GPSGate server

From Franson - GPSGate Server - this was posted up mid Dec 06.

GpsGate Server - Coming soon...

1. Introduction

GpsGate Server is a new product from Franson Technology. It is designed for mobile business use.

2. Typical things you can do using GpsGate Server

Track your vehicle fleet. Send and receive information from the drivers.

Broadcast a boat race with live position tracking over the Internet

Extend your current business system with position aware functionality.

Integrate mapping and live position functionality to your homepage.

And more...

3. Technology

The server is built around .NET, you can use MySQL or MSSQL as database. GpsGate Server can be installed on a standard shared web hosting account as well as your own dedicated server.

Clients are built around .NET CF and J2ME. Since you can access the server functionality with web services, other languages can be used as well.

View maps, tracks, reports and live objects in a browser using AJAX technology.

For none commercial project you can use Google Maps as map database, for commercial projects (which Google prohibits) you can use GpsGate Server's web control which works the same way as Google's.

You can also use GpsGate 2.0 to send your live position to GpsGate Server.

4. When and where can I get this?

For more info please contact us here.

Web 2.0 technology, GPS, LBS what more do you need? :)

Tags: LBS, GPS, Location Based Services, Map, lbsgps, Franson, GPSGate

Excuse me - is this the way to the Super Bowl?

My understanding is that this is NOT the Superbowl commercial but a funny music video made from bits and pieces. I'm pretty sure that the Super Bowl commercial is being kept locked up in a cellar somewhere, being fed gruel and water so as to look its best for the big launch whenever the game is on - Feb 4th?
There is a competition here.

From LBSZone:

OLATHE, Kan., Jan. 24 -- Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN) , today announced that it will air a 30- second television commercial during Super Bowl XLI on February 4th in Miami. The spot airs midway through the Super Bowl's second quarter.

The commercial is Garmin's first Super Bowl ad and the first-ever for any consumer electronics manufacturer that specializes in GPS navigation -- and is the company's latest effort to expose a global audience to the Garmin brand. Garmin is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of GPS enabled devices for consumers.

"The Super Bowl showcases some of the world's most recognizable brands, and our participation demonstrates Garmin's desire to be counted among them," said Jon Cassat, Garmin's director of marketing communications. "The popularity of GPS navigation is expected to continue growing rapidly in 2007, so we felt it was important to further establish Garmin as the market leader in this important and increasingly ubiquitous consumer technology."

The theme of the commercial is "Grab your Garmin, Take on the World" - demonstrating how Garmin personal navigation devices can save the everyday consumer time, money, and hassles. Taken to the extreme, the commercial is a humorous 1960s-style sci-fi piece. The commercial's quirky low-tech production treatment is in playful contrast to Garmin's cutting edge GPS technology and other advertisers' use of complex computer effects.

The spot begins with an "Average Joe" finding himself lost and unfolding a road map for help. The map continues to unfurl and expand -- quickly taking over the car -- eventually turning into the dreaded "Maposaurus." Thankfully, another motorist -- armed with his Garmin nuvi(R) -- morphs into a superhero who battles and defeats the dreaded map monster. An earnest yet over-the-top heavy metal band adds narration to the epic battle.

Garmin's nuvi line of Personal Travel Assistants was introduced in late 2005, and has quickly become the standard by which other personal navigation devices are judged -- thanks to its elegant design, simple user interface, and rich set of features.

The project was conceived and produced with the help of Minneapolis-based Fallon Worldwide, one of the world's most critically acclaimed, creatively driven branding ad agencies which was also responsible for Garmin's infectious and highly successful "Give a Garmin" 2006 holiday campaign.

"To an engineer, these devices are literally rocket science, but in the hands of the consumer, they're anything but," said Fallon group creative director Brian Tierney. "We purposely went for a look and feel that would make the technology approachable and the brand likeable to the consumer-all while communicating the core idea that in the arena of personal navigation, Garmin is the no-holds-barred champion.

For more updates, insights, and a full-length music video of Garmin's Super Bowl commercial, visit www.garmin.com and http://garmin.blogs.com/.

I hope they release the ad as a viral marketing campaign as well. Superbowl ads are notorious for their flops as well as their successes - think back to Napster's ad last year...

Tecnorati Tags: location based services, lbs, gps, lbsgps, Garmin, Super Bowl

LBS and maps versus video to mobiles

From Australian Mobile Telecommuncations Association AMTA:

3G.co.uk reports that after years of eagerly anticipating video would be the "killer application" for 3G, a new survey from In-Stat finds that existing and potential 3G customers are much more interested in high-quality mapping and navigation services. However, 3G carriers that want to capture that market will have to expand the availability of compatible handsets.

"Expanding the number of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) or Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) handsets from today's levels will be an important step for 3G carriers to provide the applications their customers really want," says David Chamberlain, In-Stat analyst. "Unfortunately, technology choices left over from the 1990s make this difficult but carriers and handset vendors are starting to provide an increasing flow of products that better meet the 3G customers' needs."

In addition, the In-Stat report "3G and Mobile Multimedia," based on a survey of over 1000 mobile users, found the following:

Current 3G users are very enthusiastic about the service, which is in marked contrast with other customers who have expressed dissatisfaction with premium applications.
Customer awareness of 3G is not particularly strong, with over half the respondents indicating they don't know whether their carrier offers 3G.
An unprecedented number of respondents - nearly half - indicated that they would consider changing carriers in order to get 3G.
The research, "3G and Mobile Multimedia", covers carrier initiatives and marketing of 3G services in North America, Europe and Asia, and includes the results of In-Stat's survey of North American mobile phone users. The report explores the survey's results to gauge users' awareness of 3G, particularly their own carrier's 3G plans; uptake of 3G services, both to the handset and using a 3G wireless modem with a laptop computer; and interest in a variety of applications that have been considered important to 3G's future.

They didnt' have a date on the article, but the interest in LBS and maps as opposed to video is intriguing.

Tags: AMTA, Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, 3g.co.uk, LBS, location based services, mapping, A-GPS

GPS and Golf

SkyCaddie from skygolfgps:

THE ADVANTAGE OF A TOUR CADDIE IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND!
Golf is more than a game of skill. It is also a game of strategy and course management. And the key to managing the course is your caddie – Your SkyCaddie! Unlike other rangefinders that depend on line-of-sight to calculate distances or use unreliable mapping, SkyCaddie combines state-of-the-art GPS technology with a network of precision-mapped golf courses to provide you with the information you need to play every hole like a PGA Tour professional.

They have an interesting personalisation area and social network called My Clubhouse - MySkyCaddie has a "courses I've mapped" area and stuff. Enjoy!

Tags: lbsgps, lbs, location based services, gps, leisure, golf, skycaddie, skygolfgps

The Australian - article on mobile phone futures

An article from The Australian IT by Michael Sainsbury:

Digital media players do the numbers on mobiles
Michael Sainsbury
JANUARY 22, 2007

AH, the humble mobile phone. How far it has come in such a short time from its days as a lumbering in-car contraption that could drain the battery of a Rolls-Royce.

Most handsets these days are all-singing, all-dancing gadgets that fit snugly in your pocket.

Armed with increasingly good digital cameras, MP3 music players, email and shrunk-down versions of personal computer software, mobiles are fast emerging as the next major media platform.

At least that is what telecommunications and media companies are placing their bets on.

After stumbling a number of times over more than half a decade in their bid to provide rich content services on phones, mobiles companies are finally getting it right -- although Australia still lags Europe, the mobile market with which we have most in common, by a year or two.

A number of critical things have fallen into place.

Perhaps most fundamental is that third-generation networks are now fast enough for people to access content without getting fed up. The latest 3G upgrade, a mouthful known as HSDPA, is a real improvement, with much faster speeds promised by networks over the next few years.

Consumers, who are getting increasingly used to much faster fixed-line broadband speed, simply won't put up with slow and clunky mobile service.

Operators, led by Hutchison's 3 Mobile, are better finessing their charging model.

And pricing, the bane of any service attempting mass market acceptance, has been falling, although still not far enough in many cases.

But despite their best efforts and a renewed push by market gorilla Telstra, take-up of mobile content services has been far slower than most had hoped.

One reason is that mobile content/services/internet -- whatever you want to call it -- has primarily been driven by the telcos who win the network and bill the customers. Network and engineer-driven telcos have struggled to understand content.

But this is all starting to change.

Here lies the most important shift that is starting to emerge: digital media players such as Ninemsn, Yahoo7, The Australian's publisher News, Fairfax Media and the raft of smaller players are getting active in mobiles.

Through the Australian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association they are planning a consumer "mobile content education campaign" to show people there is something worthwhile at the end of the rainbow.

This type of education is far from altruistic; it's more about advertisers finding the rainbow's pot of gold.

For what started out as a nice-to-have add-on to voice services is fast becoming an imperative for the fast-changing telecommunications industry and a media industry being forced through rapid change as the internet starts to erode revenues and margins for traditional media.

Basically, mobile is a rolled gold opportunity that none of them can afford to stuff up. The mobile is perhaps where we are seeing the truest expression of that most over- used of terms: "convergence".

So with many of the hurdles -- apart from pesky demand -- cleared, content providers are starting to ask that most basic question: where's the business model? If you look at "3" which has more of its customers paying more each month for non-SMS content than its rivals, a small monthly subscription fee of between $1 and $5 for a growing range of content packages -- news, movies, chat, sport, etc -- appears to be working best.

But while that is working, the spectre and opportunity of advertising on mobiles is looming fast.

Spoon fed on years of free-to-air television and now with the myriad free content options available on the internet, consumers remain reticent to pay for electronic content, or at least reticent about paying too much. In Australia, the remarkable resistance to the charms of pay-TV only bolsters this.

So it is logical that we will increasingly see more advertising on phones.

Chris Noone, who runs the mobile side of Ninemsn, Australia's most popular consumer portal, believes 2007 is the year mobile advertising will start to make its mark.

"Last year it was mainly hype; this year it is happening."

Noone also says that opportunities will multiply as operators bring down the mobile "walled gardens" that force customers to only access content on the operator's portal. This only works for so long, as AOL found out on the fixed-line internet to its, and its shareholders, chagrin.

Advertising is also a perfect match for location-based services that mobiles can provide by identifying the location of a user through triangulation of GPS technology.

Still, advertisements that work on TV or the internet banner ads and pop-ups will not, in most cases, work on mobiles.

On a mobile screen which is much smaller, advertisers need to be sophisticated in finding new ways to approach the new platform.

One way being suggested is that advertisers will sponsor certain content.

What is for certain is that success will often require close co-ordination between operators, advertisers, media companies and handset manufacturers.

But the opportunity is enormous. Unlike the TV or even the PC, mobiles are truly the personal individual device and the marketing opportunity as niche as you like.

As such, companies that find smart ways to use mobiles to advertise their wares and connect with customers will doubtless find their pot of gold.

sainsburym@theaustralian.com.au

Beats the heck outta me why the newsfeeds still have the journo's work email address. Sometimes it comes with their desk phone, mobile phone, cubicle number and pants size too!

Why do technology writers always limit LBS to advertising? o.O It's like say "wow! web pages would be great for pop-ups!". I mean, he kinda says that but doesn't offer any other LBS solutions. Silly, really.

Technorati Tags: Location based services, lbsgps, lbs, gps, mobile, The Australian, Michael Sainsbury

