Global Positioning System Reference
In-Depth Information
3.4.6
Opportunities as the Scope of the Internet Increases
Research by computer scientists into ubiquitous computing will lead to new
products and services as the “Internet of Things” gathers momentum. There will
be several orders of magnitude increase in the numbers of networked digital
processors that will generally be fitted with sensing capability and wireless
communications. New interfaces based on objects or artifacts will be common.
Whereness will benefit from a very rich sensory environment that can be
leveraged without significant extra investments (e.g., intelligent building
environmental control systems).
3.4.7
Simplicity
There will be a demand for simplicity from users who will pay extra for easy-to-
use applications that need no learning or training [10]. While the internetworked
world will increase in its complexity, this will be hidden from the users through
value-adding service providers who will increasingly automate interfaces and
applications.
Many problems that involve guidance, logistics, transactions, monitoring, and
control can be automated using embedded ubiquitous positioning, to the point that
the technology appears to disappear. It will be taken for granted that everything
will have knowledge of the position and status of every relevant other thing.
Automatic rules will be embedded to initiate action should any foreseen
circumstance arise.
3.4.8
Wirelessness
Wirelessness [11] will increase as new standards such as WiMax are used to bring
broadband access to buildings, and within buildings WiFi will be supplemented by
newer standards such as ZigBee, to communicate with sensor networks and other
building plant. The scope for mobile and hotspot operators to use wireless
networks in a positioning and sensing mode will increase and lead to new value-
added services involving Whereness. These have potential to be more profitable
than the primary access communication for which the infrastructure was first
deployed. As environmental concerns deepen, there will be a rich sensory and
control environment within most buildings. These systems will be useful to aid
general positioning but may also require positioning information to help manage
energy resources effectively.
3.4.9
Whereness as a New Utility?
Telcos, ICT organizations, and infrastructure providers will increasingly move
into converging systems and into the provision of value-added services.
