[locationaware-specs] Updated Working Draft

[Andrew Turner]

On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 3:38 PM, Ryan Sarver
 <rsarver at skyhookwireless.com> wrote:
 > Part of it is specifically a specification, much like any HTML draft
 >  specification. What we are working on is not a Loki specific
 >  interface, but something that allows the browser to broker a myriad of
 >  location technologies through a simple DOM API. That could mean
 >  pulling in GPS, IP Gelocation, WPS, Location APIs from a mobile OS, etc.

 I guess I don't see the usefulness of a JS geolocation spec. What
 you're describing isn't a "Spec" but a "library" or framework wrapper
 around existing API's - similar to what GeoClue is doing for DBus.



 >
 >  I agree there is a high-level need to address geolocation as a whole,
 >  but I don't see the LocationAware Javascript DOM specification as the
 >  place to do it. We want to keep the goal of this project very specific
 >  to avoid getting blown out of scope and therefore preventing it from
 >  ever getting implemented. However I do think that we should have a
 >  single site that brings as much of it together under one umbrella.

 From my point of view, as I mentioned, a JS spec isn't really useful.
 A broader spec/commons for the verbage, icons, terminology, and
 concepts that affect all these interfaces is more immediately useful.
 You're not going to get broad acceptance of an API on geolocation in
 the near future. It hasn't happened with any generic interface except
 things like OGC Specs, or most recently authentication (OAuth).

 Now, if you're bent on specifying a JS, or programmatic.
 interface/spec, you need to provide mechanisms for how to build
 additional hooks (add GPS geolocation, etc) specify accuracy or
 mechanism to user, etc.

 Look at the GeoClue docs for examples on how this has been addressed to date.




 >
 >  Are you talking almost like a simple Creative Commons style disclose
 >  standard?
 >
 >  Ryan
 >
 >
 >
 >  On Mar 10, 2008, at 6:28 PM, Andrew Turner wrote:
 >
 >  > On Jan 30, 2008 8:28 PM, Ryan Sarver <rsarver at skyhookwireless.com>
 >  > wrote:
 >  >> Today we updated the Working Draft and are looking for feedback. We
 >  >> are
 >  >> looking to get a prototype extension developed shortly based on
 >  >> this API, so
 >  >> all feedback is welcome before development starts.
 >  >>
 >  >> http://www.locationaware.org/wiki/Working_Draft
 >  >
 >  > This isn't so much a spec as a specific JS library interface that Loki
 >  > was working on.
 >  >
 >  > However, I think there is definitely need for a larger addressing of
 >  > GeoLocation. FireEagle is going to raise a lot more awareness of
 >  > geo-privacy, location history storage, etc. You add to that Core
 >  > Location apps, BrightKite, LocationWeb, et al. and that is going to be
 >  > a lot of confusion, and potential angry/upset users from
 >  > misunderstandings, among all these different services.
 >  >
 >  > As developers it would be great for us to have a resource we can use
 >  > for common verbage describing this to users in an understandable, and
 >  > common, way and obviously iconography to make this easy to catch:
 >  >
 >  > "A, so your service wants to store my history precise to the City
 >  > level and expose this to all users"
 >  >
 >  > "Your service will only store my current location (no history) to the
 >  > street level and keep it private to just my friends/network"
 >  >
 >  > and so on.
 >  >
 >  > Has there been any progress along this?
 >  >
 >  >>
 >  >> Examples of Usage
 >  >>
 >  >> An example of a single, location request with a callback handler
 >  >>
 >  >> var geolocator = navigator.getGeolocator();
 >  >> geolocator.request(function(location) {
 >  >>   alert(location.latitude+', '+location.longitude);
 >  >> });
 >  >>
 >  >> An example of a periodic, location request with a callback handler
 >  >>
 >  >> var geolocator = navigator.getGeolocator();
 >  >> geolocator.request(function(location) {
 >  >>   alert(location.latitude+', '+location.longitude);
 >  >> }, 60);
 >  >>
 >  >> An example of a single, location request without a callback handler
 >  >>
 >  >> var provider = navigator.getGeolocator();
 >  >> provider.request();
 >  >> switch (provider.status) {
 >  >>   case provider.ERROR:
 >  >>     break;
 >  >>   case provider.VALID:
 >  >>     break;
 >  >>   default:
 >  >>     break;
 >  >> }
 >  >>
 >  >>
 >  >> _______________________________________________
 >  >> locationaware-specs mailing list
 >  >> locationaware-specs at locationaware.org
 >  >> http://lists.locationaware.org/mailman/listinfo/locationaware-specs
 >  >>
 >  >
 >  >
 >  >