3GSM in Barcelona

Here are 50 LBS companies listed in the Exhibitors list for 3GSM World Congress Barcelona :
3i mobile
ACE*COMM
Andrew Corporation
Appear Networks
Benefon Oyj
BLIP Systems
Call Genie
Casabyte Inc
CityNeo
CommProve Ltd
ComputaMaps
eRide Inc
ESRI
Futurlink
Garmin Europe Ltd
gate5 AG
GISDATA
Global Locate
Glonav, Inc.
Infoterra
IT Ware Kft
M-Spatial
Mobilaris AB
Mobile Acuity
Mobiles2go
MTRAQ
Neomagic
Oksijen Teknoloji
Openwave
PA Consulting Group
Plextek Ltd
Qualcomm
Redknee
Rennes Metropole
Romad Secure Ltd
Seeker Wireless Limited
SolidLabs
TechnoCom
Tele Atlas Iberia S.L. Unipersonal
Telecommunication Systems Inc
Telenity
Telesoft Technologies
Teydo BV
TIC-mobile GmbH
Tracalert Services Ltd
TrackWell
TruePosition, Inc
U-Blox
Wipro Technologies
Zoran Corporation
I grabbed this list from their personal planner called "My 3GSM experience" that I copied and pasted. So, 50 listed under location technology and services. From 1300 stands. Is that a lot? How many were there last year, one wonders? Why don't we see LBS on the agenda at Telecomms conferences here in Australia more often, one also wonders?

Technorati Tags: LBSGPS, location based services, lbs, gps, event, 3gsm, barcelona

Public GeoData Organisation petition

The petition states:

We the undersigned, ask Members of the European Parliament to adequately amend or, failing that, to reject the current draft of the INSPIRE Directive on European Spatial Data Infrastructure because it:

* Does not guarantee that European citizens and businesses can download and freely re-use Geographic Information collected by government.
* Instead it entrenches a policy of charging citizens for information they have already paid to collect, enforced by state copyright over geographic information.

Given that:

* Public Geographic Information is the bedrock of how civil society is managed in the information age.
* Free map data could enable a new generation of location-based technologies with enormous economic and social potential.
* Open access to geodata is the best way to ensure co-operation between Europe's government agencies on environmental and census data, and in other important fields.

The INSPIRE Directive in its current form risks holding back the economic and social potential in maps and location-based technology in Europe by many years.

7200 signatures and counting. What is the deal with GeoData collected in Australia, anyone know? (What is Inspire?)

Technorati Tags: LBS, location based services, geodata, petition, public geodata, inspire, spatial, australia, europe, gps, global, positioning

GSMLoc project

From Christopher Schmidt, Web Developer and GSM/LBS enthusiast - his GSMLOC project.

Ever wanted to know where you were, but didn't have a GPS handy? Wondered about ways to use that cell phone sitting in your pocket to find out where you are?

These are things that the network providers want to offer to you -- at high cost, either to you or a partner that would charge the cost back to you.

As a broke college student, I asked myself these things. Then I got a GPS, and realized that there *is* another way around it. With some Python code and a lot of free time, I wandered around town, recording GPS traces and associating them with cell towers.

This project was born of that. I've loaded my data in, and I'm working with other people around the country (US) and the world to collect data in every city, town, country. Want to help? Grab a program, grab a GPS, and upload some data. Don't have a GPS? Use the simple form to enter your location and cell ID.

Wired had something to say about it too:

Schmidt spends his time wandering around his hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts, using his custom cell-phone software to unmask the ID numbers on each GSM cell tower he passes. Then he associates that tower ID with a GPS-defined location, and uploads it to his website.

When his electronic surveying is complete, Schmidt will have a system that can tell him where he is at all times -- without GPS -- by triangulating the signals from the newly mapped cell towers.

Calling himself a "neogeographer," Schmidt is part of a generation of coders whose work is inspired by easily obtained map data, as well as the mashups made possible by Google Maps and Microsoft's Virtual Earth.

The Geowanking project sounds coooool.
I've long been a fan of such projects as platial - I was speaking last year about how these mashups will change the face of GSM and LBS. Bring it on!

Technorati Tags: LBS, GPS, Location Based Services, GSM, triangulation, Christopher Schmidt, GSMLoc, Wired, GeoWank, platial

Europe and LBS

Business Week (Online) has an article Europe in CEO's Guide to Technology by Kate Norton

Europe Takes to Location-Based Cell Service
Services that give cell-phone users place-based info fast are finally taking hold in Europe—and are welcomed by revenue-hungry providers. Five years ago, mobile-phone makers and wireless operators waxed poetic about the prospects for technology that would offer consumers maps, traffic reports, and localized search from the palm of their hands. But the march toward so-called location-based services was impeded by primitive phones, pokey connections, and a dearth of enticing applications. "Uptake was a catastrophe," bluntly declares Ralph Eric Kunz, vice-president of multimedia experiences for handset giant Nokia.

