Geo messages

Dmitry Namiot

dnamiot@gmail.com

2010

Location based services

• “where are you” question is one of the most popular areas for mobile services: 600 billion messages per year

• Current approach: passive monitoring or checkins

• Current approach: passive monitoring or checkins

• Google Latitude – passive monitoring

• Foursquare – checkins• Active and passive

checkins: Foursquare vs. Twitter

Our approach

• Peer to peer sharing: add location info to the standard messaging as a signature

• No more special applications and social networks• No registrations• Location is a link in SMS or Email• Geo URI implementation• Smart map – shows your own location vs. shared

location

How does it work

• http://mbigmap.linkstore.ru

• Mobile web application (any HTML5 blowser: iPhone, Android etc.)

• Shows your current location

• Movable marker

How does it work - 2

• Info-window for the marker lets you share this link

• Unique link for for the location

• No ID’s – no data saving on the remote server

How does it work - 3

• The target party opens this link right from his/her email/SMS

• He/she will see two markers: own position as well as the shared data

• Can draw a route

Car parking info

• You can share location info with yourself

• Or just bookmark unique URL

• Open it again and see two markers: saved location and your current position

Find the way back

• You can see the time your marker was set

• You can even create a route to your parking location just by clicking on the marker.

Geo Mail

• Geo aware signature for email

• Web application (HTML5): http://servletsuite.com/geomail

• Add location info-link as a signature

Mobile widget

• Geo signature implemented as a mobile widget (Samsung H1 phone)

Mobile widgets 2

• JIL, Opera widgets, WRT

Legacy phones

Geo signature

• Signature is a link to the map• Landing page: contains an

appropriate map and some geo-targeted information(advertising)

• No extra applications and/orservices

• Direct link (URL) added tothe message

Mobile web mashup

• SCWS servlet: local information

• Opencellid.org: geo data for cells (latitude, longitude)

• Google Static Maps

• URL shortening (e.g. bit.ly)

• URI scheme (sms: mailto:)

How does it work

• SCWS servlet requests local information• Servlet creates a link to our mashup• Mashups accepts cellid, mcc, mns and

obtains latitude/longitude• Mashup creates a link to the map and

shortens it• Mashup publishes messaging links (sms:

and mailto: ) with short URL

Conclusion

• service proposes a new way for the location info exchange.

• service does not introduce a yet another social network with location sharing.

• deploys existing and very popular channels (e.g. SMS) for sharing locations

• does not reveal identity info

Usage and impact

• Geo-targeted context advertising.

• Customized versions: inform car repair service, insurance companies etc.

• Traffic generation for telecom operators: merges messaging and internet

• Convenience telecom vendors extend SMS clients – add links