Location-based Services Research Articles

A Gas Cylinder Delivery Service in Oman

Gas is one of the basic requirements that must be available in every home, purchased from gas stations and street vendors. However, issues may arise in reaching gas stations or finding sellers in certain areas when gas is needed urgently. Our project aims to create a desktop application for a gas cylinder delivery service, enhancing the community's experience by facilitating the timely delivery of suitable gas cylinders. The application lists gas cylinder owners in Omani society, providing customer data like name, phone number, city, and governorate. Customers can pay using cash and choose cylinder size and price. The app also determines delivery time based on location. It facilitates communication between buyers and sellers in Arabic and English. The gas cylinder delivery service application requires login information like username, phone number, and city, then opens a location service home page. The home page features an "Order Now" button, allowing users to choose from a list of gas cylinder sellers, specifying size and price. After confirmation, customers can choose payment method, delivery location, and expected delivery time. Then the seller receives an order containing the buyer's data and a gas cylinder, and the application confirms the delivery to the customer after completion. Oman's technological advancements have made society accustomed to mobile phones, software, and applications, making the location of the gas cylinder delivery service to people easier than the traditional method of finding sellers.

Theories and Methods for Indoor Positioning Systems: A Comparative Analysis, Challenges, and Prospective Measures

In the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), the demand for accurate positioning services has become increasingly critical, as location-based services (LBSs) depend on users’ location data to deliver contextual functionalities. While the Global Positioning System (GPS) is widely regarded as the standard for outdoor localization due to its reliability and comprehensive coverage, its effectiveness in indoor positioning systems (IPSs) is limited by the inherent complexity of indoor environments. This paper examines the various measurement techniques and technological solutions that address the unique challenges posed by indoor environments. We specifically focus on three key aspects: (i) a comparative analysis of the different wireless technologies proposed for IPSs based on various methodologies, (ii) the challenges of IPSs, and (iii) forward-looking strategies for future research. In particular, we provide an in-depth evaluation of current IPSs, assessing them through multidimensional matrices that capture diverse architectural and design considerations, as well as evaluation metrics established in the literature. We further examine the challenges that impede the widespread deployment of IPSs and highlight the potential risk that these systems may not be recognized with a single, universally accepted standard method, unlike GPS for outdoor localization, which serves as the golden standard for positioning. Moreover, we outline several promising approaches that could address the existing challenges of IPSs. These include the application of transfer learning, feature engineering, data fusion, multisensory technologies, hybrid techniques, and ensemble learning methods, all of which hold the potential to significantly enhance the accuracy and reliability of IPSs. By leveraging these advanced methodologies, we aim to improve the overall performance of IPSs, thus paving the way for more robust and dependable LBSs in indoor environments.

An Approach to Checking Map Tiles by Annotation Recognition

Abstract. As the capabilities of geographic information services increase, web geographic information services represented by internet mapping have become increasingly popular, widely used in various location-based services. It is precisely because of the surge in demand that higher requirements have been put forward for the updating and quality control of internet map data. The quality inspection of geographic vector data is relatively well-developed, with many inspection rules and automated processes, but there is a clear deficiency in the quality inspection of map tiles, which mainly relies on manual visual inspection, restricting the rapid updating and release of map tiles. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an automated map tile inspection method. First, web crawling technology is used to capture map tiles, and to avoid the problem of incomplete display of annotations across tiles, adjacent tiles are all captured and merged into one image; second, OCR technology is used for image text detection and text recognition, and finally, the newly added recognition results are stored in the database and compared and confirmed with the results in the database. The experiment proves that the method proposed in this paper is feasible and may greatly improve work efficiency, especially as the updating speed of online maps accelerates, an automated tile quality inspection method can greatly improve the updating speed.

