Project reports
 
Erik Larson
Introduction to GumStix Computers
 
Dhawal Harsora
Bluetooth on GumStix Computers

Contact
Dr. Bernd Owsnicki-Klewe [email][home]

Location-Aware Computing describes systems that act or react according to their physical location. Like a GPS-based cellphone that gives you information about the vicinity, such as landmarks or restaurants.

Location-Aware Computing (LAC) is considered to be the next logical step in "Mobile Computing" (MC) and "Pervasive Computing" (PC). While MC mainly describes the technological aspects (small form factor devices and wireless connectivity) and PC deals with the integration of computers into the environment, LAC is concerned with the interaction of computations and the location of the device itself.

To make devices location-aware there are some technologies worth looking at, like GPS the Global Positioning System or proximity-based techniques such as bluetooth or RFIDs - even a normal wireless network can be used for this purpose.

Example applications for LAC technology are:

• Device Reconfiguration
• Guided Tours
• Emergency and Rescue Operations
• Computer Games
• Robot Control
• Web Navigation
• Computer Art

At the moment, LAC poses a couple of interesting challenges; among others:

• Geography vs. Vicinity: Is behavior dependent on absolute or relative position?
• Location sensing: Technologies to detect device positions (GPS, Cricket)
• Space modeling: Machine representation of location structure
• Human Computer Interfaces: Displays, touch-screens, voice, ...
• Software adaption: System reactions to location/context changes.
• Security: Privacy and protection from intrusions and other attacks.
• Opportunistic Resource Management: Use of resources that become available based on location.