Location Based Services are being driven by application developers concludes Plextek sponsored event

Opened by Plextek’s MD, Colin Smithers, the event looked at LBS and how they are moving from delivering purely location information to the range of applications and options that can be enhanced with location data. As part of this, the move towards indoor location data was a major talking point and how many new applications need to be able to provide consumers with location information without the clear line of sight that GPS-only systems rely upon.

The discussions also looked at the growing dominance of Google in the location market and how this could impact the incumbent satellite navigation companies.

“This event was a great success and raised a lot of interesting points and concerns,” said Graham Maile, Strategic Consulting Director, Plextek. “The technology we use for LBS hasn’t changed that much in the last few years whereas with other wireless technologies it’s always evolving to the next major technology or standard. The LBS industry is now being driven more by the application developers who are looking to do more and more with existing technology rather than waiting for new technology to work with. These novel applications are targeted primarily at consumers so it will be interesting to see how they fit in with the professional users who value location integrity and hardware/application reliability above all else.”

The initial discussions focussed on three separate areas; Technology, context and privacy, with a final panel discussion and summary chaired by Graham Maile. The event was attended by over 40 people including representatives from Huawei, Nokia, Philips, Qualcomm, TRACKER and Satsis.