Abstract
Enabling the pervasive paradigm requires the incorporation of
location information. Retrieving location data has been a field of
ongoing research for both the outdoor and indoor wireless systems.
The results in the cellular scenario are already mature and
location architectures have been standardized. Recent research is
ongoing for indoor-positioning mechanisms, resulting in
implementations that vary. A platform that enables the deployment
of location-based services in heterogeneous indoor and WLAN-based
communication systems will address difficulties in cooperating
with different positioning systems. For that purpose, we have
designed a novel entity, called Gateway WLAN Location Center
(GWLC), which hides the heterogeneous functions of the indoor
positioning architectures, incorporating a unified framework for
retrieving location data of users and objects. The GWLC platform
has been designed to meet objectives such as modularity,
scalability, as well as portability, and to facilitate open
interfaces. In this contribution, we elaborate on the design
principles and the functionality of GWLC. We also provide
performance results, obtained through real experiments.