Contempory Contextual Studies: Session 6 - Location Aware Services & Locative Media

Innovative development of Technology has allowed us to be connected today, more so than ever before. through the increase in it's use and it's availability to the overall population. It takes less time and money in today's world to mass produce technology thus enabling this widespread increase in connectedness. We have increased accessibility to mobile phones, PDAs, Laptops, MP3's, GPS, portable gaming devices, digital cameras, computers, the internet etc etc...

In the past, the arts world and the technology world have existed as two separate entities. But as technology progresses we are seing it taking a creative and artistic route and vice versa. Locative media is at the point when the two worlds overlap.

What Are Location-Based Services?

Location-based services (LBS) are applications that leverage the user's physical location to provide an enhanced service or experience. Location awareness can be used, for example, for mapping and navigation, shipment tracking, finding points of interest or a even virtual tour guide. Location awareness differentiates mobile applications from traditional PC and wired Internet services. GPS, RFID, Bluetooth are used in many locative media projects.

Ben Russell is the author of Headmap.org.uk (a blueprint for wireless technology, location aware devices) and one of the founders of the Locative Media Lab. In Russell’s on-line article for Vodafone Receiver Magazine, he discusses the social qualities of locative communication.

A location service or location-based service (LBS) in a cellular telephone network is a service provided to the subscriber based on their current geographic location. The position of a mobile phone user can be known by user entry, such as the input of a town name, zip code or street into a web page, or from a GPS chip built into the phone.

Here are some papers written on the subject of locative media

[ 'Social Media' ] Rachel Barron
[ 'Theory of the Dérive' ] Guy Debord
[ 'A User’s Guide to Détournement' ] Guy Debord + Gil Wolman
[ Pursedlipssquarejaw ] Anne Galloway
[ 'Protocol: How Control Exists After Decentralization' ] Alexander Galloway
[ 'The Locative Dystopia' ] Drew Hemment
['Sousveillance' ] Steve Mann
[ Locative Media and Social Code ] Ben Russel
[ Interactive Tele-Journalism - article about Shawn Van Every ] Dan Gillmor
[ The Situationist International Text Library ]
[ About Psychogepgraphy ]
[ WikiPedia: What is Psychogeography? ]
[ Wendy Hui Kyong Chun ]

Fun With GPS Donald Cooke
http://gis.esri.com/esripress/display/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&websiteID=91&moduleID=10

ARTICLES AND PAPERS

Privacy and Security in the Location-enhanced World Wide Web

Jason I. Hong1, Gaetano Boriello2,3, James A. Landay2,3, David W. McDonald4, Bill N. Schilit2, J. D. Tygar1
1 Computer Science Division, University of California, Berkeley
2 Intel Research Seattle, 1100 NE 45th Street, Seattle, WA 98105
3 Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington
4 Information School, University of Washington
ABSTRACT
Privacy concerns remain a major barrier to adoption of location-based services. Users demand significant, concrete benefits before they are willing to allow an outside party to track their movements. We propose Place Lab, a trustworthy, secure location infrastructure that gives users control over the degree of personal information they release. Place Lab allows service providers to design

Link to full article: http://www.placelab.org/publications/pubs/ubicomp2003-privacy-placelab.pdf

PRIMARY DOCUMENTS AND RELATED WORKS

locative media production http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/

"Can You See Me?" Blast Theory.
http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/work_cysmn.html
Chandler, Rita. "High-tech game of hide and seek fascinates." USA Today, June 29, 2004.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2004-06-29-fun-with-geocaching_x.htm
"Colors." Gizmondo.
http://www.gizmondo.com/games/item.asp?id=4
"Conqwest" Web site.
http://www.conqwest2005.com/
Geocaching: The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site. http://www.geocaching.com/
Girardin, Fabien. "Pervasive Game Development Today." March, 2005.
http://www.girardin.org/fabien/catchbob/pervasive/
Graham-Rowe, Duncan. "Gamers turn cities into a battleground." New Scientist, June 12, 2005.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7498&feedId=online-news_rss20
"Kidnap." Blast Theory.
http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/work_kidnap.html

