7 Geolocation
The Geolocation API was removed from the core of the HTML5 specification and
is, according to the W3C nomenclature, just in its early stages. But it is already
largely implemented, particularly in mobile browsers. One reason for the rapid
implementation is most likely because the interface is short and abstract: Only
three JavaScript calls cover the whole range of functions. The specification does
not state how the browser has to determine locations, only the format in which
the result should be returned.
After a brief introduction regarding the nature of geographical data, we will dem-
onstrate the new functions using several brief examples. If you try our examples
on a smartphone, you will quickly experience that Aha! Effect.