Re: Mobile Location Based Service user privacy (commercial issue)

Hi Shahid,

This is to follow up our previous email discussion. First, thank you very
much for the comments.

Now I use a people finding application as an example to show that if the
Mobile Network Operator wants to control the user privacy profile for every
application, it becomes quite complicated. This is always my concern. Do you
have any idea about the general practice of MNOs regarding this, now and
perhaps in future UMTS?

Following is my example of the People Tracking Application provided and
operated by an ASP. By subscribing to this service, people can locate others
whom they have the authorization to locate.
There are User A, B, C, D, etc. Each of them has a user profile in ASP side.

User Profile (People Tracking) in ASP:
User A -- B, C can track me (User A), time, date, conditions etc.
User B -- C, D can track me (User B), time, date, conditions etc.
User C -- A, D can track me (User C), time, date, conditions etc.
User D ....
.....

The user profile in ASP is required since ASP operates the Application and
it wants to send request to Network Operator only if the location request is
valid and with authorization.
Also, as you mentioned, the Network Operator will maintain the same Profile
at its own side. Also, it is the arrangement of UMTS.

So, we have anothe user profile in Network Operator.
User Profile (People Tracking) in Network Operator (it is the same one as
User Profile in ASP)
User A -- B, C can track me (User A), time, date, conditions etc.
User B -- C, D can track me (User B), time, date, conditions etc.
User C -- A, D can track me (User C), time, date, conditions etc.
User D ....
.....

One question then arises. Where shall the user change his profile since
there are two identical user profiles at different places, one in ASP and
another in Network Operator? Anyway, a solution could be that once one user
profile has been changed, the other has to be informed and updated to make
them match. Then we have another problem. The two user profiles have to talk
and interface to each other.

Thus, for an ASP to develop a Location Based Service/Application, several
interfaces have to be written.

1. The interface between Application and Mobile Terminal (through Mobile
Network)
It could be SMS, WAP (based on WML) in GSM.
Or it could be i-mode compatible HTML in i-mode.
Or HDML in CDMA network.

2. The interface between Application and Location Platform for them to
request and get location feed of certain user.

3. The interface between User Profile in ASP and that in Network Operator
for the user profile date to be imported and exported bwt ASP and Network
Operator.

So, from Mobile Network Operator's point of view, at least two interfaces (2
and 3) are to provided by Location Platform. Also, it will be easy for ASP
to develop applications if the Location Platform can incorporate all the
interfaces together.

I guess that is what NTT DoCoMo's Location Based Service Platform is doing.

It seems that DLP (DoCoMo Location Platform) for PDC and mopera for PHS is
the only box that 3rd party application/content provider has to deal with,
which simpify the whole structure.
So far, the NTT DoCoMo LBS seems to be content focused other than
application (ASP) focused. That is user requst some information and the
content provider will send the information upon request.

Do you know if DLP or mopera has the full user profile for Location Based
Service?

Thank you for your discussion with me.

Br,
Alex

Alex WANG Jiayi
Mobile, StarHub Pte Ltd
51 Cuppage Road, # 07-00 StarHub Centre, Singapore 229469
Tel: (+65) 825 5547
Mobile: (+65) 9004 0768
Email: alexw@starhub.com.sg
http://www.starhub.com.sg
Received on Fri Jul 20 01:39:05 2001