W3C Geolocation API: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:06, 24 November 2020

Revision as of 05:09, 8 January 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

The '''W3C Geolocation API''' is an effort by the [[World Wide Web Consortium]] (W3C) to standardize an interface to retrieve the [[geographical ___location information]] for a client-side device.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.w3.org/TR/geolocation-API/ |title=Geolocation API Specification: W3C Recommendation 24 October 2013 |first=Andrei (editor, Google Inc.) |last=Popescu |publisher=W3C |accessdateaccess-date=4 February 2016}}</ref> It defines a set of objects, [[ECMAScript]] standard compliant, that executing in the client application give the client's device ___location through the consulting of [[Location Information Server]]s, which are transparent for the [[application programming interface]] (API). The most common sources of ___location information are [[IP address]], [[Wi-Fi]] and [[Bluetooth]] [[MAC address]], [[radio-frequency identification]] (RFID), Wi-Fi connection ___location, or device [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) and [[GSM]]/[[CDMA2000|CDMA]] cell IDs. The ___location is returned with a given accuracy depending on the best ___location information source available.

== Deployment in web browsers ==

Web pages can use the Geolocation API directly if the web browser implements it. Historically, some browsers could gain support via the [[Google Gears]] [[plug-in (computing)|plugin]], but this was discontinued in 2010 and the server-side API it depended on stopped responding in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://code.google.com/apis/gears/api_geolocation.html |title=Geolocation API: Gears API: Google Code |date=9 July 2009}}</ref><ref>[https://code.google.com/p/gears/wiki/GeolocationAPI GeolocationAPI - gears - Provides the geolocation of a device running a Gears-enabled web browser. - Improving Your Web Browser - Google Project Hosting]. Code.google.com. Retrieved 2014-06-01.</ref>

The Geolocation API is ideally suited to web applications for mobile devices such as [[personal digital assistant]]s (PDA) and [[smartphone]]s. On desktop computers, the W3C Geolocation API works in [[Firefox]] since version 3.5, [[Google Chrome]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chrome.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-chrome-stable-release-welcome-mac.html |title=A new Chrome stable release: Welcome, Mac and Linux! |date=25 May 2010}}</ref> [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] 10.6,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://my.opera.com/desktopteam/blog/2010/07/01/opera-10-60-goes-final |title=Opera 10.60 goes final |first=Huib |last=Kleinhout |date=1 July 2010 |work=[[My Opera]] |publisher=[[Opera Software]] |accessdateaccess-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> [[Internet Explorer]] 9.0,<ref>{{cite web|title=W3C Geolocation API in IE9|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2011/02/17/w3c-geolocation-api-in-ie9.aspx}}</ref> and Safari 5. On mobile devices, it works on [[Android (operating system)|Android]] (firmware 2.0+), [[iOS (Apple)|iOS]], [[Windows Phone]] and [[Maemo]]. The W3C Geolocation API is also supported by Opera Mobile 10.1 – available for Android and [[Symbian]] devices (S60 generations 3 & 5) since 24 November 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opera.com/press/releases/2010/11/24/|author=Opera.com|title=Opera Mobile 10.1 for Nokia smartphones goes final |date=2010-11-25}}</ref>

[[Google Gears]] provided geolocation support for older and non-compliant browsers, including Internet Explorer 7.0+ as a Gears plugin, and Google Chrome which implemented Gears natively. It also supported geolocation on mobile devices as a plugin for the [[Android (operating system)|Android]] browser (pre version 2.0) and [[Opera Mobile]] for [[Windows Mobile]]. However, the Google Gears Geolocation API is incompatible with the W3C Geolocation API and is no longer supported.

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==Implementation==

Though the implementation is not specified, W3C Geolocation API is built on extant technologies, and is heavily influenced by Google Gears Geolocation API. Example: Firefox's Geolocation implementation<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/geolocation/ |title=Location-Aware Browsing |work=Mozilla Firefox |publisher=Mozilla}}</ref> uses Google's network ___location provider.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://code.google.com/apis/gears/geolocation_network_protocol.html |title=Geolocation API Network Protocol: Gears API |work=Google Code |accessdateaccess-date=8 August 2011}}</ref> Google Gears Geolocation works by sending a set of parameters that could give a hint as to where the user's physical ___location is to a network ___location provider server, which is by default the one provided by Google (code.l.google.com).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://webscannotes.com/?page_id=425 |title=WebScanNotes.com: W3C Geolocation API |work=WebScanNotes.com}}</ref> Some of the parameters are lists of sensed mobile cell towers and Wi-Fi networks, all with sensed signal strengths. These parameters are encapsulated into a JavaScript Object Notation ([[JSON]]) message and sent to the network ___location provider via HTTP POST. Based on these parameters, the network ___location provider can calculate the ___location. Common uses for this ___location information include enforcing access controls, localizing and customizing content, analyzing traffic, [[contextual advertising]] and preventing identity theft.<ref>{{cite web |ssrn=1622411 |title=Personal Jurisdiction, Internet Commerce, and Privacy: The Pervasive Legal Consequences of Modern Geolocation Technologies |first=Kevin F. |last=King |date=8 June 2010}}</ref>

===Example code===