Categories
GIS

Why LBS Applications Fail

Directions have an interesting article by David Williams, on why LBS has failed to taken off so far identifying the “Seven” deadly sins which cause LBS Applications to fail.

The sins to me look like they could be applied to any new mobile application type, so perhaps there is actually nothing special about LBS – how many other new families of Mobile applications have actually developed in the last five years and are actually increasing ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) ? Music downloads maybe ?
To me it is still about the user experience… despite being a guy and naturally reticent about asking people for directions – it is still easier and more useful to do so, than to use one of today’s LBS applications.

Written and submitted from Zurich Airport, using the Swisscom 802.11 network.

Categories
GIS Google Maps where 2.0

Neogeography defined

Neogeography shortcutIf you want a quick introduction into the new ways of creating and using Geographic Information, that has got such a lot of us excited, you could not go wrong by handing over $7.99 to the guys at O’Reilly.com for a copy of “An Introduction to Neogeography” by Andrew Turner the guy behind the highearthorbit blog.

As with the other O’Reilly Short Cuts this is a short (54 page) pdf primer to the subject which gives a great overview of a new emerging part of the technology landscape.

Read this and you should understand why the established GI Industry needs to be looking over its shoulder.

Written and submitted from home, using my home 802.11 network.

Categories
GIS GPS

Lets be having you by GPS

The BBC reports on the antics of some New York Thieves, who stole some GPS receivers thinking they were phones and we caught when the GPS systems “phoned home” and told the cops where they and the thieves were hanging out !!

Surely a candidate for a new category of Darwin Awards

Written and submitted from home, using my home 802.11 network.