In context-aware mobile systems, data on past user behaviour or use of a device can give critical information. The scale of this data may be large, and it must be quickly searched and retrieved. Compression is a powerful tool for both storing and indexing data. For text documents powerful algorithms using structured storage achieve high compression and rapid search and retrieval. Byte-stream techniques provide higher compression, but lack indexation and have slow retrieval.
Location is a common form of context frequently used in research prototypes of tourist guide systems, location-aware searching and adaptive hypermedia. In this paper, we present an exploration of record-based compression of Global Positioning System (GPS) data that reveals significant technical limitations on what can be achieved on mobile devices, and a discussion of the benefits of different compression techniques on GPS data.
