A Web 2.0 Framework for Real-time Location Intelligence

With increasing deployments of global positioning system (GPS) devices, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and other location-aware devices, it is now possible to capture time-varying object information. In addition, existing systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems emit ancillary object metadata (e.g., inventory levels in a warehouse). The challenge is how to leverage these information assets for demanding field operations scenarios such as crisis management, given the size and real-time nature of the data. To address the challenge, we have built a Web 2.0 framework for real-time spatial intelligence and collaboration. Our framework includes an extensible architecture for ingesting and combining spatial data across multiple formats; a fusion server for merging spatial and bespoke business data; support for spatial transformations tied to configurable business rules; and a publishing engine that pushes the combined information out for consumption in a visual, collaborative presentation layer running in standard Web browsers and on mobile devices. The result is an easily deployable system with broad reach to the field through a visual, interactive interface presenting timely, meaningful information.