Location based services: ongoing evolution and research agenda

Figures & data

Figure 1. Example application domains of LBS.

Figure 2. Different types of context factors that might be relevant to LBS (Source: steiniger, neun, and edwardes (2006) at cartouche http://www.e-cartouche.ch/, under CC BY 2.0).

Figure 3. Emerging interface technologies in LBS.

Figure 4. The ‘key research challenges’ organised into seven broad areas: positioning, modelling, communication, evaluation, applications, analysis of LBS-generated data, social and behavioural implications of LBS.

Table 1. Research challenges in LBS.

Research challenges in Location Based Services
Ubiquitous Positioning	How can we determine an object’s position in indoor environments and adverse GNSS conditions? Can sensor fusion help? How can we ‘standardise’ the service interface of indoor positioning solutions? Can guidelines on the levels of positioning accuracy and reliability required for various LBS application domains be developed?
Modelling	How can indoor environments be modelled to support effective LBS applications? How can context of a mobile user, as well as its dynamics be modelled in LBS? How can personalisation and context-aware adaptation be provided in LBS? Which level of automation should the adaptation process have? How can LBS be designed to support collective actions, tasks, and activities (LBS for group users)?
Communication	How can relevant information be communicated to LBS users in an optimal way to facilitate their decision-making and activities in space? How can we employ newly emerging mobile devices (e.g. smart watches, smart glasses) for LBS applications? How can visual, sound, and tactile methods be meaningfully integrated to effectively communicate spatial information in LBS?
Evaluation	How can a comprehensive framework for evaluating LBS applications be developed, considering UI, user properties and skills, cognition, device and service properties, environmental factors, and social aspects? How can lab-based and field-based evaluation be effectively combined in LBS research?
Analysis of LBS-generated data	Data models of LBS-generated data Analysis of LBS-generated data
Social and behavioural implications of LBS	How do LBS influence people’s spatial abilities? How can we design LBS that facilitate people’s activities and decision-making without harming their spatial abilities? How do LBS influence the way people interact with each other and their behaviours in different environments? What are privacy and ethical issues in LBS? How can we best address users’ privacy and ethical concerns in LBS? How do LBS influence/change our understanding of privacy and ethics, as well as our responses to them? What are the business models of LBS?

Steiniger, S., M. Neun, and A. Edwardes. 2006. “Foundations of Location Based Services.” http://www.e-cartouche.ch/content_reg/cartouche/LBSbasics/en/text/LBSbasics.pdf.

 Google Scholar