The location-aware desktop
geo-information framework for
mobile Linux desktops

Location matters
Your desktop or mobile knows who
you are, what time it is, who you
know and what you're doing.
But it doesn't know where it is.

Magic Ink
http://worrydream.com/MagicInk

Henri
Bergius
http://bergie.iki.fi

Pierre-Luc
Beaudoin
http://www.pierlux.com

Mobile devices

GeoClue
A D-BUS service that applications
can use to become geo-aware.
Makes reading and writing
geographical information as simple
and easy as time or date.

GeoClue
as simple and easy as time or date.
...regardless of whether you deal
with coordinates or civic location

GeoClue Architecture
Geoclue is D-Bus API definitions - but also
implementations
Interfaces for "current location"
Position
Address
Velocity
Interfaces for conversion
Geocode (address to position)
ReverseGeocode (position to address)

GeoClue Properties

Location comes in many flavors

GPS

GSM

WiFi

IP address

Proximity

User tracking

...and that is not all

N 28° 13'' 01'
W 15° 44'' 50'

Auditorio Alfredo Kraus
Avda. Príncipe de Asturias,
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,
Spain

Telepathy
http://telepathy.freedesktop.org/
Instant messaging D-Bus API
Location-sharing through XMPP:
Where are my friends?

libchamplain
http://projects.gnome.org/libchamplain
A Clutter (and Gtk+) map widget
applications can use to display location
information to users. Makes visualising
and selecting a location easier.

Marble
http://edu.kde.org/marble/
A Virtual Globe and World Atlas that you
can use to learn more about Earth and a
light weight generic geographical map
component for use in your own Qt 4.x / C+
+ application.

OpenStreetMap
http://www.openstreetmap.org/
Open content map project providing high-
quality vector and bitmap map data

OpenStreetMap
http://www.openstreetmap.org/
Open content map project providing high-
quality vector and bitmap map data
...not only for cars, but also bicycles,
pedestrians, public transportation, ...

OSM2Go
Map editor for Maemo devices

Location is here
Examples of the State of the Art

Location as metadata
Geotagging made easy

EOG Map plugin: where was this picture taken?

F-Spot plugin: where were these pictures taken?

Getting Things GNOME
http://gtg.fritalk.com/
TODO items connected to location as a
Google Summer of Code 2009

Context for my friends
Instant messaging and
microblogging can be used for
sharing location

Empathy: Where are my friends?
Coming in next GNOME

Empathy: Where are my friends?
Coming in next GNOME

Context for me
Location awareness can help make
apps smarter

GNOME panel clock

Gnome panel clock

Location-aware weather

Browser geolocation API

GeoClue
http://geoclue.freedesktop.org
Marble
http://edu.kde.org/marble/
libchamplain
http://projects.gnome.org/libchamplain