Mobile Location-based Services Research Articles

Extended feature combination model for recommendations in location-based mobile services

With the increasing availability of location-based services, location-based social networks and smart phones, standard rating schema of recommender systems that involve user and item dimensions is extended to three-dimensional (3-D) schema involving context information. Although there are models proposed for dealing with data in this form, the problem of combining it with additional features and constructing a general model suitable for different forms of recommendation system techniques has not been fully explored. This work proposes a technique to reduce 3-D rating data into 2-D for two reasons: employing already developed efficient methods for 2-D on a 3-D data and expanding it with additional features, which are usually 2-D also, if it is necessary. Our experiments show that this reduction is effective. The proposed 2-D model supports content-based, collaborative filtering and hybrid recommendation approaches effectively, whereas we have achieved the best accuracy results for pure collaborative filtering recommendation model. Since our method was built on efficient singular value decomposition-based dimension reduction idea, it also works very efficiently, and in our experiments, we have obtained better run-time results than standard methods developed for 3-D data using higher-order singular value decomposition.

The Research on Demands and Development Strategy of Mobile Travel Service--an Empirical Study based on Chinese Scenic Spot

As a combination of mobile e-commerce and traditional tourism, the mobile travel services have been being tested on part of the scenic areas of the country in recent years. It achieved worthy results and provided a lot of convenience for our visitors. With the investigation and method of PCA (principal component analysis), we concluded that demands of mobile travel service can be divided into five categories with demand degree from high to low: mobile information services, mobile marketing services, mobile payment services, mobile location-based services and mobile social contact services. Then, we used one-way ANOVA to explore the disparate impacts of s’ attributes on the demands of the above services. Finally, on the basis of the findings, we proposed the industrial development strategies and marketing suggestions.

On the analysis of statistics of mobile visitors

This paper discusses location-based mobile services. The problem of counting mobile users (mobile phones) in a selected area is considered. The information available from the analysis of wire-less protocols (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) is used for the calculation. The aim of the study is to construct an analog of systems of web statistics operating with real mobile subscribers (instead of data on web page visits as in web statistics). As a result, we obtain information about traffic, identification and analysis of trends in user traffic, search for the core of regular visitors, and detection of its dynamics. The paper presents algorithms for calculating network proximity and examples of use.

A Location Recommender Based on a Hidden Markov Model: Mobile Social Networks

With the development of mobile communication technology and location-based services, people can share information with friends through checking in anywhere, at any time. If we can “speculate” when users will next check in, we can make relevant and useful recommendations. Here, we introduce a new check-in-based hidden Markov model to cope with changing circumstances. A certain check-in-based hidden Markov model for each group is obtained first. The model then analyzes temporal check-in intervals of users before suggesting locations. We also discuss optimal parameter settings for the number of hidden states and the corresponding number of user groups. Experiments show that, given observations of a new entrant, the model is able to predict the most probable time period the user will check in next time. It can also recommend a specific user group for the new entrant. Hence, it enables the recommendation of potential locations of interest for the new entrant.

LocaWard: A security and privacy aware location-based rewarding system

The proliferation of mobile devices has driven the mobile marketing to surge in the past few years. Emerging as a new type of mobile marketing, mobile location-based services (MLBSs) have attracted intense attention recently. Unfortunately, current MLBSs have a lot of limitations and raise many concerns, especially about system security and users' privacy. In this paper, we propose a new location-based rewarding system, called LocaWard, where mobile users can collect location-based tokens from token distributors, and then redeem their gathered tokens at token collectors for beneficial rewards. Tokens act as virtual currency. The token distributors and collectors can be any commercial entities or merchants that wish to attract customers through such a promotion system, such as stores, restaurants, and car rental companies. We develop a security and privacy aware location-based rewarding protocol for the LocaWard system, and prove the completeness and soundness of the protocol. Moreover, we show that the system is resilient to various attacks and mobile users' privacy can be well protected in the meantime. We finally implement the system and conduct extensive experiments to validate the system efficiency in terms of computation, communication, energy consumption, and storage costs.

