Tag Archives: location based services

BAE Systems’ NAVSOP does positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin’ going on is yours

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BAE Systems' NAVSOP can do positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin' going on is your own

Just in case GPS and GLONASS didn't make for enough of an acronym soup, BAE Systems wants to add one more to the navigation broth. NAVSOP (Navigation via Signals of Opportunity) uses some of the basic concepts we know from cell tower triangulation and WiFi location-finding to lock down a position, but goes much further to geolocate from nearly anything that pushes out a signal, such as nearby radios and TVs. It doesn't even need to know what kind of signal it's looking at, and it can get its position in places there's no GPS to work from, whether it's in an urban canyon or the natural kind. BAE is most excited about the prospects of ending GPS jamming against soldiers and UAVs, once and for all: not only is the new technology mostly impervious to attempts to block its signal, it can use the jamming attempt itself to get the position fix. Thankfully, the company's roots in defense aren't precluding use for civilians, so there's a chance that future smartphones might never have to use guesswork to get their bearings -- provided that governments around the world sign off on the idea, that is.

BAE Systems' NAVSOP does positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin' going on is yours originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BBC  |  sourceBAE Systems  | Email this | Comments

Flickr brings in Nokia map data for precise geotagged photos, Instagram shots just got eerily accurate

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Flickr brings in Nokia map data for extraprecise geotagged photos, Instagram shots just got eerily accurate

Open Street Map has been helping Flickr display geotagged shots for some time. That crowdsourced map data has led to more than a few photos being located in a gray blob, however, which is why Yahoo just struck a deal to put Nokia maps into as many nooks and crevices of the world as possible. The addition will make sure that Instagram photo tour of Africa is often accurate down to the street corner, not to mention give a slightly Finland-tinged look to the maps themselves. Open Street Map isn't going away, but it's now being used only for those areas where regular coverage is spotty or non-existent. The images already apply to any existing and upcoming uploads -- there will be no question that self-portrait was taken in Tanzania.

Flickr brings in Nokia map data for precise geotagged photos, Instagram shots just got eerily accurate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  sourceFlickr Blog  | Email this | Comments

Google drops cost of Maps API to keep developers, gives Foursquare puppy eyes (update: potentially cheaper)

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Google drops cost of Maps API to keep developers, gives Foursquare puppy eyes

Google must be feeling the pinch from developers like Foursquare who've jumped ship from Google Maps in opposition to costs, as it just cut the price of heavy Maps API use in a big, big way. Where it used to cost $4 for every 1,000 map hits beyond a 25,000 daily limit, the company is now charging as little as $1 in addition to eliminating the lower usage cap for app writers who tweak the map look. The olive branch won't make Apple change its mind, of course, but Google clearly isn't keen on anyone else using the price tag as an incentive to join the exodus. Mountain View is no doubt eager to keep as many mobile and web app developers on its side as it can -- with Google I/O just around the corner, it wouldn't do to have customers leaving at the very moment Google is trying to rally support for a big Maps update.

Update: As some of you have pointed out the comments, it can get as low as 50 cents per 1,000 map loads. We've been using the API version 2 price as the baseline, but it's true that if you only need version 3 or one of the more limited static or Street View calls, you can pay half as much.

Google drops cost of Maps API to keep developers, gives Foursquare puppy eyes (update: potentially cheaper) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechCrunch  |  sourceGoogle Geo Developers Blog  | Email this | Comments

Foursquare 5.0 hands-on

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Foursquare 50 handson

Foursquare just posted its promised mobile app overhaul this morning, and it's a doozy: virtually everything in 5.0 has been given a fresh look or, in some cases, a complete rethink. The changes are, ideally, to goad us into using Foursquare to find places to visit, not just to check in after we're already past the front door. But is Foursquare pushing too hard? Will mayors want to resign in protest? We're digging in to find out.

Gallery: Foursquare 5.0 hands-on

Continue reading Foursquare 5.0 hands-on

Foursquare 5.0 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceApp Store, Google Play  | Email this | Comments

Blindsquare uses Foursquare data to guide the visually impaired

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Blindsquare uses Foursquare data to guide the visually impaired

Blindsquare is giving guidance systems for the visually disabled a new twist with user-generated Foursquare data, text-to-speech, GPS and some OpenStreetMap mojo. While users are out and about, the app narrates their trip via headphones with information about nearby places, intersections or guidance to their destination. One shake of the iPhone or iPad gives users their current location and a second shake checks them in on Foursquare. The app can also be controlled via a Bluetooth remote while the device sits in a pocket or backpack. After going from concept to completion in six months, it's now out of beta and available on the App Store for $14.99. Sonar gauntlets won't let you check-in to your haunts? Hit the source link to step up that location-based social networking.

Blindsquare uses Foursquare data to guide the visually impaired originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mashable  |  sourceiTunes Store  | Email this | Comments

Foursquare teases a giant mobile app remake, mayors quiver in anticipation

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Foursquare teases a giant mobile app remake, mayors quiver in anticipation

Foursquare has been steadily adding to its mobile app since its check-in service took off. A major remake hasn't been in the cards, however, until now. The company is teasing a major update this week that will reflect Foursquare's shift from simply broadcasting your coffee shop invasions to recommending where to go next. From what little the company is willing to let slip in advance, the emphasis will be on spotting popular destinations on the map as well as more alluring location pages. There's still several questions left open, including an exact release date as well as whether or not the update is coming to more than one platform on day one; we've only seen iOS shots so far. Still, it's looking as though fans of Oink and Yelp will find something to like in Foursquare very shortly.

Foursquare teases a giant mobile app remake, mayors quiver in anticipation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechCrunch  |  sourceFoursquare (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video)

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Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video)

Following news of the first successful white space trials in Cambridge, UK, Nokia is now touting its research in the area with a demonstration of location-based services for the unlicensed spectrum. Traditionally, proponents of white space usage have positioned this unused portion of the airwaves as a viable, low-cost method of data transmission, but the Nokia folks have now demonstrated its ability to pinpoint one's location with much greater accuracy than either WiFi or cellular networks. Think of it as a counterpoint to NFC, if you will, but in the following clip, we're shown how an individual might move throughout a museum, and as they approach various exhibits, one's smartphone could provide supplemental information for the nearby artifacts. Beyond its use in museums, Nokia also foresees the technology as useful in the retail space, where businesses may provide consumers with promotions as they walk by. Currently, the necessary equipment to make this all possible is much too large to fit within a typical smartphone, but Nokia hypothesizes that the necessary chipsets and industry standards may be in place by 2015. Until then, you can dream of what might be with the following video.

Continue reading Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video)

Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DailyWireless.org  |  sourceNokia Conversations  | Email this | Comments