A weighted hybrid indoor positioning method based on path loss exponent estimation

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT), location-based services (LBS) have gained significant attention due to their widespread applications in daily life. This paper addresses the indoor target positioning problem in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). A weighted constrained linear least squares algorithm based on path loss exponent estimation (PLE-WCLLS) with received signal strength (RSS) and angle of arrival (AoA) hybrid measurements is proposed. To address the challenges of unknown transmission power and path loss exponent (PLE), the proposed method employs a linear least squares (LLS) estimation approach based on the ranging maximum likelihood (ML) estimation model to estimate both parameters. Subsequently, a confidence weight adjustment strategy is designed to reduce positioning errors. To handle the highly non-convex and nonlinear nature of the RSS/AoA hybrid optimization model, a linearization method based on Taylor series expansion is presented. Accurate target position estimation is achieved by solving a constrained quadratic programming problem. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is validated through numerical simulations and experimental evaluation in a real indoor environment. Compared to traditional positioning methods, the PLE-WCLLS algorithm improves positioning accuracy by 13.2%, and it performs exceptionally well even in scenarios with fewer sensor nodes. This gives it broad application prospects in areas such as IoT device management, personnel tracking in smart buildings, and asset localization in industrial automation.

Using Location-Based Services Data to Map and Evaluate a Community Design Intervention to Increase Bicycling, Denver, Colorado.

Using Location-Based Services Data to Map and Evaluate a Community Design Intervention to Increase Bicycling, Denver, Colorado.

Inferring the Accurate Locations of Noise Records in Mobile Phone Location Data

ABSTRACTThe positioning uncertainty of mobile phone location (MPL) data greatly influences location services and crowd behavior analysis. Although many achievements have been made in controlling its main sources (signal drift and ping‐pong effects), several problems, such as single‐oscillation patterns, insufficient position optimization, and a lack of effective evaluation, remain. In this study, a set of MPL data quality optimization methods are proposed. First, the characteristics of drift records and the oscillation patterns of ping‐pong records are discussed. The quality of the MPL data is subsequently controlled with the proposed feature‐based drift‐record detection method, complex oscillation pattern‐based ping‐pong‐record detection method, and cumulative duration weighting‐based ping‐pong‐record optimization method. These methods are applied to the MPL dataset of a major operator in Nanjing city, and the optimization effect is evaluated with GPS data collected synchronously. The results show that the proposed detection and optimization methods can effectively improve the accuracy of MPL data.

Secure and Efficient k-anonymous Trajectory Privacy Protection Method based on Differential Privacy

The Location-based service scheme have already involved in every aspect of People's daily life and are increasingly used in various industries. Aiming at the problem of the security and efficiency of mobile terminal users’ trajectory privacy protection in location-based service, we propose a k-anonymous trajectory privacy protection scheme based on differential privacy. This scheme adopts differential privacy technology to add Laplace noise to the user's trajectory many times to generate 2k noise trajectory, and then according to the trajectory similarity to determine k-1 noise users whose trajectory are similar to the user trajectory, and sets them and the real user as an anonymous user group, and then uses the anonymous user group to request LBS services. Security analysis shows that the scheme satisfies the security features of anonymity, unforgeability, and anti-counterfeiting attack. The simulation results show that the scheme not only guarantees the similarity between the false trajectory and the real trajectory but also has higher execution efficiency.

Enabling Technologies and Techniques for Floor Identification

Location information has initiated a multitude of applications such as location-based services, health care, emergency response and rescue operations, and assets tracking. A plethora of techniques and technologies have been presented to ensure enhanced location accuracy, both horizontal and vertical. Despite many surveys covering horizontal localization technologies, the literature lacks a comprehensive survey incorporating up-to-date vertical localization approaches. This article provides a detailed survey of different vertical localization techniques such as path loss models, time of arrival, received signal strength, reference signal received power, fingerprinting utilized by WiFi, radio-frequency identification (RFID), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), barometer, inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors, and geomagnetic field. The article primarily aims at human localization in indoor environments using smartphones in essence. Besides the localization accuracy, the presented approaches are evaluated in terms of cost, infrastructure dependence, deployment complexity, and sensitivity. We highlight the pros and cons of these approaches and outline future research directions to enhance the accuracy to meet the future needs of floor identification standards set by the Federal Communications Commission.

