We are putting your devices on the map with Location Based Services (LBS), bringing a new set of features to the platform. We have enabled new API and Automation features, and a new drill-down options in platform where you can get access to location history and see your device on Google Maps.
Since retiring 2DISCOVER, one of the features our customers request the most has been to enable location tracking in some way. We have since provided possibilities to integrate with customer RADIUS for location streaming, but not everyone has their own RADIUS. To solve this, we have developed in-house solutions more tailored to troubleshooting and we are now very happy to announce that we have adopted the add-on Location Based Services (LBS) in 2CONTROL (Cisco IoT Control Center.)
The add-on works by taking Cell-ID from signaling and matching it with a set of coordinates from opencellid.org, a database of crowdsourced location information. With that done, you are just a click away from viewing a device’s location on a map.
The challenging part of getting the service up and running was not to get the google maps API key working, or extracting and parsing out the data from opencellid.org, but to make sure that the data was mapped correctly in the system. To ensure this was a structured process, we split all the data on MCC MNC and ended up with a couple of thousand files to map. And because things change over time, we have also created a process for dealing with updates on a monthly basis.
So, what are the benefits of LBS?
You can detect if something that should not move is moving. You can integrate and use the API to analyze location data on a longer time span than 30 days, the limit of 2CONTROL. You can select which devices to track and which not to track, so you can stay compliant with privacy laws and regulations. All this can be done without any additional hardware or software for your device. Granted, it is not as accurate as a GPS, but it is also not as taxing on the battery.
If you would like to know more about LBS, please contact us for a free 30-day trial.
Marcus Gidén
Commercial Product Manager
Tele2 IoT