Providing an Information Infrastructure for Map Based LBS - The approach of the City of Vienna

Abstract

Expectations of a dynamic increase in demand for mass-market LBS applications have been too optimistic. Difficulties were underestimated, because LBS are not only a technological challenge but also a complex organisational problem to solve. The major reason for expectations not being met is the lack of an adequate information infrastructure, generally about the voluminous, but reliable geo-data warehouses. Additionally, powerful analyses needs to consider both attributes of time and of space, which must be done in real-time. Finally, a cartographically-acceptable user interface is also a prerequisite for LBS, but one not so commonly implemented.

Municipalities can play an important role in this field. Their information and communication network, which is backed by the functionality of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for day-to-day geo-related management may contribute to the design of a better IT-infrastructure for LBS as part of how they use GIS. This chapter describes the components of such an infrastructure that would be suitable for LBS applications, one that would be able to promote public and private LBS usage by offering dynamic content and standardised Web-interfaces for geo-data extraction (WMS, WFS). Finally, the approach used by the Municipality of Vienna to link GIS with LBS is outlined.