Geoloqi CEO: ‘Your Phone Is a Remote Control for Reality’
At Street Fight Summit West on Tuesday afternoon Geoloqi co-founder Amber Case described a world in which smartphone users could get their prescriptions filled automatically upon entering their local pharmacies, or be checked-in automatically upon arriving at hotels: “This is about predicting your future experience based on location, using your own data,” Case said. “Location by itself doesn’t stand, but when it’s added to a bunch of different context and data points you get something that is very valuable.”
The key to generating this type of data is geofencing, setting up virtual perimeters around real-world locations using geographical data. Using a collection of geotriggers, Case and her team at Geoloqi have been able to create layers of data for developers and marketers. Although there are many types of geofences currently available, Case said she is most excited about those that track when consumers enter or exit their favorite establishments. “What we want to do is go beyond that, to enable the next generation of location, which is in real time,” Case said.
The two biggest problems facing location-based technology right now have to do with battery life and accuracy. When not used appropriately, geofencing will drain the battery life of most smartphone devices. Case said that Geoloqi is looking to combat this issue by finding new ways to generate useful data while smartphones are in battery-save mode. Ensuring accuracy for marketers and consumers is another important part of the equation that marketers and technology firms cannot ignore, explained Case.
Ideally, location-based technology should be invisible and it should be relevant. As companies like Geoloqi continue to improve upon accuracy and battery life, geofencing is set to become an increasingly relevant tool for marketers. “The idea behind this is to monitor behavior for significant events—not all events—and compute it so it’s something useful,” Case said.
Stephanie Miles is an associate editor at Street Fight.