USA: Location Information to Emergency Services

June 2004: U.S. wireless operators have been working for years to meet regulatory requirements for giving location information to emergency services. They currently use a combination of network software and handset chips that hook up to Global Positioning System satellites to pinpoint location. In certain areas, where it was challenging for positioning satellites to communicate with mobile networks, some Verizon end-users might have experienced that their call was interrupted several times. This issue is not widespread but could theoretically cause as many as sixteen two-second interruptions at the start of a call. These interruptions are a side effect of the technology Verizon is using to tell police and other emergency personnel a caller's location. Verizon location-identification currently works with about 1,000 of the country's 6,700 local 911 call centers. Verizon, which has 40 million subscribers, said that all of its phones sold this year have the ability to pinpoint a user's location by linking with satellites.

MLS: Mobile Location Services

Usage of location based services is expected to be very popular on third generation (3G) networks. As location-based services fulfil a dual function by constantly filtering and finding information most relevant to users, the travel industry, in particular, should embrace the vast potential of these location based services. It's the location 'intelligence' in the wireless world - knowing where someone is and what's around them - that enables service providers and business enterprises to offer mobile location services (MLS).

LBS: Location Based Services

Location-based mobile services are starting to reach the consumer. One example is MapAmobile, a service enabling parents to keep track of their children using location technology. No matter that the details weren't super accurate.

One interesting new development is the E112 Directive from the European Union, establishing a legal obligation for operators to provide location information to the emergency services. The move follows the US, where 911 legislation has forced operators to supply similar information to the emergency services. Openwave is providing enabling technology for both the US and European emergency services.

Positioning Technology

GPS

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmit signal information to earth. GPS receivers take this information and use triangulation to calculate the user's exact location. Essentially, the GPS receiver compares the time a signal was transmitted by a satellite with the time it was received. The time difference tells the GPS receiver how far away the satellite is. Now, with distance measurements from a few more satellites, the receiver can determine the user's position and display it on the unit's electronic map. A GPS receiver must be locked on to the signal of at least three satellites to calculate a 2D position (latitude and longitude) and track movement. With four or more satellites in view, the receiver can determine the user's 3D position (latitude, longitude and altitude). Once the user's position has been determined, the GPS unit can calculate other information, such as speed, bearing, track, trip distance, distance to destination, sunrise and sunset time and more.

European Speed Camera Database

Assisted GPS

An Assisted GPS solution combines GPS satellite information with ranging information from a cellular network to provide all-terrain location information and improve position location accuracy and availability. Base Stations in the Cellular Network not only provide communications coverage, but many deliver adjunct location information, such us Enhanced Cell-ID or AFLT, that aid the location process. The Location Server uses high-level cell ID information sent by the phone to tell the user's phone which GPS satellites it should listen to gather positioning information. GPS satellite information combined with ranging measurements taken from the cellular network are sent to the location server. The exact coordinates are then sent back to the handset, or to a call center operator or LBS application/service.

Companies and Services

A majority of the services being worked on fall under obvious categories, such as friend finders, enterprise applications like fleet control, and directory services.


 
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