Patent Publication Number: US-11644316-B2

Title: Navigation in an establishment site for a user using a mobile electronic device

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to navigation for a user using a mobile electronic device, and more specifically, navigation in an establishment site. 
     Indoor positioning systems (IPS) require a significant amount of hardware to be deployed, specifically Bluetooth® beacons (Bluetooth and all Bluetooth-related trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of BLUETOOTH SIG, Inc. and/or its affiliates) and Wi-Fi® routers (Wi-Fi and all Wi-Fi-related trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Wi-Fi Alliance and/or its affiliates) to allow the trilateration of a user&#39;s position. Deploying an IPS on a large site, such as a large corporate enterprise site, can be cumbersome and cost prohibitive. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one embodiment, a computer program product for navigation in an establishment site for a first user using a first mobile electronic device are provided. The embodiment may include canning an area around a current location of the first user to identify a set of second mobile electronic devices. The embodiment may also include referencing one or more resources for: identifying a set of second users for each of the set of second mobile electronic devices; analyzing schedules of the set of second users to identify expected current locations of each of the set of second users in an establishment site; and identifying the current location of the first user relative to the expected current locations of at least some of the set of second users by referencing a map of the establishment site. The embodiment may further include receiving notification of a position of the current location in the establishment site. 
     According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer program product for navigation in an establishment site for a first user using a first mobile electronic device, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to: scan, by the first mobile electronic device, an area around a current location of the first user to identify a set of second mobile electronic devices; reference one or more resources for: identifying a set of second users for each of the set of second mobile electronic devices; analyzing schedules of the set of second users to identify expected current locations of each of the set of second users in an establishment site; and identifying the current location of the first user relative to the expected current locations of at least some of the set of second users by referencing a map of the establishment site; and receive notification of a position of the current location in the establishment site. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings. 
       Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which: 
         FIGS.  1 A and  1 B  are schematic diagrams illustrating an example embodiment of the described invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a swim-lane flow diagram of an example embodiment of a method in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG.  3    is block diagram of an example embodiment of a system in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG.  4    is a block diagram of an embodiment of a mobile electronic device in which the present invention may be implemented; 
         FIG.  5    is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer system or cloud server in which the present invention may be implemented; 
         FIG.  6    is a schematic diagram of a cloud computing environment in which the present invention may be implemented; and 
         FIG.  7    is a diagram of abstraction model layers of a cloud computing environment in which the present invention may be implemented. 
     
    
    
     It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numbers may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous features. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A method and system of indoor navigation are described for a user using a mobile electronic device. The method and system use other user&#39;s mobile electronic devices as beacons to determine the user&#39;s position. Calendar or scheduling data is used to map the other users to known locations in an indoor establishment from which the user&#39;s position can be determined. 
     The method scans for other user&#39;s mobile electronic devices nearby and uses them as dynamic beacons assigning positions on a site map using information about the expected temporal location of a device on the map. 
     This method is applicable to locations in an establishment site. An establishment site may be a large corporate office, a retail park, an educational environment, or other establishment in which there are registered users whose details are provided on a database including scheduling information for the users. In a corporate environment, employees may be registered in a database including scheduling capabilities for meetings and other events. In a retail environment such as a shopping mall, shop employees and other staff may be registered in a database with their working shift schedules and locations. Similarly, students in a university campus may be registered on a database with their lectures and tutorials and locations. 
     The method provides crowd-sourced location information that may be used to aid an Indoor Positioning System (IPS) by using presumed locations of other devices in a given establishment or area. An application needing to use an IPS may add the described functionality to the software stack in the device that wants to be positioned. 
     The method may use a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for accessing distributed directory information services over an Internet Protocol (IP) network for an enterprise or organization. 
     The advantage of the described method and system is that there is no need to deploy additional hardware to the establishment, it is not dependent on an existing wireless infrastructure, and it does not require calibration. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B , schematic diagrams show an example embodiment of an establishment site  100  including multiple rooms  110 ,  120 ,  130 ,  140 ,  150  and a corridor  160 . 
