[An Integrated Context-Aware System Using Bluetooth and GPS]

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DECLARATION

I, [type your full first titles and last name here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis comprise my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not before been submitted for learned examination in the direction of any qualification. Furthermore, it comprises my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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Table of Contents

AIMV

DELIVERABLEV

RESEARCH QUESTIONVI

LITERATURE REVIEWVI

Positioning integration middlewaresvii

The JSR-179 position API for J2MEx

RESEARCH METHODXII

EVALUATIONXIV

ETHICAL ISSUESXIV

REFERENCESXV

An Integrated Context-Aware System Using Bluetooth and GPS

Aim

The prevalent accessibility of devices with multiple wireless interfaces and of heterogeneous positioning methods open new market potentials for Location-Based Services (LBSs), even if perplexing their development. The paper claims the need for novel middlewares to manage dynamically retrieved client-side positioning systems in a synergic way and depending on context, i.e., LBS requirements, user preferences, device characteristics, and overall system state. To that purpose, we have designed and implemented PoSIM, a context-aware middleware for the synergic exploitation and control of heterogeneous positioning systems that facilitates the development and portability of LBSs. PoSIM is translucent, i.e., can provide LBS developers with differentiated visibility of data characteristics and control possibilities, thus dynamically adapting to application-specific deployment requirements and enabling cross-layer management decisions. The paper describes the translucent PoSIM architecture, some primary implementation insights, and how to practically use it to simplify LBS development via events, filters, and policies. (Anastasi 2003 15-19)

Deliverable

The original translucent approach of the PoSIM middleware allows to access integrated positioning schemes in both a clear and middleware-mediated way, respectively, fitting simple and smart LBS requirements. PoSIM not only supplies low-level data, but furthermore allows an hardworking command of integrated positioning systems, by the proper exploitation and/or definition of principles, events, and filters. In supplement to supplying a helpful integration device without coercion available for download and farther refinement to the LBS community, the PoSIM project has furthermore illustrated, by practical demonstrations, how the adoption of our middleware can leverage LBS development by relevantly facilitating both the synergic exploitation of positioning schemes and the fast LBS prototyping/deployment. (Genco 2005 25-29)

Research question

• What model is used to represent location information?

• Can GPS properly work outdoor, while another positioning system, such as Ekahau, may be more suitable for indoor environments?

• What is the accuracy and precision of the positioning information.

Literature Review

Several research activities have lately begun to address the emerging area of the integration of heterogeneous positioning systems. The major goal is to put simultaneously and suitably merge location information from different sources, by supplying a consistent interface that LBSs can easily exploit individually of the positioning solutions accessible at runtime in their deployment environments. (Bellavista 2006 102) However, most researches only concentrate on the issues of uniform access and location fusion, without giving possibilities neither for synergic management of heterogeneous positioning systems nor for exploitation of context-awareness to guide management decisions, which we claim as crucial aspects for advanced LBSs. (Flora 2005 568)

In this part, we first present study efforts on integration middlewares organized depending on the grade ...