A versatile location - based service Java control for Pocket - pc

With the democratization of Pocket-pc devices and their constant improvement in terms of performances, more and more companies equip their field technicians with such devices. A concrete application involves technicians who can use Pocket-pc to consult and organize their daily tasks synchronized with a central system. Along with its backend system (Netweaver), SAP also provides Pocket-pc software written in Java. As most of these technicians need to meet customers and go on sites, these systems need to be shipped with an embedded mapping control that must support any kind of mapping service independently from the technology used by this latter. The aim of this work is to propose a versatile location-based service Java control relying on a unique abstract interface that gives the possibility to adapt any kind of mapping service and to satisfy SAP mobile software development constraints. The proof of concept has been validated by implementing two services using different technologies (Google maps using AJAX and Microsoft Mappoint using Web services) and tested on two different devices: a Compaq Ipaq and a Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX. The results obtained were very encouraging and conclusive enough to ship this control with SAP Pocket-pc systems. In conclusion, this project brings a concrete and flexible solution to mapping controls that can be integrated within any Java application running on Pocket-pc devices.