Monday, June 9. 2008

Google Will Open My Location Feature to Developers

That's what the Google Mobile blog has the suggest. Recall this is technology that uses cell tower ids. The article offers a brief description but no link to the details of the calls in the APIs of Mobile and Gears, which are apparently slated to support My Location.

We're happy to lift the covers and give you a peek into the inner workings of the Google location server, which powers the My Location feature.

Wireless phones can make and receive calls because they are connected over the air to a nearby cell tower. The phone knows the ID of the cell tower that it's currently using. If the phone has GPS, the Maps application on the phone sends the GPS coordinates along with the cell ID to the Google location server. Over millions of such updates, across multiple phones, carriers, and times, the server clusters the GPS updates corresponding to a particular cell ID to find their rough center. So when a phone without GPS needs its own location, the application on the phone queries the Google location server with the cell tower ID to translate that into a geographic location, i.e., lat/long coordinates. Nifty, huh? We think so.

CitySense Comes out of Stealth Mode

CitySense is attempting to use real time location data from those who download its client software as well as GPS enabled cabs and other "sensors." The goal is a near real time thematic map of activity in the city.

Currently available as a free download for BlackBerry and iPhone handsets, Citysense displays what look like heat maps to show where the most human activity is going on at that moment, down to the street intersection; future releases of the product may make those locations even more detailed, but [CEO Greg] Skibiski said that's not yet decided due to the important issue of privacy concerns.

For now it's San Francisco only. The big question: what do you do once you see these heatmaps? You use Yelp or Socialight to find what must be attracting the hoards. As the CEO puts it, the app is not about meeting people, but meeting places.

Biz plan: "The company plans to profit primarily from business clients purchasing deeper data from the Macrosense platform; Citysense and all future consumer applications are intended to be strictly icing on the cake."

- c|net

Blue Zones

I've been meaning to blog this for a few weeks and NPR reminded me to do so. This week on Weekend Edition Sunday the show includes an interview with the author, Dan Buettner. I first heard of the book/project, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest on Fitness Rocks (an actual MD doctor reviews literature on fitness and health). The research, in partnership with National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging explores regions/people with the longest life expectancy.

Why are they called Blue Zones? When they made the maps, initially, these areas were circled in blue. The book has it's own website.

Western PA Home to First Diabetes Study to use GIS

I frankly find that surprising, but that's what graduate researcher Laura Bettencourt University of Pittsburgh Diabetes Institute states in an article in the Johnstown, PA Tribute Democrat.

The study looks at both underlying factors that may contribute to high instances of the disease as well as where to locate facilities to support those who have it. L. Robert Kimball Associates in Ebensburg, PA is a partner in the work which uses federal funds to study Rep. John Murtha’s 12th Congressional District. Murtha describes a diabetes epidemic in the region.

The $170,000 study is part of ongoing work between the Institute and the Air Force.

Quote of the Week

"iPhone killer? Still hard to say (even a simple game like Pac-Man looks like it runs awfully slow), but if you're at all interested in mapping/GPS technology, which is clearly Android's forte, Android's looks like it's going to be a hard OS to pass by."

- Christopher Null blogging at Yahoo Tech on the eve of the iPhone announcement. He suggested following Android rumors as an andadantidote ote to the hype.

DigitalGlobe Updates IPO Docs

On Friday DigitalGlobe Inc. added an amendment to its paperwork for an IPO, though no offer date or price is yet announced.

The change of substance reports the Daily Camera is that Citi is no longer an underwriter. The remaining underwriters are Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, UBS Investment Bank, JPMorgan and Jefferies & Company. It's not clear why the change was made, and it may have nothing to do with the perceived value of the offering.