Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services PoLoS: A Universal Platform for the Development of LBS and Other Data Services IST Cluster Meeting for Engineering of Service Functionality Bucharest, Oct. 11, 2002 Stathes Hadjiefthymiades, Lazaros Merakos Communication Networks Laboratory University of Athens Platform for Location-Based Services

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services Project Objectives  To design and implement an Integrated Platform for Location Based Services (LBS) for:  Service Creation  Service Deployment  Service Provision

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services PoLoS Architecture PoLoS Kernel HTTP WAP SMS CORBA/IP Service Creation PositioningTerm Type OSA Network Infrastructure GIS Text Data Graph Data Charging/Billing GSM/GPRS UMTSWLAN GPSMExE

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services 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 & Clustering

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services 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)

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services 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 (yet cooperating) organisations.

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services The Consortium Project Officer: Dr. Franco Accordino University of Athens INTRACOM S.A. EPSILON S.A. ALCATEL SEL AG CSEM Telefonica I+D EPSILON Consulting Ltd.

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services  Highly focused project involving 7 organisations, from 5 European countries, with complementary know-how:  Two major telecom manufacturers with expertise on systems engineering and standardisation  Two R&D institutions with expertise on mobile networks and services  Two R&D partners specialised in G.I.S.  A mobile network operator PoLoS Consortium Composition

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services Target Audience  Providers of innovative telecommunications services (LBS in particular)  Telecom operators wishing to extend the range of their VAS by exploiting positioning capabilities offered by their infrastructure  Large organizations wishing 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

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services 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

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services 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

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services PoLoS PoLoS Business Models  An important aspect of the PoLoS project is the introduction/ 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. Generic LBS Platform Generic Business Model

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services Service Specification Language  The specification language consists of the following parts: Service control logic Service control logic Configuration options Configuration options Embedded components 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.

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services Service Creation, Deployment & Provision PoLoS Kernel Service Creation Text Editor Visual Editor DeploymentProvision Service & Platform Management

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services Potential Collaboration Areas  Service Creation (textual/visual service representation, service design, interfaces, Service Control Language)  Service Provision platform design  Platform/Service Management  Billing/Charging Support  Component Design (Interfaces, Positioning)  Definition/standardisation of open interfaces  Business Models  Indoor LBS

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services Current Project Status  Project started on Mar  Platform Design/Specification finished by Aug  Trial Scenarios defined.  Three deliverables released so far (one major technical deliverable).  Implementation work started by Sep  Member of the Lobster cluster since May 2002.

Integrated Platform for Location-Based Services Contact Info  PoLoS Project Manager: Prof. Lazaros Merakos  PoLoS Technical Manager: Dr. Stathes Hadjiefthemiades  PoLoS WWW site:  CNL WWW site: