Location-based service

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location-based services (LBS) are a general class of computer program-level services that
use location data to control features. As such LBS is an information service and has a number of
uses in social networking today as an entertainment service, which is accessible with mobile
devices through the mobile network and which uses information on the geographical position of the
mobile device. This has become more and more important with the expansion of the smartphone
and tablet markets as well.[1][2][3][4]
LBS are used in a variety of contexts, such as health, indoor object search,[5] entertainment,[6] work,
personal life, etc.[7]
LBS include services to identify a location[8] of a person or object, such as discovering the nearest
banking cash machine (a.k.a. ATM) or the whereabouts of a friend or employee. LBS include parcel
tracking and vehicle tracking services. LBS can include mobile commerce when taking the form of
coupons or advertising directed at customers based on their current location. They include
personalized weather services and even location-based games. They are an example
of telecommunication convergence.
This concept of location based systems is not compliant with the standardized concept of real-time
locating systems (RTLS) and related local services, as noted in ISO/IEC 19762-5[9] and ISO/IEC
24730-1.[10] While networked computing devices generally do very well to inform consumers of days
old data, the computing devices themselves can also be tracked, even in real-time. LBS privacy
issues arise in that context, and are documented below.
Contents
[hide]

1 History
2 Locating methods
o 2.1 Control plane locating
o 2.2 GSM localization
o 2.3 Self-reported positioning
o 2.4 Others
3 Location Based Marketing Best Practices
4 LBS applications
o 4.1 Comparison of location tracking apps for mobile devices
5 Mobile messaging
6 Privacy issues
7 See also
8 References

History[edit]
Today the question about LBS (Location Based Services) is not, "what they are inside of," but rather,
"what they are not an active part of," and the answer is, "very little". They are a part of virtually all
control and policy systems which work in computers today. They have evolved from simple
synchronization based service models to authenticated and complex tools for implementing virtually
any location based service model or facility.
LBS is the ability to open and close specific data objects based on the use of location and/or time as
(controls and triggers) or as part of complex cryptographic key or hashing systems and the data they

provide access to. Location based services today are a part of everything from control systems to
smart weapons. They are actively used trillions of times a day and may be one of the most heavily
used application-layer decision framework in computing today.
Research forerunners of today's location-based services include the infrared Active Badge
system [11] (19891993), the Ericsson-Europolitan GSM LBS trial by Jrgen Johansson (1995), and
the master thesis written by Nokia employee Timo Rantalainen in 1995.[12]
In 1990 International Teletrac Systems (later PacTel Teletrac), founded in Los Angeles CA,
introduced the world's first dynamic real-time stolen vehicle recovery services. As an adjacency to
this they began developing location based services that could transmit information about locationbased goods and services to custom-programmed alphanumericMotorola pagers. In 1996 Todd
Glassey designed the first Digital Timestamp Server for Email and other content validation and
created the first instances of "GeoSpatial Keying" a complex cryptographic process for using time
and location data to access or 'unlock' certain key services. Glassey proceeded with his Digital
Evidence System which was based on location and digital object control at the service and network
layer interfaces. Later that same year (1996) the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC)
issued rules requiring all US mobile operators to locate emergency callers. This rule was a
compromise resulting from US mobile operators seeking the support of the emergency community in
order to obtain the same protection from lawsuits relating to emergency calls as fixed-line operators
already had.
In 1997 Christopher Kingdon, of Ericsson, handed in the Location Services (LCS) stage 1
description to the joint GSM group of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). As a result the LCS sub-working group was
created under ANSI T1P1.5. This group went on to select positioning methods and standardize
Location Services (LCS), later known as Location Based Services (LBS). Nodes defined include the
Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC), the Serving Mobile Location Centre (SMLC) and concepts
such as Mobile Originating Location Request (MO-LR), Network Induced Location Request (NI-LR)
and Mobile Terminating Location Request (MT-LR). These use models were not really functional at
the application context layer and needed more user-interface controls to make them ubiquitous.
Those control came from Glassey's evolving models which expanded these and provided a
secondary, more robust and very simple system for controlling digital objects and decision
processes based on location and time.
As a result of these efforts in 1999 the first Digital Location Based Service Patent was filed in the US
and ultimately issued after nine (9) office actions in March 2002. The patent [13]has controls which
when applied to today's networking models provide key value in all systems.
In 2000, after approval from the worlds 12 largest telecom operators, Ericsson, Motorola
and Nokia jointly formed and launched the Location Interoperability Forum Ltd (LIF). This forum first
specified the Mobile Location Protocol (MLP), an interface between the telecom network and an LBS
application running on a server in the Internet Domain. Then, much driven by the Vodafone group,
LIF went on to specify the Location Enabling Server (LES), a "middleware", which simplifies the
integration of multiple LBS with an operators infrastructure. In 2004 LIF was merged with the Open
Mobile Association (OMA). An LBS work group was formed within the OMA.
The first consumer LBS-capable mobile web device was the Palm VII, released in 1999.[14] Two of
the in-the-box applications made use of the ZIP code-level positioning information and share the title
for first consumer LBS application: the Weather.com app from The Weather Channel, and
the[15] TrafficTouch app from Sony-Etak / Metro Traffic.[16][17]
The first LBS services were launched during 2001 by TeliaSonera in Sweden (FriendFinder, yellow
pages, houseposition, emergency call location etc.) and by EMT in Estonia (emergency call location,
friend finder, TV game). TeliaSonera and EMT based their services on the Ericsson Mobile
Positioning System (MPS).