     A first user  101 A has a first user mobile electronic device  101  and the first user  101 A wishes to establish her location in the establishment. She may have a meeting in a room  110  and may be unsure of the room&#39;s location relative to her current position. 
     Second users  111 A- 114 A,  121 A- 123 A,  131 A,  141 A,  151 A may be located in nearby rooms  110 ,  120 ,  130 ,  140 ,  150 . These may be, for example, meeting rooms or open-plan workspaces  110 ,  120  in which multiple second users  111 A- 114 A,  121 A- 123 A are present, or individual workspaces  130 ,  140 ,  150  where one or two second user are present  131 A,  141 A,  151 A. 
     As described further below, the first user  101 A may use her mobile electronic device  101  to scan the surrounding area within a radius of her current location. The first user  101  who wishes to use the navigation functionality must access or download software onto her mobile electronic device  101  with permissions to scan for other user devices. 
     The scan may obtain a list of nearby second user mobile electronic devices with an identifier such as a media access control (MAC) address. The scan may be by a wireless technology standard such as WiFi or Bluetooth®. 
     The first user mobile electronic device  101  may access one or more resources of users that identifies second users of the second mobile electronic devices and provides a schedule of the expected locations of the second users in the establishment site. This may be carried out via a server, such as a central server of the establishment or a cloud server, or this may be carried out on the first user mobile electronic device  101  via scheduling functionality. The individuals, their schedule data, and the devices registered to the individuals may be provided by multiple databases and scheduling systems that already exist for users within an establishment. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  1 B , the room locations of the second users may be obtained from the second users schedules and may be referenced to a site map of the establishment site. A geographical referencing method such as trilateration or triangulation may be used to determine the first user&#39;s location from distances  115 ,  125 ,  135 ,  145 ,  155  from each room  110 ,  120 ,  130 ,  140 ,  150  in which scanned second users are located. 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , a swim-lane flow diagram  200  shows an example embodiment of a method at a mobile electronic device  101  of a first user and a server  210 . Some of the method steps shown on the server  210  may be carried out on a mobile electronic device  101 . 
     The mobile electronic device  101  may scan  201  an area around the current location of the first user to identify a set of second mobile electronic devices. The method at the mobile electronic device  101  may reference  202  one or more resources using the set of second mobile electronic device identifiers. 
     The referencing  202  by the mobile electronic device  101  may access a database via a server  210  providing reference functionality. The server  210  may identify  211  a set of second users of the identified set of second mobile electronic devices from a register of users. The method may analyze  212  schedules of the set of second users to identify expected current locations of the second users and may identify  213  expected current locations of the set of second users. This may also be carried out via the server  210  or via scheduling functionality of the mobile electronic device  110 . 
     Rules and statistics may be applied to identify an expected current location of a user. For example, there may be probabilities assigned to meeting participants to determine their likelihood of being physically at a scheduled location. Different factors may affect the probability, including whether the user is the room booker or an attendant. The booker may be given a slightly greater weight than the other attendants as those who book room are more likely to be physically present in a room. 
     A scheduling resource of a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) may be used for accessing distributed directory information services over an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The directory service may provide an organized set of records, such as an enterprise contacts directory. The LDAP may contain information about users&#39; default office and scheduled meetings. This may be combined with information about the users&#39; devices such as their MAC addresses. 
     Information about default site locations may also be used. If, for example, a user is not in a meeting, then he is expected to be in his default office address. 
     There are many other factors that can influence the probability of an individual being at a specific location. 
     The method at the server  210  may reference  214  a site map and may identify  215  a current location of the first user relative to the expected current locations of at least some of the second users. This may use a geographical referencing method such as trilateration or triangulation from known locations of the second users. 
     The server  210  may provide this information to the first user mobile electronic device  101  that receives  203  notification of the positions of the current location in the establishment site and may also receive  204  navigation instructions to navigate from the current location to a target location in the establishment site. 
     The LDAP may be used to initiate the described navigation method and may offer another source of verification once the use of the method is prominent. 
