Imagine if here were a standard interface for exchanging GPS
information. It might work like this:
I stand at a bus stop. No bus appears to be coming. I click a number
on my GPS-integrated cellphone that calls up the bus company computer.
I send my GPS co-ordinates and it tells me when the next busses are
coming and where they are going.
I decide 3 hours is too long to wait. I dial the cab company's
computer. I send my GPS co-ordinates, and it dispatches a cab to the
exact spot where I am standing. They even know which side of the
street I am on.
I go hiking, get chased by a bear and get lost. I dial 911 and send my
GPS co-ordinates. They tell me where I am and how to get out on my
own.
My bike is stolen. It contains a GPS unit buried inside the frame. I
watch its progress on my home computer. I tell the police the id so
they can track too and pick up the crooks.
We need an interface for use on cell phones, and also for Internet
devices.
--
Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products
The Java Glossary
http://mindprod.com