Managing a Resilient Multitier Architecture for Unstable IoT Networks in Location Based-Services

Managing a Resilient Multitier Architecture for Unstable IoT Networks in Location Based-Services

A dual-level graph attention network and transformer for enhanced trajectory prediction under road network constraints

Predicting vehicle future trajectories enables various Location-Based Services (LBS), including traffic flow monitoring, vehicle route planning, etc. Vehicles are constrained to predefined road networks. Their traveling behaviors are influenced by both their own attributes and road network characteristics hidden in other vehicles’ travel histories. Most of the existing methods fail to sufficiently leverage such collaborative trajectory data under road network constraints. This paper proposes a novel model, called HGT-RN (Hierarchical Graph Attention Network and Transformer Networks for Enhanced Trajectory Prediction under Road Network Constraints), which exploits all vehicles’ trajectories and integrates road network constraints. Specifically, HGT-RN creates a dual-level Graph Attention Network (GAT) based on global traffic flow and local individual trajectory graph to learn trajectory embeddings: (i) Weighted-directional global traffic flow graph and Weighted-Directional GAT to learn the global-level trajectory embedding by aggregating the neighbors’ embeddings based on the spatial transitional relationships among road intersections over all vehicles’ trajectories, considering the preference of current trajectory; and (ii) Local individual trajectory graph attention network to learn the local-level trajectory embedding by modeling the transitions within the current trajectory at each intersection. When incorporating the trajectory embeddings into a transformer model for future trajectory prediction, a road network topology-aware loss function is designed to improve accuracy. Extensive experiments conducted on three city-scale real-world taxi trajectory datasets demonstrate that HGT-RN significantly outperforms existing baseline models. The code is available at https://github.com/zjy9826/HGT-RN.

Exploiting High-Precision AoA Estimation Method using CSI from a Single WiFi Station

The accuracy of estimating the angle of arrival (AoA) using wireless fidelity (WiFi) channel state information (CSI) has been a topic of intense interest in the fields of the Internet of Things, location-based services, etc. We propose a high-precision method of AoA estimation of the direct path (DP) using WiFi CSI from a single station. It contains three stages: data preprocessing, AoA-time of flight (ToF) joint estimation for all paths, and the DP's AoA estimation. Firstly, phase calibration, linear transform, and multiple-layer filtering are accordingly conducted after CSI collection in the preprocessing stage to output the denoised CSI. Then, the AoA and ToF values for all paths are simultaneously obtained utilizing a spatial smoothing multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm. Finally, the density-based spatial clustering for noise applications (DBSCAN) algorithm divides all the AoA and ToF values into several clusters. The target cluster that meets the requirements of maximum counts and minimum mean ToF is subsequently selected. The weighted centroid AoA value of the target cluster is regarded as the AoA of the DP. AoA estimation experiments using different sampling packets are conducted in a small conference room with an Intel 5300 network interface card along a straight line. The proposed method could recognize the DP with a rate of 100 percent and estimate the AoA of the DP with a mean absolute error of 2° and root mean square error of 2.82°. Compared with SpotFi and hierarchical clustering–logistic regression systems, the proposed method improves AoA estimation accuracy by at least 75%. Therefore, the proposed method could achieve a high-precision estimation of the AoA of the DP in the case 26 of different short distances.

SGIR-Tree: Integrating R-Tree Spatial Indexing as Subgraphs in Graph Database Management Systems

Efficient spatial query processing in Graph Database Management Systems (GDBMSs) has become increasingly important owing to the prevalence of spatial graph data. However, current GDBMSs lack effective spatial indexing, causing performance issues with complex spatial graph queries. This study proposes a spatial index called Subgraph Integrated R-Tree (SGIR-Tree) for efficient spatial query processing in GDBMSs. The SGIR-Tree integrates the hierarchical R-Tree structure with the graph structure of GDBMSs by converting R-Tree elements into graph components like nodes and edges. The Minimum Bounding Rectangle (MBR) information of spatial objects and R-Tree nodes is stored as properties of these graph elements, and the leaf nodes are directly connected to the spatial nodes. This approach combines the efficiency of spatial indexing with the flexibility of graph databases, thereby allowing spatial query results to be directly utilized in graph traversal. Experiments using OpenStreetMap datasets demonstrate that the SGIR-Tree outperforms the previous approaches in terms of query overhead and index overhead. The results are expected to improve spatial graph data processing in various fields, including location-based service and urban planning, significantly advancing spatial data management in GDBMSs.

