It is a type of application that makes it possible to locate and identify a computing device wherever it might be, as soon as the user connects to the network.
Instant messaging (IM) is very common example. Both proprietary products, such as Sametime, and freely available ones, such as AIM, can be used to add presence to any application. That faculty makes collaboration possible wherever and whenever users are online. In another example (amount many possibilities), a driver with a GPS-enabled device can be tracked and sent messages warning about traffic delays and suggesting alternate routes.
Presence of technology is an integral part of third generation (3G) wireless networks, and is being employed across a wide variety of communication devices, including cell phones, laptop computer, PDAs, television sets, and pagers. Privacy issues are typically addressed by allowing a high degree of user-defined control, allowing people to select conditions in which they are detectable, for example.
Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF) Instant Messaging and Presence Protocol (IMPP) Working Group was formed to establish core standards that could be used to make presence technologies interoperable, a challenge that is currently slowing their development. Many of the current IM systems, for example, don't make it possible for users to exchange message with the customers of other systems, a situation which has been compared to a long distance telephone service provider making it impossible for users to communicate with another long distance provider's customers. Industry leaders have joined forces to form the Parlay Group, a consortium developed to promote collaboration within the industry.
Location Awareness:
It is a component of presence technology that delivers information about a device's physical location. The term is most often used in reference to mobile communication devices and cameras. However, it can also refer to a website that tracks a user's physical location to deliver targeted information, such as local search results or local business information.
A device's location is usually determined by one of three methods: GPS satellite tracking, cellular tower triangulation or, on Wi-Fi networks, by comparing nearby MAC address.
Instant messaging (IM) is very common example. Both proprietary products, such as Sametime, and freely available ones, such as AIM, can be used to add presence to any application. That faculty makes collaboration possible wherever and whenever users are online. In another example (amount many possibilities), a driver with a GPS-enabled device can be tracked and sent messages warning about traffic delays and suggesting alternate routes.
Presence of technology is an integral part of third generation (3G) wireless networks, and is being employed across a wide variety of communication devices, including cell phones, laptop computer, PDAs, television sets, and pagers. Privacy issues are typically addressed by allowing a high degree of user-defined control, allowing people to select conditions in which they are detectable, for example.
Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF) Instant Messaging and Presence Protocol (IMPP) Working Group was formed to establish core standards that could be used to make presence technologies interoperable, a challenge that is currently slowing their development. Many of the current IM systems, for example, don't make it possible for users to exchange message with the customers of other systems, a situation which has been compared to a long distance telephone service provider making it impossible for users to communicate with another long distance provider's customers. Industry leaders have joined forces to form the Parlay Group, a consortium developed to promote collaboration within the industry.
Location Awareness:
It is a component of presence technology that delivers information about a device's physical location. The term is most often used in reference to mobile communication devices and cameras. However, it can also refer to a website that tracks a user's physical location to deliver targeted information, such as local search results or local business information.
A device's location is usually determined by one of three methods: GPS satellite tracking, cellular tower triangulation or, on Wi-Fi networks, by comparing nearby MAC address.
- Location awareness is an increasing trend in hardware and software. Here are a few of the current applications:
- As a component of games on hand held systems.
- As digital camera add-ons (for example, in Sony's GPS-CSI GPS device and Jelbert's Geo-tagger).
- On photo-sharing websites, such as Picassa, where pictures are linked to the location where they were taken on a map.
- In memory cards (such as Eye-Fi SD) that automatically tag the location of a picture.
- In social networking services, for example to display the location of each microblogging post to Twitter.
- In cell phones, smart phones and other devices to deliver location-specific advertisements and information.
- In GPS system in vehicles for navigation or local information, such as traffic reports.