Server and method for delivery of data from a mobile platform to a mobile terminal

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a server for use in delivery of data from a first terminal in a mobile plalform to a second mobile terminal. The server comprises location receiving means for receiving position information related to the first terminal and/or the mobile platform. The server further comprises means for triggering a selection of a second mobile terminal from a plurality of available mobile terminal. The selection being based on the location information related to the first terminal and location information related to the available mobile terminals.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention generally relates to delivery of data from a source to a destination and more in particular to delivery of data from a terminal in a mobile platform such as public transport vehicles, a taxi, a car, etc. to a second mobile terminal such as a mobile telephone, handheld computer, vehicle computer, etc of for instance emergency services, recovery services, maintenance services, etc.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Mobile platforms and especially mobile platforms which are exposed to the general public are prone to various situations wherein assistance from people or tools external to the vehicle or its operator may be needed. For instance the driver of a public transport vehicle which suffers from a malfunction in an access door may not be able to resolve the issue on his own and may require assistance of a technician or maintenance crew. Such a situation is not time-critical rather only a nuisance. However other situations may require more drastic measures or a fast response from external assistance. For instance emergency situations such as aggressive behaviour amongst passengers or towards the driver of a public transport vehicle, medical emergencies such as injured people or people suffering from a potential life threatening situation, a crash of the vehicle, etc. Such situation requires a fast response by the assistance crew and such response is time-critical.

[0003] One way of handling such situations and getting sufficient and fast enough assistance is by making a telephone call using a mobile telephone, a propriety communication system, etc. to a central dispatch, for instance a dispatch of a public transport company, emergency services, recovery services, etc. Minor or non-time critical problems may be resolved by the personnel of the transport company, technicians or recovery crew when it suits them or can be postponed until a later point in time. However when the contacted central is unable to provide the desired assistance, they need to pass information to a different central or dispatch. This may introduce delays between the occurrence of the emergency and the time where actual help arrives.

[0004] In order to obtain assistance, the driver has to be able to communicate with such a central location or when the driver is unable to communicate, a passenger or passer- by has to contact someone else to provide assistance. During such a call, one of the persons requiring assistance has to provide important information such as the nature of the situation or emergency, the location where the assistance crew should be sent to and information related to the situation such as a number of casualties, how urgent help is needed, etc. If for some reason the driver or a victim is unable to provide all that information, someone else has to provide the information or the external assistance may not be able to get there in time or bring along appropriate equipment to provide adequate assistance.

[0005] A solution to this problem is given in the French patent application FR 2 887 064 by Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA. This document discloses a system with one or more cameras positioned in a car which record the interior and/or exterior of the car. When an emergency such as a crash is detected, the current position of the car is passed to an operator along with any recorded images. The system further allows the operator to communicate with the driver, passengers and/or people near the vehicle over a two-way communication link. Upon receipt of images and a position, an operator may contact an emergency services centre which is able to send police, firefighters or an ambulance to the scene of the crash for assistance. The operator has received the images from the car and may be able to describe the situation of the crash to the emergency services centre which enables them to take appropriate measures to offer help.

[0006] A drawback of the solution disclosed in FR 2 887 064 is that an operator has to receive the operation, interpret the information and provide it to another operator in an emergency services centre which in turn is able to provide any available information to the responding units. This means that a delay is created between the emergency and the time where units respond to the crash. Delays may lead to additional injuries of victims, injuries to other people passing by, may result in extensions of the emergency, etc and should thus be avoided.

[0007] A second drawback of FR 2 887 064 is that only the operator receives the images and is supposed to be able to interpret them. Although the document suggests the presence of a medic or doctor near the operator, this may not always be the case. For instance call-centres which handle a large variety of situations and emergencies may not always have medical staff available to provide additional information or support to an operator. In such situations, the operator has to evaluate the situation which may lead to bad evaluations or insufficient information being passed on to responding units and/or selection of an assistance unit that is not the most appropriate one given the nature and location of the incident.

[0008] It is an objective of the present invention to provide a system which is able to reduce the time delay between a crash and the response of assistance. It is a further objective to provide a system which provides sufficient information to responding units.

Summary of the Invention

[0009] The drawbacks of the prior art are overcome and the objectives of the present invention are realized by a server for use in delivery of data from a first terminal in a mobile platform to a second mobile terminal, the server comprising location receiving means for receiving position information related to the first terminal and/or the mobile platform; characterized in that the server further comprises means for triggering a selection of the second mobile terminal from a plurality of available mobile terminals, the selection being based on the location information related to the first terminal and location information related to the available terminals.

