For two years, www.jlocationservices.com has been the place to go on the Web to find the latest information on Java-based location services. Now, the latest updates can find you.

Esri and Sun Microsystems have introduced a monthly digital newsletter in conjunction with www.jlocationservices.com. The first edition of the newsletter was delivered to subscribers in September 2002.

The Java Location Services Web site was developed in February 2000 to promote the importance of Java and GIS technologies as they fit within wireless location-based services (LBS) architectures. The site was redesigned in the summer of 2002 and reintroduced at the Esri International User Conference, held July 8-12 in San Diego, California.

"The free newsletter, delivered to a subscriber's e-mail account each month, is designed to highlight timely and updated content available from the Web site," says Janine Hussey of Image Matters, the Leesburg, Virginia, company that manages the site.

Location services are applications that deliver location-based information where and when it is needed. Users can access these services via the desktop, Web browser, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, pager, or other device. Diverse applications include fleet tracking, emergency services, sensor monitoring, customer location for target marketing and advertising, roadside assistance, stolen vehicle recovery, navigation, directory services, and more.

Esri and Sun offer a combined Java Location Services platform, from geographic databases to the location application server, to the portal server, and through the core network to a mobile or stationary terminal. Sun and Esri have made Java Location Services an integral part of the enterprise Web service environment.

The www.jlocationservices.com Web site provides a place for professionals to stay well informed on the rapid and significant progress being made with LBS technology. The site provides many resources about the technology, market happenings, and the benefits of location services to Business managers and technologists. Although the site's primary sponsors include Sun and Esri, the information on the Web site covers the major products in the industry from a wide variety of vendors.

"It was always intended to be an industry-oriented site," says Hussey.

Visitors to the site will find a variety of content including a location services tutorial, articles, industry press releases, information on upcoming trade shows and events, and links to sites that demonstrate how LBS is being used throughout the world.

"The goal of www.jlocationservices.com is to serve the LBS community by providing up-to-date information regarding market trends, product developments, and industry news," says Jon Spinney, industry manager of LBS at Esri. "In the future, the site will post additional content for application developers. Content will include documentation, software developer kits, and other tutorials for those building LBS applications founded on Esri and Sun products and solutions."

To subscribe to the newsletter, or to learn more about Java Location Services, visit www.jlocationservices.com.