[OSGeo-Discuss] standard for pushing data from GPS device to a web service (iteration 2)

[Anton Martchukov]

Hello again, I am starting a new thread cause I lost the references and
found the message I am replying to via Google, sorry :-(

The initial discussion is available in archives

http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/discuss/2007-January/001354.html


> By the way, are you going to make your application or some of its
> components an Open Source Software?
> I have similar project on the horizon - an Open Source project - so
> may be we could join our forces?

Yes, the goal is to make a fully open source project including (most
critical) standardized open protocols, open software and hardware.

> Am I correct you're going to develop your own GPS device?
> If you're not and if you'll buy one of available GPS devices,
> then you most likely has no option than processing NMEA messages.

Slightly different, at this step we are developing our own board using
an existing GPS module (ZX4512) and place it on the board along with CPU
and data transfer unit.

Additionaly as an optional feature we can connect additional exstension
board, the controller has 40 digital ports, 8 of the can work as ADC. We
are not plan to use those at this step, but it clearly seems that we
need to keep in mind the ability to transfer arbitrary data (e.g.
temperature etc) along with location data.

> Please, could you explain what you mean as "protocol" here?
> Do you mean protocol for communication between GPS data reader
> and GPS receiver device?
> Or protocol for data exchange between GPS data processing software?

The second, the protocol I interested in is communication between our
board (CPU+GPS+GPRS) and data processing software (webservice). The idea
is for this protocol to be open and well-known, so it would make
different boards be able to connect to different data processing software.

> Is GPS unit supposed to communicate remote services directly?
> Or through middle-ware like user's PDA or laptop?

Yes, at our board design it's solely independent device that is able to
get data from GPS unit (ZX4512) process it and access remote service
directly via GPRS connection. So we will just include all needed
hardware and software withing our board.

But, of cause it should be possible to write a software for
laptop/PDA/anything other and use it as a middle ware for a retail GPS
device. It's the whole idea that the protocol for communication for data
service should be well defined.

>> Our approach now is to develop a new protocol based on SOAP
>> over HTTP, since we can utilise HTTP auth and SSL abilities
>> this way and we will not need to mess with data representation.
>> Writting WSDL with the data we need to pass from the device
>> is enough.
> OK, but I'm not sure I understand where the service client will live.
> Here, I thin it's good to define what you mean as "GPS unit".
> Simple GPS is only a composite of GPS chip + antena + communication
> interface, but another can understand GPS unit as Trimble GeoExplorer
> or MobileMapper CE devices which are Windows CE-based.

Yup, I just did not define our board properly, so let's call it "network
enabled GPS device". It will be anything that can talk to data
processing service using the protocol we want to develop. At this step
we are developing our own integrated board, but in theory it could be a
GPS-enabled PDA or anything else.

Did I make it clear now?

> Talking about a protocol, have you considered to OGC WFS
> for this purpose?
> I think WFS or WFS-T should be good to start with.
> Next, if reasonable, a customized version of WFS could be developed,
> like GFS - GPS Feature Service (tm) ;-)

We have not considered it previously, but considering it now cause it
will be proposed on this list and we want to use existent open protocol
whenever possible and invent bicycles only when it's reasonable.

So we are looking for a help in this task from GPS experienced people,
to advocate the existing protocols and help to develop a well suited and
extensible additions if they are needed.

> Note, that the Mobile GIS initiative is not officially lead by any of
> OSGeo projects, but in fact, it's very based on our community.
> I believe that after we will have some real development started, then
> we could try to request for OSGeo incubation process for the project.

Ok, I am joining the list, do you think that it's better to move
discussion there?

We are looking for collaboration especially in the development of the
protocol between "network enabled GPS device" and "data processing
software", so it maybe used by anybody with similar needs without the
need to invent something incompatible.

-- 
Anton Martchukov
http://www.martchukov.com