Now, thanks to higher-resolution color screens, faster wireless data links, and the arrival of browser-enabled handsets, the picture is finally beginning to brighten. Sales of software and services that let consumers find a nearby post office or the fastest route to a destination are finally starting to take off. And mobile operators burned by the previous wave of hype are dipping their toes back into the business. Swedish-Finnish operator TeliaSonera, for instance, now offers 10 location-based services, including Yellow Pages, weather information, route displays with voice prompts, and a "friend-finder" capability.

I give it 5 more years before it hits Australia. "...impeded by primitive phones, pokey connections, and a dearth of enticing applications." Yep, 2011.

Technorati Tags: location based services, LBS, Business Week Online, Kate Norton, Europe, Australia

2400 Hotspots in Singapore

I used to live in Kim Yam Rd, Singapore. I still miss it... Anyway, ITWire has this

SingTel is planning to install 2400 hotspots across Northern Singapore by May 2007 through which it will offer free Internet access and unlimited VoIP calls for a fixed monthly fee as well as TV over broadband and location based and other services.

In addition to free basic Internet services such as surfing and emailing at these wireless hotspots, SingTel says that customers "can expect to enjoy new value-added services that are timely, innovative and personalised to meet their lifestyle needs and location."

These services include Broadband TV on the move, SingTel’s eConcierge smart location-based services, WhizGuide and BuddyWRU (Buddy Where Are You), as well as unlimited mobile VoIP calls at a fixed monthly fee.

I loved the infrastructure there. *looks at Sol Trujillo* :(

Technorati Tags: Location based services, lbs, singapore, ITWire

(LBS) Subs Will Total 315 Million in Five Years

From our fave magazine, Directions:

Company: ABI Research
Industry: Telecommunications, Wireless / Navigation, Location-based Services (LBS)
Location: New York, NY, United States of America
In 2011, the total population of GPS-enabled location-based services (LBS) subscribers will reach 315 million, up from 12 million in 2006, according to a new study from ABI Research. Put another way, that represents a rise from less than 0.5% of total wireless subscribers today to more than 9% worldwide at the end of the study's 5-year forecast period.

Not if they don't get a move on (with development), they won't. Full article.

Technorati Tags Location Based Services, LBS,

Medical emergencies: Football games, concerts

Telenav press release:

Carilion Clinic Cuts Down Emergency Medical Response Times with TeleNav Track(TM); Replaces Radio-Based GPS Tracking System with Enhanced Web-Based Service

In an emergency situation, every second counts for first response medical teams. An essential part of Virginia-based Carilion Clinic's success is due to finding and implementing the latest proven technologies that improve healthcare. That is why Carilion Clinic and TeleNav Inc. today announced the implementation of TeleNav's TeleNav Track(TM) GPS solution over mobile phones, to assist Carilion with the location and deployment of ambulances and emergency medical teams during local organized events. The Carilion Clinic is western Virginia's leading healthcare partner.
Carilion Patient Transportation Services was recently tasked with providing medical response teams for events that take place at the Martinsville Speedway, which often attracts thousands of people.

"Large events, such as an auto race, football game or concert, are very difficult environments for emergency medical response teams to easily work in. The number of people can be overwhelming, making it vital to implement a system that will help us send teams to an area within minutes of any reported incident," said Allan Belcher, operations manager, Carilion Patient Transportation Services. "The mobility of TeleNav Track allows us to locate the closest available resources, send them to the location of the emergency while simultaneously watching the status of the call directly from anywhere in the world."

