AndroidActivist - By And For The Community!

Many of Google’s services and apps are instantly recognizable to the public. One that does not seem to get a lot of widespread love however is Latitude. Latitude allows a mobile phone user to grant others the ability to view their current location and is part of Google Maps.

About once a week, I hear a comment along the lines of, “What the hell is the purpose of Latitude?” Latitude’s potential as a family tracker is well documented and debated. Latitude could obviously be used for nefarious purposes but I am going to assume you are a law-abiding citizen. There are a number of apps available in the market that leverage similar capabilities and features.

I am surprised there is no official Silver Alert or Amber Alert application utilizing Latitude. Granted, in order for this to work you need the cell phone to be with the person. However, what if there was a Latitude enabled add-on or Google account sync option for On-Star? Battery powered GPS tracking devices exist. However not many if any have native Android applications or leverage cell service augmented by GPS which consumers more power. Latitude and Google Maps are free on every Android device. This is another benefit because you do not have to pay to use a proprietary service.

In late February of 2008 my wife’s 86 year old grandmother went missing. She was last seen driving her car to a grocery store, made a purchase, and then vanished. She was healthy physically and in every other imaginable way. She suffered from short-term memory loss. However, at 86… who doesn’t? She did not have dementia, slow reflexes, or any other inhibiting medical conditions. We joked that she would outlive us all. Her body was found floating six days later at the end of a boat ramp next to her submerged car.

Had Latitude been available, installed, and set up correctly we may have found her much sooner. I doubt we could have saved her life. However, if you have never had a loved one go missing, you do not know the toll each passing day can take on you. The fact that even using cell tower triangulation and being accurate within 1000 meters could have narrowed the search area and provided closure sooner. It also would have saved a lot of manpower, volunteer hours, and emotional stress.

Despite the macabre, there are lighter situations where Latitude could come in handy. Recently, on my way to a man-date lunch with +Russell Holly and +Kevin Carter, Russell shared his location with me and vice versa. The location we were going to was about a 45-minute drive for me and about a 15-minute drive for him. He could see where I was and when he needed to start heading my way. Latitude could be used by Taxis, long-haul truckers, or corporate fleets and save a lot of money instead of pricey standalone GPS location tracking services.

My wife uses it to figure out where I am on my way home and how long it will take me to get there. God love her, she uses it to try to plan our dinner so it is ready on time. Yes, I am lucky. The point is, there are many other uses than just nervous paranoia of where your child might be. You can even use it to help direct people to your location if they are in an unfamiliar area or get lost. This is much easier than trying to explain to someone to take a right at the third light or look up an address to punch in to a GPS or Navigation app. Even with GPS, some people get lost or take the wrong turn. At an amusement park with the family? Keep track of everyone and set a reminder of where and when to meet up for lunch. The potential for advertisers and deals directly to the consumer based on their location are also enticing. Have a second GMail account? Share your latitude location as a backup security measure to track your phone in the event it gets lost.

Granted it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of commercial tracking systems out of the box. However, there is also a full Google Latitude API. The ways to apply this service are seemingly limitless. Latitude coupled with the power or Layers can be a very powerful combination. If you are sharing your location, Latitude also allows people to obtain directions to get to you. Partnering Latitude with another application, My Tracks by Google, there are even greater possibilities.

Latitude. Do yourself a favor and learn to use it.

Maps Google Inc. Gratis

My Tracks My Tracks Team at Google Gratis