Exploring the effects of location information on perceptions of news credibility and sharing intention

In recent years, the integration of location-based services into social media platforms has seen a significant surge, coinciding with the growing challenges posed by the proliferation of fake news online. However, the influence of location data on readers’ perceptions of online news credibility, particularly in relation to the reporters’ whereabouts, remains unclear. To investigate this relationship, we conducted a 3 (Topics: crime, science, health) × 2 (Location anchor: event-anchored or participant-anchored) × 4 (Proximity to location anchor - no, same, close-by or faraway location) mixed-method online study (N = 288) on Prolific. Our data collection involved presenting participants with news articles and assessing their credibility assessments and sharing intentions based on the proximity of those disseminating the news to both the subject matter of the news and the audience consuming it. Our findings reveal that the proximity of the reporter’s location to the readers’ location had a noticeable adverse impact on perceptions of news credibility and the likelihood of sharing it. Furthermore, we also identified a weak positive correlation between sharing intentions and trust in social media platforms. In addition, we observed that crime news were generally perceived as less credible compared to health and science news. Our research contributes significantly to a nuanced understanding of how location-based cues impact user behaviour when interacting with online news articles. Furthermore, it provides design insights for social media platforms aiming to enhance user trust and promote pro-social behaviours.

Iterative maximum-likelihood estimation algorithm for clock offset and skew correction in UWB systems assisted by 5G NR multipath

High-precision location services such as unmanned driving, indoor navigation, and mine positioning have been benefiting significantly with the breakthroughs in Fifth-Generation (5G) technology. This paper proposes a collaborative Time of Flight (TOF) measurement framework for 5G New Radio (NR) in Release 17 and Ultra-Wideband (UWB). The method proposed improves the positioning accuracy by tackling the issues of UWB clock offset and clock skew. To this end, we have designed an innovative correction algorithm that effectively utilizes 5G multipath measurement and Timing Error Group (TEG) identifiers. The algorithm employs a low-complexity iterative maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method to accurately estimate error parameters and calibrate UWB TOF measurement results. Simulation results show that this algorithm significantly enhances positioning precision and robustness. It reduces positioning error by 24 % and 35 % compared to the baseline algorithm in two representative scenarios. These improvements make it suitable for UWB systems in real-time and complex environments.

Evaluating the impact of pharmacy-led telemedicine services on access to oncology care in rural areas

This review paper explores the impact of pharmacy-led telemedicine services on enhancing access to oncology care in rural areas. With the increasing prevalence of cancer and the challenges associated with delivering specialized oncology services in remote locations, telemedicine has emerged as a vital tool for bridging the healthcare gap. The paper highlights the significant role of pharmacists in managing complex medication regimens, improving patient adherence, and providing essential support through telemedicine platforms. Key findings indicate that telemedicine improves patient access to care and enhances patient and provider satisfaction, leading to better treatment outcomes. The review also discusses the implications for healthcare policy and practice, emphasizing the need for investment in telemedicine infrastructure and pharmacists' integration into this care model. Future research directions are proposed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of these services and explore advanced telemedicine technologies. The potential of telemedicine to transform rural healthcare access and outcomes is vast, offering a promising solution to address the disparities in oncology care. Keywords: Telemedicine, Oncology Care, Rural Healthcare, Pharmacy-Led Services, Patient Access, Healthcare Disparities.

TWPT: Through-Wall Position Detection and Tracking System Using IR-UWB Radar Utilizing Kalman Filter-Based Clutter Reduction and CLEAN Algorithm

Against the backdrop of rapidly advancing Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIOT) and sensing technologies, there is a growing demand for indoor location-based services (LBSs). This paper proposes a through-the-wall localization and tracking (TWPT) system based on an improved ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) radar to achieve more accurate localization of indoor moving targets. The TWPT system overcomes the limitations of traditional localization methods, such as multipath effects and environmental interference, using the high penetration and high accuracy of IR-UWB radar based on multi-sensor fusion technology. In the study, an improved Kalman filter (KF) algorithm is used for clutter reduction, while the CLEAN algorithm, combined with a compensation mechanism, is utilized to increase the target detection probability. Finally, a three-point localization estimation algorithm based on multi-IR-UWB radar is applied for the precise position and trajectory estimation of the target. Experimental validation indicates the TWPT system achieves a high positioning accuracy of 96.91%, with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.082 m and a Maximum Position Error (MPE) of 0.259 m. This study provides a highly accurate and precise solution for indoor TWPT based on IR-UWB radar.