     The LDAP may be used to detect where the user navigating the site is. For example, if a first user Fred is walking around A block and detects a colleague Dan&#39;s signal, Fred may check with the LDAP where he is supposed to be right now. If the answer is A121, which is Dan&#39;s default office, then it adds to the probability that Fred is in A block. If the answer is D121, a meeting room with 12 people, then it adds to the probability that Fred is in D block. The D block location may be tested by checking if the devices of the other meeting attendees are also detected. The method may also create a probability score of “did Dan actually move from his desk to the meeting room for this meeting”, to determine the likelihood that this is the location of Dan&#39;s device. 
     This may be carried out for tens of second users&#39; devices for a first user, and a confidence score may be obtained of where the first user is. In the long term, the LDAP will not contribute as much weight to the confidence score as other users using the described installed device software. As more users install the device software, the method may detect the location directly from calendar or user data on the devices, without having to go through the LDAP and hardware MAC address lists in the backend. 
     Referring to  FIG.  3   , a block diagram shows an example embodiment of a mobile electronic device  101  and a server  210  providing the described functionality. 
     The mobile electronic device  101  may be any form of identifiable electronic device that may be carried around by a user. This may be a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, etc. The mobile electronic device  101  may include at least one processor  301 , a hardware module, or a circuit for executing the functions of the described components which may be software units executing on the at least one processor. Memory  302  may be configured to provide computer instructions  303  to the at least one processor  301  to carry out the functionality of the components. 
     The mobile electronic device  101  may include a client navigation system  320  including a scanning component  321  for scanning an area around a current location of the first user to identify a set of second mobile electronic devices. The scanning component  321  may use a wireless technology standard scan and identifies media access control (MAC) addresses of other users&#39; mobile electronic devices. 
     The client navigation system  320  may include a referencing component  322  for referencing one or more resources  340  via a server navigation system  330  for: identifying a set of second users for the set of second mobile electronic devices; analyzing schedules of the set of second users to identify expected current locations of each of the set of second users in an establishment site; and identifying the current location of the first user relative to the expected current locations of at least some of the set of second users by referencing a map of the establishment site. In one embodiment, the resources  340  may include an LDAP system. 
     The client navigation system  320  may also include a position component  323  for receiving notification of a position of the current location in the establishment site and a navigation component  324  for receiving navigation instructions from the current location to a target location in the establishment site. 
     The server  210  may include at least one processor  311 , a hardware module, or a circuit for executing the functions of the described components which may be software units executing on the at least one processor. Multiple processors running parallel processing threads may be provided enabling parallel processing of some or all of the functions of the components. Memory  312  may be configured to provide computer instructions  313  to the at least one processor  311  to carry out the functionality of the components. 
     A server navigation system  330  may be provided at the server  210  in communication with the client navigation systems  320  of multiple users. 
     The server navigation system  330  may include a user identifying component  331  for identifying a set of second users for the set of second mobile electronic devices received from the client navigation system  320 . This may reference a resource  340  mapping users to user devices. 
     The server navigation system  330  may include a schedule referencing component  332  for analyzing schedules of the set of second users provided via the resources  340  and an expected location component  333  for identifying expected current locations of each of the set of second users in an establishment site. The schedule referencing component  332  may reference the resources  340  that include schedules of registered users including a location directory of events with participants within the establishment site. The resources  340  may include LDAP resources. 
     The schedule referencing component  332  may include applying a default location for a second user if the second user has no scheduled event and applying probability rules to determine the probability of a second user being at a scheduled event. 
     The server navigation system  330  may include a current location component  335  for identifying the current location of the first user relative to the expected current locations of at least some of the set of second users by using a map referencing component  334  to reference a map  350  of the establishment site. 
     An example scenario is now described in a corporate site with access to a database of meetings happening in the site, the attendees, and the devices registered to those attendees. The method scans for nearby Bluetooth® and WiFi signals of other employees. If the method detects a set of devices of other employees, who are expected to be meeting in a specific location at this time, then the device may infer that it is near that location. With this information extrapolated to several events happening on site, the device may position itself. 
     A user of the method wants to know what room area he is in, in order to inform a colleague. The method scans the location and detects several other devices in the vicinity (e.g. smartphones, laptops). The method records the MAC addresses of the devices to identify them. The method retrieves the owner information of those other devices and the schedule information of these owners, giving an expected location. 
