Location Aware Web: concept, protocol and system

Abstract

When users look for information on the Internet through their smart devices, their physical location is usually highly correlated with the contents they are trying to find. Actually, localization (as well as language) is an integral part of the input data used by web search engines to customize the information provided to the users. Based on this concept, we have designed a Location Based Service (LBS), called LAW (Location Aware Web), which exploits the relationship between Web based applications and the context, including mainly the position and other sensor or personal information. In this paper, we outline the LAW concept, the design of the protocol to support the idea and the description of a system implementing both concept and protocol. We have designed a protocol to support the LAW service, intended for the application OSI layer based on a clientserver architecture. We also present the design and prototypes of subsystem implementing both idea and protocol, including all the necessary details: hardware selection, network technology and developed software. In the industrial environment, the Location Aware Web service could be used to provide feasible information for the user, for example, support to procedure operations such as maintenance or stock control.