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GSM localization is the use of GSM mobile phones to determine the location of the user. A location-based service (or LBS) in a cellular telephone network is a service provided to the subscriber based on her current geographic location. This position can be known by user entry or a GPS receiver that she carries with her, but most often the term implies the use of a radiolocation function built into the cell network or handset that uses triangulation between the known geographic coordinates of the base stations through which the communication takes place.

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CitySense, an urban scale sensor network

CitySense is an urban scale sensor network testbed that is being developed by researchers at Harvard University and BBN Technologies. CitySense will consist of 100 wireless sensors deployed on light poles around the city of Cambridge, MA. Each node will consist of an embedded PC, 802.11a/b/g interface, and various sensors for monitoring weather conditions and air pollutants. Most importantly, CitySense is intended to be an open testbed that researchers from all over the world can use to evaluate wireless networking and sensor network applications in a large-scale urban setting.

» citysense.net » wireless sensor networks

Smart Buildings Could Save Energy By Spying On Workers

"Imagine peeling the roof off the building and watching people go about their lives, like in an ant farm," he says. "You can't identify individual ants or keep track of them as they scurry past each other, but you can watch as they move food into the nest or dig chambers."

Researchers at Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratory (MERL) have devised a 'dumb' surveillance system that monitors the movements of workers without identifying them individually. The idea is to have a computer system automatically configure the air-conditioning to save money, or illuminate the most appropriate escape signs in an emergency.

» New Scientist

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GPS Satellite Navigation System
Satellite navigation systems use radio time signals transmitted by satellites to enable mobile receivers on the ground to determine their exact location. The relatively clear line of sight between the satellites and receivers on the ground, combined with ever-improving electronics, allows satellite navigation systems to measure location to accuracies on the order of a few metres in real time.

LBS are Localization Based Systems. One can find several types:

• Cell ID The precision of this method is 200 meters in urban areas, 2 km in suburban areas and 3-4 km in rural zones. (up on frequency use 900/1800)
• Enhanced Cell ID With this method one can get a precision similar to Cell ID, but for rural areas, with circular sectors of 550 meters.
• E-OTD: This is similar to TOA, but the position is estimated by the mobile phone, not by the base station. The precision of this method depends on the number of available LMUs in the networks, varying from 50 to 200 m.

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