Installation guide

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Wi-Fi Location-Based Services—Design and Deployment Considerations
OL-11612-01
The SOAP/XML Application Programming Interface
location and device statistical information. Location-based alarms and notifications can be triggered in
applications through area boundary definitions, allowed areas, and distances. All these capabilities allow
the SOAP/XML API interface to the Cisco Location Appliance to be used for integration with external
software applications such as E911, asset management, enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) tools, and
workflow automation systems.
From the perspective of a third-party location-enabled application, the Cisco UWN consists of four basic
components:
• Location client—The location client is the recipient (or “user”) of location data that is processed and
stored by the location server. This is the role that most third-party location applications assume when
interfacing to the Cisco Location Appliance. The primary role of the location client is to serve as the
interface for an application or system requiring access to the location and asset information
contained on the location server. Location clients may receive information on a request basis (“pull”
mode) or they may opt to assume a listening role (“push” mode). In push mode, the location client
awaits regular transmissions of location data from the location server based on pre-defined
notification criteria (“push” mode).
• Control client—The control client can administer the location server as well as write/read all
location data contained on the server. In many cases, this role may be undertaken by the
location-enabled Cisco WCS itself. The primary role of the control client is to populate the server
with information about the physical environment (network designs, floors maps, calibration models,
access point locations, and so on) and the network elements that should be monitored. In some
implementations, the control and location clients may be combined into a single integrated physical
or logical entity.
• Location server—The location server provides location services for a network or part of a network.
Multiple location servers can be deployed. A location server can communicate with multiple client
applications in either a monitoring or configuration capacity. In the Cisco LBS solution, the location
appliance fulfills the role of the location server.
• Wireless LAN system—The wireless LAN system is comprised of (a) embedded software contained
within WLAN controllers that serves as a aggregation point for station/tag/rogue discovery, device
tracking, and statistical information, and (b) all the mobile devices (tags, mobile stations, rogue
clients, and access points) that serve as key components of the monitored wireless network.
The location appliance API is available and licensable to the Cisco development community along with
tools to facilitate solution development. Integration support is available via the Cisco Developer Services
Program, a subscription-based service.
Note For complete details, see the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/go/developersupport.
SOAP/XML Partner Location Client Example—PanGo Locator
An example of a third-party value-added location application that can interface to the Cisco LBS
solution is PanGo Locator. PanGo Locator is an asset-tracking client software application that enables
enterprise asset visibility via a user interface that is attuned to the needs of the business asset owner and
user. It provides a visual display of real-time asset location and related device mobility intelligence,
including not only where assets currently are located and where they have been, but their status as they
transition from being at rest to being in motion and returning to the at rest state. PanGo Locator includes
a rules-based notification component that sends event-triggered alerts to users based on asset location,
presence/absence duration, and status. Locator also integrates with workflow automation and business