SpotEx is a new indoor positioning service that uses Wi-Fi access points to deliver targeted messages to mobile users. It builds an expert system of rules that define when certain user-generated messages should be delivered based on a user's proximity to specific Wi-Fi networks. The system includes a database to store these rules, a rule editor, and mobile apps that can detect nearby Wi-Fi networks and execute rules to deliver messages if conditions are met. Future development may include a WiFi chat feature to enable local discussions and forums associated with Wi-Fi access points.

1. About expert system for Wi-Fi access points SpotEx – new pseudo-indoor positioning service Dmitry Namiot Lomonosov Moscow State University [email_address] Manfred Sneps-Sneppe Ventspils University College [email_address] LBS, Vienna, Nov 22, 2011

2. About us International team: Russia - Latvia ( Moscow – Riga – Ventspils ). Long history in developing innovative telecom and software services, international contest awards . Project examples: open API for telecom (Parlay, Parlay X) web access for telecom data, mobile web applications (QR code, HTML5) M2M applications, context-aware computing . See http:// servletsuite .blogspot.com

3. About SpotEx Service We offer a new model for messages delivery to mobile subscribers Spot Expert application can use any Wi-Fi access point as presence sensor that could activate delivery for some user- generated messages right to mobile phones. The key idea is how to associate some user-defined messages and Wi-Fi access points. So, we can build rule-based expert system that describes delivery (or visibility) for user-defined content depending on visibility of Wi-Fi hotspots

4. Contents 1. Indoor positioning review 2. The essence of SpotEx service 3. SpotEx service in detail 4. Future development: WiFi chat

5. 1. Indoor positioning review Indoor positioning system (IPS) is a network of devices used to wirelessly locate objects or people inside a building. IPS relies on nearby anchors (nodes with a known position), which either actively locate tags or provide environmental context for devices to sense. Technologies used for indoor localization: Wi-Fi, RFID. optical, radio, or even acoustic technologies. However, all of them require the utilization of their own API with their own protocols.

6. Some IPS examples Active Badge – the oldest one IPS Bluetooth based proximity marketing Active RFID Ultra-Wideband positioning systems Ekahau - Wi-Fi based positioning

7. Ideas for indoor positioning 1) nowadays we can use smart phones as Active Badges 2) our system should be based on Wi-Fi just because it is “always ON” for modern phones 3) the “badge” (phone) should discover information Nodes for the users who choose to will receive content. W e are detecting positions in LBS services for getting (setting) some data related to this position rather than for getting simple (raw) location data.

8. 2. The essence of SpotEx service What if we stop our traditional indoor positioning on the first stage : detection of Wi-Fi networks? This detection actually already provides some information about the location. As the second step we will add the ability to describe some rules (if-then operators, or productions) related to the Wi-Fi access points. We are not going to connect mobile users to the detected networks. We need only SSID for networks and any other public information.

9. SpotEx service components database (store) with productions (rules) associated with Wi-Fi networks rule editor Web application (including mobile web) that lets users add (edit) rule-set, associated with some Wi-Fi network mobile applications, that can detect Wi-Fi networks, check the current conditions against the database and execute productions (e.g. deliver messages to mobile terminals in proactive mode or make them readable)

10. How does it work? We can take any existing Wi-Fi network and add some rules (messages) to that network. Message here is just some text that should be delivered to the end-user’s mobile terminal as soon as the above- mentioned network is getting detected via our mobile application. Rules in generic form: IF some_network_is_available THEN _m essage_is_available

11. Use cases Wh at is important ? It is just because the Wi-Fi access points actually could be opened right on the mobile phones. shop can deliver deals (discount, coupons) right to mobile campus admin can deliver news and announces hyper local news could be linked to the public available networks

12. Wi-Fi access point iPhone Wi-Fi access point Android

13. 3. SpotEx service in detail 1. Moving access point 2. Content provider – ordinary smart phone 3. How our productions data store looks like? Each rule looks like a production ” IF network_SSID IS ‘mycafe’ AND time is 1pm – 2pm THE N present the coupon for lunch” Includes the following objects: Wi-Fi network SSID, signal strength (optionally), time of the day (optionally), client ID.

14. SpotEx service components database with rules (productions), defined for Wi-Fi networks 2) Rete algorithm use 3) client application for smart phones (currently – Android, in future version iPhone too) that lets execute rules against the current context

15. On SpotEx tools Database (rule set storage) has got web UI (including mobile web – it is actually an HTML5 application). The mobile web access would be fully enough for updating that database. Data set provides an open API (REST based requests) that lets third-party developers fill (update) database programmatically. Client side application actually uses the above- mentioned open API from database. With the existing API any set of rules is just an URL (end-point) for passing REST requests to.

16. Implementation on Android OS The current implementation uses WiFiManager from Android SDK. This API let us pickup information about nearby networks: SSID - the network name BSSID - the address of the access point capabilities - describes the authentication, key management, and encryption schemes supported by the access point frequency - the frequency in MHz of the channel for communicati on with the access point level - the detected signal level in dBm

17. 4. Future development: WiFi chat WiFi chat is a new approach for local communications in mobile world. WiFi proximity is a main idea behind WiFi chat. WiFiChat lets you create discussions (forums) as well as live web chats associated with WiFi access points. Actually, WiFiChat is a side effect of our new system Spotex. It is like c ontext-aware application (browsing), where WiFi access point (your own phone for example) defines the context.

18. Conclusion We offer a new LBS developed on the ideas of pseudo-indoor positioning with Wi-Fi networks. Service can use existing as well as the especially created (described) Wi-Fi networks as triggers for providing user-defined content to mobile subscribers. This service could be used to deliver commercial information (deals, discounts, coupons etc.), personal news, hyper-local news data, as well as for creating context aware applications. W e are not aware about any other mobile service with the similar features.