Geolocation is a familiar development that helps you easily locate the user of a gadget with an Internet connection. Likewise, the information is dispatched up to the minute. As for the client’s coordinates, they should be fixed with precise actuality.
Any gadgets, in any event, system software they lead, have inherent geolocation. Geolocation in mobile apps not only enhances the whole client experience but also gives brand-new possibilities for companies to raise income. That’s why today, we will talk about end-to-end location-based app development, also in which niche geolocation is used and how you can use its potential in business.
Table of Contents
Why applications with geolocation are good for your business
As experts from Weelorum say, there are several business benefits to using geolocation in a mobile app:
- Increasing sales
Location-based apps offer users a personalized offer based on their location that is very convenient.
2. New clients and recognition
Location-based apps let current customers rate, tag, and review to capture the attention of new customers. Or, through notifications, attract passing traffic of people.
3. Data collection
Location-based applications help you gather and analyze user information so you know what areas to focus on for better results.
Why the use of geolocation is so popular
Geolocation is a great tool for optimizing varied business processes:
- Count of prices for a product or service ground on distance. For instance, the cost of delivery grounds on the distance. By using geolocation, everyone can calculate the price even before the service action is supplied.
- Tracking the route and providing control over staffers who work outside the office. Including instances when the result of their work is tied to the distance.
- Assistance in navigation. This is appropriate if you need to find the best path, taking into account all the entered data.
Types of location-based applications
In more scientific terms, we can divide applications according to the features of using geolocation services in them into the following types:
Applications that provide information about nearby objects and the distance (POI)
These applications are the simplest category of applications, causing less complexity in development. The main thing when working with this type of application is to develop an algorithm and calculate the distance between two points using the formula: the current location of the user and the coordinates of the object from the database.
Apps showing other users’ locations
The peculiarity of this category is in the development of algorithms for updating the location of all users of the system on the server. The main difficulty is related to maintaining a balance between the relevance (frequency) of transmitting coordinates to the server and the power consumption of the device. With a high data update rate, the load on the system servers increases dramatically and the battery life of the smartphone is significantly reduced.
One of the solutions can be the use of various algorithms for filtering data received from GPS sensors. In our projects, we apply anti-aliasing methods using the Kalman filter. It allows you to reject noise and adjust the degree of smoothing, and we reduce the unnecessary load from our servers and increase battery life.
Tour applications and guides
One of their features is the ability to work with them without Internet connections. In most cases, these applications are used while roaming while traveling, or completely out of communication. If we need to work in Offline mode, it is important to correctly choose the format for storing maps in the application. The choice is between raster (graphic files) and vector map types.
In most cases, the vector format is preferred due to its smaller size. Raster maps are preferable for a small area (park, museum) due to the ability to draw realistic objects on such maps. For example, you can display images of objects on the map as they were in past centuries.
Geolocation with augmented reality
These are applications such as the famous Pokemon GO. They are among the most difficult to develop. In addition to working with GPS devices needed to obtain location information, it requires recognizing graphic objects and processing information from a gyroscope. Similar applications are gaining popularity among educational applications.
So, users move between the exhibits of an exhibition or museum, point their smartphone cameras at objects of interest, and see the details of the selected object. To make this possible, developers need to teach the application to recognize the image received from the camera.
For this, geolocation can be used as an additional mechanism that improves the accuracy of the recognition process. Also, to simplify this process, the installation of special markers like QR codes can be used.
Navigators
This type of application includes Google Maps. In addition to displaying maps, they can build routes. In contrast to the mentioned applications that guide the user through the streets of the city, applications for building routes in shopping centers are also gaining popularity. Here, users create routes to the sections of interest to them in the shopping center. The main difficulty in the development of these systems is to determine the location of the user in the closed premises of the shopping center.
Final thoughts
Whatever the geolocation application, there are a number of points that require special attention:
- Autonomy of the application
Often there are applications that heat up the smartphone during operation, and it becomes unpleasant to hold it.
2. Interface design challenges
The map has a lot of information to display at different zoom levels. The developer and designer conduct several iterations of usability testing to create a truly usable application.
3. Quality assurance
Limiting yourself to location emulation, it is not always possible to find weaknesses and possible errors. Therefore, quality specialists have to conduct many test scenarios in real operating conditions.
Despite the complexity of developing geolocation applications, they bring great benefits. The process of creating geolocation applications requires a more detailed study of the business logic and interface, as well as the availability of proven solution algorithms. For more useful information, you can contact Weelorum specialists.
