Positioning Accuracy and Speed Requirements for Mobile Location Services Applications

Mobile location service applications vary widely in their requirements for speed and accuracy. Table 5.1 was developed by Mobile Streams (http://www.mobilestreams.com) to compare the requirements of common location service applications.

Table 5.1. Comparing the Requirements of Common Location Service Applications

Application	Entry-Level Accuracy Requirements	Mass Acceptance Accuracy Requirements	Custom Device Required?	Objective	Location Frequency
Location-sensitive billing	Cell /Sector	250m	No	Competitive pricing	Originated calls, received calls, midcall
Roadside assistance	500m	125m	No	Send help	Originated calls
Mobile yellow pages	Cell/Sector	250m	No	What's near me?	Originated calls
Traffic information	Cell/Sector	Cell/Sector	No	What's traffic like?	Originated calls or every 5 minutes
Location-based messages	Cell/Sector	125m	Short message or data capable	Advertise, alert, inform	Originated calls or every 5 minutes
Fleet tracking	Cell/Sector	30 “125m	No	Resource management	Every 5 minutes or on demand
Track packages	Cell/Sector	Cell/Sector	Yes	Locate and direct	On demand
Driving directions	125m	30m	Yes	Guidance	Every 5 seconds
Source: 2001 Mobile Streams Ltd.