Mobile mapping: challenges and limitations
Job dispatch and Fleet management applications
This is more of a messaging solution that works with a GPS device or a Mobile positioning system . The field workers, sales people, trucks can be located on a map. The system can track them, send them jobs, receive job progress and job completed forms.
Live Traffic reports
Wireless cameras can be placed at important road crossings that record and transmit the live traffic images to a web-server. This way the user on the move can plan to take an alternative route, if required, to his destination by looking at the live images that come to his mobile terminal. The images can be static images that keep refreshing at regular intervals or as video.
Push applications
Most of the architectures discussed above are based on Pull Mechanisms. For a Push based service there has to be a SMSC. If the information has to go as an SMS message, there has to be an additional gateway between the Mobile Terminal and the server. This gateway is called the Push Gateway. SMS based push applications already exist. WAP based push applications are just beginning as PUSH has just been introduced in WAP 1.2 and there are few WAP 1.2 compliant phones in the market. Many GIS-based push applications are in the same lines as the applications discussed above. Wherever the information is not being pulled from the server. For example giving Jobs to field officers who are on the move, Push can play a major role to deliver the information to the client.
Advantages
There are certain definite advantages Mobile Mapping has over traditional map-display systems. Mobile mapping provides access to map related information anywhere anytime. The data itself that is being accessed is current, updated and stored centrally in a single location. Therefore it is convenient medium of dissipating information. It is a secure and private medium too. The additional advantage here is the scope of providing Location-based services; as the location of the user would be known by one of the location finding systems enumerated above. The mobile user would not require much infrastructure/hardware as he would normally require to access Map information.
Limitations
There are limitations and blocks in the progress of this mobile display mechanism. Every non-voice service has been hindered or delayed by the inability of the handset vendors to ship product in time and in volume The limited resources on the Mobile Terminals would restrict some features that are otherwise available on the desktop computers.
The actual speeds promised by 2.5G and 3G systems are much lower than their theoretical maximum. Few factors that may hinder the development of such systems from a developer’s point of view are that for networks like WAP there are lot of Gateway dependencies and non-conformance of standards (WAP etc.) by OEMs of phones and PDAs
Future Trends
With greater bandwidths (3G and 4G) and faster Mobile Internet access, one can see lot of multimedia content being delivered on the mobile terminals. Push based mapping services using GPRS could roll out in near future. IVRs that would be an Automated-Vocal help desk could be accessible through toll-free numbers. XML and J2ME would be the good development platforms. IP technology now offers the prospect of transmitting traditional voice communication services known as Voice Over IP (VoIP). This is a service concept with revolutionary potential for the voice communication business. . There can be many voice-browser map portals where the user can speak to the web site and hear to the map information.
Conclusion
As wireless Internet access becomes more popular and cheaper, mobile mapping will grow penecontemparaneously along with Wireless Internet. Providing Map content to the Mobile Terminal is easy, there can be issues regarding providing Wireless Internet service. Many studies indicate that in a couple of years time there will be more people accessing Internet through Mobile devices than desktop computers, and there will be lot of mobile devices than land-phones itself. This would create a lot of demand for Location based services.
Mobile Mapping is a good contender to provide killer applications in this convergent world. As the first truly open standard for intelligent messaging services for digital mobile phones and other mobile terminals, the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) will lead to a wireless data boom in the mass market.
Acknowledgements
We thank Mr. B.V.R. Mohan
Reddy, Managing Director, InfoTech Enterprises
Limited who has been a constant source of
inspiration for all of us. We acknowledge the
contribution and encouragement of Mr. U.Srinivas,
Mr. Rajeev Lal and Mr.
Joseph.