Spatial Dynamics

The big news concerning Steve Job’s announcement of the July 11th release of the 3G iPhone is its GPS capability. While the demo of the iPhone’s GPS is slightly underwhelming, it’s the first device capable of bringing location-based services to a critical mass.

In ancient times (pre-3G networks), GPS devices were closed mechanisms; a consumer was [...]

Two weeks ago on the BBC, there was an article about a study that was published by the journal Nature that tracked the movements of 100,000 mobile phone users in an undisclosed industrialized country outside the United States. Researchers used cellular towers to track individuals’ locations whenever they received or made phone calls or [...]

There was recently an article on CNN about a service called Trapster that allows users to share real-time locations of speed traps.

Subscribers are able to use the service using cellphones or PDAs and it has been integrated into Dash Navigation devices. Due to time sensitivity requirements, Trapster combines WiFi technology (provided by Skyhook Wireless) with [...]

As a daily user of a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx , I’m convinced it’s only a matter of time before Garmin handhelds become absorbed within cell phones. While there will always be a market for handhelds, it will likely dwindle as cell phones evolve and incorporate navigation technology.

Garmin has already foreshadowed the demise of handhelds [...]

The Washington Post recently had an article regarding a consortium of companies who plan on spending $14.5 billion (more than Bolivia’s GDP) in the creation of the WiMax network. According to the article, delivering maps is one of Google’s main considerations for joining the project.
WiMax is like WiFi, but with a much longer range; it [...]

This week’s Economist featured a 14-page special report of mobile telecoms. While almost all the articles related to GIS and spatial thinking, this article relates to me because for the past four months, I’ve been carrying around a Garmin Vista HCx wherever I go. I download the points every two weeks or so and import [...]