Technology diffusion theory revisited: a regulation, environment, strategy, technology model for technology activation analysis of mobile ICT

Theory on the diffusion of mobile information and communication technology (ICT) is mainly focused on technology diffusion, while prerequisites to such diffusion are largely disregarded or taken for granted. Moreover, few constructs for the assessment of technology diffusion take into account the inherent link between technology and strategy analysis. This study proposes that analysing what comes prior to diffusion and use of technology – here defined as ‘technology activation’ – is equally important, so as to identify external, not user-related determinants that enable or hinder a value proposition based on the new technology. To fill the existing gap and extend technology diffusion theory upstream, the limitations of the technology–organisation–environment model and of other technology diffusion models are reviewed, together with external strategy analysis models, and an original model is proposed to address four macro-determinants that affect technology activation: Regulation, environment, strategy, technology (REST). The REST model is then applied to the Italian mobile location-based services market, to qualitatively validate its comprehensiveness. Conclusions are drawn on the opportunities to extend the mobile technology diffusion analysis process upstream, and to integrate technology analysis with existing research on strategy analysis, thus providing new momentum to mainstream research on innovation diffusion.

A MOBILE APPLICATION FOR VIRTUAL HERITAGE AND UGC PUBLIC SHARING

Abstract. Heritage documentation and representation is now a growing concern in the contemporary world, with unprecedentedly rapid technological development that pushes the frontier further every day. This ever growing means benefits both professionals and the general public, and the two can now be connected by this virtual bridge that channels heritage information from one end of the spectrum to the other, thus facilitating a dialogue never considered before. 4D virtual heritage with visualized tempo-spatial information can be easily shared across the continents and the story of heritage is told by a simple move of the thumb. Mobile LBS (Location-Based Service) enhances visitors' on-site experience and is readily available on the popular iOS platform. UGC (User Generated Content) on the internet provides interaction among users and managers, and brings the heritage site and the public into a live conversation. Although the above technological exploration is promising in itself, the question still remains as how it may be best implemented. The Re-yuangmingyuan program for the reconstruction and representation of an imperial garden in Beijing has made several attempts that deserve discussion, and contributes to heritage documentation and conservation in general.

A Novel Optimization Approach Based on Scratchpad Memory for Mobile LBS

With the popularization of mobile broadband network, mobile devices have been used more wildly in recent years. As an important part of mobile services, LBS (Location Based Service) also has rapid development for such devices. However, LBS on mobile devices will consume more energy and mobile users have more restrict performance requirement than before. As an important part of on-chip memory, scratchpad memory (SPM) has less power-consumption and higher performance for SPM is controlled by software and without extra tags. In this paper, we proposed a novel optimization approach based SPM for mobile LBS to reduce the power-consumption and improve the performance of the application. According to our approach, SPM is used as the on-chip main memory to contain the data with high frequency of use. The experimental results show that SPM can optimize the mobile LBS both on power-consumption and performance.

Impact of Galileo commercial service on location-based service providers: business model analysis and policy implications

Today's mobile location-based services (LBSs) largely depend on a free-of-charge, best-effort positioning technology, called global positioning system, which is controlled by the US military. The European alternative Galileo will not only offer a similar best-effort system by 2020, but also a premium-rate service known as Galileo commercial service (CS). Galileo CS is planned to provide higher positioning accuracy, improved security due to signal authentication and service guarantee. While the technology behind Galileo is often studied, the impact of Galileo CS on the LBS marketplace is rarely discussed. In this article, we fill this gap by analysing how improved accuracy, authentication and service guarantee may impact the business models of LBS providers. We do so by interviewing service providers, policy makers and industry experts on what new services would be enabled; technological alternatives that may emerge in the coming years; and organisational and financial issues that service providers face when adopting such a premium-priced positioning signal. We find that a more accurate, secure and reliable global navigation satellite system signal enables a range of new LBSs, although several alternative technologies are emerging that may make Galileo CS obsolete before it is even launched. To convince the LBS providers to adopt Galileo CS, the institution operating Galileo should get governments on board early on for building trust and should consider progressive pricing schemes. Still, service providers are sceptical about adopting Galileo CS, and the hope to recoup any investments in Galileo may thus be in vain.

Analysis of trajectories in mobile networks based on data about the network proximity

This paper is devoted to location-based mobile services. The movement (trajectory) data extraction from logs related to network proximity is considered. Usually, this type of pattern extraction (search) relates to trajectory databases containing geoposition information. We consider a model of context-aware computing (a context-aware browser) based on network proximity. A mobile phone is considered as a proximity sensor. The geoposition information is replaced with the network proximity. Any existing or specially created network node can be regarded as a sensor of presence that provides access to dynamically determined network content. The disclosure of the content depends on the set of rules describing the conditions of network’s proximity. An algorithm is given for calculating the trajectories in mobile networks based on information about the network’s proximity.

