The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has published an Open Positioning Framework (OPF) which is a set of standards and protocols which will help reduce the time and costs involved in developing and deploying Mobile Positioning and Analytics Services (MPAS) and enable more businesses in various sectors to reap the benefits of location-based services.

In the airport sector, for example, an operator can make use of MPAS capabilities in workforce management to locate roaming customer service officers and re-deploy them where they are most needed. In estate management, the location of maintenance officers can be detected automatically using MPAS, without requiring them to scan QR codes at every station, thus saving time and process.

“Changi Airport’s three passenger terminals cover more than one million square metres of indoor floor space, served by 32,000 staff from more than 200 organisations,” said Mr Steve Lee, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President, Technology, Changi Airport Group. “Last year, Changi Airport welcomed more than 51 million passengers through its terminals – a figure that looks set to increase. At such a scale, the ability to provide location-based services which will transform passengers’ experience at the airport makes MPAS a key project for us. Not only will it enable our workforce to improve operational processes and resource allocation thereby improving productivity, it also enables Changi to continue to innovate in providing excellent service.”

Today, smart phones are typically equipped with a variety of sensors such as GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and accelerometers, making it possible to have more accurate and effective location positioning, both outdoors and indoors.

“We are very pleased to receive IDA’s MPAS CFC award together with Changi Airport Group as it allows us to anchor the work we have been doing in the area of location-aware analytics, tapping on a wide array of data,” said  Mr Kevin Lim, Chief Commercial Officer, StarHub. “This platform aims to provide the core intelligence for innovative location-based enterprise applications that supports commercial and planning teams for the purpose of optimising employee productivity, resources and assets, through mobile positioning data collection and analysis. Participating in this Call-For-Collaboration will allow us to apply our location-sensitive insight capabilities and develop more innovative and accurate applications for venue owners and enterprises, allowing them to enhance their operations and providing deep business insights for planning.”

With the deployment of MPAS still in its infancy and in the absence of well-established standards and protocols, IDA has taken the lead in developing the OPF to drive interoperability across the MPAS ecosystem and help businesses take advantage of developments in this space. The OPF specification for MPAS was created as a reference source of codes and protocols for developers to use in building location-based services. By leveraging the OPF, system integrators and developers can shorten development and go-to-market time thus reducing the overall cost service development.

Businesses will be able to optimise reach to their customers, improve customer engagement and raise service levels. Consumers will in turn receive personalised deals and coupons and enjoy an engaging and time-saving experience at these venues through the delivery of context-aware information and services.

“To help businesses take advantage of location-based services, IDA is collaborating with the industry to develop, promote and provide easily accessible location positioning and analytics services to enterprises and consumers. The Open Positioning Framework will lower the hurdle of entry for businesses and enable service providers to develop location based services effectively,” said Mr Tan Eng Pheng, Senior Director, Industry Cluster Group, IDA.

OPF can be used to support the following services:

• Finder services that locate a specific location;
• Navigation services that locate the mobile device and provide a suggested route to the specified destination;
• Geo-fencing services that can be offered within a geographically-defined boundary, for example, within a radius around a store or venue, or points within the venue;
• Heat map services that capture a snapshot of a venue’s crowd density and represent it in a visual format; and
• Footfall analytics services that capture human traffic flow within a venue over a defined period of time and represent it in a visual format.

Location-based services will be deployed progressively from 1Q2014 through these four consortia StarHub and Changi Airport Group, Cold Storage, Ruckus Wireless Singapore and SangInfo, Ruckus Wireless Singapore and Perennial Real Estate, and Ruckus Wireless Singapore and Tangs department store.

The MPAS Opening Positioning Framework Specification is available for download on the IDA website .