Introduction
When we think of maps, we often think about Google LLC, also known as Google Maps Platform. Microsoft and Amazon have developed better applications that are more cost-effective and offer newer, better features. Today, we will be learning about Amazon Location Service, which allows us to add location data into our application.
Let’s get technical
Amazon Location Service provides points of interest, maps and tracking. It also includes routing, geocoding, geocoding and geofences. Users can create complex location-based apps with affordable data, tracking, geofencing, and built-in indicators to monitor health.
Amazon Location Service allows us to have complete control over our organizational data. It anonymizes all queries to data providers by removing customers’ information.
AWS accounts don’t store sensitive tracking or geofencing location data such as employee, asset, or facility locations. It allows us to protect sensitive information from other parties, protect user privacy and reduce the security risks associated your application. When we use Amazon Location, neither Amazon nor any third parties have the right sell or use our data to advertise.
Amazon Location is fully integrated into AWS CloudTrail and Amazon CloudWatch, Amazon EventBridge and AWS Identity and Access Management.
Features of Location:
Maps
Amazon Location Service Maps allows us to view geolocation and is the backbone for many location-based services.
Places
Amazon Location Places can be used to provide our app search capability, convert addresses into latitude and longitude coordinates and restore a coordinate for a street address.
Routing
Amazon Location Service Routes allows us to find routes and estimate travel times based on live traffic data and the most up-to-date roadway information. Create features that allow our application to request travel time, distance and directions between two locations.
Geofencing
Amazon Location Service Geofences allow the application to distinguish and act when a device crosses or departs a geographical boundary known as geofences. When a geofence breach has been detected, Amazon EventBridge will send an entry/exit event. This allows us to initiate downstream activities, such as notifying a target.
Trackers
Amazon Location Service Trackers allows us to track the location of devices that run our tracking-enabled app. We are also able to connect trackers to Amazon Location Service geofences in order to assess our gadgets’ area overhauls against our geofences. Trackers can reduce costs by moving position upgrades that haven’t been moved recently, putting them away, or assessing their compliance with geofences. Image Source: Amazon.com
Amazon Location Service provides many developer tools. It includes AWS SDK as well as sample code to combine it with open-source libraries, mobile and web SDKs.
Amazon Location offers cost-effective location-based services.
Regions:
Endpoints:
The syntax for Amazon Location regional endspoints:
protocol://service-code.geo.region-code.amazonaws.com
Service Code:
For example, the endpoint for Amazon Location Maps US East (Ohio), would be:
https://maps.geo.us-east-2.amazonaws.com
Amazon Location Service:
Image Source: Amazon.com
Amazon Location Service allows us to securely add locations to our applications. The Explore tool allows us to manipulate the map, create geofences in the area of interest, search locations, and send the device’s location to the tracker.
We can create or build resources, and choose from different data providers or map styles. Once we have the resources we need, we can install SDKs to match our development environment and then use the service. CloudWatch and CloudTrail are available from AWS.
Use Cases
User