Graffiti research lab

http://kirstiesdfimccs.blogspot.com/2007/02/this-is-not-graffiti-research-lab_02.html

http://graffitiresearchlab.com/

WEBSITES

social locative stickies - socialight.com
http://www.socialight.com/

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms950423.aspx

http://www.smartmobs.com/archive/2004/12/22/anthony_townsen....html

http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn/showforum.aspx?forumid=34&siteid=1

smart phone map app
http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn/showforum.aspx?forumid=34&siteid=1

http://www.agre.org/program/criteria.cfm?do=program

http://netpublics.annenberg.edu/locative_media/beyond_locative_media
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/MapPoint2006/ALLAboutGPS.asp
http://www.google.com/gmm/index.html?utm_source=us-et-more&utm_medium=et&utm_campaign=gmm

LOCATION BASED SERVICES , LOCATION AWARE DEVICES IN THE ADVERTISING AND MARKETING INDUSTRY

Location based services and location aware devices are now being deployed in the advertising and marketing industry. There are many innovative ad campaigns using various mobile and location based technologies.

One such campaign is leading advertising agency AKQA's for Yell.com. GPS systems on London Buses are utilised for the location aware ads. The London buses feature adverts for local businesses that change according to where the bus is. There are also interactive displays on the bus shelters where you can find out local business information, bus times, cinema times and maps. There are also giant screen in central London in areas where the traffic is always slow moving such as Kings Cross. The screens feature cctv like scenarios with yell.com finding a solution to the problem given with an appropriate phone number.

http://awards.akqa.com/awards2006/yell/results/digital6sheets.wmv

Click above link for a video of the Yell.com campaign

RFID in Japan
Crossing the chasm
« Horse Mackerel Traceability Main Information Resources on RFID in Korea »
RFID Jeans in Future Department Store
On January 17, Mitsukoshi and Fujitsu announced that their RFID pilot test, dubbed "Future Store - Department Store Version," will take place from January 31 till February 13 at New York Runway, a store on the 2nd floor of Mitsukoshi Ginza Department Store. This pilot test is part of the "Japanese Future Store" project which is led by the government.

5,000 pairs of jeans will be RFID-tagged for the purpose of inventory management and improvement of services and operations. The tagged jeans will be put on "smart shelves," which will allow continuous monitoring of jeans on shelves as well as stock rooms. The smart shelves have electronic-paper displays so that customers can check up-to-date inventory information by themselves.
Also, the store has six "intelligent fitting rooms" that are equipped with large-screen IP phones and RFID readers. In these fitting rooms, customers can, for example, easily get information about the availability of different sizes. In addition, there will be touch-panel computers in the store. Customers use them to get product recommendations ("e-recommendation") as well as detailed product information.
Moreover, Mitsukoshi will provide an experimental mobile "concierge" service using active RFID tags and mobile phones in order to uncover the possibilities (and limitations) of future store services. When customers carrying active RFID tags enter the store, their historical information (past visits to the store as well as purchase histories) is displayed on the mobile devices of sales agents. If customers want to interact with sales agents, they can push a button on the tag to call them.
via japan.internet.com, January 17, 2006 < href="http://interactive.usc.edu/members/sfisher/archives/2005/12/another_big_gam_1.html">http://interactive.usc.edu/members/sfisher/archives/2005/12/another_big_gam_1.html

Jan. 29, 2007—Ever since BMW subsidiary Mini USA brought the updated, sporty Mini Cooper to U.S. motorists in 2001, the wee car has been turning heads and generating a fervent fan base. Mini owners often nickname their Minis and detail them with custom paint jobs. Now, as part of a pilot program recently launched by the automaker's USA division, select Mini drivers in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami can utilize RFID key fobs to initiate personalized messages on billboards containing LED displays.

http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3005/1/1/