About SPACEMAN

SPACEMAN (also known as Digital Map Software Platform) is a project to develop an affordable electronic map application platform for Symbian-based* smartphone devices. In addition, the project provides a low-cost licensing framework for third party application developers to access the map content using a set of phone-based map APIs.

SPACEMAN is a collaborative project between Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and agis Pte Ltd. IDA supported this project with the aim of creating an enabling platform to ease the development of location-based applications and services, and to seed the value-added mobile services eco-system.

Download the Spaceman Software Development Kit (SDK) today to start developing mobile applications for the Spaceman platform.

* Microsoft Windows Mobile may be supported in the future

Benefits

Street Directory Application

The electronic street directory application contains map information of Singapore, including roads; public apartments, commercial and condominium buildings; water bodies, parks and golf courses. The application allows the user to view and navigate the map with the help of zoom and pan functions. He can also search for a road or building and display the location of the map content. In addition, he can communicate his location by sending his positioning information via SMS to his friend if both parties have the same application in their phones.

Alternative Mean of Supplying User's Positioning Information

The street directory in a phone enables user to easily define his positioning data as long as he is able to read the map. This method of positioning can be very precise unlike other positioning methods like cell-ID and GPS positioning. If the user does not know his current location, he can use the search functionality in the street directory application to locate any nearby building or road name to help him to determine his location. This positioning method can be used as an alternative positioning method in addition to cell-ID or GPS positioning.

The map positioning data belongs to and originates from the user. This positioning data is sent to a service provider at no cost to the service provider when the user wants to obtain a service. There is no need for the service provider to depend on the cellular operator for cell-ID positioning. Hence, this will potentially make location-based services more affordable to the consumers.

Open Map APIs

In this project, we created a set of phone-based map APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to ease the location-based applications developments. Through the use of the map APIs, the application developers are shielded from the complexity of the map database and coordinate reference system. In addition, the project provides a low-cost licensing framework for third party application developers. The availability of affordable map software in smartphones and low-cost licensing of the phone-based map APIs would allow third party service providers to develop new and innovative mobile applications and services.

Content providers and application developers can leverage on the set of map APIs to create an additional map information layer to complement the map content in the street directory application. Application developers can write applications to interact with the map software to display the new map information layer through the use of the map APIs.

As the bulk of the map data information resides in the phone, only the value-added information needs to be transmitted over the radio link. Hence, this will reduce the time and cost of mobile data transmission in delivering location-based services and will make the user experience more compelling.

Using the Spaceman Map APIs and the full suite of APIs found in smartphone devices, content providers and application developers can develop stand-alone applications, residing in the phone, or server-assisted applications.