Comments on: Location Based Services Value Chain – Part 2

By: Tattletech » Blog Archive » Tattletech Hot Seat with Claudio Schapsis, LBS Guru

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:18:32 +0000

[...] right business models that can serve everybody (see some of my articles about Value Chain here [...]

By: Location in a Cloud - a Unique Approach to Provide Location-Related Information and Services | Location Based Services - Business Only

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:05:44 +0000

[...] one of my first posts, I noted that one of the main components of the LBS Value Chain is the ability to acquire and transport a user’s location and give access to that data to many [...]

By: Aneesh

Aneesh — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:23:55 +0000

I have to agree with Jeroen. LBS is not about Maps or GPS. My views about LBS is more about serving information to user- irrestive of his access medium (computer/mobile or any other gadget) which is in context to a particular location. Now this location can be his own location- which either he defines or an LBS application acquire through GPS/cell ID traingularization. Its more about location of user’s interest.

The most important question for future applications is- how many gadgets will a user carry with him? GPS, PND, Mobile etc. I still remember reading about a study that claims mobile as the most pers gadget and there are people who sleeps with their mobile (So do I). I wonder how these value chain players plan to offer LBS services which sits inside the mobie gadget and handles the complex UI environment of the mobile devices.

Lastly, when do we see LBS moving from utility to entertainment? I believe for most of the markets its still used for offering contextual utility services.

By: Business Models for Location Based Social Networking | Location Based Services Unveiled

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:24:43 +0000

[...] this post that you have read the preceding articles (LBS Marketing Concept / Value Chain 1 / Value Chain 2 / Location Based Social Networks 2.5) as many of the keys for further business models discussions [...]

By: Claudio Schapsis

Claudio Schapsis — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:09:48 +0000

Yukon,
I agree with you, I know how hard it is to find the qualified people that understand how a SMPP gateway works and how to implement one, how to wake-up a device in TCP mode, or how to implement the right network infrastructure.
I tried to focus on the external business aspects and assume that anybody that invest in developing this type of applications will have the basic core competences.
As you said, this is one of the biggest (internal) challenges, and without it, don’t even try. It would be like investing your money in a restaurant without having a professional chef.

By: Yukon Palmer

Yukon Palmer — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:57:31 +0000

I think you cover the details for the data services and mapping well. However, in my experience the application side is the most challenging. The “enablers” such as Jasper, Wyless, etc. and the map providers like Google have reduced a lot of barriers to entry for LBS providers. However, they are the least difficult components in the equation.

In the M2M world the application requires a web or client app, a listener (component that accepts messages from the mobile device, deciphers it and inserts it into the database), a database, and all of the required hardware (servers, routers, etc).

While many junior and senior software engineers have experience with coding for web and client applications and building & managing databases, few have experience with wireless. In our years, we have found many that can create apps, access API’s, and build the DB. Relatively few had any knowledge of how to interact with wireless devices.

I’m sure that people with the necessary skill set will become more commonplace as the LBS market grows. However, in my experience this has been the biggest challenge so far.

Yukon Palmer
Field Technologies
http://www.fieldtechnologies.com

By: Jeroen van Bemmel

Jeroen van Bemmel — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:38:26 +0000

I’d argue that LBS aren’t (only) about maps, although most people do associate the two.

Maps are useful for navigation services. Personal navigation devices like TomTom’s are very popular, and have contributed to the mass market adoption of the concept of LBS. However, there are many useful LBS that don’t involve any maps at all. A simple example is putting the name of the nearest city you are (or have been) in on your blog.

Second, LBS aren’t necessarily about GPS either. GPS provides high accuracy which is required for certain classes of LBS, but the cost to provide it is also fairly high, it doesn’t work in all environments, and fixes take too long for some applications. From a mobile operator perspective, cell-id based LBS can be interesting, also because the mobile network is a sunk investment

By: Jeroen van Bemmel

Jeroen van Bemmel — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:26:03 +0000

Hi,

Some comments:
- Have you considered the impact of “open source” maps: http://www.openstreetmap.org/ It is user generated content, free to use
- You made some nice pictures of the value chain, as seen from the business perspective. What about the value from the user perspective, what are the users (willing to) paying for?

Regards,
Jeroen

By: Dan McDuffie

Dan McDuffie — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:51:55 +0000

I like how you rightly classify companies like Wyless/Kore/Jasper as ‘M2M Operator’ separately to ‘Mobile Operator’, and not use the MVNO/Mobile Aggregator misnomer as it’s an important distinction. The fact remains that the mobile operators themselves are not well positioned to service the intricate needs of the M2M mobile ASP industry, especially with regards to subscriber management, billing, real time data monitoring/alarming and cost effective global roaming capabilities. It’s why we (Wyless, in my case) like to think of ourselves as ‘Enablers’ rather than ‘Aggregators/MVNO’s.’ Our model is rapidly moving towards one of software/services supporting the mobile data component of the value chain, and that’s proving to be a key piece of the puzzle.

So, thanks for your deep understanding of the market, and for spreading the word!

Dan McDuffie
Wyless