How do I? Location of phones

[Brad Jones]

I want to create a little app and am curious as to whether it is possible.

I want to create a simple phone app that once activated (or while activated) will broadcast the cell phone's location so that other people in the room would know that person is running the application as well as know where that person is relative to them. Can this be done? If so, how good can you get in locating someone -- could I tell if someone was within 3 feet versus within 30 feet?

As an example app, it would be interesting to be in the room and be able to look at the phone as see relative location:



Has anyone seen code to do this?

Thanks!

[Arjay]

Not sure this can be done across platforms (maybe it can be done with Microsoft's universal app when VS2015 releases?)

For android, search bing or google for "android location services tutorial".

[Brad Jones]

Thanks Arjay. Sometimes picking the right search term (or avoiding certain terms) is all it takes to find what is needed. "Location services" does it for me. I was putting 'mobile', 'gps', and other terms into my searches. They all lead to a lot of.... spammy web links instead of anything useful. Location services, however, without those other terms gives me what I need!

Brad!

[rockx]

So Brad.

How are you planning to receive this information about the location of the phone. is it by having one app for all devices and they interchange information OR do you have something else in mind???

I had posted something very similar about 18months ago, but the link seemed to have died.


http://forums.codeguru.com/showthrea...rch&highlight=

[Brad Jones]

The idea that is being considered would require an application for the communication interface. People would have to join the app to be seen and to broadcast their location.

[rockx]

Of course there has to be an App for this form of communication. The app has to be installed in the mobile devices.

As for me, i was projecting a middleware with its own DB. and mobile devices having a compatible apps to link to the DB via the middleware

[Brad Jones]

i was projecting a middleware with its own DB. and mobile devices having a compatible apps to link to the DB via the middleware

Ah. That makes sense. good point.

[rockx]

would you like ot team up and come up with something. In fact i have been pondering and improving on my ideas for the last 18-24 months. All I needed was the right people to start things off with

I have done most of the research work that was needed in terms of the hardware specs and the rest. Its merely left to sit down and code the entire system.

[OReubens]

I'd say depends a bit on what's expected.

For long distances, you'll need to use geolocation (GPS, and broadcasting to a live internet feed). The disadvantage here is of course needing a server, periodic position updates to the server (so you'll either want this slowly or for a small amount of users), and the app needing a (costly) internet feed (cost can be mitigated by offering free wifi). ALso, GPS isn't very accurate so accuracy a bit iffy with an error as large as several meters which you can correct for over time, though this tends to be difficult/impossible in large spaces, car GPS can correct by monitoring where you take turns, and in some cases even is linked to the wheels so it can measure rotation of the wheels for accuracy up to a few cm.
ALso, GPS signal could be problematic in some buildings.
THere's apps using this approach already. I don't use one, but iirc one is called "highlight" and another "serendipidy"/"serendipidor".

For short distances (a few meters) you can use bluetooth and near field communication (centimeters). BT is particularly interesting for 'small' spaces since you can place enough BT routers/repeaters to get a good distance measurement. I've seen shops use this to track people (anonymously since BT doesn't broadcast this) as they are walking around the shop and to the checkout (where they can even know who you are if you use customer coupons/cards. (this does NOT require an app even, it uses the BT broadcast which most people typically leave open and unprotected). THough you would need an app if people need to see others.

If you have control over location and can install GSM repeaters, you could make use of the GSM checkin/checkout & triangulation algorithm to cover a larger area (several hundred m, which would be somewhat impractical with BT), though this would probably need certified hardware since the GSM frequencies are registered.