     The method identifies the nearby devices belong to three people who are currently scheduled to be in room G201. It is therefore highly likely that the location of these devices is room G201. 
     The method may verify that this MAC address is where it is supposed to be by cross checking with other MAC addresses it has detected. If it detects the MAC address of three out of five participants of a specific meeting, then it will be more confident that they are actually meeting together in the same room than if it were to only detect one out of five participants. 
     The more devices in the vicinity with a presumed location attached (desk number, cashier location, meeting room, etc.) the more confidence the method may have on it&#39;s determined location. 
     Using multiple locations of owners of the devices, the location of the user can be trilaterated, triangulated or calculated by another geometric means and the user&#39;s location is pinpointed on the map of the site. 
       FIG.  4    shows a block diagram of a mobile electronic device  101  that may be used in embodiments of the disclosure. The mobile electronic device  101  may be a smart phone, a satellite phone, a tablet or a mobile computing device. 
     The mobile electronic device  101  may include a processor  405  (e.g., a microprocessor) for processing the functions of the mobile electronic device  101  and a display  420  to allow a user to see the phone numbers and other information and messages. The mobile electronic device  101  may further include an input element  425  to allow a user to input information into the device (e.g., input buttons, touch screen, etc.), a speaker  430  to allow the user to hear voice communication, music, etc., and a microphone  435  to allow the user to transmit his or her voice through the mobile electronic device  101 . 
     The processor  410  of the mobile electronic device  101  may connect to a memory  415 . The memory  415  may be in the form of a computer-readable medium that stores data and, optionally, computer-executable instructions. 
     The mobile electronic device  101  may also include a communication element  440  for connection to communication channels (e.g., a cellular telephone network, data transmission network, Wi-Fi® network, satellite-phone network, Internet network, Satellite Internet Network, etc.). The communication element  440  may include an associated wireless transfer element, such as an antenna. 
     The communication element  440  may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) in the form of an integrated circuit that stores an international mobile subscriber identity and the related key used to identify and authenticate a subscriber using the mobile electronic device  101 . One or more subscriber identity modules may be removable from the mobile electronic device  101  or embedded in the mobile electronic device  101 . 
     The mobile electronic device  101  may further include a contactless element  450 , which is typically implemented in the form of a semiconductor chip (or other data storage element) with an associated wireless transfer element, such as an antenna. The contactless element  450  may be associated with (e.g., embedded within) the mobile electronic device  101  and data or control instructions transmitted via a cellular network may be applied to the contactless element  450  by means of a contactless element interface (not shown). The contactless element interface may function to permit the exchange of data and/or control instructions between mobile electronic device circuitry (and hence the cellular network) and the contactless element  450 . 
     The contactless element  450  may be capable of transferring and receiving data using a near field communications (NFC) capability (or near field communications medium) typically in accordance with a standardized protocol or data transfer mechanism (e.g., ISO 14443/NFC). Near field communications capability is a short-range communications capability, such as radio-frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth®, infra-red, or other data transfer capability that can be used to exchange data between the mobile electronic device  101  and an interrogation device. Thus, the mobile electronic device  101  may be capable of communicating and transferring data and/or control instructions via both a cellular network and near field communications capability. 
       FIG.  5    depicts a block diagram of components of a computing device that may be provided in the form of the mobile electronic device  101  or the server  210  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that  FIG.  5    provides only an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environment may be made. 
     Computing device can include one or more processors  502 , one or more computer-readable RAMs  504 , one or more computer-readable ROMs  506 , one or more computer readable storage media  508 , device drivers  512 , read/write drive or interface  514 , and network adapter or interface  516 , all interconnected over a communications fabric  518 . Communications fabric  518  can be implemented with any architecture designed for passing data and/or control information between processors (such as microprocessors, communications and network processors, etc.), system memory, peripheral devices, and any other hardware components within the system. 
