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Level 6

New Feature: Geofencing, Location & Notification Sharing

New Feature: Geofencing, Location & Notification Sharing

 

Google Maps users set virtual boundaries around saved pins; with notifications triggered by approaching or leaving an area, to predefined distances or estimated arrival time. Notifications could also be generated by failing to move, access to groups of locations, shared locations and events such as excessive speed, or sudden changes in altitude.

 

Notifications including:

  • Personal - Audio and physical such as alarms, vibrate, ringtones, pre-recorded audio messages
  • Social –GSM & Data Mobile providing pre-drafted texts, emails, social media posts, pre-recorded audio messages

 

Why?

 

Whether driving, hiking, sleeping or watching out for property and loved ones, there are a multitude of circumstances users would benefit from being notified, and being able to define what that notification is, when their or someone else’s proximity to something or someone changes, or fails to change.

 

Why should a user have to watch the screen to know where they are, allowing the device to be stored, reducing power consumption while freeing up the hands and mind to better multitask and focus on other things.

 

There would be no sleeping or working past train stations, the user defining the stops announced, along with when and how attention is drawn. The mountaineer wayward in a white out needn’t walk off the cliff, an alarm warning them of the danger ahead. Virtual tour guides could talk us through cities and along trails.

 

Where could it go?

 

Users would benefit further sharing notifications within defined groups, providing safety for devices, individuals and teams dispersed outside. Monitoring live tracking would not be required if predefined messages were triggered when the devices location or relationship to another location changes or fails to, suddenly or over time.

 

Why should a user have to physically notify someone that their device entered or left an area? Anti-theft and user protection would be provided if notifications were sent to another device. If the hiker did fall and suddenly dropped 600m or failed to move on as expected help would be summoned quickly. The device, with or without its owner will call help if it strays from its path. Missed Calendar appointments would be avoided if Maps warns when you or someone your responsible for is running late. Want to chill out until it’s time to get dinner on, when the rest of the family are half an hour away… Maps would notify loved ones on our safe return after a long journey home.

 

To further collaboration the ability to group and share locations with their notifications between users would greatly enhance the ideas and information available.

 

Uses

 

  • Notifications when passing locations of interest, which can be saved, grouped, shared, published & filtered
  • Proximity to categorized businesses
  • Dangerous areas with appropriate warning types - unplanned like as fires and floods or planned such as mines, logging, hunting and wild animal areas

 

It would be interesting to hear ideas and how geofencing would help you?