Development of Location-Aware Applications - The Nidaros framework

This paper presents the Nidaros framework for developing location-aware applications that provide location dependent functionality based on the current location of the user. The framework can be used to develop location-dependent advertisement, city guides, guides for tourist attractions, etc. The framework consists of three main components: A runtime system that manages user locations and the interaction with the user clients; a creator tool that is used to map information and multimedia content to locations; and a logging tool that is used to log the movement of users to monitor the interest for certain locations. The paper also describes an implementation of a location-aware tour guide for the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim that can run on different mobile devices. Further, the paper describes experiences from installing, configuring, and running a location-aware tour guide in a real environment. A demonstration of the tour guide was tested on PDAs and mobile phones.