Integration of Location Based Services
with Mobile Business Processes
Management
Supervisor: prof. Heikki Hämmäinen
Instructor: fm Ville Westerholm
Master’s Thesis Seminar
14.3.2006
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Agenda
 Introduction
– Background
– Location Based Services
– Mobile Personnel Management System
 Research Problem
 Research Method
– Requirements of Integration
– Solution Architectures
– Pilot Integration
 Conclusions
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Background
 In many business areas, such as logistics, the mobility is
compulsory
 Traditionally the business process management has been
more or less stationary and therefore mobile field force
personnel may have had old or even faulty information of the
task
 Another area of interest, when working with mobile
personnel, is location
 When systems are not integrated, Location Based Services
(LBS) cannot offer functionality that would seamlessly
support the mobile field force management
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Location Based Services
 Services, which contain: defining location, location information
transporting, and services, which are related to information of
mobile device user location
 Geographic Information System (GIS) studies the geographical
information of world’s surface and man-made structures -> Used for
digital maps
 Positioning is location of an object in a specified reference system
 Navigation is an action that helps finding the specified location
based on the user choices
 Tracking is defined as positioning based functionality that aims for
reporting a position of the object in close to real-time fashion and
may also contain surveillance of the object
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Mobile Personnel Management System
 Offers end-to-end solution for mobile workers to be
connected to operative processes of enterprises
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Research Problem
 Required functionality of LBS to support field force
management?
 Architectural design of the integration based on current
products?
 Positioning method that can be used for locating the users?
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Requirements of Integration
(1/3)
 Customer requirements
Requirement
Navigation
Logistics
X
Special Maps
Service
X
Security
X
X
X
X
Tracking of other
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X
X
‘Automatic’ task
starting and ending
Assignee tracking
Maintenance
X
X
X
X
X
Tracking history
(X)
(X)
X
X
Route planning
X
X
X
X
Other real-time
applications
X
Requirements of Integration
 Functional requirements of LBS
– Define Point of Interest
– Define User of Interest
– Show Map
– Solve Coordinates for Address
– Solve Address for Coordinates
– Define Distance Between Coordinates
– Define Driving Distance Between Coordinates
– Define Shortest Route
– Collect User Location Information
– Store User Location Information History
– Navigate to Coordinates
– Update Maps
– Download Special Maps
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(2/3)
Requirements of Integration
(3/3)
 Other requirements
– Have to meet common requirements set for mobile field force
management system
Global
Support Distinctive Resale Models
Scalable
Secure
Reliable
– Requirements that enable fulfilling functionality
Adequate positioning
Real-Time Tracking Information
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Modules of Integration
Tracking Module
GIS Database
Mobile
Tracker
Location
Server
Tracking Database
MFFM Module
User Database
Client
Application
Task
Manager
Application Database
Mobile Mapping Module
Navigation
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Maps
Tracking
Application
Architectural Solution 1
Client Appliance
Task Manager
MFFM Data
Synchronization
MFFM Client
Task Management
MFFM Server
Application
Database
MFFM Data
Tracking
Connector
Navigate
To
coordinates
MFFM Task
Mangager
Tracking
Application
Mobile
Mapping
Positioning API
Tracking
Handler
Request maps with
POIs (x,y), UOIs (id), etc…
Map Data
Location Server
Tracking
Database
Location Services
Position Gateway
Mobile
Tracker
Tracking Data
GIS
Database
Maps with
UOIs, POIs...
Stand-Alone Task Management
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Architectural Solution 2
Navigate
To
Coord.
Signaling
Tracking Data
Tracking
Task Manager Connector
MFFM Data
Synchronization
MFFM Client
Mobile Mapping
Mobile Tracker
Positioning
API
Task Management
MFFM Server
Client Appliance
Application
Database
Tracking
Database *
MFFM Data
MFFM Task
Mangager
Tracking
Application
Tracking
Handler
Request maps with
POIs (x,y), UOIs (x,y), etc…
Location Server
Map Data
* Interchangeable
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GIS
Database
Location Services
Tracking
Database *
Maps with
UOIs, POIs...
Stand-Alone Task Management
Comparison of the Solutions
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Feature
Solution 1
Solution 2
Location data path
Separate form MFFM data path
Partly common to MFFM data path
Location of the Tracking
DB
Location server
Location server or MFFM server
Security
Requires 2 different authentications and
authorization methods of terminal users
Authentication and authorization of terminal
users handled in one spot
Changes required to
MFFM product
Few changes in database, logic for handling
the POI and UOI requests
Changes in database, logic for handling the
POI and UOI requests, support for
sending location information form
MFFM client to server, logic for
forwarding the location reports or adding
Tracking DB
Complexity
More simple
More complex
Ongoing administration
work
Double administration of terminals and
terminal users
User and terminal data only once
Support for reviewed
products
Maporama, Indadon, (MapPoint with large
restrictions)
Maporama, MapPoint
General support for
distinctive tracking
products
Worse
Better
Positioning Methods
[http://www.tekes.fi/julkaisut/paikannus_mobiilipalveluissa.pdf]
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Pilot Integration
 Indagon Leader tracking solution is integrated to Fujitsu
mProcess field force management solution
 Based on architectural solution 1 -> Fast to implement and
only one point of integration with mProcess
 Offers proof of concept
 Most of the defined functionality was implemented -> Enables
evaluation of defined requirements
 Will be taken to production, after enhancements
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Screen Shots
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Conclusions
 LBS can be used to enhance mobile personnel management
 Defined functionality is sufficient, but further research should
be done as new requirements emerges
 GPS positioning is sufficient for most of the use scenarios.
For greater accuracy, enhanced GPS or hybrid positioning is
required.
 Based on pilot integration feed-back, it is possible to take the
concept to production after some technical enhancements
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