Location-Based Services

Excerpt

Location-based services (LBS) evolved from mobile service. A mobile service is determined by the interaction of the user, the mobile device, and the mobile provider. Since the value for the users depends on the context (i.e. environmental factors surrounding them), mobile services can be assigned to different context-aware services which are characterized by integrating information about the user`s environment into the service delivery process (Gummerus and Pihlström 2011). In fact, services that are centered on the user’s location are named location-based services. Examples for such services fall into categories like mapping, navigation, and transport; travel and tourism; local search and information; social networking and entertainment; recreation and fitness; family and people locator services; mobile resource management; mobile advertising. LBS might consequently accompany the user during the entire day starting from finding the location of his car key in the morning via key finder service such as Pally Smart Finder, using Google Maps for navigating to the office based on the latest traffic information, searching for a post office nearby to drop off parcels on AroundMe, checking in into his favorite lunch place via Foursquare, using his running app Runtastic during his afternoon run, and determining the current location of his child on FiLip in the evening. …