Platform for Location-Based Services

1. PoLoS: A Universal Platform for the Development of LBS and Other Data Services Platform for Location-Based Services Communication Networks Laboratory Department of Informatics & Telecommunications, University of Athens LOBSTER Workshop, Myconos, October 4th-5th, 2002

2. The Consortium Project Officer: Dr. Franco Accordino • ALCATEL SEL AG • CSEM • University of Athens • INTRACOM S.A. • EPSILON S.A. • Telefonica I+D • EPSILON Consulting Ltd.

3. Project Objectives • To design and implement an Integrated Platform for Location Based Services (LBS) for: • Service Creation • Service Deployment • Service Provision • The pursued platform will feature : • Re-usability • Independence from network platforms, GIS systems, positioning techniques and terminal technologies

4. PoLoS Architecture Service Creation GPS MExE WLAN UMTS Text Data HTTP GIS Graph Data WAP GSM/GPRS PoLoS Kernel SMS Charging/Billing CORBA/IP Positioning Term Type OSA Network Infrastructure

5. PoLoS Key Elements • PoLoS Kernel • Peripheral Components: • G.I.S. • Positioning • Interfaces (SMS/MMS, WAP, HTTP, IP) • LBS Specification Language • Service Creation Environment • Generic LBS Provider Business Model • Contributions to Standardisation

6. Main Advantages of PoLoS (1/2) • Portability: platform independent of specific hardware/operating systems • Re-usability: generic platform, decoupled from service logic - basic components unaffected by dynamic new service introduction • Independence from underlying technologies: • platform not bound to specific network technologies. Covers both outdoor and indoor environments (GSM/GPRS, UMTS and WLAN) • platform not coupled with specific GIS • Open interfaces towards the GIS, the network and end-user devices • Support for many operation paradigms(e.g., server push, client pull, event scheduling)

7. Main Advantages of PoLoS (2/2) • Flexible Service Handling • Service Creation Environment handles the XML-based service specification • service logic fully covered by the platform. Service specified through the SCE, deployed & executed in the kernel • Roaming across different infrastructures (e.g., moving from an outdoor/GPS to an indoor/WLAN environment) • Generic system infrastructure tied with generic business model • separation between service creation, service provisioning and the network, allowing each function to be handled by independent (yetcooperating) organisations.

8. Target Audience • Providers of innovative telecommunications services (LBS in particular) • Telecom operators wishing to extend the range of their value added services by exploiting positioning capabilities offered by their infrastructure • Large organizations willing to exploit LBS platforms internally (e.g., fleet-management) • Other Organizations: Universities, R&D centers or industries wishing to exploit LBS technologies in their premises

9. Exploitable Results • A new platform: allows the deployment and provision of LBS over different network infrastructures • A Service Creation Environment / Specification Language: easy service creation and deployment • A prototype service:deployment and provisioning using the developed platform • A generic process model: allows service providers to fully realise the potential of the developed platform

10. Technologies & Tools Reviewed Service Specification Language Kernel Positioning GIS Interfaces SCE • J2EE • JBoss • EJBs • EJBGen • XDoclet • JavaCC • RMI • JAXP • JAXB • JMX • LDAP • MExE • OSA • MLP-SLP-MPP • Positioning techniques (Cell-ID, TA, TOA, E-OTD, ETDOA, GPS, A-GPS ) • GML • XML • Apache Web Server • Tomcat - JSP • WAP gateways (Nokia, Ericsson) • SMS/MMS, SMPP, SMAP, OSA • Eclipse • NetBeans • CCXML • VoiceXML • SCML • CPL • TXML • WSDL • XL

11. Service Specification Language • The specification language consists of the following parts: • Service control logic • Configuration options • Embedded components • Web Server pages • WAP pages • Custom java classes/libraries • Midlets • These parts are defined in a single XML file, which completely specifies the service • Each part is defined under distinct tags.

12. Service Control Language Example <servicelang="SCL" name="GetMyLocation" date="..."> <entrylabel="main"> <invokecomponent="POS"> <setname="userid">parameters.userid</set> </invoke> <invokecomponent="GIS"> <setname="coordinates.north">_result.coordinates.north</set> <setname="coordinates.east">_result.coordinates.east</set> </invoke> <setname="result.location">_result.textposition</set> </entry> </service>

13. Definition of a Business Model • An architecture for: • Product • Service • Information flows • Business Actors and their Roles • potential benefits for the various Business Actors • sources of revenue

14. PoLoS Business Models • An important aspect of the PoLoS project is theintroduction/proposal of a business model specially designed, tailored to organisations that exclusively provide Location Based Services to various sectors of economic activity. Such models will be structured appropriately to optimally exploit the outcome of PoLoS. PoLoS Generic LBS Platform Generic Business Model

15. Business Model Methodology • Investigation/ extensive survey of existing BM for • Internet Portals • M-portals • Identification of BMs that best match the considered LBS Provider case • Survey of supporting technologies, e.g., EBXML, CPP (Collaboration Protocol Profiles) • Proposals for BM/Re-engineering proposals/Interfaces with other entities involved in the LBS provision chain

16. GSM/GPRS GPS Bluetooth 802.11 Cell-ID / TOA /… Trials: Demonstrators • GPS-based • WLAN-based • GSM-based

17. Achievements • Identification of the functional requirements for • PoLoS kernel • SCE/Service Specification Language • peripheral components • High level design of the PoLoS platform • Definition of the Service Specification Language • Specification of the Pilot Services scenarios to be demonstrated • Started implementation activities • PoLoS Kernel • SCE • Peripheral Components • Identification of the plan for Dissemination of Results and Exploitation