Location-Based Service (LBS) Definitions

Below is a comprehensive of definitions that you may come across while evaluating LBS technologies and solutions. If you have need further assistance in locating a LBS solution, tell us about the application you are considering.

LBS Definitions

2.5G
2.5G is a stepping stone between 2G and 3G cellular wireless technologies. The term "second and a half generation" is used to describe 2G-systems that have implemented a packet switched domain in addition to the circuit switched domain. It does not necessarily provide faster services because bundling of timeslots is used for circuit switched data services (HSCSD) as well.

3GPP
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration agreement that was established in December 1998. The scope of 3GPP was to make a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone system specification within the scope of the ITU's IMT-2000 project.

9-1-1
9-1-1 or nine-one-one is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). It is one of eight N11 codes

Computer-assisted dispatch
Computer-assisted dispatch (also called CAD) is a method of dispatching taxicabs, couriers, field service technicians, or emergency services by computer. It can either be used to send messages to the dispatchee via a mobile data terminal (also called an MDT) and/or used to store and retrieve data (i.e. Radio Logs, Field Interviews, Client Information, Schedules, etc.)

EDGE
Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) is a digital mobile phone technology which acts as a bolt-on enhancement to 2G and 2.5G (a.k.a.GPRS) networks. This technology is working in TDMA and GSM networks. EDGE (also known as EGPRS) is a superset to GPRS and can function on any network with GPRS deployed on it (provided the carrier implements the necessary upgrades).

Enhanced 911
Enhanced 911 service or E911 service is a North American telephone network feature that automatically associates the physical address with the calling party's telephone number. This is generally done by a form of reverse telephone directory that is supplied by the telephone company. This provides emergency responders with the location of the emergency without the person calling for help having to provide it. Enhanced 911 has been deployed in most metropolitan areas in the United States. In some places (e.g., Minneapolis/St. Paul) it has been used since the early 1980s, though as of the end of 2002 it was not available in every area.

FCC
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent United States government agency, created, directed, and empowered by Congressional statute.

Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System, usually called GPS (the US military refers to it as NAVSTAR GPS), is a satellite navigation system used for determining one's precise location and providing a highly accurate time reference almost anywhere on Earth or in Earth orbit. It uses an intermediate circular orbit (ICO) satellite constellation of at least 24 satellites.

GPRS
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a mobile data service available to users of GSM mobile phones. It is often described as "2.5G", that is, a technology between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of mobile telephony. It provides moderate speed data transfer, by using unused TDMA channels in the GSM network.

LBS
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 function built into the cell network that uses triangulation between the known geographic coordinates of the base stations through which the communication takes place

Mobile data terminals
A computerized device used in taxicabs, courier vehicles, service trucks, and emergency vehicles to communicate with a central dispatch office. Mobile data terminals feature a screen on which to view information and a keyboard or keypad for entering information, and may be connected to various peripheral devices. Standard peripherals include two-way radios and taximeters, both of which predate computer assisted dispatching.

NENA
National Emergency Number Association

North American Numbering Plan
The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a system for three-digit area codes that direct telephone calls to particular regions on a public switched telephone network (PSTN), where they are further routed by the local network. It is applied to the United States and its territories; Canada; Bermuda; and many Caribbean nations.

Packet switching
In computer networking and telecommunications, packet switching is a communications paradigm in which packets (messages or fragments of messages) are individually routed between nodes, with no previously established communication path.

PSAP
PSAP is an acronym/initialism for Public Safety Answering Point, an agency in the United States, typically county controlled, responsible for answering 9-1-1 calls for emergency assistance from police, fire, and ambulance services.

Receiver
In communications and information processing, a receiver is the recipient (observer) of a message (information), which is sent from a source (object). Receivers decode messages

Triangulation
In trigonometry and elementary geometry, triangulation is the process of finding a distance to a point by calculating the length of one side of a triangle, given measurements of angles and sides of the triangle formed by that point and two other reference points.

Trilateration
Trilateration is a method of determining the relative position of objects using the geometry of triangles in a similar fashion as triangulation. Unlike triangulation, which uses angle measurements (together with at least one known distance) to calculate the subject's location, trilateration uses the known locations of two or more reference points, and the measured distance between the subject and each reference point. To accurately and uniquely determine the relative location of a point on a 2D plane using trilateration alone, generally at least 3 reference points are needed.

Voice over IP
IP Telephony, also called 'Internet telephony', is the technology that makes it possible to have a voice conversation over the Internet or a dedicated Internet Protocol (IP) network instead of dedicated voice transmission lines. This allows the elimination of circuit switching and the associated waste of bandwidth. Instead, packet switching is used, where IP packets with voice data are sent over the network only when data needs to be sent, i.e., when a caller is talking.