Location aware mobile-device software development

Abstract

A development environment makes it easier to develop and use location aware software applications. Combining the currently separate and complex tasks of location information gathering, analysis, and display and making them integrated such that non-experts can build location services into their applications increases a developer's capability to write rich location-aware software applications. A higher level programming model allows a programmer to use location information as a logical entity rather than just raw location data, such as latitude and longitude. A location data store and map data store may be accessed by different location aware applications on the device. Instead of each location application relying on its own data store, applications may share their location related information.

1 - 31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A computer implemented method for location aware applications, comprising:
 generating a location event;   providing notice of the location event from the location manager to a location aware application without the raw location data;   executing event driven code supplied by the location aware application in response to the notice of the location event received from the location manager;   receiving at a map manager from the location aware application criteria including a type of an object to display;   providing different map choices comprising separate maps to the location aware application based on the criteria;   selecting a map from the different map choices;   sharing the selected map with another location aware application without the map manager and the other location aware application requiring raw location data; and   displaying the map using a map rendering engine.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the location event is generated in response to a position of an item relative to an area of interest and wherein the area of interest is a predefined area on a map having a boundary defined by a user. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising determining when the item enters and exits an area of interest by obtaining location information from at least one location source. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein generating the location event comprises generating a location event in response to at least one of the following events: a determination that the location of an item that has entered the area of interest, a determination that the location of an item that has exited the area of interest and a determination that the location of an item that as moved a specified distance inside an area of interest. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising supplying at least one object to the map rendering engine to overlay on the map. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising dynamically provisioning the map store. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the map includes a description of the map using an XML representation. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the description comprises a map projection; a resolution; an indication of the map rendering engine used to display the map and an area the map includes. 
     
     
         40 . A computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions for location aware applications, the instructions comprising:
 generating a location event in response to determining a position of an item relative to an area of interest;   providing notice of the location event from the location manager to a location aware application without raw location data;   executing event driven code supplied by the location aware application in response to the notice of the location event received from the location manager;   providing different map choices to the location aware application based on criteria received at a map manager from the location aware application;   selecting a map wherein the map may be shared by other location aware applications; and   displaying the map using a map rendering engine.   
     
     
         41 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 40 , wherein the area of interest is a predefined area on a map. 
     
     
         42 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 40 , further comprising determining when the item enters and exits the area of interest by obtaining location information from at least one location source. 
     
     
         43 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 40 , wherein generating the location event comprises generating a location event in response to at least one of the following events: a determination that the location of the item has entered the area of interest, a determination that the location of the item has exited the area of interest and a determination that the location of the item has moved a specified distance inside an area of interest. 
     
     
         44 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 40 , further comprising supplying at least one object to the map rendering engine to overlay on the map. 
     
     
         45 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 40 , further comprising dynamically provisioning the map store. 
     
     
         46 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 40 , wherein the map includes a description of the map using an XML representation. 
     
     
         47 . The computer-readable storage device of  claim 46 , wherein the description comprises a map projection; a resolution; an indication of the map rendering engine used to display the map and an area the map includes. 
     
     
         48 . The computer-readable device of  claim 40 , wherein displaying the map using the map rendering engine comprises selecting a projection technique depending on the type of map being rendered, wherein the projection technique is selected from at least two projection techniques of: Mercator, Polar, Grid, and Custom. 
     
     
         49 . A system, comprising:
 map rendering engines that are configured to render maps;   a processor and a computer-readable storage device, wherein the processor is configured to perform actions, comprising:
 defining areas of interest on a map having a size that is selected by a user; 
 generating a location event in response to determining when an item enters, exits and moves inside one of the areas of interest; 
 providing notice of the location event from a location manager to a location aware application; 
 executing event driven code supplied by the location aware application in response to the notice of the location event received from the location manager; 
 providing different map choices to a location aware application based on criteria received at a map manger from the location aware application; 
 selecting a map wherein the map may be shared by other location aware applications without the other location aware applications requiring raw location data; and 
 displaying the map using a map rendering engine. 
   
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 49 , wherein determining when the item enters and exits an area of interest comprises obtaining location information from at least one location source and determining whether the item is within the area of interest. 
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein each map includes a description of the map using an XML representation, wherein the description comprises a map projection; a resolution; an indication of a map rendering engine used to display the map and area the map includes.