Other early LBS include friendzone, launched by swisscom in Switzerland in May 2001, using the
technology of valis ltd. The service included friend finder, LBS dating and LBS games. The same
service was launched later by Vodafone Germany, Orange Portugal and Pelephone
in Israel.[15] Microsoft's Wi-Fi-based indoor location system RADAR (2000), MIT's Cricket project
using ultrasound location (2000) and Intel's Place Lab with wide-area location (2003).[18]
In May 2002, go2 and AT&T Mobility launched the first (US) mobile LBS local search application that
used Automatic Location Identification (ALI) technologies mandated by the FCC. go2 users were
able to use AT&Ts ALI to determine their location and search near that location to obtain a list of
requested locations (stores, restaurants, etc.) ranked by proximity to the ALI provide by the AT&T
wireless network. The ALI determined location was also used as a starting point for turn-byturn directions.
The main advantage is that mobile users do not have to manually specify ZIP codes or other location
identifiers to use LBS, when they roam into a different location. GPS tracking is a major enabling
ingredient, utilizing access to mobile web.

Locating methods[edit]
Control plane locating[edit]
Sometimes referred to as positioning, with control plane locating the service provider gets the
location based on the radio signal delay of the closest cell-phone towers (for phones without GPS
features) which can be quite slow as it uses the 'voice control' channel.[4] In the UK, networks do not
use trilateration; LBS services use a single base station, with a "radius" of inaccuracy, to determine a
phone's location. This technique was the basis of the E-911 mandate and is still used to locate
cellphones as a safety measure. Newer phones and PDAs typically have an integrated A-GPS chip.
In order to provide a successful LBS technology the following factors must be met:

Coordinates accuracy requirements that are determined by the relevant service;

Lowest possible cost;
Minimal impact on network and equipment.

Several categories of methods can be used to find the location of the subscriber.[2][19] The simple and
standard solution is GPS-based LBS. Sony Ericsson's "NearMe" is one such example. It is used to
maintain knowledge of the exact location, however can be expensive for the end-user, as they would
have to invest in a GPS-equipped handset. GPS is based on the concept of trilateration, a basic
geometric principle that allows finding one location if one knows its distance from other, already
known locations.

GSM localization[edit]
GSM localization is the second option. Finding the location of a mobile device in relation to its cell
site is another way to find out the location of an object or a person. It relies on various means
of multilateration of the signal from cell sites serving a mobile phone. The geographical position of
the device is found out through various techniques like time difference of arrival (TDOA) or
Enhanced Observed Time Difference (E-OTD).

Self-reported positioning[edit]
A low cost alternative to using location technology to track the player, is to not track at all. This has
been referred to as "self-reported positioning". It was used in the mixed reality game called Uncle
Roy All Around You in 2003 and considered for use in the Augmented reality games in
2006.[20] Instead of tracking technologies, players were given a map which they could pan around
and subsequently mark their location upon.[21][22] With the rise of location-based networking, this is
more commonly known as a user "check-in".