An Adaptive Policy-Based Approach for Static and Dynamic Policy Conflict Detection: An Implementation of Location-Based System

The new paradigm in mobile services lies in providing a location-based user experience and here lies the tremendous scope for expansion of location-based services (LBS). One of the key approaches that have been recognized as an enabler of such a view is policy-based management, which has been mostly acknowledged as a methodology that provides adaptability and support to automatically assign network resources, control Quality of Service and security, by considering administratively specified rules. Whilst current research focuses mostly on rules for low-level device configuration, significant challenges remain to be addressed in order to provide dynamic adaptation of policy in response to changes and ensure that policies will lead to a feasible implementation within the managed environment. In this paper, the emphasis is on building the described environment using today's existing technologies. We use our policy-based framework PobMC to combine mobile (location-based) services, ubiquitous and autonomic computing concepts. The goal is to bring the kind of information rich environment, which is currently limited to computer screens, to the real world. This is achieved by constructing an architecture based on existing wireless network technologies and Web applications. Location information of destinations and users is computed by the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values of the Wi-Fi sensors, to provide adaptive services over wireless Web. The users use their mobile devices to access these location-based services.

A Hybrid Smartphone Indoor Positioning Solution for Mobile LBS

Smartphone positioning is an enabling technology used to create new business in the navigation and mobile location-based services (LBS) industries. This paper presents a smartphone indoor positioning engine named HIPE that can be easily integrated with mobile LBS. HIPE is a hybrid solution that fuses measurements of smartphone sensors with wireless signals. The smartphone sensors are used to measure the user’s motion dynamics information (MDI), which represent the spatial correlation of various locations. Two algorithms based on hidden Markov model (HMM) problems, the grid-based filter and the Viterbi algorithm, are used in this paper as the central processor for data fusion to resolve the position estimates, and these algorithms are applicable for different applications, e.g., real-time navigation and location tracking, respectively. HIPE is more widely applicable for various motion scenarios than solutions proposed in previous studies because it uses no deterministic motion models, which have been commonly used in previous works. The experimental results showed that HIPE can provide adequate positioning accuracy and robustness for different scenarios of MDI combinations. HIPE is a cost-efficient solution, and it can work flexibly with different smartphone platforms, which may have different types of sensors available for the measurement of MDI data. The reliability of the positioning solution was found to increase with increasing precision of the MDI data.

Pedestrian navigation using the sense of touch

Haptics is a feedback technology that takes advantage of the human sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, and/or motions to a haptic-enabled user device such as a mobile phone. Historically, human–computer interaction has been visual, data, or images on a screen. Haptic feedback can be an important modality in Mobile Location-Based Services like – knowledge discovery, pedestrian navigation and notification systems. In this paper we describe a methodology for the implementation of haptics in four distinct prototypes for pedestrian navigation. Prototypes are classified based on the user’s navigation guidance requirements, the user type (based on spatial skills), and overall system complexity. Here haptics is used to convey location, orientation, and distance information to users using pedestrian navigation applications. Initial user trials have elicited positive responses from the users who see benefit in being provided with a “heads up” approach to mobile navigation. We also tested the spatial ability of the user to navigate using haptics and landmark images based navigation. This was followed by a test of memory recall about the area. Users were able to successfully navigate from a given origin to a Destination Point without the use of a visual interface like a map. Results show the users of haptic feedback for navigation prepared better maps (better memory recall) of the region as compared to the users of landmark images based navigation.

POI-based Inter-Georeference for Enabling Picture Route Maps in Location-based Mobile Services for Walking Tours

POI-based Inter-Georeference for Enabling Picture Route Maps in Location-based Mobile Services for Walking Tours

Drivers and Inhibitors of Mobile-Payment Adoption by Smartphone Users

The widespread penetration of smart mobile devices has facilitated rapid growth of mobile location-based services (LBS), which provide users with a variety of benefits and are attractive from a marketing perspective. However, mobile-payment (M-Payment) adoption by users has been below expectations. For better understanding of drivers and inhibitors of the willingness to M-Pay for mobile LBS, this study contributes by conceptual modeling and empirical assessment of user willingness to M-Pay. To test the proposed conceptual research model, data from 122 valid responses were analyzed by employing the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique. The findings show that Perceived Risk is the main inhibitor of user willingness to M-Pay for LBS and that the magnitude of this inhibitor’s negative impact is at least twice the magnitude of any driver’s positive impact.

