GeoLocation Mobile Web App

About this Mobile Web App

This Mobile Web APP was developed using the jQuery, JavaScript, the HTML5 Geolocation API and the Google Maps JavaScript API V3 in order to provide the location of the user. The GUI is developed using the jQuery Mobile framework, HTML5 and CSS3. There are several techniques used to identify the location of the user: A desktop browser generally uses WIFI or IP based positioning, whereas a mobile device uses cell triangulation, GPS, etc. The Geolocation API will use any one of these techniques to identify the user’s location.

The Geolocation API outputs, among several data, your current latitude and longitude, and from these results we can connect to the Google Maps JavaScript API V3 to display your location in the browser.

How Does This App Work?

The user can either request a One-time Current Location (a one-time snapshot of the user's location) or a Continuous geographical location in real time in case the user is in motion. The user can also Clear the Geographical Location data.

The Latitude, Longitude Location Accuracy properties of the Geolocation Object and the Date|Time of the response are always returned. Other geolocation properties are optional and returned if available, depending on the browser and device you are using.

Features of the Geolocation App

• Displays your location on map for a One-time request.
• Displays HTML5 geolocation core properties all the time and optional properties if avaibable depending on the browser and device used.
• Continuously updates geolocation core properties if you are in motion with optional geolocation properties if avaibable.

Geolocation Core Properties:

• Latitude (degrees): a positive number means that you are North of the Equator.
• Longitude (degrees): a positive number means that you are West of Greenwich in London.
• Your Location Accuracy in meters.
• The Date and time of the Geolocation response.

Geolocation Optional Properties if Available:

• Your direction as degrees clockwise from North.
• Your speed in meters per second.
• Your Altitude in meters above the mean sea level.
• The accuracy of the Altitude output.

What is the Geolocation API?

The geolocation API allows the user to provide their location to web applications if they so desire. Geolocation is much more accurate for devices with GPS, like iPhone. The Geolocation object is used to programmatically determine the location information associated with the hosting device. [Source]

The W3C Geolocation API is an effort by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to standardize an interface to retrieve the geographical location information for a client-side device. It defines a set of objects, that executing in the client application give the client's device location through the consulting of Location Information Servers, which are transparent for the application programming interface (API). The most common sources of location information are IP address, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth MAC address, radio-frequency identification (RFID), Wi-Fi connection location, or device Global Positioning System (GPS) and GSM/CDMA cell IDs. The location is returned with a given accuracy depending on the best location information source available. [Source]

What is Google Maps JavaScript API?

Google Maps JavaScript API Version 3 lets you embed the functionality of Google Maps into your own Website or Web App. Version 3 of the API is designed to be faster and more applicable to mobile devices, as well as traditional desktop browser applications. [Source]