[0010] Indeed, by selecting the second terminal from the available terminals based on the respective location of the mobile platform or the first terminal and the location of the available terminals, the server is able to determine the most appropriate assistance unit whereto the data should be sent to for optimal response times.

[0011] A mobile platform such as a public transport vehicle, a car, etc. may be equipped with one or more first terminals. This terminal can deliver data to the server at regular intervals, as a stream or when the situation requires the transmission of data. The first terminal is located in the mobile platform which moves around. Therefore the location of the first terminal is linked to the location of the mobile platform. The first terminal may be able to determine its own location or it may use a location detection by the mobile platform. Alternatively there may be systems external to the mobile platform or first terminal which determine the location of the mobile platform or first terminal and which provide such information to the server. Regardless of how the location detection for the first terminal or the mobile platform are performed, the server is able to receive such information and process the information when needed.

[0012] When an emergency occurs or when data has to be transmitted, for instance upon request from a person in the mobile platform such as the driver, the server is able to trigger selection of the second terminal or second terminals based on their respective locations. The second terminal is destined to receive the location information related to the first terminal and/or mobile platform and any available data related thereto. The server logic itself may select the second terminal from the available terminals for instance by executing software running on the server which determines the second terminal from all available terminals. Alternatively the server may rely on external logic to select the second terminal or second terminals, for instance by contacting another server or node which is able to determine the second terminal. In addition, the server may transfer the data towards the second terminal after the selection or may pass the information to another server or node which then delivers the data to the second terminal, for instance an external node which also performs the selection of the second terminal.

[0013] It should be noted that the first terminal and the second terminal may be part of different sets of terminals. For instance the first terminal may be a piece of equipment placed in a public transport vehicle whereas the second terminal and the available terminals may be terminals located in police vehicles or carried around by police units. Of course both the first and the second terminal may belong to the same subset of people such as emergency services. In such case, one unit may for instance use the system to request assistance of one or more additional units. Generally the first terminal corresponds to a source of data which may be required by the second terminal.

[0014] The main advantage of the server according to the present invention is that the second terminals are selected based on the location of the first terminal and/or the mobile platform and the location of the available second terminals. This means that the server may be able to select, or receive a selected second terminal from an external source, which is closest and most suited to respond quickly to an emergency.

[0015] Optionally the data comprises one or more of the following:

• image data captured via the first terminal;
• video data captured via the first terminal; and
• audio data captured via the first terminal
• metadata related to the data;
• metadata related to the first terminal;
• metadata related to the mobile platform; and
• information related to an incident or emergency.

[0016] Data such as images, video and audio may provide valuable information to the receiving terminals or the person or persons using that terminal. For instance audio data enables the receiver to hear what is going on at a location without actually being there. This may be useful to hear what has happened or is happening between for instance the driver of a bus and a passenger who is aggressive towards the driver. Images provide a visual overview of the situation at a specific rate such as one picture per second. Video data provides a more fluent visual overview of the situation at typically a higher rate than static images. Of course there may be a use of mixed data such as audio and video. There may also be an option to select which type of data is received by the second terminal or the data may change over time. For instance a second terminal may only receive a static image when a potential emergency arises. If the situation escalates or after input from one of the involved parties or persons, the system may automatically switch to video data.

[0017] In addition to this data, there may also be text information which is added by someone accessing the first terminal directly or via other equipment. For instance the driver of a bus or train may be able to enter text which is sent along with images or video data to the server. Furthermore the first terminal may be able to capture the data on its own or using additional equipment. The first terminal may be connected to a number of capturing devices such as video cameras and microphones. The first terminal then aggregates the data and transmits it to the server where needed. Alternatively the first terminal may retrieve captured information from another device in the mobile platform.

[0018] The data can further contain metadata which relates to the captured images, video, audio or additional text information. Such metadata may for instance specify encodings used for the captured data, frame rate of video, type of transported data, time and/or date of capturing, identification of the device which captured the data such as an identification of a particular camera or microphone, etc. Furthermore the data may contain metadata related to the mobile platform such as the type of mobile platform, an identification of the mobile platform, route of the mobile platform, etc. For instance, the metadata may indicate whether the mobile platform is public transport or private transport, the current destination or line number of public transport, number of passengers, etc. The data may also contain metadata related to the first terminal such as an identification of the first terminal, the mobile platform whereto the first terminal is assigned, configuration parameters of the first terminal, description of how location information is obtained, etc. Other information may be stored in addition to these or even in a different set of metadata. For instance a description of an incident or emergency may be stored as well, but does not fit in any of the above described metadata types. Thus additional information may also form part of the data when an emergency occurs or a particular incident takes place.

