EMILY: European mobile integrated location system

Description

The EMILY project aims at developing an optimised positioning solution for the provision of location based services. EMILY will exploit terrestrial and satellite positioning data through hybridisation of a number of technologies in telecommunication networks and satellite-based positioning. Compared with the moment when the initial EMILY proposal was submitted, the development of location-based services has been much slower than expected by the whole industry. The location-based services, although still considered as high revenue potential, have experienced a slower than expected introduction on the market and consequently lower than expected penetration rates. Uncertain market prospect for the E-OTD positioning technology, one of the main initial choices of the EMILY project, have also impacted its definition and objectives. This uncertainty is related with the cost of deployment of the technology, which revealed to be above expectations after the implementation in the US following the E911 regulation entering into force. These two occurrences have induced the partners to review the project scope and instead of going for an hardwired solution to opt for a less integrated, but more flexible solution not involving the investment for the development and realisation of an ASIC. Also related to that is the decision to enlarge the scope of the project in terms of positioning technologies hybridised. With this decision the E-OTD technology is no more the central focus of the project but become one of the technologies used in a wider effort to hybridise cellular-based and satellite-based positioning. In this framework EMILY will exploit terrestrial and satellite positioning data through hybridisation of a number of technologies like cell-id, NMR, E-OTD, OTDOA in telecommunication networks and satellite-based positioning. In addition the EMILY solution comprises a network component dedicated to minimise the cost of the location process within the requested quality.

Period

Start date: 01/01/2001 
End date: 31/12/2004
Status: Completed

Funding

European Comission through the Fifth Framework Programme

Budget

Project: 8,108,000 €

Participants

Bouygues Telecom (France), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), U-Blox Europe Ltd. (United Kingdom), D.A.I. Telecom S.P.A. (Italy), CAP Gemini Telecom Media & Networks (France).

Further information