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January 2001
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Web Site highlights the value of GIS in location services for business,
government, and consumers
Redlands, California, ESRI has joined forces with Sun Microsystems, Inc., to develop a first of its kind Web portal providing users with a central Web location for accessing a treasure trove of information about location services. The Java Location Services web site
(www.jlocationservices.com) has been re-launched to promote the importance of Java and GIS technologies as foundations to successful location services.
Location services are applications that deliver location-based information where and when it is needed. Users can access these services via the desktop, Web browser, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), pager, or other device. Diverse applications include fleet tracking, emergency dispatch, sensor monitoring, customer location for target marketing and advertising, roadside assistance, stolen vehicle recovery, navigation, directory services, and more.
"We've developed the Web site to provide useful information about value-added services for business, government, and consumer markets," says Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. "Location services utilize large amounts of detailed geographic data, and we believe with ESRI's geographic technology and industry knowledge, the Java Location Services Web site provides businesses in many diverse markets with unique, meaningful solutions."
According to ESRI officials, the re-launching of this Web site is an idea whose time has come with the recent convergence of the Internet, wireless communications, portable devices, and other technologies that will provide information to meet the demands of an increasingly mobile society. By 2002, it is estimated that 50 percent of the total workforce will be mobile, and total wireless Internet users will surpass wired users. The Yankee Group forecasts that by 2003, one billion people worldwide will use a Web-enabled mobile device. An estimated 80 million of those devices will be equipped with location capabilities either in the device itself accessing the global positioning system, via a wireless network, or some hybrid of the two.
Simply knowing where you are is not enough. Relating location to other pertinent information is where the real value is. For example, knowing that you are a mile from a facility may help to know you are getting closer, but getting valid driving directions that are sensitive to changing conditions, and can tell you what other facilities can be found along the way, is truly valuable.
"Location services are radically changing the way we navigate through our complex world, to access information where and when we need it the most," says Ian Koeppel, ESRI's Location Services Industry Manager. "Whether it's business-to-business, consumer-oriented, or government applications, end users may not know that GIS is the technology powering the applications that meet their needs, but they'll certainly benefit from the value that GIS will add to these services." The Java Location Services Web site highlights how GIS provides the enablers of location services with the tools needed to harness the power of location.
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