[0019] All of the above described metadata, or a selection thereof can be transmitted to the central server in addition to the captured data itself and the location information. Metadata such as identifications of mobile platforms or terminals in combination with the date of particular recordings can be used to store the data in a chronological manner. This may be useful for easy recovery of data at a later point in time, for instance as evidence in a court case or to determine what happened exactly.

[0020] Keeping track of the type of emergency or incident may also be useful, especially in addition with other information such as date and time of recordings and identifications of mobile platforms and terminals. The server may keep track of each emergency or incident in a separate database or log. Information contained therein can be linked to data and metadata stored on the central server. This provides an advantage that one piece of information can be linked to other information. For instance starting from a particular piece of recorded video, it becomes possible to find information related to the mobile platform wherein the information was recorded, possible emergencies or incidents occurring during that recording, possible interventions by assistance crews or emergency services, etc. Similarly, starting from an emergency report, the server may be able to recover the captured audio and video which relates to that emergency based on the metadata.

[0021] Optionally the server for use in delivery of data according to the present invention may comprise means for making the selection of the second mobile terminal.

[0022] The server is able to trigger the selection of the second terminal from the available terminals. Triggering such selection on a different server, node or system may be useful when the party in possession of the location of the available terminals is not willing to share such information. For instance, police services may not want to share the location of each police officer with external parties such as the one operating the server of the present invention. In such case the server triggers the selection in a device located at the police services headquarters or a centre of operations thereof. However if the server is used by the police services themselves, it may be beneficial to integrate the selection of the second terminal into the functionality of the server. This way the server may be able to automatically determine which second terminal should respond to an emergency or request for assistance and thus receive the data and location information. In general, if the server is able to obtain the location information of the first terminal and/or the mobile platform and the location information of the available terminals, it may be beneficial to enable the server to make the selection. This reduces the delay between an emergency and the assistance compared to a situation where one or more additional intermediate systems are involved.

[0023] Optionally the server for use in delivery of data according to the present invention may further comprise storage means for storing one or more of the following:

• the location information related to the first terminal and/or the mobile platform;
• the data
• information related to circumstances wherein said data is captured;
• a unique identifier related to said data and/or said location information related to said first terminal; and
• a description of said mobile platform.
  A first terminal may deliver its location and data to the server only when it is needed such as during an emergency or a situation which requires assistance. However, sometimes this may not be possible such as after a serious crash which may have damaged the first terminal or the transmission hardware. Therefore it may be better to deliver information to the server at regular Intervals or even in a streaming fashion to ensure that as much information as possible is available at the server. This way the server may be able to deliver data such as video information from a past timeframe such as the last minute or several minutes or a fraction of a minute to the second terminal. This may provide essential information to the second terminal or the users thereof regarding the situation.

[0024] To enable the server to provide information captured in the past, it has to be able to store the information until it is required by a second terminal or until it can be removed. For instance the server may store the past half hour of information for each mobile platform or first terminal and then replace the oldest information with new information. Alternatively the server may be able to move stored data to another storage such as a network attached storage system for long term storage of the data. Such long term storage may be required to keep data save in case of disputes regarding a particular incident or emergency.

[0025] Optionally, For the server for use in delivery of data according to the present invention, the location information comprises one or more of the following:

• satellite based coordinates;
• GSM triangulation coordinates; and
• WiFi triangulation coordinates.

[0026] Various systems exist which are able to determine the location of a mobile platform or the first terminal. A first well known solution is a satellite based positioning system which provides coordinates of a mobile platform on the planet. Typical examples are the Global Positioning System (GPS) which is already widely deployed and upcoming alternatives such as the European Galileo project or the Russian GLONASS project. These systems all work according to the same principle and are therefore equivalents in the context of the present invention. Of course each of these systems may require different hardware to determine a location using the system. However this is not important for the present invention as only the coordinates of the mobile platform and/or first terminal are of importance, not how they are determined.

