Windows Sensor and Location Platform

The Windows Sensor and Location platform, which is new for Windows 7, enables your computer and applications to adapt to their current environment. With location sensors -- including GPS devices, WWAN radios, and even triangulation technology -- your applications and gadgets can know exactly where they are, enabling them to provide more locally relevant content and functionality. Ambient light sensors, for example, can allow your computer to automatically adjust your screen's brightness based on the current lighting conditions. They can also enable applications to optimize their content for readability, making your computer more useful in a range of operating environments than ever before.

The platform provides a standard way to integrate sensor and location devices into Windows, as well as a standard programming interface for applications to take advantage of these devices. On Windows 7, the user has control over how data from these devices is exposed to applications. Hardware manufacturers can learn how to write sensor and location drivers by installing the Windows 7 WDK. Developers can learn how to write location-aware and sensor-enabled applications by installing the Windows 7 SDK.

Windows Sensor and Location Platform
White PaperImplementing Light-Aware UI Using the Windows Sensor and Location Platform [1.5 MB]
White PaperIntegrating Ambient Light Sensors with Windows 7 Computers [174 KB]  
White PaperIntroducing the Windows Sensor and Location Platform [177 KB]

Sensor and Location on MSDN
Microsoft.comLocation SDK Documentation  
Microsoft.comMSDN Code Gallery Sensors page  
Microsoft.comSensor SDK Documentation  
Microsoft.comSensor WDK Documentation  

Sensors - WinHEC 2008
Microsoft Powerpoint (.ppt)Windows 7 Sensor and Location Platform [WinHEC 2008; 4.4 MB]

Resources
Windows MultimediaPDC Session: The Sensor and Location Platform: Building Context-Aware Applications
This link leaves the Microsoft.com siteSensor Development Kit from Freescale Semiconductor
Microsoft.comMSDN Developer Forum

Gavin Gear's Tech Blog

Windows 7 Sensor development kit downloads are live!
Wed, 20 May 2009 17:31:00 GMT

How to get new Freescale sensor boards to work on Windows 7
Fri, 08 May 2009 19:17:00 GMT

Windows API Code Pack is live, and with support for Windows 7 Sensors!
Thu, 07 May 2009 19:29:00 GMT

View All Recent Blog Posts...

Jim Travis's Blog
Covering the Windows 7 Sensor and Location Platform and other cool technologies.

Sensor Constants and VECTOR Types
Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:04:00 GMT

New page on Freescale's Web site for the Windows 7 Sensor Development Kit
Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:04:00 GMT

Location Sensors Question from a Reader
Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:29:00 GMT

View All Recent Blog Posts...