The target of the project is to realize a modular framework that allows a rapid deployment and realisation of location based and context aware services. This framework consists of components that enhance the system of the mobile network providers. The concept includes independent servers that can communicate with a mobile component that are installed on the mobile terminals.
The goal is to implement a service called “XonYt”, based on the designed framework. This service will allocate users based on location into a geographical Web-Zone. This Web-Zone has a specific radius and will follow the location of the user or the mobile terminal. Web-Zones of other users or Point of Interests for example a museum will overlap each other and allows a flexible interaction with the dynamical creation of virtual networks. This network is created in ad-hoc manner in a logical way. The establishment is based on the location and this concept can be extended by other context information like age or gender. Especially the social aspects that are the base of the success of the social communities (Facebook etc.) and other Web 2.0 applications could play an important role to build virtual groups in an efficient and reasonable way.

Inside the Web-Zone it is possible for the user to utilize bride range of web applications and services like homepage, blog, guestbook or messaging. Additional to the classical communication the Web-Zone will provide relevant information of surrounding persons, objects and buildings. The created virtual network will be an image of the real world of the user at a specific time. This approach is unique since among the location based information also communication among the group members will be enabled. The virtual ad-hoc networks allow an easy integration of location based service and provide consequently goal-oriented information (for instance if a visitor of a museum enters a new room).

The new approach makes use of virtual networks in order to create a location aware framework that combines modern communication techniques with the natural communication including the possibility of rapid deployment of specific and adopted services:

• it is based on Web applications and the mobile phone

• it is based on a personal logical networks than can interact with the user behaviour

• the communication is created locally based on overlapping Web-Zones

• each mobile user builds an individual Web-Zone that has a geographical range. This zone follows the user location. Another user that enters the same zone will automatically build a virtual network with the first user and the network will grow with each entering user. Therefore, the network will change dynamically over the time.

• spatial fixed user can also participate if mobile users go through their Web-Zone of if they provided information about a POI

Project Director:

DIS Informationssysteme, Dr. Dehn

Project Partner:

• DIS Informationssysteme GmbH