[0027] An alternative to satellite based positioning system is GSM triangulation. The GSM triangulation system is based on measurements of signal strength towards a number of base stations at a location. Based on that information it is possible to obtain an estimation of the location of a particular mobile telephone or GSM. This can also be expressed as coordinates on a map or distances relative to each of the measured base stations. WiFi based triangulation works similarly to GSM triangulation in the sense that it measures signal strength to a number of.available base stations. Using a list of base stations and signal strengths related thereto at specific locations, it is possible for a device to determine its location from signal strength measurements.

[0028] Other alternative systems may be available. For instance if the first terminal concerns a terminal in a railway vehicle, there may be a series of detection loops along the rails to detect where the vehicle is at a given point of time. Such information can be used to control railway signalling and this may also be used to determine the position of the terminal or the vehicle along the railway.

[0029] Optionally the server for use in delivery of data according to the present invention further comprises means for receiving a signal for initiating the delivery of data.

[0030] The mobile platform or the first terminal may provide an emergency button. By activating this button, a signal can be transmitted to the server to indicate that an emergency has occurred or is occurring. By adding means to receive such a signal to the server, the server may be able to automatically start the delivery of data to the second terminal. The server may first trigger selection of the second terminal before the delivery of data is initiated. This ensures that after a press on the emergency button, data and the location of the first terminal is delivered to the appropriate second terminal as soon as possible.

[0031] Optionally the selection is further based on one or more of the following criteria:

• occupation of the available mobile terminals;
• distance between the first terminal and the available mobile terminals; and
• an estimation of the duration to move from the respective locations of the available mobile terminals to the location of the first terminal;
• metadata supplied by the first terminal indicative for the desired type of available mobile terminals;
• metadata related to the data;
• metadata related to the mobile platform; and
• metadata related to the first terminal.
  In addition to making a selection based on location information of the first terminal and the available terminals to select the second terminal, the selection may take additional parameters into account. Such additional parameters may provide a more adequate selection of the second terminal than just the location information. For Instance, some available terminals which are an option for selection location wise may not be able to respond. For instance the personnel related to an available terminal may be occupied with another emergency or situation. Thus such a terminal could be selected based on their location even if they are not able to respond to a new emergency. This can be avoided by taking the occupation of an available terminal in consideration during the selection. It should be noted that available terminal means a terminal which is eligible for selection based on its nature. For instance each of the police units with a terminal is an available terminal regardless of whether they are occupied or not.

[0032] The distance between available terminals and the first terminal or the mobile platform may also be an important factor in the selection, and so is the estimated travel time for each available terminal to reach the first terminal or mobile platform. These factors can be used to achieve a quick response to an emergency without additional delay due to travel time. Such parameters may also take into account the additional time or distance introduced by traffic jams, construction works, one way streets, etc.

[0033] Other information which can be used to select a second terminal from the available terminals is information or metadata relating to an incident or type of emergency going on in the mobile platform or information indicative for the desired type of assistance. For instance when the central server is used in an environment which controls multiple type of available units such as technical response teams, medical response teams, security response teams, etc. the central server may perform the selection based on the type of team that is desired for providing assistance. This way the chance of sending assistance which is insufficient or unable to resolve any issues is reduced significantly.

[0034] Metadata related to the transmitted data may also be taken into account when selecting the second terminal from the available terminals. Some of the available terminals may not be able to present all data to a user. For instance in some cases an available terminal may not have a display which means that any video data sent hereto cannot be presented. The person using the terminal would then be unable to determine the nature of the problem or may not receive a request for assistance at all. It can therefore be advantageous to take the capabilities of the available terminals into account when sending data to a terminal.

[0035] In general, all additional information that can be used to find a good second terminal may be taken into account. Such information should result in the selection of a second terminal or a unit with a terminal that has appropriate equipment to handle the emergency and which is able to respond as quickly as possible as required by the situation or emergency.

[0036] Optionally the server for use in delivery of data according to the present invention further comprises means for configuring and/or monitoring the first terminal.

[0037] In addition to delivery of data from the first terminal to the server, the server may also be able to communicate with the first terminal. Such communication may enable the server to monitor the status of a first terminal or the mobile platform whereto the terminal belongs. In addition, this may enable an operator of the server to monitor the situation inside or around the mobile platform. The operator may also be able to configure the first terminal or any peripherals linked thereto such as data capturing devices. This way the server or an operator thereof may define settings in the first terminal such as image quality, frequency of updates for the information, etc. It may also enable the operator to verify whether a mobile platform or a first terminal are still functioning correctly and to detect whether an emergency has gone unnoticed.