On the calibration and improvement of human mobility models in intercity transportation system

As one of the research highlights of physics-level modelling, human mobility has generated numerous universal laws over the past decades. However, the majority of research has concentrated on the intracity networks, leaving the intercity mobility systems with insufficient attention despite its increasingly crucial role in the development of urban agglomerations. Related research gaps further extend to the limited understanding of spatiotemporal heterogeneity in intercity human mobility. To bridge these gaps, our study systematically validated and improved the modelling framework of intercity mobility flows utilizing real-world data sources. Specifically, building upon the nationwide Location-based Services (LBS) datasets in China, the applicability of classic human mobility models, including gravity model and intervening opportunities-class models, was extensively explored in the intercity domain by developing fitting models that incorporated multi-class urban attributes. Then, we contributed to proposing improved models that consider the diverse attraction effect of the origin and potential destinations. Moreover, our research scope was expanded to incorporate spatiotemporal heterogeneity through model comparisons among various city sets during both regular period and holiday. The findings suggested that our improved models effectively enhance the modelling accuracy while strengthening the explanatory power. They especially demonstrate a balanced performance even when handling datasets with spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Consequently, this study provides valuable insights into understanding intercity human mobility from the intrinsic mechanism of opportunity attraction. Our models hold practical significance in accurately modelling intercity mobility flows utilizing observable urban attributes and spatial layouts, further providing effective tools for preemptive traffic management.

Location Privacy Protection for the Internet of Things with Edge Computing Based on Clustering K-Anonymity.

With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing, more and more devices, such as sensor nodes and intelligent automated guided vehicles (AGVs), can serve as edge devices to provide Location-Based Services (LBS) through the IoT. As the number of applications increases, there is an abundance of sensitive information in the communication process, pushing the focus of privacy protection towards the communication process and edge devices. The challenge lies in the fact that most traditional location privacy protection algorithms are not suited for the IoT with edge computing, as they primarily focus on the security of remote servers. To enhance the capability of location privacy protection, this paper proposes a novel K-anonymity algorithm based on clustering. This novel algorithm incorporates a scheme that flexibly combines real and virtual locations based on the requirements of applications. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly improves location privacy protection for the IoT with edge computing. When compared to traditional K-anonymity algorithms, the proposed algorithm further enhances the security of location privacy by expanding the potential region in which the real node may be located, thereby limiting the effectiveness of "narrow-region" attacks.

Trajectory Privacy-Protection Mechanism Based on Multidimensional Spatial–Temporal Prediction

The popularity of global GPS location services and location-enabled personal terminal applications has contributed to the rapid growth of location-based social networks. Users can access social networks at anytime and anywhere to obtain services in the relevant location. While accessing services is convenient, there is a potential risk of leaking users’ private information. In data processing, the discovery of issues and the generation of optimal solutions constitute a symmetrical process. Therefore, this paper proposes a symmetry–trajectory differential privacy-protection mechanism based on multi-dimensional prediction (TPPM-MP). Firstly, the temporal attention mechanism is designed to extract spatiotemporal features of trajectories from different spatiotemporal dimensions and perform trajectory-sensitive prediction. Secondly, class-prevalence-based weights are assigned to sensitive regions. Finally, the privacy budget is assigned based on the sensitive weights, and noise conforming to localized differential privacy is added. Validated on real datasets, the proposed method in this paper enhanced usability by 22% and 37% on the same dataset compared with other methods mentioned, while providing equivalent privacy protection.

Aplikasi Pencarian Layanan Kesehatan Berbasis Android

Health services are services provided to the community related to health, both preventive (disease prevention), promotive (improving health), curative (disease treatment), and rehabilitative (recovery) carried out by the government, local government and / or community. These health services are provided by the government, local governments, and the private sector. However, there are still many people who do not know the information on the place or location of these health services. Therefore, an android-based application is needed to improve services to the community. The purpose of this study is to produce health service applications by utilizing Location Based Service and Global Positioning Service so as to help the public to find health service information and assist in finding the location of health services because it is accompanied by the closest route to the location. Location Based Service (LBS) uses the values of the longitude and latitude points on the earth to determine the location to be inputted.