A Comparative Study of Location Based Services Simulators

What is it about?

Location-based services are now extremely prevalent due to their massive usage in current and emerging technologies. The use of simulation tools has been gaining popularity in the domain of LBS systems, where researchers take advantage of simulators for evaluating the behavior and performance of new architecture design. This popularity results from the availability of various powerful and sophisticated LBS simulators that are continuously verifying the flexibility of proposed models of LBS research projects. Despite its popularity worldwide, there is still a problem for researchers to choose the best simulator according to their needs and requirements, which provide them accurate results. Furthermore, conducting research on the physical LBS environment for individuals or small educational institutes is very challenging due to the cost involved in setting up location-based services live. Therefore, for selecting an appropriate LBS simulator, it is important to have knowledge of simulators that are currently available along with their features and selection criteria considered for conducting research in a particular type of problems in the LBS system. In the current study, we have presented various simulators that provide a cost-effective way of conducting LBS research projects. This paper compares 10 simulators to help researchers and developers for selecting the most appropriate simulation tool depending on selection criteria. Moreover, a detailed discussion with the recommendation for best practice in LBS simulation tools is also included in this paper, which would surely help new researchers to quickly identify the most suitable simulator according to their research problem.

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