TeleNav Track is a fully hosted, 100 percent Web-based service available at http://www.telenavtrack.com/. The price per phone/device starts with the TeleNav Track Basic plan at $9.99 per month, plus a one-time $19.99 activation fee. The basic service includes GPS tracking, timesheets and location reporting. The TeleNav Track Plus plan is priced at $12.99 per month, which adds two-way messaging. The $15.99 per month TeleNav Track Enhanced plan adds barcode scanning, wireless forms and job dispatching and scheduling capabilities. TeleNav Track Premium is priced at $21.99 per month and includes turn-by-turn voice and visual navigation.

Technorati Tags Location Based Services, LBS, teleNav, medical

AirIQ Named 15th Fastest Growing Technology Company in Canada

AirIQ Named 15th Fastest Growing Technology Company in Canada

2006 Deloitte Fast 50 Ranking measures % revenue growth over 5 years

"AirIQ is a leader in the telematics service industry, using wireless communications to send and receive location-based information and control messages to and from vehicles and vessels. AirIQ's increase in revenues of 2,438% from 2001 to 2005 resulted in a 15th ranking overall in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50. "

Rest of press release here at Marketwire.com.
Technorati Tags Location Based Services, LBS, marketwire, AirIQ

MAST patent

Press Release from Marketwire:

TCS Receives Cornerstone Location and Presence Patent -- Enables Delivery of Wireless Device Information to Authorized Sources

The MAST invention allows presence information and location information regarding a particular wireless device, which is contained in the Home Location Register (HLR) of a wireless carrier, to be made available to any authorized outside entity or application. This invention enables authorized sources to use location and presence information for specialized services such as location-based advertising and couponing, mapping, mobile instant messaging, traffic alerts and geo-fencing.

Head here for more info.

Technorati Tags Location Based Services, LBS, Mobile Activity Status Tracker, MAST

NEC and Qualcomm

IT News from Italy has this press release (via Presswire I think):

NEC COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL A-GPS INTEROPERABILITY TESTING WITH QUALCOMM USING A "SUPL VERSION 1.0 STANDARD LOCATION PROTOCOL"

...announced the successful completion of assisted-GPS (A-GPS) interoperability testing (IOT) on a commercial GPRS/WCDMA network in Japan and London.

NEC and QUALCOMM support the standard to meet the rapidly accelerating demand for higher-accuracy location-based services in Europe, North and South America and Asia."NEC is committed to the global success of location-based information services.

In 2001, our technology enabled the first commercial user-plane location information system built in Japan," said Ruth Brannvall, Head of Value Added Services, NEC Europe Ltd. "Today, the success of our IOT with QUALCOMM ensures the user-plane A-GPS location-information system is no longer dependent upon operators' control plane networks, providing continual improvements to mobile operators' location-based information services."

Technorati Tags Location Based Services, LBS, NEC, Qualcomm, Brannvall

Blackberry and GPS

From a Press Release (techwhacks):

RESTON, Va., and WATERLOO, ON. - Sept. 20, 2006 - Sprint (NYSE: S) and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced the BlackBerryÒ 8703e from Sprint with updated features, including EV-DO support and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) capability in a sleek and light design.

The BlackBerry 8703e includes integrated GPS (assisted-GPS) enabled through Sprint to deliver support for popular location-based services to mobile users, such as turn-by-turn driving directions to any address, anywhere on the Nationwide Sprint PCS Network.

Technorati Tags Location based services, lbs, techwhack.com, Sprint, BlackBerry 8703e

Cornershop in India

Indian Television has this:

MUMBAI: Cornershop Entertainment has launched an SMS based information service called Info on the Go. Ask 757577 is a service that works on any mobile phone with a text messaging facility.

It claims to be simple and user-friendly, as one can SMS questions to 757577. This service helps extend the virtual boundaries of knowledge and is available to all pre-paid and post-paid mobile users, informs an official release.

Ask757577 is a service that delivers Info on the go. You can now get quick and easy access to restaurants, weather, movie timenigs, emergency services, sports scores, directions, and more. At Ask757577 we are singularly focused on helping users find what they need through ever-changing mobile technologies. Ask757577 promises to be committed to meeting the search challenge of users.

"Innovation in services is key to reaching out to people, we believe in innovating against demand, and there is a strong demand for accurate info based services in the wireless market place" said CornerShop director Chirag Shah. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through the delivery of highly personalized location based services.

