QUALCOMM and NEC test A-GPS, SUPL

QAULCOMM and NEC are testing assisted-GPS in Japan using QUALCOMM’s 3G WCDMA technology. The companies are also jointly testing security and network connectivity using Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), a protocal that allows a handset to communicate with a location server.
 

Indus adapts MS LocationServer for FSM

Indus Corporation today reported that they are using Microsoft’s MapPoint LocationServer in their Indus Service Suite, a software solution for field service management. In early 2004, Indus acquired Wishbone Systems Solutions to augment their service delivery management expertise. Now, they’ve incorporated LocationServer to provide access to maps and to support real-time data. Indus is a big player in asset management and CRM, expecially in the utility industry. For them to select the MapPoint LocationServer and not a solution from either ESRI or MapInfo is an indication on how Microsoft is penetrating enterprise solution providers.
 

TV Signals for Location Determination

Rosum Corporation uses unmodified TV signals for location determination. The technology has the ability to track assets and people in urban areas an indoors where GPS or A-GPS often can not. This Silicon Valley start up is slated to release its first products next year and will target them to the homeland security industry. In its May 23rd issue, Red Herring has identified Rosum as one of the top 100 private companies in North American. The company will engage in building hardware and software products and is backed by some high-powered venture capitalists including Charles River Ventures and Motorola.
 

Blue Annoyance

A company in Germany is touting its mobile location-based ad solution, BlueBeamer, with a new twist: in addition to an annoying ad appearing on a Bluetooth device, the system provides a mechanism to annoy, sorry remind, the recipient days or weeks later. The service is essentially a Bluetooth box which sends either one way or to way messages to those nearby. The company argues that annoying people while they are standing ready to buy, say in your store or outside the window, will “turn visitors into customers.” The business model is interesting: the one-way box is $1300 plus $130 annual fee; the two way box is $2000 plus $200 annual fee.

GIS in UK Elections

The Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm), the professional association for ICT managers working in and for the public sector in the UK, rated local councils on their ability to share election results quickly and effectively. This on GIS: “Most councils used maps or diagrams to show summary results, and the better ones offered ‘drill down’ facilities to give detailed results. However, those apparently using GIS systems suffered from real response problems, and some were essentially unusable on a dial-up link. Several actually indicated that this would be so, and offered text versions as an alternative. Those using simpler technology for their maps had much more success, and this is all that is necessary for such a simple application.” Another interesting comment: Of the one quarter of councils that didn’t do well “the results tended to be there but were late, or poorly displayed, or details were buried in ‘pdf’ files.” Finally, the councils were criticized for lack of commentary on the results. I recall a U.S. commentator making the same criticism on TV election coverage.