How Knowing Who, Where and When Can Change Health Care Delivery INTRODUCTION: THE POTENTIAL OF ACTIVE LOCATION AWARE TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH CARE Locomotion is elemental to the definition of what it is to be human and to our understanding of what constitutes proper health. Disorders such as Par- kinson's disease and other neurological maladies which restrict mobility are among the most feared of disorders because they cause such dire limita- tions in a person's activities. While a person in the later stages of a movement limiting disease may clearly evidence the disorder, the disorders may begin slowly and reveal themselves in subtle changes in movements which may not be apparent to the afflicted. The main argument of the present chapter is that current location aware technology can be used to detect subtle changes in movement patterns in everyday living situations as well as in formal care budget has forced governments to consider innovative technological approaches to mitigate rising healthcare costs. One innovation under study is to implement "smart house" technolo- gies in the homes of persons who may be at risk of developing expensive chronic disorders or suffering the effects of their sequelae (Pavel et al., 2007). This strategy includes monitoring and evaluating behavioral changes (Harvey, Zhou, Keller, Rantz, & He, 2009) including the early detection of potentially expensive or lethal disorders, the delineation of high fall risk areas in the home through the study of resident traffic patterns (Wang, Skubic, & Zhu, 2009), or detecting falls and injuries rapidly and summoning prompt assistance in order to minimize recovery costs (Hamill, Young, Boger, & Mihailidis, 2009). In each case the intent is to improve care through improved surveillance and significantly reduce the likelihood that the resident will transit into