Others[edit]
Another example is Near LBS (NLBS), in which local-range technologies such as Bluetooth, WLAN,
infrared and/or RFID/Near Field Communication technologies are used to match devices to nearby
services. This application allows a person to access information based on their surroundings;
especially suitable for using inside closed premises, restricted/ regional areas.
Another alternative is an operator- and GPS-independent location service based on access into the
deep level telecoms network (SS7). This solution enables accurate and quick determination of
geographical coordinates of mobile phone numbers by providing operator-independent location data
and works also for handsets that are not GPS-enabled.
Many other Local Positioning Systems are available, especially for indoor use. GPS and GSM do not
work very well indoors, so other techniques are used, including Co-Pilot Beacon for CDMA
Networks, Bluetooth, UWB, RFID and Wi-Fi.[23] But which technique provides the best solution for a
specific LBS problem? A general model for this problem has been constructed at the Radboud
University of Nijmegen.[24]
Further information: Mobile phone tracking
Further information: Locating engine

Location Based Marketing Best Practices[edit]

This Section may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with
the subject, preventing the article from beingverifiable and neutral. Please
help improve it by replacing them with more
appropriate citations to reliable, independent, third-party sources. (April 2014)

Address consumer confusion. Most consumers will have a natural tendency to shy away from
Location Based Services.
Provide clear opt-in instructions. Explain as quickly and clearly as possible to your prospects
and customers how to opt in to your location-based marketing program.
Explain to consumers what they can expect after theyve opted in to your program. That way,
youll avoid unpleasant surprises for your target audience.
Test the campaign on unbiased candidates.
Make it worth their while. Youre asking customers to opt in to your location-based marketing
program, so reward them for their trouble.[25][26]

LBS applications[edit]
Some examples of location-based services are:[2]

Recommending social events in a city[1]

Requesting the nearest business or service, such as an ATM, restaurant or a retail store
Turn by turn navigation to any address
Assistive Healthcare Systems[27]
Locating people on a map displayed on the mobile phone
Receiving alerts, such as notification of a sale on gas or warning of a traffic jam
Location-based mobile advertising
Asset recovery combined with active RF to find, for example, stolen assets in containers where
GPS would not work
contextualizing learning and research

Games where your location is part of the game play, for example your movements during your
day make your avatar move in the game or your position unlocks content.
Real-time Q&A revolving around restaurants, services, and other venues

More examples are listed in.[2]

For the carrier, location-based services provide added value by enabling services such as:

Resource tracking with dynamic distribution. Taxis, service people, rental equipment, doctors,
fleet scheduling.
Resource tracking. Objects without privacy controls, using passive sensors or RF tags, such as
packages and train boxcars.
Finding someone or something. Person by skill (doctor), business directory, navigation, weather,
traffic, room schedules, stolen phone, emergency calls.
Proximity-based notification (push or pull). Targeted advertising, buddy list, common profile
matching (dating).
Proximity-based actuation (push or pull). Payment based upon proximity (EZ pass, toll watch),
automatic airport check-in.

In the U.S. the FCC requires that all carriers meet certain criteria for supporting location-based
services (FCC 94102). The mandate requires 95% of handsets to resolve within 300 meters for
network-based tracking (e.g. triangulation) and 150 meters for handset-based tracking (e.g. GPS).
This can be especially useful when dialing an emergency telephone number such as enhanced 91-1 in North America, or 112 in Europe so that the operator can dispatch emergency services such
as Emergency Medical Services, police orfirefighters to the correct location. CDMA and iDEN
operators have chosen to use GPS location technology for locating emergency callers. This led to
rapidly increasing penetration of GPS in iDEN and CDMA handsets in North America and other parts
of the world where CDMA is widely deployed. Even though no such rules are yet in place in Japan or
in Europe the number of GPS-enabled GSM/WCDMA handset models is growing fast. According to
the independent wireless analyst firm Berg Insight the attach rate for GPS is growing rapidly in
GSM/WCDMA handsets, from less than 8% in 2008 to 15% in 2009.[28]
As for economic impact, location based services are estimated to have a $1.6 Trillion impact on the
US economy alone.[29]
European operators are mainly using Cell-ID for locating subscribers. This is also a method used in
Europe by companies that are using cell based LBS as part of systems to recover stolen assets. In
the US companies such as Rave Wireless in New York are using GPS and triangulation to enable
college students to notify campus police when they are in trouble. Rave Wireless and other
companies with location based offerings are powered by a variety of companies, including Skyhook
Wireless,[30] AlterGeo[31] and Xtify.[32]

Comparison of location tracking apps for mobile devices[edit]

Currently there are roughly three different models for location-based apps on mobile devices. All
share that they allow one's location to be tracked by others. Each functions in the same way at a
high level, but with differing functions and features. Below is a comparison of an example application
from each of the three models.

