Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Two outstanding benefits of mobilization are increased productivity and real-term gathering and
dissemination of information. The mobilized enterprise becomes more productive via the gather-
ing and dissemination of real-term information, enabling the enterprise to respond quickly and
appropriately to new problems and opportunities as they arise, for instance, a mobile Sales Force
Automation (SFA) application that enables a company to respond to an opportunity quickly. If a
salesperson has access to inventory information while he or she is with a customer, the order pro-
cessing can be handled immediately. Thus, the mobile solutions designed to take into account the
needs of the mobile worker enable the enterprise to be more customer focused, more productive,
more responsive, more flexible, and more profitable.
The mobile solutions transform the organization from a command-and-control hierarchy into
a responsive and adaptive enterprise wherein
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Technology adapts pervasively to the business processes
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Enterprise resources are extended securely to any environment
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Collaboration is supported at all touch points within the workflow
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Distance and time ceases to be impediments to productivity
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Enterprise responds in real term
Mobile technology transforms organizations and has the potential to increase significantly the
overall productivity, adaptability, and responsiveness of the enterprise.
14.9 Context-Aware Applications
Most mobile applications are location-aware systems. Specifically, tourist guides are based on
users' location in order to supply more information on the city attraction closer to them or the
museum exhibit they are seeing. Nevertheless, recent years have seen many mobile applications
trying to exploit information that characterizes the current situation of users, places, and objects
in order to improve the services provided.
The principle of context-aware applications (CAA) can be explained using the metaphor of the
Global Positioning System (GPS). In aircraft navigation, for example, a GPS receiver derives the
speed and direction of an aircraft by recording over time the coordinates of longitude, latitude,
and altitude. This contextual data is then used to derive the distance to the destination, commu-
nicate progress to date, and calculate the optimum flight path.
For a GPS-based application to be used successfully, the following activities are a prerequisite:
a. The region in focus must have been GPS-mapped accurately.
b. The GPS map must be superimposed with the relevant information regarding existing land-
marks, points of civic and official significance, and, facilities and service points of interest in
the past to the people—this is the context in this metaphor.
c. There must be a system available to ascertain the latest position as per the GPS system.
d. The latest reported position must be mapped and transcribed onto the GPS-based map of
the region.
e. This latest position relative to the context (described in b above) is used as the point of refer-
ence for future recommendation(s) and action(s).
It should be noted that the initial baseline of the context (described in b above) is compiled
and collated separately and then uploaded into the system to be accessible by the CAA.
