IDEA No 93
GEOLOCATION
It is hard to imagine now but there was a time when we could access the Web with relative anonymity. It was a place simply to search, rather than to be found.
The dating app Tinder uses GPS to help people meet potential partners in their area.
This all changed around 2005 when curious fellows like Tim Hibbard began to experiment with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. Hibbard carried around a GPS-enabled phone, allowing people to track him in real time on his website, wherestim.com. Geolocation, the ability to pinpoint a person’s location using their computer’s IP address or GPS-enabled device, was emerging.
As phones became smart, the potential of geolocation became apparent. From tracking parcels and finding directions to localized content and offers, websites suddenly knew not only who you were but where you were.
Companies are tapping into this in different ways. Google associates search terms with locations, with astounding results. By plotting the locations in which flu symptoms appear as keywords, Google predicts influenza outbreaks faster and more accurately than the World Health Organization. Apple and Nike combine to allow fitness fanatics to track and share their runs. Ushahidi coordinates disaster relief by crowdsourcing information sent via mobile phone.
The social network Foursquare is at the cutting edge of geosocial services. They have turned the physical world into a game space, encouraging people to ‘check in’ at various locations by awarding badges and special offers. Just been to the theatre? Foursquare will recommend places to have dinner. A sunny day? Foursquare will suggest a local beer garden. At home? Foursquare will tell you about a new cafe that has just opened up round the corner. But the value of Foursquare is not the check-ins, it is the information it collects along the way.
Foursquare’s vision is to do for the physical world what Google did for the Web. It is building an index of every shop, restaurant, bar, stadium, gallery, museum and concert venue. Instead of web addresses, it has street addresses. Instead of links, it has check-ins. Instead of search terms, it has your location. Overlay your social graph and 3 billion check-ins later, its dream is becoming a reality.■
‘As phones became smart, the potential of geolocation became apparent.’
Aram Bartholl’s work applies digital conventions to the physical world, highlighting the blurred boundary between the two.