Netstumbler currently only works with Orinco Wi-Fi cards but it’s being ported to Intersil’s Prism-2. You can get one from the Wi-Fi Supply Guy. GPS units for Pocket PCs include Pharos and Teletype. Download Netstumber (Mini Stumber), plug in your Orinoco card and (optionally) a GPS unit. You’re good to go.
According to Wi-Fi expert, Michael Codanti,
“If you are just looking for a cheap GPS to use with only your PC, you can get a Rand Mcnally GPS with their software for about $75. It hooks to the PS/2 port of your computer for power (with an optional lighter adapter) and the serial port. All it does is spit out NMEA data. No external antenna connector, and initial acquisition time is pretty bad, but it works pretty good otherwise”.
An iPaq ($350) with an Orinoco Wi-Fi card ($60), GPS unit ($150), and windshield mount ($60) could map the hood. On a bike.
Conversely, GPS Trackers like PowerLoc and Airbiquity’s aqLink can track your bike. GPS trackers use GSM, AMPS, CDPD and Wi-Fi to send GPS data back to HQ (or your home computer) so you can watch fleet movements in real-time. Maybe bar pilots should wear them. The Portland streetcar map is live and local. Location Based Services include LocatioNet which provides Vector Maps for wireless operators and Portland-based Qsent which can hail a taxi. How about Virtual Guides beamed free to visitors or commuters?
Today, Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management announced the launch of Phase II E-911 wireless services. Enhanced 911 essentially makes every cellular phone a tracking device. Phase II enables EMS personnel to pinpoint caller locations between 50 and 300 meters. Edge Wireless is the carrier providing the services, and Airbiquity will provide the GPS snap-ons for mobile phones and the server software used at the public safety answering points (screen shot). Phones with integrated GPS will soon be mandated by the FCC. Carriers can locate callers either through network-based technology that triangulates a caller’s location based on proximity to cell towers (Phase I), or through a phone with an integrated GPS unit (Phase II). Phase II phones with automatic location identification (ALI) were originally mandated to reach 100% by the end of 2002 but the program has been delayed.
The four-county region is by far the largest geographic area in the United States to implement Phase II for wireless users. Nearly one-third of all accident victims in rural areas do not arrive at the hospital within an hour, largely due to the inability of public safety providers to quickly locate them and reach the scene. Some 30% of the 150 million 9-1-1 calls were made using cell phones, in 2000. BTW, 511 is a national number for traffic information. Several states have hot lines with the latest traffic info although Oregon is not one.
Here’s a rundown of the most popular methods of position location capabilities being built into cellular networks from www.Unstrung.com.
- AOA, TDOA & TOA
Angle of Arrival, Time Difference of Arrival, and Time of Arrival
E-OTD & A-FLT
Enhanced Observed Time Difference and Advanced Forward Link Trilateration
GPS & A-GPS
Global Position System and Assisted Global Position System
Each of the methods used to obtain location information has its own pros and cons. Operators usually choose a variation of one or more of the systems, depending upon which application best suits the legacy network already in place.
.gif)