CornerShop claims to be the first to launch SMS voting/polling on reality TV in India for shows like Sa Re Ga Ma, Business Baazigar, Zee Cine Awards. The company also powers India's first 24 hour live interactive gaming channel 'PlayTV'.

Is SMS info LBS? I guess you SMS "where is the nearest MacDonalds" and it does a location check on your phone and sends back an answer? Much better than an "always on" push solution, I reckon.

They have a 24 hour live interactive gaming channel PlayTV? o.O Is that online gambling or quiz shows or tetris or what?

Technorati Tags lbs, indian television, Location Based Services, Cornershop,

Rescue me: SMS from kidnapped 14-year-old

Jim Davenport in South Carolina as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald:

POLICE have arrested the man they believe is responsible for kidnapping a 14-year-old girl who sent a text message to her mother that led to her rescue from a booby-trapped bunker.

The sheriff said the text message the girl sent to her mother came from Filyaw's mobile phone. Investigators used telecommunications towers to determine the general location of the phone used to send the message.

Soon, triangulation (iffy at best) will be a thing of the past.

Technorati Tags LBS, Elizabeth Shoaf,Sydney Morning Herald, kidnap, mobile phone

Dude, where's my coffee?

From the Taipei Times:

Tim Hibbard wants you to see where he is. On his Web site, timhibbard.com/wherestim, Hibbard uses GPS technology to plot his location on a map of Lawrence, Kansas, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A GPS phone in his car feeds information into a Google Map, and a small icon represents Tim Hibbard, Web site architect and self- confessed geek. If you zoom in on the location, you can see the roof of the building he's in. If you were familiar with Lawrence, you could suggest things for Hibbard to do.

"One guy sent me a text message which said: `Hey dude! Get some coffee!' I was actually already on my way to get coffee," he recalls.
It won't be long before Hibbard's isn't the only pin on such maps.

The article is actually from The Guardian (Ronan Fitzgerald) but few traditional media outlets link to original articles. Unlike bloggers. From Tim's website:

Jeff Julian and John Alexander were nice enough to interview me on PodcastStudio.net; We talked about Where's Tim, GPS, consumer trust and all kinds of fun stuff. The podcast is here, and the podcast feed is here...check them out.

I'll have a latte, thnx.

Technorati Tags Online Communities, Tim Hibbard, Taipei Times, Ronan Fitzgerald, Guardian, LBS

Update on LBS

Funny, LBS articles seem to be focussing on privacy and fear issues at the moment. We're not blogging much because most of the information is same-old, same-old. Meaning; new children's phones or tracking of packages/personnel and that's it.

Anyway here's some stuff:
MobHappy - Sexual Predator Zones

I was reading about a YAKTA (Yet Another Kid Tracking Application) this morning and one sentence leapt out at me as being different. After the normal blurb about tracking loved ones’ movements in real time, it says that the service
even alerts them [parents] when their child is in a sexual predator zone.
I was intrigued by the Sexual Predator Zone angle and while I couldn’t find any more information about this aspect of the product, I did come across this hack of Google maps - Florida Sexual Predator.
Essentially, you can enter your Florida zip code and a Google map shows you the home addresses, crime history and mug shots of all convicted sexual predators in your area, from information provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

IMS meets telematics - Pimp My Ride:

Telcordia (http://www.telcordia.com/) and Ford have revealed a completely wireless-enabled Ford Five Hundred sedan, brining IMS into the world of telematics.
The Five Hundred showcases a seamless transition between car, MP3 player, GPS and location-based services. Specific features incorporated into the Ford Five Hundred include remote monitoring and control, diagnostics and troubleshooting, infotainment, and location-based roadside assistance. The car can be monitored over the Internet, tracking speed and location. Users can check service needs, such as the time for an oil change or why a check engine light is on. They can also directly and seamlessly download audio content into the vehicle. Finally, there's a quick and easy way to directly request assistance

Sounds like the Batmobile.

Technorati Tags: LBS, iKids, Telcordia, MobHappy