Abstract: A shareable application program interface (API) infrastructure which is used in combination with a relational database to provide data storage and processing functions for location-aware objects, including particularly mobile objects whose current position is periodically updated by a position determining system. Client and service tables in the relational database are used to store the current point location, and other data, representing virtual objects, including mobile objects. A region table stores that describing the geometry and characteristics of geographical regions having defined boundaries within which the client and service objects reside. For each client, the set of services used by that client is recorded in a client profile database table. The services available on the system which are position-dependent have a geographical location associated with them. The API makes available an assortment of location dependent processing functions which may be used by location aware applications.

Abstract: A shareable application program interface infrastructure which is used in combination with a relational database to provide data storage and processing functions for location-dependent objects, and includes a mechanism for easily associating an object, such a service, with a geographic region, such as an area served by the service. The service designer is provided with a tool to choose a geographic region or a point location (specified by an address), and to associate that selected geographic region with a service. Each service is associated with a geographic region chosen from a hierarchy of predetermined system-defined regions that are preferably organized into a hierarchy composed of levels organized order of decreasing size so that the boundaries of each child region lie within the boundaries of its parent region.