LocalSocial
Mobile Social Networking
Social Proximity Framework
A joint project with Rococo Software, University College
Dublin, and the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC)

Who? Who’s behind the LocalSocial
Project?
What? What are we doing?
Why? Why might this be cool?
Status Progress / Status

Who? LocalSocial Team
• Rococo Software
– Java/Bluetooth software (JSR82)
– Software shipped on over 200M
phones
• UCD
– Wireless and Mobile R&D
– Bluebook Final Year Project
• National Digital Research Centre
– Translational Research
– Focus on Digital Media / Digital
technology
Kicked off: Jan ‘09, 18 month duration

What? LocalSocial in a nutshell
• Social Proximity Framework
– Goal: Make it easy for developers to create
mobile applications that can combine real-
world and social information.
Real World Social World
What’s around me? Activity
Status
What can I connect to?
Friendship
LocalSocial
© LocalSocial - Commerical in confidence

What? Some Problems
• Heterogeneous social networks with
different interfaces
– Difficult to work with - especially for mobile
• Finding “things or people nearby” is
very complex for application developers
– Many APIs, and very low-level
© LocalSocial - Commerical in confidence

What? LocalSocial Elements
Location
Location
GPS GigMonkey
People LOCALSOCIAL
Location Devices
aGPS
LOCALSOCIAL Social
Context
?? ?? Aggregation
Bluetooth F/W APIs
Context
Location Access
Points
WiFi Derivation
RfID
Things nearby
Devices
People
Photos
Location
Location
© LocalSocial - Commerical in confidence

What? LocalSocial Architecture
© LocalSocial - Commerical in confidence

What? On Device Framework
© LocalSocial - Commerical in confidence

What? Technical Elements
DEVICE WEB
GigMonkey!
OpenSocial
People Places Things Locales … Interfaces
Social
Aggregation
Code
Generation
Context
Custom
Gen’d
Native WebApp
Code
Derivation
Symbian, Android, J2ME, iPhone BONDI, OpenAjax, JavaFX
FRAMEWORK
Proximity Monitor Known Locales Profiles
Framework
Known Devices Event Mgt. …
© LocalSocial - Commerical in confidence

Progress Progress to date: Technical
• Proximity Framework
– Uses Bluetooth for proximity and identity
– On-device software
• Registers user’s device with the framework
• Scans and reports on people/things nearby
• Display user’s preferred social profile(s)
– Web-based server and service
• Users register
• Connect themselves to their online profiles (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
– Implemented ; on third version now
• GigMonkey (Test app that uses the framework)
– Uses Last.fm for music preferences, Facebook for connections
• In live test now:
– Web Server and Service
– Bebo and Facebook Apps
– iPhone and Java Mobile clients
© LocalSocial - Commerical in confidence

Cool? Proximity Functionality
Downloads app
and runs it. Scans
LocalSocial sees neighbourhood.
the
User registers with User connects LocalSocial
Bluetooth devices LocalSocial. account to supported social
nearby. Looks them networks
up in L/S Service.
nn:nn:nn:nn John’s TV
nn:nn:nn:nn Sean’s Phone
nn:nn:nn:nn Access Point1
nn:nn:nn:nn Access Point2
Users sees SN For known devices
status and chatter with SN profiles -
for people nearby latest profile
information is
pulled from the web
© LocalSocial - Commerical in confidence

€? How will we make money?
License LocalSocial
Aplix, IBM, EMP,
Motorola, OpenPlug,
Mobile and embedded market HTC, Qualcomm,
CSR, iAnywhere
LinkedIn, Bebo,
Plaxo,
Social network players mySpace, Soocial,
iMeem, MIG33,
BluePulse, itsmy,
Jaiku, Zyb
Mobile Operators,
Other players Mobile Distillery,
Nellymoser, Newbay,
Conference
NDRC helps drive the commercial and licensing options

Sean O Sullivan : sos@mylocalsocial.com
Sean Murphy : seanmurphy@mylocalsocial.com
Karl Quinn : karl.quinn@ndrc.ie