Where 2.0: Veriplace: Acquiring and Sharing Consumer Location
Scott A. Hotes
WaveMarket helps people to manage location.
Problem of locating a handset is one of triangulation.
“Acquiring the information necessary to locate a wireless device typically requires close access to the underlying wireless operator.”
Two reasons - 1st question of privacy and security, don’t want just anyone knowing this information, lots of liability; 2nd reason, value, the information is very valuable.
Accessing a handset can sometimes be done without the carrier, e.g. RIM and windows mobile have built in GPS, a resident application can access location without interacting with the carrier, but the vast majority of cellphone GPSes use assisted GPS which needs the carrier.
Getting information for doing cellular triangulation is very similar but different.
“Leveraging our experience with Family Locator: privacy expertise, technical intergration, trust; in creating a developer environment.”
The technical integration experience, privacy expertise, carrier partners, we’re taking that experience and exposing it for 3rd party developers. That’s what Veriplace is all about.
Consider an application like locating friends on facebook. At some point the friend will need to opt in to the service. If the user isn’t the owner of the friend’s handset then interaction flow will need to pass to the account holder, perhaps the parent. This is the type of thing that the developer doesn’t want to handle. That’s what Veriplace handles for you.