Location-based Services
Location-based Services (LBS) use knowledge of a mobile device's location to offer value or provide service to the mobile subscriber or to a third party.
Location Based Services (LBS) are those services where the subscriber's geographic location is an integral, or even the determining part of the service.
Typical LBS include the following:
- Personal navigation: turn by turn navigation to any address; using the mobile phone as a guide to get from place to place.
- Fleet management: for example, locating people on a map displayed on the mobile phone.
- Finding local information: where is the nearest hotel? Where is the nearest dentist? Where is the closed railways station?
- Location-based mobile advertising: for example, sending discount coupons from nearby restaurants, or shops to mobile phones.
- Receiving alerts, such as notification of a sale on gas or warning of a traffic jam
Location Based Services - Famous Examples
FourSquare - It makes location sharing fun by awarding points & badges to its users for check-ins at venues.
Facebook Places - It is a feature that lets users “check in” to Facebook using a mobile device to let a user’s friends know where they are at the moment.
Google Latitude - It allows a mobile phone user to allow certain people to view their current location. It’s a killer service because of its integration with Google Maps.
Gowalla - It allows users to 'check in' at spots in their local vicinity, either through a dedicated mobile application or through the mobile website.
Loopt - It allows users to see what's happening around them – which friends are nearby, which bars are hopping, and which restaurants their friends like to go to.
SCVNGR - It is a social location-based gaming platform for mobile phones.
Skout - Users of Skout belong to a community of singles who are ready to chat online, then meet in the real world. Skout is the first-ever Social Dating Application.
Yelp - It provides online local search capabilities for its visitors.
What Spot Now? - With What Spot Now’s live views and realtime updates, consumers can check out what’s happening at their favorite restaurants, bars, cafés, and coffee shops before they go, and get access to exclusive promotions.
Geoloqi - A secure, real-time mobile and web platform for location sharing.