What is where??
where?
is an online GPS tracking service using mobile phones. It shows the current location and route of a mobile phone on a map.
Metaphorically spoken:
Wolfgang is walking about outside and at your PC you can view online where he is.
How does it work?
Wolfgang's phone is equipped with a GPS receiver. In addition the
where?
client software is installed on his mobile phone. Thus it is calculating its position and reporting it to the Internet.
Using
this Website
with a PC you can view his current location online on a map. So you always know, where he is (well, where his smart phone is).
Does it work everywhere ...
Outdoors. No matter whether you are walking, cycling or riding, driving or sailing.
The phone's GPS receiver can have problems inside buildings, tunnels or caves and in trains.
... and automatically?
Yes. You can select the tracking interval individually - for instance every 30 minutes.
Even when the phone is in standby mode
where?
will do its job.
Fundamentals
A mobile phone equipped with a GPS receiver can be used to realize active GPS tracking in "real time".
The phone's GPS device will receive actual coordinates from the GPS satellites. The phone's communication interface is used
to transmit these data to a central database where the location data are stored for further usage.
Because GPS hardware consumes relatively large amounts of power "real" real time tracking is restricted to situations where the mobile phone
is always connected to a power supply - which in common is the case for units used in cars or similar equipment.
Phones dependent on their battery should not use the GPS device permanently. Here the location tracking is limited to
cyclic intervals of a constant or adjustable frequency which in average should not be put below ten to fifteen minutes to
let the battery survive a working day.
where?
is designed to run on mobile phones not permanently connected to a power supply.
After
where?
has been started at predefind elapsed times
the mobile phone will calculate its position via GPS
and transfer the result immediately to a central database using Internet communication (not by SMS).
Having done this
where?
is completely shut down to save battery power during the waiting period up to the next running cycle.
With
any PC1)
you are able to visualize the stored data on a map.