MoVa Media – Tech Ramblings…..

The mobile version of Google maps is now offering the ability for people to find their position down to one to two meters accuracy, plotted on a map to better facilitate directions and finding nearby businesses. It’s great for people with phones that don’t feature GPS, even though it’s not as accurate. After doing some more research on the subject of using triangulation techniques to find the position of mobile phones, I quickly found it to be yet another technology that’s heavily underutilized. Mobile networks have been using triangulation for some time now to locate it’s users and provide information for law enforcement, and emergency services, but it’s obviously open to other uses with Google implementing the technology for their maps service.

Triangulation is defined by whatis.com as;

“…..a process by which the location of a radio transmitter can be determined by measuring either the radial distance, or the direction, of the received signal from two or three different points….”

Basically, every cell phone is constantly pinging radio frequencies to nearby towers, saying “here I am, send me a signal..” By tracking these pings sent to different cell towers, you can effectively track the position of a mobile phone to within 3-9 feet. This also means, that you can effectively track the position of anyone with a cell phone.

It made me think of some other uses for this technology, and I found some interesting methods other companies are using to implement triangulation. A company called Path Intelligence is using the technology to track consumers in malls and populated shopping centers to help the owners better understand the flow of shoppers, and where they spend the most time. The company installs small transmitters at different point in the shopping centers that continually track the position of shopper’s mobile phones. The transmitters then send this information back to a central system that analyzes the data and produces interactive maps and reports.

Triangulation could also be used in location-based marketing very effectively. Businesses and events could install transmitters that sense the pings from nearby cellphones, and send SMS/MMS messages and bluetooth connection requests that include event announcements, discounts, coupons, and more. This extreme targeting could be a powerful marketing tool. Imagine walking down the street of a massive city you’ve never visited before, looking for an interesting place to eat. A hidden jewel of a restaurant could sense your proximity, and dispatch a text message that includes coupons, and a menu.