FP7 / COST

1

• FP7 / COST
• Yevgeni Koucheryavy
• Tampere University of Technology
• Tampere, FINLAND

2
SCARFS rationale

• A Scalable Communication Architecture for
  Ubiquitous Positioning Functions and Services
• SCARFS
• Real-time positioning becomes highly demanded
  service at the modern telecommunication market
• The open space terminal positioning problem is
  mainly solved by GPS system, while indoor
  location becomes a challenging task
• Many users would go for the brand new huge piece
  of location-aware services that are not yet fully
  available on the market
• A strong push
• Many services like Google Maps and Google Maps
  with MyLocation operating with GPS or without
• Geotagging
• Etc.

3
Indoor location

• A-GPS (Assisted GPS)
• It is applicable only for mobile terminals
• WiFi-assisted
• Several proprietary solutions exist, e.g. Skyhook
• uses pre-recorded database of MAC addresses of
  installed WiFi Access Points (AP) and coupled
  signal fingerprints and absolute GPS coordinates
• Other technologies
• E.g. UWB
• Combined

4
WiFi location by Skyhook

• Drawbacks
• The database of pre-recorded APs absolute
  positions has been collected using vehicle-based
  signal scanning WiFi equipment and the database
  is two dimensional. Huge malls and skyscrapers
  become out of scope of the system, at least for
  now
• The approach is database provider driven
  database provider is responsible for permanent
  update of the database, while users are provided
  with possibility of reporting on wrong
  positioning via website. SkyHook Wireless
  recognizes the problem and offers operators to
  co-locate database with Serving Mobile Location
  Center however, it does not solve the problem as
  a whole
• Usage of database of proprietary structure and
  reliability operated by a private company. Data
  recorded into the database are considered as a
  core intellectual property assets. Moreover,
  proprietary database technology prevents ease of
  software development
• Usage of proprietary protocols between WiFi
  client and database with pre-recorded coordinates

5
Assumptions

• Existing indoor location technologies have to be
  used (every terminal has to be equipped with at
  least one technology)
• WiFi, etc.
• Majority of location-aware services do not
  require exact positioning of a terminal, rather
  20 30 meters would be sufficient
• The solution has to be open for everybody
• Providers
• Developers
• Etc.

6
Objectives

• To design of the open platform with open API
  allowing usage of different location technologies
  alternative to GPS (such as WiFi, UWB, GSM etc.)
  to create reliable ubiquitous location service
• The open platform should be located on the
  Internet and be constructed out of database and
  communications logic. Database can be pre-filled
  with known locations of access points and base
  stations of different technologies along with its
  signal strength (a signal fingerprint)
• To develop the open communication architecture
• DNS-like scalable and reliable architecture that
  will provide service anywhere and anytime
• an open and scalable communications protocol in
  use, for instance, SIP. That will allow
  transparent communications between a user (to be
  located) and the open platform, and ease of
  service programming and debugging

7
COST

• Became very complicated to get Action approved
• Unspecified Moving/Flying Objects
• No Action on the topic
• A lot of challenging research issues
• To cover from PHY up to applications and services
• Industry could be interested
• Open call on March 27, 2009