Proposed Web Service: Simple Location Service

**tripzero** · 01-06-2010, 07:12 PM

This would be a simple service to upload some basic GPS information.

Code:

update(string usersessionhash, double lat, double long, double speed, double heading, int altitude)

Speed should probably be in standard m/s which is what NMAE reports in (i think?). latitude and longitude are in decimal format.

I propose we get this one working the soonest since its easy and we can at least show something in the web frontend that will be useful.

Matt, do you think you could write the non-user-account-dependant version of this? I can write the client assembly and linux client part and hopefully we can get some ideas for the web frontend as well.

UPDATE: added altitude and heading.

**Bugbyte** · 01-06-2010, 07:53 PM

How about adding altitude?

Code:

update(double lat, double long, double speed, integer altitude)
update(string usersessionhash, double lat, double long, double speed, integer altitude)

**malcom2073** · 01-06-2010, 07:58 PM

And heading!

**ioi8** · 01-06-2010, 08:14 PM

Its not possible to write this without some sort of user account. Otherwise its gonna be a DB full of records with no meaning whatsever. I will accept a userID to begin with, and then upgrade to sessionkeys or userpasshash or whatever we are gonna use.

Otherwise than that, pretty easy service and web app.

**tripzero** · 01-06-2010, 08:40 PM

That's a good point. We need some method of doing this while keeping some anonymity. Perhaps by ipaddress?

**Borte** · 01-07-2010, 03:44 AM

How about supporting location detection via both gps and / or some network / cell service?

My HTC cellphone is able to figure out where I am based on the network it self (I'm guessing it uses the phone network to pinpoint the location). I'm assuming a lot of people are using cellphones to get internet access in their cars, so it should be possible to use the network to provide a location.

On my phone this is used to give me the weather forecast for my actual location at all times.

I don't know if these kind of services provides gps coordinates or just a "location". I'll do some google'ing and see if I can dig something up if it's interesting.

Edit: Found some info about this here: http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/02/goo...-location.html

**Bugbyte** · 01-07-2010, 07:56 AM

I thought most of the inferred location stuff was done using a proprietary database of hotspots. It's not a bad idea if there were a way to get the information. From that article (which is about a year old now), it doesn't seem like there is an API for latitude so it would be difficult to determine location.

Nevertheless, that can always be added to the service itself. Right now, the service simply recieves and records the GPS information. Later on, it could add network or cell information if it was available.

We're just looking for a quick 'win' to show what OSDash can do for a connected mobile user.

**Borte** · 01-07-2010, 08:34 AM

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

I thought most of the inferred location stuff was done using a proprietary database of hotspots. It's not a bad idea if there were a way to get the information. From that article (which is about a year old now), it doesn't seem like there is an API for latitude so it would be difficult to determine location.

I did find this info : http://code.google.com/apis/gears/ap...tml#getCurrent

Just though I'd add it for future reference.

**tripzero** · 01-07-2010, 11:18 AM

there is an app on linux called geoclue that does location based on your IP address, gps coords, or even GSM. The client *could* use something like that and report it up to the server as lat/long coords. It wouldn't be as accurate as gps, but it'd work.

**justchat_1** · 01-07-2010, 11:46 AM

cell phone triangulation uses the location of the tower you are connected to to provide you with a relative location. accuracy is usually about +-1 mile so it certainly couldn't be used for anything navigation related but would work fine for LBS (but not this type of service).