Location Based APIs?

[Hillbilly]

Do we .NET platform developers have Location Based APIs to spatially locate
devices and those using them?

 

[Josh Einstein]

In Windows Mobile there is the GPS Intermediate Driver, which I believe will
also be available to Windows 7. But this only abstracts away GPS hardware.
There isn't anything that I'm aware of that will use wifi access points to
approximate a location. It's there in MapPoint but I don't think it's a
public API.

http://channel9.msdn.com/pdc2008/PC25/

Josh Einstein

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

Do we .NET platform developers have Location Based APIs to spatially
locate devices and those using them?

Like in geo location base on IP address ?

..NET has the same possibilities as other languages.

Drop me an email if you want some code to do country lookup
based on IP via free IP address databases.

Arne

 

[Hillbilly]

Thanks for the offer Arne but IP addressing is too broad. Josh keyed in. The
trend at the moment is mobile and location-based context would help somebody
with a mobile device standing on a street corner learn how far he or she has
to walk to buy a beer and a pizza

 

[Hillbilly]

That's a good start thanks. I've spent the entire Christmas holiday
researching the current trends in mobility and localized spatial awareness
is already starting to prove itself a fundamental.

This Virtual Earth video [1] is tangential as the information conveyed can
be used to develop an entire location-based solution. If I know my device is
Lat-Lon I can tell its users how near or how far they have to walk to get a
beer and a pizza as I've noted in reply to Arne.

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

Thanks for the offer Arne but IP addressing is too broad. Josh keyed in.
The trend at the moment is mobile and location-based context would help
somebody with a mobile device standing on a street corner learn how far
he or she has to walk to buy a beer and a pizza

Ah - that kind of location.

I fear that you will have to fight your way through
handset specific hell.

Arne

 

[Hillbilly]

Actually that video Josh referred to is fascinating and if you have any
interest in this topic (Sensor and Location) you should check it out...

http://channel9.msdn.com/pdc2008/PC25/