The Geo Factor

There has been lots of news lately about GPS-enabled applications, data, and devices, some tied to the Where 2.0 2008 conference last week. ABI Research said that by 2012 more than 550 million GPS-enabled handsets would ship. Navteq announced updates to its North American traffic database, adding Puerto Rico and Canada as well as expanded coverage on high-volume surface roads. Meanwhile, Nokia said its Maps on Ovi service would allow customers to save map information on the Internet and then synch it to their phones.

Oh, and Google not only opened its API to geospatial data but it shook hands with ESRI around the idea of Google searches finding ESRI data and pulling it into Virtual Earth. Google is not the only company focusing on geographic search; FortiusOne announced the beta release of its Finder! search service. In addition, Where 2.0 hosted a dozen new companies finding ways to better address the needs for geospatial information.

Also, after six months of review, navigation device maker TomTom finally got EU holy water sprinkled on its deal to acquire Tele Atlas for $4.5 billion. Trimble announced new rugged handheld devices for difficult environments and high-accuracy needs. Lastly, the U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a contract for building the first eight GPS III satellites. GPS III is supposed to have enhanced military coverage and civilian capabilities.

There are still many people who don’t see the importance of location in business and consumer worlds. However, these announcements and events are indicative of the movement of the industry toward improved data accessibility and accuracy. What that means is that geographic data will be increasingly available as a framework for decisions of many types, existing and new.