Network Working Group                                     H. Schulzrinne
Request for Comments: 4589                                   Columbia U.
Category: Standards Track                                  H. Tschofenig
                                                                 Siemens
                                                               July 2006
                        Location Types Registry
Status of This Memo
   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006).
Abstract
   This document creates a registry for describing the types of places a
   human or end system might be found.  The registry is then referenced
   by other protocols that need a common set of location terms as
   protocol constants.  Examples of location terms defined in this
   document include aircraft, office, and train station.
Table of Contents
   1. Introduction ....................................................2
   2. Terminology .....................................................3
   3. Location Types ..................................................3
   4. Schema ..........................................................6
   5. IANA Considerations .............................................7
      5.1. Registering Tokens .........................................7
      5.2. URN Sub-Namespace Registration for
           urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:location-type .......................8
      5.3. Schema Registration for Schema
           urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:location-type .......................9
   6. Internationalization Considerations .............................9
   7. Security Considerations .........................................9
   8. Acknowledgements ................................................9
   9. References .....................................................10
      9.1. Normative References ......................................10
      9.2. Informative References ....................................10
Schulzrinne & Tschofenig    Standards Track                     [Page 1]
RFC 4589                Location Types Registry                July 2006
1.  Introduction
   This document creates a registry for location type tokens.  We
   anticipate that the network, through configuration or management
   protocols, tells a mobile device what kind of location it finds
   itself in.  The device and associated software can then tailor its
   behavior to the environment.  For example, this document defines the
   terms "classroom", "place-of-worship", and "theater".  A considerate
   owner of a cell phone might program the device to switch from ringer
   to vibrate mode in such environments.  Just knowing the geographic
   location, be it as civic (street address) or geospatial coordinates,
   would generally not allow the device to make a similar decision.
   Naturally, the number of descriptive terms for physical environments
   is almost unbounded.  This registry tries to identify common terms
   that are likely to be useful for communications devices and for
   controlling and guiding communications behavior.  The terms roughly
   correspond to the level of details of location descriptions and icons
   found on geographic maps, for example, and are meant to be in common
   use across a variety of cultures and countries.  The registration
   process described in the IANA Considerations section allows this list
   to be extended as needed, while aiming to prevent an unnecessary
   explosion in the registry.
   The use of tokens (i.e., protocol constants) makes it easier to build
   systems across multiple languages.  A user interface can readily
   translate a finite set of tokens to user-appropriate textual or
   iconic representations.  Protocols using this registry are encouraged
   to provide additional mechanisms to accommodate location types not
   currently registered via free-text fields with appropriate language
   and character set labeling.
   The terms defined in this registry do not attempt to provide a
   hierarchy of location descriptions, except in certain special cases.
   For example, the term "restaurant" is defined to include the term
   "cafe", and the term "public" encompasses a range of descriptors, as
   noted below.  The registry makes these more generic terms available
   as often the more detailed distinctions may not be available, or
   privacy concerns suggest the use of less precise terms that are still
   sufficient to guide communications behavior or evaluate the source of
   a phone call or message, say.
   In many cases, a location might be described by multiple terms that
   apply at the same time.  For example, the combination of "restaurant"
   and "airport" is immediately recognizable.  This registry makes no
   attempt to limit the number of terms that can be used to describe a
   single place or to restrict what combinations are allowed, given that
   there are few combinations that are physically impossible.  Common
Schulzrinne & Tschofenig    Standards Track                     [Page 2]
RFC 4589                Location Types Registry                July 2006
   sense is probably a better guide here; the authors would not want to
   rule out creative business models such as combinations of "parking"
   and "restaurant" or "bar" and "hospital".  The number of terms that
   can be used within the same protocol element is left to the protocol
   description.
   This document does not describe how the values of the registry are to
   be used, as this description is provided by other documents.  For
   example, [5] describes options for carrying civic address
   information, including the place type attributes listed in this
   document, using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCPv4 and
   DHCPv6).  A usage for Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service
   (RADIUS) is described in [6], where this information is conveyed from
   the RADIUS client to the RADIUS server.  Rich presence (RPID [4])
   also utilizes the values of the location types registry.
2.  Terminology
   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in [1].
3.  Location Types
   This section describes types of locations where an entity is located.
