The latest development for location-based services from Ericsson, Spatial Triggers, has the capacity to not only greatly improve existing applications but also allow new services such as advertising and tracking objects in motion. It is a key feature of Ericsson's MPS 7.0, due for release by mid-year.
Currently, LBSs require a user to actively request position information, by sending an SMS, for example. Spatial Triggers, however, is a network function that automatically informs applications when users meet certain conditions. Clients can define trigger criteria, such as entering or exiting a specific location, letting the MPS system monitor it, and be notified whenever the trigger criterion is fulfilled. Notification can take the form of SMS, MMS, e-mail, call initiation, and so on. The Spatial Triggers function is an Ericsson proprietary solution, which works for both GSM and WCDMA users and supports CGI, CGI/TA or Cell ID positioning.
Information related to Spatial Triggers is stored in a database server. The information contained in that database consists of trigger criteria defining the location conditions that must be fulfilled in order to inform the client. The following criteria can be defined:
- mobile terminal entering an area;
- mobile terminal leaving an area;
- two mobile terminals within a certain distance of each other.
The database also contains location information for all users who have subscribed to Spatial Triggers as well as a model of the cellular network (cell topology). The model is common for both GSM and WCDMA cells, and is created or updated when cell data is imported.
Since all the logic resides within the network, applications that take advantage of Spatial Triggers will be able to work on any phone. Some of the anticipated applications of the technology are:
- generating non-subscriber revenue through location-sensitive wireless advertising;
- location tracking for children and the elderly;
- alert-enabled friend finder and mobile dating;
- real-time emergency and traffic alerts;
- alert-driven fleet management applications.
LocatioNet currently supports its own version of triggers and plan to expand this to support Ericsson's implementation with support via their SDK. Mobilaris will also be supporting Spatial Triggers in their products. Developers wishing to create applications using this function should use the SDKs from one of these companies.
By John Maxwell Hobbs
