A Self-Healing Plug-in Parser for NMEA Streams

This paper develops a novel approach to parsing NMEA 0183 Standard streams on mobile information devices. The parser architecture is extensible, based on the model view controller design pattern. It enables application layers to "plug-in" vendor- and/or application-specific protocols, reusing the pattern and saving time and labor. The parser is furthermore "self- healing," namely, to improve robustness and recover gracefully from errors. We analyze the parser design which we compare with other parsers in the public domain. We also measure the space and time characteristics using data from a GPS transceiver connected by Bluetooth to a mobile information device.