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A conversation with Cyril Houri about annotating the planet using a GPS/WiFi/cellular hybrid
Today's podcast
with Cyril Houri, founder and CEO of Mexens Technologies, advances a
story I began telling in early 2005 about annotating
the planet. The problem was, and still is, that there aren't very
many people with GPS devices. Cyril's system, Navizon, aims to bootstrap us out
of that situation. The idea is to incent people carrying the fairly small number of
GPS-equipped mobile devices (PocketPCs, cellphones) to map the
locations of both WiFi access points and cell towers. Then people
using vast numbers of devices on WiFi or cellular networks can use
location-aware applications without having to own GPS gear.
There are two incentives to contribute to the mapping effort. First,
the Navizon software is free to users of compatible GPS-equipped
devices. (Otherwise it's a one-time $20 license.) Second, you earn
points for contributing the locations of WiFi access points and cell
towers to the Navizon database.
With or without onboard GPS, the software provides a few basic
applications: location-based search, geotagging, buddy tracking. But
Houri says that an API that's
due to be revised on Monday enables developers to write their own
applications that presume a GPS. If there isn't a physical one present, and if your
region has been mapped by the Navizon collective,
these applications will use a virtual GPS instead.
What if your area isn't covered yet? You've gotta love this bit of
advice from the Navizon FAQ:
You can either:
- wait for someone else to map your area
Or
- map your area yourself by getting a GPS device. You can even get one
for a few days, drive around with Navizon running with this GPS and
then return it. This way, you will have built your own virtual GPS in
your area.
Funnily enough, that's just what I did back in early 2005 when I made
my original GPS-enhanced mashup. The low-end GPS gadget I'd
bought wasn't very
useful, so after I collected my waypoints I returned it.
This time around, it might be worth hanging onto one, at least
while the alternate location networks are being bootstrapped. Beyond
that I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I am sure it's going to
be interesting.
On a related note, I'm continuing to find reports
about successful use of GPS receivers on airplanes. But maybe not
for long?
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