[0038] Optionally the server for use in delivery of data according to the present invention further comprises means for receiving location information related to the second mobile terminal and means for triggering a selection of the first terminal from a plurality of available first terminals in their respective mobile platforms, the selection being based on the location information related to the second mobile terminal and location information related to the available first terminals in their respective mobile platforms.

[0039] The present invention further relates to a second mobile terminal for use in delivery of data according, the second mobile terminal comprising means for receiving data from the server, characterized in that the second mobile terminal further comprises means for requesting the data from the server.

[0040] As described above, the second terminal is typically the receiver of data from the first terminal. Generally this is initiated by the first terminal or the server. However in some situations the delivery of data may also be initiated by the second terminal. For instance when a police officer carrying a terminal desires to receive data related to a mobile platform in his vicinity, such as a bus or tram passing by, he may request data related to that mobile platform. The officer can interact with his terminal which initiates a request towards the server. The server which is aware of the location information related to the requesting second terminal because the information was included in the request or can be obtained from an external source, is then able to determine which mobile platforms with their respective first terminals are possible targets for the second terminal. The server may consider all first terminals and their respective first terminals and then trigger a selection thereof based on the location information that is available. This way the server may reduce the possible sources of data to a number of mobile platforms or first terminals which are near the second terminal or which are within a particular radius around the second terminal.

[0041] The present invention further also relates to a method for delivery of data from a first terminal in a mobile platform to a second mobile terminal via a server, the method comprising the steps of:

• capturing the data via the first terminal;
• transmitting the data from the first terminal to the server;
• transmitting location information related to the first terminal and/or the mobile platform to the server;
• receiving the data and the location information by the server;
• triggering selection of the second mobile terminal from a plurality of available terminals based on the location information related to the first terminal and location information related to the available mobile terminals; and
• transmission of the data from the server to the second mobile terminal.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0042] 

Fig. 1 illustrates an overview of a scenario wherein an embodiment of the present invention is used.

Detailed Description of Embodiment(s)

[0043] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a scenario wherein an embodiment of the present invention is used. In this scenario, data is delivered from a first terminal 102 in a mobile platform 101 to a second terminal 104₂ via a server 103.

[0044] The mobile platform 101 in this particular example is a bus. The bus has a number of data capturing devices (not shown) embedded in the interior of the vehicle which capture video and audio on the inside of the vehicle. In addition, the bus has a number of cameras towards the exterior of the vehicle to capture video information from around the bus. Of course in alternative embodiments there may be different types of capturing devices and they may be located in different locations. It is not important which type of data that is captured or how the data is captured for the understanding of the invention. It is however important to realize that the first terminal 102 is used to deliver the information to the server 103.

[0045] In addition to the data, first terminal 102 also determines the location of the bus 101. Arrow 110 indicates information received by the first terminal 102 which enables the detection of the location of the bus 101. In this particular example, the first terminal 102 contains a GPS receiver which is used to determine the location of the bus 101. Of course other techniques such as GSM triangulation or WiFi based location detection may be used or even a combination of techniques.

[0046] In this embodiment, the first terminal 102 regularly provides location information and captured data to the server 103. Arrow 111 indicates the transmission of such data and location information to the server. Various technologies can be used for the transport of the data and location information. Some examples are Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) technology, Global Packet Radio System (GPRS) technology, Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology, other 3^rd generation mobile communication technology or technologies such as WiFi or WiMax. Each of these technologies has particular characteristics which could make them more suited for a particular embodiment. The technologies in use are however less relevant for the understanding of the invention and are therefore only used as examples.

[0047] The server 103 receives the information from the first terminal 102 and may store the information for later use. However, some information may also be deducted from the information that is delivered to the server 103. For instance, the first terminal 102 may send a stream of video images and its location once every minute. The server 103 may then be able to determine the location of the first terminal 102 or the mobile platform 101 based on the last reported location and the number of frames in the video stream received since that last location report using the number of frames per second. This way, the server 103 is able to estimate the current location of the mobile platform 101 or first terminal 102 without a constant receipt of location information. Of course, the timeframe wherein the location is determined based on the frames per second should be set to such a length of time that the position estimation is accurate enough to provide fast assistance. This may even be dependant on the type of road whereon the mobile platform moves. For instance in a city there is a need of frequent location updates because there are a large number of possible turns and different routes that can be taken. On a highway there are less different routes so an update at each on-ramp or off-ramp may be sufficient when combined with a location detection based on speed or frames per second.

