GPS Support is Here!

The new release of GeoSpot service for mobile web can take advantage of position service (GPS) if available. (The mobile browser must support Javascript and W3C GeoLocation specification to reading your current geographical location.) If GeoSpot can read your GPS, it will display the message "Determine Current Location...". You will be prompt to give GeoSpot permission to read the position on your device. After a successful read, GeoSpot's home page will display the message "Current GPS/GeoLocation Acquired!" and now the search result will center around you!

Currently this capability is tested on iPhone 3G/S, but expected to work on newer Blackberry models, and Palm Pre. As we get our hands on other devices and do more testing, we will update results here. If you have one of newer smart phones that can support GPS from web browser, please test it and let us know the your experience by sending an email to "support@geospot.com".

GeoSpot is looking into supporting Geo Location on Netbooks and regular laptops in the near future.

Show More the Better!

Typical directory lists 10 businesses per page. This is good enough most of the time. But what if you want to see more options, especially all on a map (that meet your criteria rather than from sponsors)? Now you can! See proof below:


After GeoSpot displays the search result, you can change number of "POIs on Map" to a number greater than the default (10). You can also expand the range of the search result greater than the default 10 miles. After refreshing the result list, you can scroll through up to 200 listings on the left, and up to 200 POIs on the map. More may be better!

GeoSpot Places

GeoSpot now has dedicated home pages for countries, states/provinces, and cities. At the city level, there will be a highlight of major categories that are of interest to users. These include restaurants, beauty services, auto repair, and retail shopping. Right now they are just a list but will be fun to watch the dynamic change when reviews are open to public! Also at the city level is where current weather is displayed, along with link to Wikipedia for information. Nearby cities are also listed. You'll notice that nearby cities are also listed on individual business's information page.

Here's link to USA's Home Page.

And here are some sample links to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, and Honolulu.

Many countries, states, and cities have nice descriptions courtesy of our most loyal content contributors and GeoSpot employees. We welcome your description writeup! Send them to "support@geospot.com".

infoUSA partners with GeoSpot

Today infoUSA announces a partnership agreement with GeoSpot. This is great news for existing infoUSA customers to include GeoSpot's enhanced directory content. You can find a copy of infoUSA's press release on GeoSpot's corporate website.

Nice Video Introduction

Throughout February and March, a mini-documentary on GeoSpot's service is aired throughout United States on public television. If you missed it, you can watch it here.

What's Up with High Definition?

High Definition TV (HDTV)
According to Nielsen Co. estimates, more than 6.5 million U.S. households still are not ready. Today, Congress has announced the extension of the deadline from February 17 to June 12.

High Definition Local Search™
GeoSpot will offer this new fine-grained, "high-resolution" information service, appropriately called “High Definition Local Search™” (also “HD Local Search™” or HDLS™) or “Local Search in HD™”. Like HD video broadcasts, data used for local search must be "re-mastered" or “up-converted” to high definition so that a HD local search engine can use it to search for and find information that is more granular than what is currently available.

Stay tuned for this exciting release coming in 2010!

Challenges of the Local Search - The Good, The Bad, and The Disconnected

I have borrowed this sound bite line (with some modifications) from an article I read recently - "Left in the dark: How search fails at mobile local".

The author set out to buy a new headlight bulb for his BMW, and used the mobile local search applications from Google, MSN and Yahoo to find a store to buy it from. Needless to say, his experience was less than great. Stores found were not the closest ones, phones were disconnected, and many stores that he knew carry the product were not listed in search results.

In the post-iPhone (and Android, Blackberry, and soon Palm Pre) world with numerous free location-based applications with cool UI we tend to forget the two key aspects of a great search: rich data and their structure and sophisticated algorithms to find them.

Existing businesses are missing and closed ones are showing up as in operation. This is of course the nature of the beast - small businesses are being started and shut down so fast, especially in this economically challenging period and keeping up with that is not easy.

But even when the base data are up-to-date, there is simply only limited information to start with. Examples of missing data for up-to-date POIs include lists of services and products provided, operating hours for the business and for its specific services (when is the breakfast served?), and other characteristics like whether my kids will be welcome at that particular place.

The second challenge is creating an efficient way to organize all these data so they can be searched and found. Leading local search services may license a lot of data but they are likely in the format that is not searchable by consumers and to zero in on the target information is very laborious.

Until those issues are resolved, local search will remain a haphazard and often frustrating experience. Which is another way of saying that there is an opportunity for those who can solve these challenges.

Peter Braun

GeoSpot Widget

Do you want to add GeoSpot local search to your Web site or a Blog?
Just include the following html code:

<div id="geospot-widget02"></div>
<script src="http://www.geospot.com/widgets/geospotWidget02.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
That's it!

You can see it in the right column of this page.

Next time you will want to use GeoSpot, you do not need to go to www.GeoSpot.com (not that we think GeoSpot is THAT hard to remember.)

As always, let us know what you think. Enjoy!

Peter Braun

Some Thoughts on the Developments in LBS Value Chain

LBS value chain includes carriers, device manufacturers, application developers, and data providers. And the whole value chain is in the state of flux.

Carriers: used to control it all - decided mobile phone specs, what carrier data the apps can access (e.g. location), what apps get on the phones and to their customers (consumers). Now they are fighting to prevent becoming just "pipes", as the Internet ISPs did. iPhone and Android broke their control of phone specs and applications. They still have a lot of power if they decide to use it. For example, by controlling what apps get pre-loaded on phones and by making sure the right and the best apps are developed for their phones, they can assure value is provided to their customers. But the time to do it is limited.

Phone manufacturers: freed to determine their own specs, they are wrestling the control over applications from carriers. But they are also dependent on software application developers to develop for their platform and have to court them aggressively. (PND manufacturers are somewhat different.)

Application providers: The challenge changed from getting in bed with carriers to developing software for myriads of platforms/versions of devices and then market it to consumers. May the upcoming browser-based applications resolve this issue? On the desktop, certain applications are still client(PC)-based but most have moved to browser-based UI, even some heavy apps like SAAS.

Consumers: The ultimate value for consumers is in what they can do and that largely depends on applications. Therefore the devices with best applications and carriers with best devices and applications will win. (Of course, quality / coverage of the network and usability / features of the phone are still critical.)

Where do data providers fit in? Some create original data and others are data aggregators or both. Many LBS applications require data, be it maps, traffic, or POIs. An interesting phenomenon is when an app provider that acquires / aggregates data for its own purpose starts reselling this data to others in the ecosystem.

As (almost) everybody seems to compete with everybody, coopetition is the name of the game. This makes for very interesting times with the economy in doldrums, LBS ecosystem in the flux, and companies trying new business models trying to survive and some out stronger.

Peter Braun

Local Search Domination! - Next Week!

Hear how local search could be crowned the ultimate money spinner in LBS!


GeoSpot offers a workshop on Local Search 3.0 at
Navigation & Location USA 2008 conference on December 2nd 2008, at Crowne Plaza Hotel, San Jose, CA.

How Deep Is Your Map?
2:45 - 3:15 PM
* See examples of the depth of POI content other than pictures and reviews
* What is Web 3.0 local search/POI filtering technology and why it can be a "killer feature?"
* How to incorporate owner-published data in real-time on your map and search results
* Why an advanced location-based data management platform is key to broaden your LBS offerings?

Peter Braun