Summary
GPS (Global Positioning System) is the most popular system for
determination of location and navigation in the world. GPS works
in all weather conditions and has become a widely used aid to
navigation systems worldwide and a useful tool for map-making,
land surveying, commerce and scientific uses. More recently GSP
has been integrated into mobile systems such as car navigation
system, which use maps directly stored on a mobile device.
However, in order to catch up the progress of map development,
users have to update their maps frequently and pay high charges
to their providers. There is urgent need to develop a new dynamic
mobile application to allow users to get access to the latest
information without any additional cost. A location-based system
called “GlobeTrotter” based on J2ME architecture is proposed. It
integrates GPS and Internet mapping technologies using J2ME
(Java 2 Micro Edition). It aims at display the current user location
on the screen of a mobile system in real time on a map like
Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, MSN Maps or Ask.com Maps. In
the paper, first J2ME is examined. Then current and future
applications for mobile devices are summarized. The design and
development of “GlobeTrotter” and integration of Internet
mapping with mobile devices are presented in detail. The
successful implementation of “GlobeTrotter” provides an
innovative solution to current and future development of J2MEbased
applications and it has an enormous economic potential to
meet customers expectations in mobile services.