Design and implementation for location-based integrated GIS application provisioning platform

Mobile geographic information system (GIS) solutions and location-based services can be considered as the most rapid expanded field of the mobile communications domain that will play a major role in the future. The combination of position-fixing mechanisms with location and geographically dependent information can offer truly individualised personal communication services through the mobile phone or other type of devices. This paper aims to design, specify and implement an integrated GIS application provision platform, and focuses on the design of integrated service process language and geographic service description language as well as gives the implementation for the integrated GIS service execution container based on location-based service using service component architecture, which will cater for the full range of issues concerning the provision of location-based GIS value-added services. This platform will enable the specification, creation and deployment of such services, which can offer truly individualised personal communication services through mobile phone, and also make performance measurement and analysis. Finally, we give the conclusions and the plan for future work. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

What’s Around Me?

Businesses are increasingly aware of the power of mobile location-based services (LBS) in their success. For consumers, there are abundant options available. To understand the driving factors of consumers’ behavioral intention to use LBS and speak positively about LBS, a model of examining personal values and their influences was developed in this study. The model centers around a set of consumers’ personal consumption values (Sheth et al., 1991a, 1991b), including functional values exemplified by perceived usefulness and ease of use, social value, emotional value, epistemic value, and conditional value. Use behavior is also studied to reveal the learning process in the LBS context, i.e., consumers learn about their perceived values toward using LBS from their actual use. An online survey was conducted among 226 LBS users. The research model was tested by using SmartPLS. The authors found that consumers’ consumption values significantly influenced their intention to use LBS and spread positive word-of-mouth about LBS. Use behavior was also shown to significantly predict the consumption values. Both theoretical and business implications are discussed.

Integrating Real-time Bridge Scouring Monitoring System with Mobile Location-Based Services

Typhoons and torrential rains not only erode river beds and coasts and damage river-crossing structures, but also affect the geomorphology and topography of rivers and coasts. Additionally, typhoons and torrential rains cause debris flows and flooding in metropolitan areas and threaten the safety of people’s lives and properties. Disaster prevention and reduction of damage caused by typhoons and torrential rains have always been a crucial task of government agencies. Bridges in Taiwan are generally old and have insufficient shock resistance; some bridge foundations are also severely eroded and exposed. Because of global climate changes in recent years, rainfall has become comparatively heavy and rapid. Furthermore, the soil in mountain areas has softened because of factors such as earthquakes or human developments. Debris rushes down with rain every time a torrential rain strikes, significantly impacting the safety of bridges downstream. Although government bridge management units have made budget plans to progressively renovate dangerous old bridges, these bridges are still being use for traffic and transportation. These dangerous old bridges pose a serious threat to the safety of people when an earthquake, typhoon, or flood occurs. During typhoons and floods, increased water levels and changes of the scouring depths have dramatic effects on the safety of bridges. The bridge maintenance unit currently uses the water level and water flow conditions as references when determining whether to close a bridge; however, this is not a good permanent solution. A bridge scour monitoring and warning system that is stable, reliable, and operates normally under flood attacks is required for on-site installation and verification. In recent years, the applied technologies of smart phones have expanded beyond entertainment and communication. Mobile communications are used to transmit relevant information to bridge maintenance and management units and road users when a bridge is potentially damaged. The instant conveying of information allows the bridge management units to implement instant disaster rescue response measures and to notify road users to avoid the dangerous road sections, protecting people’s lives and properties.

Determinants of the Willingness to Use Mobile Location-Based Services

This article develops 11 hypotheses on impacts of six customer characteristics on an individual’s willingness to use mobile location based services (LBS). Hypotheses are tested in a sample of 217 mobile communications customers in Germany who participated in a standardized online-survey. PLS analysis suggests that reported frequency of “on the move” information needs, perceived assessment of LBS in a customer’s social environment and extent of past use of other mobile data services have statistically as well as practically significant effects on adoption intentions for pull LBS. Data privacy risks and cost/bill size concerns are only weakly or not related to such intentions.

Location-based services: transformation of the experience of space

This article argues that location-based services (LBS) like the social network-based LBS Foursquare are playing an active role in the transformation of experience of the world for users. Based on Heidegger's critique of modern technology and view of technology as a modern ontotheology, and using quantitative and qualitative analyses, this article argues that the importance and role of mobile computational devices and LBS is shifting users’ views of physical space by providing social and semantic cues for navigating the world via mobile devices and LBS. This movement is based on users accessing and interacting with maps, making them meaningful through social gazetteers and part of a socially based referential totality, which while liberating has consequences for how users perceive other users and entities in the world, along with problematising current key issues like privacy.