awiloc®

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits

Applications

In the wireless LAN positioning testbed, various applications are being trialed to assess their effectiveness. Below are short descriptions of some location-based services.

Taxi Call, Pharmacy Search and Restaurant Guide

Imagine that you are in an unfamiliar city or do not know the name of the street where you are but need a taxi. This problem is solved by a taxi call function which enables the user to direct a taxi to where they are without knowing their own location.

For this purpose, the positioning application transmits its current position to a server at the push of a button. The server then returns the nearest address (street name and number), which is displayed on the map next to the user's location. If the user confirms the address, a query is sent to the server of the taxi firm to activate the call. This guarantees that the user's position is not disclosed to anyone else.
The pharmacy search function makes it possible, for instance, to display the location of the nearest open pharmacy, with the user's position used as a reference point.
The restaurant guide enables the user to identify the nearest open restaurant that serves a specific type of cuisine and to have its location displayed. This application also works by first determining the user's location and then performing a local area search. All of these applications are being implemented in collaboration with IT2media and Map and Route.
Further applications are in preparation which will allow the user to locate movie theaters, hotels and ATMs and to retrieve up-to-date information on the departure times of the most convenient means of public transportation or the current occupancy level of the nearest parking garage.

Bus Tracking at Depots

In addition to applications intended for the general public, a large number of solutions are implemented for specific scenarios. For example, work is being carried out in conjunction with VAG Nürnberg to develop a bus tracking system with lane identification capability that will assist schedulers at depots.

Emergency Support

Gaschba GmbH is equipping wheeled walkers with safety functions such as indoor and outdoor tracking so that, in an emergency, responders can be directed to the right location.

Indoor and Outdoor Tourist Guides

Cruso AG develops tourist products for walkers, hikers and cyclists. The company's work within the consortium is aimed mainly at integrating indoor and outdoor wireless LAN positioning with GPS, particularly for pedestrians.

Industry Solutions

T-Systems is exploring applications of Fraunhofer IIS's stand-alone wireless LAN positioning technology for business and industry clients. One area of focus is guidance of trade show visitors.

Digital Positioning in Buildings and Outside Areas

Infsoft GmbH offers solutions for wireless LAN based digital positioning systems geared towards use in buildings and outside areas. Such systems can be useful in large environments such as shopping malls and industrial parks.

City Guide

In December 2006, one of the first pilot applications was introduced, namely a mobile city information system based on wireless LAN positioning. The project on location-based services was jointly carried out in downtown Nuremberg by Fraunhofer IIS and Müller Medien. As well as enabling continuous positioning on mobile devices, the resulting system provided location-based information supplied by GelbeSeiten (yellow pages) about local sights.