Re: GEOPRIV and the W3C Geolocation API

HI Richard,


The reluctance has been, at least from my part, to see this as a  
solution to a problem that I do not perceive exists.

Comments below:


>
> I'll put my motives up front: I want the W3C Geolocation API to be  
> compatible with location specifications that GEOPRIV has developed  
> and is working on.


I have no problem with that as so long as it benefits the web, solves  
a problem we have, and is as simple and elegant as possible.


> To help demonstrate what this integration might look like, I've  
> extended Doug's geolocation extension for Firefox so that it can use  
> location it gets via the IETF HELD protocol:
> <https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/9534>
> Because it gets a full GEOPRIV location object from the HELD server,  
> this extension can provide not only geodetic (lat/long) location,  
> but civic location and usage rules -- if only the API supported it!   
> (That is, the extension parses all this information into javascript,  
> but can't pass it to pages through the API.  It dump()s it instead.)

Is there a HELD server that I can test this against?

BTW, if this sort of UI is required to make HELD useful, i think we  
have a false start.


> Speaking of support for civic & rules: I'm puzzled by this group's  
> seeming reluctance to add fields in an API for these sorts of  
> things. The extra syntax not heavy-weight (see the extension  
> above).  Moreover, simply having fields in an API doesn't require  
> there to be any data there, or require applications to use it.  Even  
> if there were fields in the Position interface for civic information  
> and rules, a location provider wouldn't have to populate them, and  
> an application wouldn't have to read them.  But the capability would  
> be there for people that want to support it.

We punted on reverse geolocation as there is a cost-to-implement as  
well.  The mailing list has a thread on why.


> I admit that GEOPRIV location objects have a lot of expressive  
> power, and not all of that is relevant to web applications.   
> However, if we're willing to step a little bit beyond our pre- 
> conceptions about lat/long location and yes/no privacy, then we can  
> get a lot of benefit out of GEOPRIV at very little cost.

Please give a use case.

Regards,
Doug Turner