Function

Google Latitude

Find My
Friends

Nearby

Pathshare Realtime
Location
Sharing

iOS only

Windows
Phone, Windows
Mobile, Windows
8, iOS, Facebook

iOS, Android

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

User identification

Google Account

Apple ID

Facebook

no account
needed

Update frequency of
location

Dynamically periodic

On demand
by remote
user

On demand by
remote user

dynamically
periodic

Stale location
behaviour

Last reported location

Unknown
location

Last reported location

last reported
location

Location history

Optional, visible only to

tracked user

No

No

No

Temporary location
sharing

No

Yes,
multiple
users with
expiry date
& time

No, always shared

Yes, user sets

time limit

Bilateral sharing of
location with friends

Yes by default

No by
default

Yes, mandatory

Yes (invisible
mode available)

Precision levels
configurable on a perfriend basis

Best location, city-level or

hidden

Best location
Best location only
only

Best location
only

Manually configure
location

Yes

Yes

No

Operating systems
supported

iOS, Android, BlackBerry

OS, Windows
Mobile, Symbian S60

Web
application available

Yes

Check into nearby

place

Yes

No

No

No

Custom location labels No

Yes

No

No

Source of friends'
names and photos

Friends' Google profiles

User's own
contacts
from local
iOS device

Nearby Profile

User's own
contacts from
device

Maximum distance
calculated to friends'
locations

5000 miles

99 km or 99
Infinite
miles

Infinite

Mobile messaging[edit]
Mobile messaging plays an essential role in LBS. Messaging, especially SMS, has been used in
combination with various LBS applications, such as location-based mobile advertising. SMS is still
the main technology carrying mobile advertising / marketing campaigns to mobile phones. A classic
example of LBS applications using SMS is the delivery of mobile coupons or discounts to mobile
subscribers who are near to advertising restaurants, cafes, movie theatres. The Singaporean mobile
operator MobileOne carried out such an initiative in 2007 that involved many local marketers, what
was reported to be a huge success in terms of subscriber acceptance.
Companies offering location-based messaging (sometimes referred to as "geo-messaging") include
The Coupons App [2](US), Central [3](International), Zhiing (international), BluePont
(US),[33] Loopt (US), Dodgeball (US) and Beamster [4](Austria).

Privacy issues[edit]
The Location Privacy Protection Act of 2012 (S.1233)[34] was introduced by Senator Al Franken (DMN) in order to regulate the transmission and sharing of user location data in USA. It is based on the
individual's one time consent to participate in these services (Opt In). The bill specifies the collecting
entities, the collectable data and its usage. The bill does not specify, however, the period of time that
the data collecting entity can hold on to the user data (a limit of 24 hours seems appropriate since
most of the services use the data for immediate searches, communications, etc.), and the bill does
not include location data stored locally on the device (the user should be able to delete the contents
of the location data document periodically just as he would delete a log document). The bill which
was approved last month by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would also require mobile services to
disclose the names of the advertising networks or other third parties with which they share
consumers locations.[35]
With the passing of the Can Spam Act in 2005, it became illegal in the United States to send any
message to the end user without the end user specifically opting-in. This put an additional challenge
on LBS applications as far as "carrier-centric" services were concerned. As a result, there has been
a focus on user-centric location-based services and applications which give the user control of the

experience, typically by opting in first via a website or mobile interface (such as SMS, mobile Web,
and Java/BREW applications).
The European Union also provides a legal framework for data protection that may be applied for
location-based services, and more particularly several European directives such as: (1) Personal
data: Directive 95/46/EC); (2) Personal data in electronic communications: Directive 2002/58/EC; (3)
Data Retention: Directive 2006/24/EC. However the applicability of legal provisions to varying forms
of LBS and of processing location data is unclear.[36]
One implication of this technology is that data about a subscriber's location and historical
movements is owned and controlled by the network operators, including mobile carriers and mobile
content providers.[37] Mobile content providers and app developers are a concern. Indeed, a recent
MIT study[38][39] by de Montjoye et al. showed that 4 spatio-temporal points, approximate places and
times, are enough to uniquely identify 95% of 1.5M people in a mobility database. The study further
shows that these constraints hold even when the resolution of the dataset is low. Therefore, even
coarse or blurred datasets provide little anonymity. A critical article by Dobson and
Fisher[40] discusses the possibilities for misuse of location information.
Beside the legal framework there exist several technical approaches to protect privacy using privacyenhancing technologies (PETs). Such PETs range from simplistic on/off switches[41] to sophisticated
PETs using anonymization techniques,[42] e.g., related to k-anonymity. Only few LBS offer such
PETs, e.g., Google Latitude offered an on/off switch and allows to stick one's position to a free
definable location. Additionally, it is an open question how users perceive and trust in different PETs.
The only study that addresses user perception of state of the art PETs is.[43] Another set of
techniques included in the PETs are the Location obfuscation techniques, which slightly alter the
location of the users in order to hide their real location while still bein able to represent their position
and receive services from their LBS provider.