   The entity is not further specified and can be a person or an object
   such as a network access point or end system.
   aircraft:  A device that is used or intended to be used for flight in
      the air, such as an airplane, helicopter, gyroplane, glider, or
      lighter-than-air devices like a balloon.
   airport:  A place from which aircrafts operate, such as an airport or
      heliport.
   arena:  Enclosed area used for sports events.
   automobile:  An automotive vehicle, usually four-wheeled, designed
      for passenger transportation, such as a car.
   bank:  Business establishment in which money is kept for saving,
      commercial purposes, is invested, supplied for loans, or
      exchanged.
   bar:  A bar or saloon.
   bicycle:  A vehicle with two wheels tandem, a steering handle, a
      saddle seat, and pedals by which it is propelled.
Schulzrinne & Tschofenig    Standards Track                     [Page 3]
RFC 4589                Location Types Registry                July 2006
   bus:  A large motor vehicle designed to carry passengers.
   bus-station:  Terminal that serves bus passengers, such as a bus
      depot or bus terminal.
   cafe:  Usually a small and informal establishment that serves various
      refreshments (such as coffee); coffee shop.
   classroom:  Academic classroom or lecture hall.
   club:  Dance club, nightclub, or discotheque.
   construction:  Construction site.
   convention-center:  Convention center or exhibition hall.
   government:  Government building, such as those used by the
      legislative, executive, or judicial branches of governments,
      including court houses, police stations, and military
      installations.
   hospital:  Hospital, hospice, medical clinic, mental institution, or
      doctor's office.
   hotel:  Hotel, motel, inn, or other lodging establishment.
   industrial:  Industrial setting, such as a manufacturing floor or
      power plant.
   library:  Library or other public place in which literary and
      artistic materials, such as books, music, periodicals, newspapers,
      pamphlets, prints, records, and tapes, are kept for reading,
      reference, or lending.
   motorcycle:  A two-wheeled automotive vehicle, including a scooter.
   office:  Business setting, such as an office.
   other:  A place without a registered place type representation.
   outdoors:  Outside a building, in or into the open air, such as a
      park or city streets.
   parking:  A parking lot or parking garage.
   place-of-worship:  A religious site where congregations gather for
      religious observances, such as a church, chapel, meetinghouse,
      mosque, shrine, synagogue, or temple.
Schulzrinne & Tschofenig    Standards Track                     [Page 4]
RFC 4589                Location Types Registry                July 2006
   prison:  Correctional institution where persons are confined while on
      trial or for punishment, such as a prison, penitentiary, jail,
      brig.
   public:  Public area such as a shopping mall, street, park, public
      building, train station, or airport or in public conveyance such
      as a bus, train, plane, or ship.  This general description
      encompasses the more precise descriptors 'street', 'public-
      transport', 'aircraft', 'bus', 'bus-station', 'train', 'train-
      station', 'airport', 'shopping-area', 'outdoors', and
      'watercraft'.
   public-transport:  Any form of public transport, including aircraft,
      bus, train, or ship.
   residence:  A private or residential setting, not necessarily the
      personal residence of the entity, e.g., including a friend's home.
   restaurant:  Restaurant, coffee shop, or other public dining
      establishment.
   school:  School or university property, but not necessarily a
      classroom or library.
   shopping-area:  Shopping mall or shopping area.  This area is a
      large, often enclosed, shopping complex containing various stores,
      businesses, and restaurants usually accessible by common
      passageways.
   stadium:  Large, usually open structure for sports events, including
      a racetrack.
   store:  Place where merchandise is offered for sale, such as a shop.
   street:  A public thoroughfare, such as an avenue, street, alley,
      lane, or road, including any sidewalks.
   theater:  Theater, lecture hall, auditorium, classroom, movie
      theater, or similar facility designed for presentations, talks,
      plays, music performances, and other events involving an audience.
   train:  Train, monorail, maglev, cable car, or similar conveyance.
   train-station:  Terminal where trains load or unload passengers or
      goods; railway station, railroad station, railroad terminal, train
      depot.
Schulzrinne & Tschofenig    Standards Track                     [Page 5]
RFC 4589                Location Types Registry                July 2006
   truck:  An automotive vehicle suitable for hauling, used primarily to
      carry goods rather than people.
   underway:  In a land-, water-, or aircraft that is underway (in
      motion).
   unknown:  The type of place is unknown.
   warehouse:  Place in which goods or merchandise are stored, such as a
      storehouse or self-storage facility.
   water:  In, on, or above bodies of water, such as an ocean, lake,
      river, canal, or other waterway.
   watercraft:  On a vessel for travel on water such as a boat or ship.
4.  Schema
   This registry can be used in two ways, first, as a list of tokens, to
   be referenced by appropriate protocols that accept textual tokens,
   and second, as a schema, with its own namespace, referenced by other
   schema, either explicitly or via namespace="##other".
   
   
See RFC4589.