The future of commercial location-based services in ITS: On-line on the move

The ability to determine the location of the user of a mobile device has opened up a market for a new kind of services. In addition to knowledge of the user's location, these location-based services (LBS) build strongly on the concept of context-awareness. This paper looks at the future of location-based services in Intelligent Transport Systems by introducing recent developments in the field of technology and in the service environment. The variety of different location-based services is looked at. In addition, different terminals as well as positioning and communication technologies are examined for their significance for the implementation and utilisation of location-based ITS services. The growing number of mobile phones, smart phones in particular, has opened the door for location-based services targeting the traveller. Obstacles for implementing and using location-based services are explored. Some of the most significant issues are related to privacy and data roaming. In conclusion, a roadmap for how the service system and technologies will develop in the future is presented.