location based services answer simple questions like “where you are, what is around you and how you could get there.”

Personalization is a key driver for the success of any application. Currently, most of the devices that we use are often unaware of their current location. A mobile phone may never know that its user has traveled from one country to the other and may be unaware of the change in time zones. Location awareness adds an important facet to data centric applications and this in turn generates numerous possibilities. Location information is especially important in case of emergencies, E911 in North America and E112 in Europe are perfect examples where location forms the most essential and central information to reach the person needing some help.  

With mobile telephony, communication is no longer restricted by geographical boundaries. Handheld mobile devices provide useful information about the user’s location and this can be intelligently used to track his preferences and interests. This is also an important area of research and advancement in both academic and industry circles. Today’s mobile phones with their compact size and rich processing power present a great opportunity for location aware applications.

Tech behind technology

- Mobile operator information

Currently, most mobile operators around the world provide some basic location information in form of Cell ID, available free of cost for each mobile user. This information could be further utilized to derive services like informatiobn on shops, restaurants, ATM, etc in the 'Cell' (adjacent area) and pass it onto the user, based on his preferences. An obvious problem in such a scenario is the size of the Cells. The Cell size could vary from 2 to 20km depending on a number of factors like density, urban/rural areas and so on. Mobile operators also posses advanced equipment to determine the exact location of the user, but this is generally made available at a predefined cost to third party application developers. The mobile user’s consent to track him is also an important aspect that is taken into consideration.

- GPS

GPS or Global Positioning system is a satellite based technology. A constellation of more than two dozen GPS satellites broadcasts precise timing signals by radio to GPS receivers, allowing them to accurately determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude) in any weather, day or night, anywhere on Earth. This satellite information is currently available free of cost provided the user possesses a GPS receiver. A major drawback that is often cited is its high sensibility to multi-path and interference, which are the two main sources of errors in range and position estimations. In simpler terms, GPS does not work indoors i.e., inside buildings, houses or any closed structure.

- Assisted GPS

Assisted GPS combines the information obtained from the mobile operator along with that obtained from satellite to approximate the location of the user. It is a form of GPS which uses cell towers to supplant the on-phone hardware and assist when signal levels provided by GPS are low. Sometimes, a GPS received can be planted in a Base station (BS) itself and as this is sufficiently close to the location of the user, the data received by this location is fairly accurate for mobile user. Base stations’ receivers are generally located in such a way that they are constantly visible to the satellite.

 

Advantage LBS

Spatial triggers can be set for events such as a mobile phone entering or leaving a certain zone, or when two mobile phones are within a certain pre-defined distance from each other. Parents can be notified about their child’s location; when he reaches school, comes home, or goes to play. Presence based services such as location games, dating services, friend finders. The possibilities for LBS applications are unlimited.

Applications driving this industry can be broadly classified depending on their target usage scenarios. The key drivers for these applications vary and even the technology for each of these can vary based on the exactness of geographic co-ordinates that is required. We can differentiate them as

- Commercial

Business applications mostly revolve around the concept of tracking and tracing of goods/assets. Increased needs for communication and an explosive growth of mobile personnel in organizations have accelerated the growth of 'location-aware' applications for commercial usage.

- Private/ Personalized 

People that have permitted their positions to be tracked come under the purview of this category. The location or position criterion for these applications may be slightly relaxed. Location specific advertisements, SMS triggers, important landmarks around users and such other personalized scenarios to assist the user.  Navigation systems for car drivers have also picked up rapidly and are used extensively in Korea, Europe and some parts of North America.

- Publicly available

E911 in North America is an excellent example of publicly available location based services. Public safety and need of user position during emergencies lead to the publicly available LBS applications.

Nature of LBS implementation - Push/Pull services

Active Services - Information Pull

A consumer wants to find the nearest ATM centre from his current location so he sends an SMS to a predefined number and gets a list of ATM centers close to his current location. Such services where a user can PULL information from a repository whenever required - is an example of this category. Location is provided only in response to a user’s demand.

Passive Services – Information Push

A person registers for a dating service, which continuously monitors the user’s location and informs him of matching profiles close to him based on his preferences. "Passive" or "Push" services are those where a user may permit to have their location requested by the service multiple times by the application or by another user. Location of the user is continuously available at all times.

Business driven location based services may fall in either of the above two categories or be a priority combination based on requirements.

Did we forget Privacy?

In today’s world, privacy is a major concern for every mobile user and not everyone would want someone else to monitor his movements. Hence, the user is given the choice  to  "Opt-In" and "Opt-Out" of the service. It must always be ensured that each mobile user who is subject to location requests has opted-in for a specific service that requires locating them. An easy Opt-out mechanism should also be developed for such services.

For LBS applications, privacy can be assessed based on the type of application, the usage scenario and tracked entity. It can relate to an individual subscriber or a set of mobile workers for an enterprise. For individuals, they should be allowed to have full control over any location information that is being transmitted about them and should be informed of why, how and when this information is sent.

Enterprise level privacy is traditionally used to enable mobile staff to work productively. Personal subscription level privacy does not matter as the whole workforce tries to achieve a well defined set of goals and targets. It becomes the responsibility of the back office and managerial staff to effectively communicate the need of such applications and ingenuously help in reducing the frustration levels of the field staff. 

Looking ahead, market players need to increase their horizon for LBS technology. With the advent of RFID and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth capabilities in mobile devices, the future looks bright. Near-field-communication (NFC) technologies can be used for tracking, asset management and a host of other location curious applications. The time is ripe for location based services both in terms of business opportunities and technological advancements. Location based services possess the unique capability to be the killer application of the future and lead mankind into the next generation of mobility.

The author is a senior developer with T-systems

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are personal. CIOL need not  necessarily subscribe to the views of the author.