CloudServices/Location/Software: Difference between revisions

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==Software==
==Software==


The most popular way to contribute to the project is downloading Firefox for Android and enabling the MLS contribution option in its setting, as detailed below.
As of 2021, there are no Mozilla-supported projects to contribute new data to MLS. There are a few ways to use MLS in Firefox and other tools, which will confirm in MLS that WiFi and Cell stations are still active.
 
===Firefox for Android===
* [https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/android/ Firefox for Android] includes a way to contribute data and enhance the service. You can enable the feature by opening the Settings menu and in the Mozilla section under Data Choices check the Mozilla Location Services option.
* Once enabled data will be send to the service anonymously. Enabling this option has virtually no impact on battery life. Data is only send back when being connected to a WiFi network, so there is no impact on a cell data plan.
 
===Mozilla Stumbler for Android===
* Mozilla Stumbler is an open-source wireless network scanner that collects GPS and wireless network data for our crowd-sourced location database.
* Available in the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mozilla.mozstumbler Google Play Store]
* Available on [https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdid=org.mozilla.mozstumbler F-Droid]
* [https://github.com/mozilla/MozStumbler GitHub code repository]


===Firefox Desktop===
===Firefox Desktop===


* Firefox Desktop 36 and later allow you to use the service instead of the default location provider. In ''about:config'' change the ''geo.wifi.uri'' setting to:
* Firefox Desktop allows you to use the service instead of the default location provider. In ''about:config'' change the ''geo.provider.network.url'' setting to:
     https://location.services.mozilla.com/v1/geolocate?key=%MOZILLA_API_KEY%
     https://location.services.mozilla.com/v1/geolocate?key=%MOZILLA_API_KEY%
* Some Firefox Desktop versions distributed by third-parties, especially Linux distros use MLS by default. Currently this includes Firefox for Fedora and Firefox on ArchLinux.
* Some Firefox Desktop versions distributed by third-parties, especially Linux distros use MLS by default. Currently this includes Firefox for Fedora, Firefox on ArchLinux, Firefox for PacBSD / ArchBSD, Firefox for OpenSolaris and Firefox for Debian (Iceweasel).
* [https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=726230 Iceweasel might use MLS in the future].
 
===Firefox OS===
 
* [https://github.com/clochix/FxStumbler FxStumbler] is a prototype of a stumbling app for Firefox OS.
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1154435 OS level support for stumbling] is underway and will appear in a future version of Firefox OS.


===Android===
===Android===


* [https://github.com/mozilla/MozStumbler/wiki/Using-libstumbler libstumbler] is an embeddable Android library supporting both stumbling and location lookups.
* [https://github.com/microg/IchnaeaNlpBackend Ichnaea NLP Backend] is a [https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_UnifiedNlp UnifiedNlp] backend that uses MLS to resolve locations.
* [https://github.com/microg/IchnaeaNlpBackend Ichnaea NLP Backend] is a [https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_UnifiedNlp UnifiedNlp] backend that uses MLS to resolve locations.
* Mapzen has shown interest in integrating MLS into their [https://github.com/mapzen/LOST LOST] library in the future.
* Mapzen has shown interest in integrating MLS into their [https://github.com/mapzen/LOST LOST] library in the future.
* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wilysis.cellinfolite Network Cell Info (Lite)] is an Android application for cell network monitoring, uses MLS and can be configured to optionally contribute data back to MLS.
* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wilysis.cellinfolite Network Cell Info (Lite)] is an Android application for cell network monitoring, uses MLS and can be configured to optionally contribute data back to MLS.
* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.zamojski.soft.towercollector Tower Collector] lets you contribute to OpenCellID.org and Mozilla Location Services projects by uploading GPS locations of seen GSM/UMTS/LTE/CDMA cell towers


===Linux===
===Linux===


* [http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/GeoClue/ GeoClue] is a D-Bus service that provides location information, using for example GPS daemons but also MLS.
* [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/geoclue/geoclue/-/wikis/home GeoClue] is a D-Bus service that provides location information, using for example GPS daemons but also MLS.
* [https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/122628/ KDE Plasma Desktop] uses MLS to get country level and precise geolocation information.
* [https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/122628/ KDE Plasma Desktop] uses MLS to get country level and precise geolocation information.


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Same story as iOS, there are no APIs available to get at the required cell ids for our purposes.
Same story as iOS, there are no APIs available to get at the required cell ids for our purposes.
===Firefox for Android===
MLS contributions were a feature of versions 68 and earlier (the "Fennec" codebase). It is not present in 79 and later (the Fenix codebase).
===Mozilla Stumbler for Android===
Mozilla Stumbler was an open-source wireless network scanner that collected GPS and wireless network data for our crowd-sourced location database. It was [https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/retiring-mozilla-stumbler/75206 retired] in February 2021.
The [https://github.com/mozilla/MozStumbler source code] is still available, but has not been updated to current Android development practices. The [https://github.com/mozilla/MozStumbler/wiki libstumbler library], an embeddable Android library supporting both stumbling and location lookups, may also need updates for current Android development tools.

Latest revision as of 07:29, 29 June 2022

Software

As of 2021, there are no Mozilla-supported projects to contribute new data to MLS. There are a few ways to use MLS in Firefox and other tools, which will confirm in MLS that WiFi and Cell stations are still active.

Firefox Desktop

  • Firefox Desktop allows you to use the service instead of the default location provider. In about:config change the geo.provider.network.url setting to:
   https://location.services.mozilla.com/v1/geolocate?key=%MOZILLA_API_KEY%
  • Some Firefox Desktop versions distributed by third-parties, especially Linux distros use MLS by default. Currently this includes Firefox for Fedora, Firefox on ArchLinux, Firefox for PacBSD / ArchBSD, Firefox for OpenSolaris and Firefox for Debian (Iceweasel).

Android

  • Ichnaea NLP Backend is a UnifiedNlp backend that uses MLS to resolve locations.
  • Mapzen has shown interest in integrating MLS into their LOST library in the future.
  • Network Cell Info (Lite) is an Android application for cell network monitoring, uses MLS and can be configured to optionally contribute data back to MLS.
  • Tower Collector lets you contribute to OpenCellID.org and Mozilla Location Services projects by uploading GPS locations of seen GSM/UMTS/LTE/CDMA cell towers

Linux

  • GeoClue is a D-Bus service that provides location information, using for example GPS daemons but also MLS.
  • KDE Plasma Desktop uses MLS to get country level and precise geolocation information.

iOS

Apple's iOS is a closed environment, which limits the kinds of applications you can develop. Apps need access and gather data about cell and WiFi networks, but Apple purposefully prevents access to this information. There is no way to even ask the user to allow this collection, the operating system itself just doesn't expose this information to app developers in the form of API's.

Windows Phone

Same story as iOS, there are no APIs available to get at the required cell ids for our purposes.

Firefox for Android

MLS contributions were a feature of versions 68 and earlier (the "Fennec" codebase). It is not present in 79 and later (the Fenix codebase).

Mozilla Stumbler for Android

Mozilla Stumbler was an open-source wireless network scanner that collected GPS and wireless network data for our crowd-sourced location database. It was retired in February 2021.

The source code is still available, but has not been updated to current Android development practices. The libstumbler library, an embeddable Android library supporting both stumbling and location lookups, may also need updates for current Android development tools.