Location Framework Overview
Other versions of this page are also available for the following:
.gif "A hyphen indicates that the information in this topic is not relevant for this platform, or that the platform does not support the API that is listed.")
.gif "A checkmark indicates that the information in this topic is relevant for this platform, and that any API listed is also supported on this platform.")
8/28/2008
The Location Framework is useful for developers writing location based applications. It provides an abstraction layer between the application and the underlying hardware and/or networking services that provide the device’s physical position. Applications can now register and retrieve information such as latitude and longitude through the Location Framework without having code to directly interact with GPS devices, wifi access points, location providing web services, or other such technology.
The Location Framework is extensible via a plugin model so that applications written today will continue to work seamlessly when new forms of location determination come out. The type of report data that the Location Framework returns is customizable and can include more meaningful information that just latitude and longitude. Commonly used report types, such as latitude/longitude and city/street/address, have already been defined. Plugin writers may create new report types as the need arises.
A number of sample location plugins are provided with the Location Framework. The source code to these is present in the Platform Builder directory %_WINCEROOT%\public\servers\oak\samples\location.
| SYSGEN | Description |
|---|---|
SYSGEN_LOCATION_FRAMEWORK |
Core Location Framework service. |
SYSGEN_LOCATION_FAKE_PLUGINS |
A simulation Provider and Resolver, useful for application developers who need to simulate a device in motion. |
SYSGEN_LOCATION_GPS_PROVIDER |
A Provider that interfaces with GPS devices, providing longitude, latitude, altitude, and other coordinate fields. |
SYSGEN_LOCATION_WIFI_PROVIDER |
A Provider that interfaces with the 802.11 driver and provides the ID and signal strength of nearby 802.11 Access Points. There are many services available which can translate nearby access points into more meaningful information, such as latitude and longitude or what building the device is in. |
See Also
Reference
Location Framework Plugin Reference
Concepts
Location Framework OS Design Development
Location Framework Concepts