     One or more operating systems  510 , and application programs  511 , are stored on one or more of the computer readable storage media  508  for execution by one or more of the processors  502  via one or more of the respective RAMs  504  (which typically include cache memory). In the illustrated embodiment, each of the computer readable storage media  508  can be a magnetic disk storage device of an internal hard drive, CD-ROM, DVD, memory stick, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, a semiconductor storage device such as RAM, ROM, EPROM, flash memory, or any other computer readable storage media that can store a computer program and digital information, in accordance with embodiments of the invention. 
     Computing device can also include a R/W drive or interface  514  to read from and write to one or more portable computer readable storage media  526 . Application programs  511  on computing device can be stored on one or more of the portable computer readable storage media  526 , read via the respective R/W drive or interface  514  and loaded into the respective computer readable storage media  508 . 
     Computing device can also include a network adapter or interface  516 , such as a TCP/IP adapter card or wireless communication adapter. Application programs  511  on computing device can be downloaded to the computing device from an external computer or external storage device via a network (for example, the Internet, a local area network or other wide area networks or wireless networks) and network adapter or interface  516 . From the network adapter or interface  516 , the programs may be loaded into the computer readable storage media  508 . The network may comprise copper wires, optical fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and edge servers. 
     Computing device can also include a display screen  520 , a keyboard or keypad  522 , and a computer mouse or touchpad  524 . Device drivers  512  interface to display screen  520  for imaging, to keyboard or keypad  522 , to computer mouse or touchpad  524 , and/or to display screen  520  for pressure sensing of alphanumeric character entry and user selections. The device drivers  512 , R/W drive or interface  514 , and network adapter or interface  516  can comprise hardware and software stored in computer readable storage media  508  and/or ROM  506 . 
     The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product at any possible technical detail level of integration. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention. 
     The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire. 
     Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device. 
     Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention. 
     Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions. 
     These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 
     It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type of computing environment now known or later developed. 
     Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or interaction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four deployment models. 
     Characteristics are as follows: 
     On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with the service&#39;s provider. 
     Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs). 
     Resource pooling: the provider&#39;s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to demand There is a sense of location independence in that the consumer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). 
     Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time. 
     Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service. 
     Service Models are as follows: 
     Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider&#39;s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings. 
     Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations. 
     Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls). 
     Deployment Models are as follows: 
     Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises. 
     Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises. 
     Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services. 
     Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds). 
     A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes a network of interconnected nodes. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  6   , illustrative cloud computing environment  50  is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment  50  includes one or more cloud computing nodes  10  with which local computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone  54 A, desktop computer  54 B, laptop computer  54 C, and/or automobile computer system  54 N may communicate. Nodes  10  may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment  50  to offer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It is understood that the types of computing devices  54 A-N shown in  FIG.  6    are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes  10  and cloud computing environment  50  can communicate with any type of computerized device over any type of network and/or network addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser). 
     Referring now to  FIG.  7   , a set of functional abstraction layers provided by cloud computing environment  50  ( FIG.  6   ) is shown. It should be understood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shown in  FIG.  7    are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers and corresponding functions are provided: 
     Hardware and software layer  60  includes hardware and software components. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes  61 ; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers  62 ; servers  63 ; blade servers  64 ; storage devices  65 ; and networks and networking components  66 . In some embodiments, software components include network application server software  67  and database software  68 . 
     Virtualization layer  70  provides an abstraction layer from which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers  71 ; virtual storage  72 ; virtual networks  73 , including virtual private networks; virtual applications and operating systems  74 ; and virtual clients  75 . 
     In one example, management layer  80  may provide the functions described below. Resource provisioning  81  provides dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing  82  provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one example, these resources may include application software licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources. User portal  83  provides access to the cloud computing environment for consumers and system administrators. Service level management  84  provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such that required service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning and fulfillment  85  provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated in accordance with an SLA. 
     Workloads layer  90  provides examples of functionality for which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping and navigation  91 ; software development and lifecycle management  92 ; virtual classroom education delivery  93 ; data analytics processing  94 ; transaction processing  95 ; and navigation processing  96 . 
     The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. 
     Improvements and modifications can be made to the foregoing without departing from the scope of the present invention.