NEXT-GENERATION
LOCATION-BASED
SERVICES FOR MOBILE
DEVICES
Sidney Shek
ABSTRACT
CSC
sshek2@csc.com
CSC Grants
February 2010
A Location-Based Service (LBS) is a mobile computing application that provides
information and functionality to users based on their geographical location. Firstgeneration examples include “show me nearby restaurant”-type applications.
Next-generation LBS can provide additional benefits for users and service
providers, including:
Proactively pushing only relevant information to users to help speed up
decisions and activities.
Minimising tedious data entry by integrating applications with advanced
sensors such as accelerometers, digital compasses and cameras.
Allowing service providers to model user behaviour based on their
location and route information, which can support improvements of
service levels in near real-time and over the longer term.
Encouraging sharing of location-based information, such as photos and
reviews, generated by other service providers and users.
As a result, analysts predict explosive growth in the LBS market over the coming
years. Apart from the consumer market, there is a good prospect and potential
for this technology to find its application in many industries including health,
manufacturing, mining and financial services.
The aim of this research was to provide further insight into possibilities for
smartphone next-generation LBS applications, including a greater understanding
of implementation and architectural considerations, and future trends in LBS.
This report outlines the current state of LBS technology, research into the
important issue of maintaining user privacy, and future trends such as improved
visualisation through augmented reality and moves towards context-based
computing and Semantic Web.
Four case studies of next-generation LBS are discussed in detail, covering
architecture, design challenges and possible solutions. These...