[0048] The server 103 may receive the data in a streaming manner, thus a constant flow of new data such as images, video frames or audio samples or in intervals. The server 103 may for instance receive a recording of a particular length of time at regular intervals. Such information can then be stored in the server 103 or an external storage medium for later retrieval. In some embodiments, the data may be augmented with additional information such as which mobile platform or terminal that provided the information, time and date of the receipt, which camera made the recording, comments from the driver, etc. Such information can be stored in a database which enables retrieval of the information at an efficient speed when required.

[0049] The server 103 further keeps track of the location of each of the available terminals 104₁ to 104_n. These terminals provide their location information at regular intervals to server 103 as is indicated by arrow 112. These terminals 104₁ to 104_n may determine their position using similar or different technology than that used by the first terminal 102. In case an emergency occurs, or bus 101 is in need of assistance, the server 103 will trigger the selection of the second terminal from the available terminals 104₁ to 104_n. In this example the server 103 is able to do the selection himself instead of asking a selection from another node or server. The server 103 takes into account the occupation of the available nodes 104₁ to 104_n, their distance towards the bus 101 and the expected time to travel that distance. In this particular example we consider terminal 104₂ to be the optimal destination and thus terminal 104₂ is selected as second terminal. As illustrated by arrow 113, the server 103 delivers the data from the first terminal 102 to the second terminal 1042 along with the location information of the bus 101.

[0050] It should be noted that although the figure shows a single server 103, the functionality thereof may be implemented on multiple devices. For instance, server 103 may only receive the location information and data from terminal 102 and then pass that information to a different server which has the location information of the available nodes 104₁ to 104_n. This server may then perform the selection and deliver data received from server 103 to the selected node. Alternatively, server 103 requests an identification of a selected node from another server and then uses that identification to deliver the data to the selected node.

[0051] Although not shown in Fig. 1, there may also be fixed points where terminal 102 is able to store captured data. Such fixed points may for instance be provided along the route of public transport or at fixed points in a city or along major roads. These fixed points may act as additional storage whereon the first terminal 102 can store captured data. This way, the storage onboard of mobile platform 101 is cleared of data which reduces the amount of required storage on the mobile platform or the first terminal. The server 103 may be able to retrieve information from such storage points, for instance based on the location of the mobile platform 101, the server 103 may be able to determine the storage point closest to the current location of the mobile platform 101. The server may then be able to retrieve data from that storage point in order to provide such information to the second terminal.

[0052] The present invention has been described with reference to Fig. 1 in a generic case. A possible example of a real-life scenario wherein an embodiment of the present invention can be used is for securing public transport. In such a scenario, the mobile platform corresponds to a public transport vehicle such as a tram, a bus, a train, an underground train, a ship such as a ferry, an airplane or an helicopter. The first terminal corresponds to an onboard computer which can be integrated and fixed inside the transport vehicle or which may be a mobile device which is placed inside the vehicle such as a personal digital assistant (PDA). The available second terminals correspond to services such as police units which are provided with a mobile device such as a PDA, a mobile telephone, a laptop computer or a computer in a police vehicle. Alternatively to police units there may be private security services which are part of a public transport company or a private security company. The central server can be operated by the police, a private security company or the public transport company.

[0053] A second scenario wherein an embodiment of the present invention can be used is in the protection of people and especially children and people who are in constant need of assistance or at a higher risk of needing assistance. The mobile platform in such a scenario corresponds to the person who is being protected such as the child. The first terminal may be a small device which is able to capture some information such as location and images or audio and which can transmit such information to the central server. The information can then be used by parents to find a lost child, caretakers to locate a person in distress, etc. The person having the first terminal may also be able to initiate the transfer of data to a caretaker or parent in case of emergency.

[0054] A third scenario is in city-wide gaming wherein a number of people wander around a city or a location and are able to exchange information with each other. Each member of the group may capture information and provide that information to the central server. The server may then provide that information to a limited number of other group members based on their geographic location. For instance in a game where one person has to be located by the other members of the group, the central server may send a picture of the surroundings of the target to any member of the group who is within a particular range. Alternatively, the group members looking for the target may be able to communicate with each other while the target does not receive such information.

