The document discusses mobile positioning methods for location-based services. It describes 7 positioning methods: GPS, WiFi, cell-ID, network positioning, spatial triggers, NFC, and 2D barcodes. Each method is evaluated based on accuracy, battery life, coverage, and phone availability. The document recommends a hybrid positioning approach that combines GPS, WiFi, and cell-ID to provide good indoor and outdoor accuracy with long battery life by leveraging multiple methods. It also mentions a newly released white paper that provides information to help kick-start location-based service projects.

1. Mobile Positioning
eLBeS 27 April 2010
Rikard Windh
Co-founder Combain Mobile AB

2. Mobile Positioning
Opportunity: Creates a new paradigm of services (Navigation,
Nearby Search, Location Based Social Networks and more)
Picture: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/2400891654_541e53b93a.jpg

3. Mobile Positioning
Challenge: Always have a good position - indoor and outdoor -
without draining your battery!
Picture: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/2400891654_541e53b93a.jpg

4. 7 Positioning Methods

5. 1. GPS
Picture: http://soundofscience.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/gps_satellite_nasa_art-iif.jpg
• Good outdoor
accuracy
(15 m)
Text
Text • Limited/none
indoor
coverage
• Drains your
battery

6. 2.
• Learning clients /
War Driving
• Good coverage in
urban areas (50 m)
• Requires WiFi
enabled mobile
• Requires a WiFi
database
• Databases: SkyHook -
100M, WiGLE - 20M
Picture: http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/coverage.php

7. 3. Cell-id
• Always available - no
extra power
• Indoor and outdoor
coverage (1000 m)
• Requires a Cell-id
database and a cell-id
API in the mobile
• Databases: Location-API - 6M,
OpenCellID - 0.6M
Picture: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Telstra_GSM_and_NextG_tower.jpg

8. 4. Network positioning
•
Picture: http://www.ericsson.com/solutions/positioning_methods/lbs.shtml
Works on all mobiles
• Indoor and outdoor coverage (100m - 1000m)
• Requires access/agreement with operators/aggregators

9. 5. Spatial
Triggers
• Location triggers stored in
the network
• Triggers fired when:
1 - entering an area,
2 - leaving an area,
3 - close to another mobile
• No need to continuously
pull the location. Wait for
the trigger to be fired
instead.
• But: Limited/not supported
by operators today.
Picture: http://www.ericsson.com/solutions/positioning_methods/lbs.shtml

10. 6. NFC
• Accuracy - 10 cm!
• Requires the user to actively
wave or hold the mobile
device close to the tag
• Requires pre-installed tags
and NFC enabled phones
Picture: http://noknok.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/nokia-6216-lassic-near-field-communication-nfc-device-1.jpg

11. Tag: Google Maps, Slakthuset, Malmö
7. 2D Barcodes
• Accuracy: 10 cm -
50 cm
• Requires a
camera phone, a
barcode app, and
the user to take a
photo.

12. Compare the
7 Positioning Methods

13. Accuracy vs Battery Life
Accuracy (meters) Battery life (days)
GPS GPS
WiFi WiFi
Cell-id Cell-id
Network Network
0 250 500 750 1,000 0 3.75 7.50 11.25 15.00

14. Coverage vs Phone Availibility
Coverage Availibility
GPS Outdoor-Rural Medium
WiFi Out/Indoor-Urban Medium
Cell-id Out/Indoor High
Network Out/Indoor Operator dependant
NFC Tagged area Low
2D Barcodes Tagged area High

15. Which one to choose?
?
Picture:http://chroniclingthecuse.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/question_mark_naught101_011.jpg

16. Hybrid Positioning (4/7)
GPS + WiFi + Cell-id + Network
Good accuracy in Urban & Rural areas,
both Indoor & Outdoor
Long battery lifetime
High number of supported phones
http://www.psdgraphics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/check-and-cross-icons.jpg

17. Hybrid Positioning (6/7)
Accuracy: 10 cm - 1 km
Combine positioning methods to have both good indoor
and outdoor coverage, plus longer batter life time!

18. White paper
• Purpose: To give you
a kick-start in your
LBS project
• Released today.
• Pick a hardcopy or
send me an email
rikard@combain.com

19. Thank you!
rikard@combain.com
www.twitter.com/mrwindh