BURLINGAME, California — The Openlocation.org initiative launches officially today at the O’Reilly Where 2.0 Conference.
Location technology is driving the current wave of innovation on the web. With location capability in converged platforms like iPhone, Blackberry, and Android, location will become a vital part of how we find and use information.
Until now, location-based services have focused on vertically-integrated platforms like GPS devices, phones, map-based search platforms, or carrier-specific friend finders. As location becomes increasingly important, we also see a new need: the need for openness. Users are demanding a unified, open approach and are becoming frustrated with the need to participate in multiple closed platforms.
Openlocation.org exists:
- To seek solutions to address the unique problem of personal location
- To promote open location-based applications, platforms, and data-sharing
- To promote dialog between the geo, web development and design communities
- To insure that location information is included in discussions about data portability and leveraging social graphs
- To promote standards, tools, and microformats that will help promote better exchange of data
- To encourage practical implementations of location-data in ways that enhance the everyday lives of people
Openlocation.org hosts a wiki, a participatory blog, a discussion group, and is working towards developing APIs that unify multiple available location-based resources in an open and participatory manner.
If you are interested in becoming involved in the Openlocation.org initiative (which we highly encourage), please join the discussion group and share your thoughts.
To learn more about Openlocation.org, read the Openlocation.org Manifesto and check out the list of founding participants.