[0055] A fourth scenario is in guided tours in a museum, city, company, etc. A visitor may stream information to a tour guide which is closest to the visitor or which has the information requested by a visitor. Similarly, a tour guide may stream information to visitors within a particular range such as all the visitors in the same room near the same piece of art or object.

[0056] Although the present invention has been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, and that the present invention may be embodied with various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. In other words, it is contemplated to cover any and all modifications, variations or equivalents that fall within the spirit and scope of the basic underlying principles and whose essential attributes are claimed in this patent application. It will furthermore be understood by the reader of this patent application that the words "comprising" or "comprise" do not exclude other elements or steps, that the words "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality, and that a single element, such as a computer system, a processor, or another integrated unit may fulfil the functions of several means recited in the claims. Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the respective claims concerned. The terms "first", "second", third", "a", "b", "c", and the like, when used in the description or in the claims are introduced to distinguish between similar elements or steps and are not necessarily describing a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and embodiments of the invention are capable of operating according to the present invention in other sequences, or in orientations different from the one(s) described or illustrated above.

Claims

1. A server for use in delivery of data from a first terminal in a mobile platform to a second mobile terminal, said server comprising location receiving means for receiving position information related to said first terminal and/or said mobile platform;
characterized in that said server further comprises means for triggering a selection of said second mobile terminal from a plurality of available mobile terminals, said selection being based on said location information related to said first terminal and location information related to said available mobile terminals.

2. The server for use in delivery of data according to claim 1, characterized in that said data comprises one or more of the following:

- image data captured via said first terminal;

- video data captured via said first terminal;

- audio data captured via said first terminal

- metadata related to said data;

- metadata related to said first terminal; and

- metadata related to said mobile platform.

3. The server for use in delivery of data according to claim 1,
characterized in that said server comprises means for making said selection of said second mobile terminal.

4. The server for use in delivery of data according to claim 1,
characterized in that said server further comprises storage means for storing one or more of the following:

- said location information related to said first terminal and/or said mobile platform;

- said data;

- information related to circumstances wherein said data is captured;

- a unique identifier related to said data and/or said location information related to said first terminal; and

- a description of said mobile platform.

5. The server for use in delivery of data according to claim 1,
characterized in that said location information comprises one or more of the following:

- satellite based coordinates;

- GSM triangulation coordinates; and

- WiFi triangulation coordinates.

6. The server for use in delivery of data according to claim 1,
characterized in that said server further comprises means for receiving a signal for initiating said delivery of data.

7. The server for use in delivery of data according to claim 1,
characterized in that said selection is further based on one or more of the following criteria:

- occupation of said available mobile terminal;

- distance between said first terminal and said available mobile terminals;

- an estimation of the duration to move from the respective locations of said available mobile terminals to the location of said first terminal and/or said mobile platform;

- metadata supplied by the first terminal indicative for the desired type of available mobile terminals;

- metadata related to the data;

- metadata related to the mobile platform; and

- metadata related to the first terminal.

8. The server for use in delivery of data according to claim 1,
characterized in that said server further comprises means for configuring and/or monitoring said first terminal.

9. The server for use in delivery of data according to claim 1,
characterized in that said server further comprises means for receiving location information related to said second mobile terminal and means for triggering a selection of said first terminal from a plurality of available first terminals in their respective mobile platforms, said selection being based on said location information related to said second mobile terminal and location information related to said available first terminals in their respective mobile platforms.

10. A second mobile terminal for use in delivery of data according to claim 9, said second mobile terminal comprising means for receiving data from said server,
characterized in that said second mobile terminal further comprises means for requesting said data from said server.

11. The server for use in delivery of data according to claim 1, characterized in that said mobile platform is a public transport vehicle and said second mobile terminal is a terminal in an emergency service vehicle.

12. A method for delivery of data from a first terminal in a mobile platform to a second mobile terminal via a server, said method comprising the steps of:

- capturing said data via said first terminal;

- transmitting said data from said first terminal to said server;

- transmitting location information related to said first terminal and/or said mobile platform to said server,

- receiving said data and said location information by said server;

- triggering selection of said second mobile terminal from a plurality of available mobile terminals based on said location information related to said first terminal and location information related to said available mobile terminals.

- transmission of said data from said server to said second mobile terminal.

Drawing