Context-Aware Applications - Guide to Cloud Computing for Business and Technology Managers - page 514

TABLE 23.1
Location-Based Services (LBSs) Classification

B2B B2C C2C C2B

Fleet and freight,
tracking, etc.

Discounts, ads,
special events, etc.

Find a friend, primary
schools, etc.

Find a gas station,
community events, etc.

Trigger Services Tracking and

Monitoring

Location-Based
Information

Assistance Services

E-commerce,
payment
information,
advertising, etc.

Fleet management,
telematics, asset
tracking, etc.

Traffic and navigation,
entertainment,
mapping, etc.

Personal/vehicle
emergency, roadside
assistance, alarm
management, etc.

Push Services Pull Services

Travel directions, taxi hailing,
m-commerce, etc.

Zone alerts, traffic alerts, etc.

23.4.1 LBS System Components

LBS is an intersection of the three technologies, namely, new information
and communication technologies (NICTSs) such as the mobile telecommuni-
cation system and handheld devices, the Internet, and Geographic informa-
tion systems (GIS) with spatial databases.
LBS gives the possibility of a two-way communication and interaction.
Therefore, the user tells the service provider his actual context, like the kind
of information he needs, his preferences, and his position. This helps the
provider of such location services to deliver information tailored to the user
needs. If the user wants to use an Location-based service, different infra-
structure elements are necessary.
Here are the basic components in LBS:

1. Mobile devices : A tool for the user to request the needed information.
The results can be given by speech, using pictures, text, and so on.
Possible devices are PDAs, mobile phones, laptops, and so on, but
the device can also be a navigation unit of car or a toll box for road
pricing in a truck.

2. Communication network : The second component is the mobile net-
work, which transfers the user data and service request from the
mobile terminal to the service provider and then the requested
information back to the user.

3. Positioning determination technology (PDT) component : For the process-
ing of a service, the user position usually has to be determined. The
user position can be obtained either by using the mobile commu-
nication network or by using the global positioning system (GPS).
Further possibilities to determine the position are WLAN stations,
active badges, or radio beacons. The latter positioning methods can