Geofencing the Museum

A new term came up on my radar; Geofencing.

Location aware software for mobile apps are getting more common and more complex, but still function upon the proximity to single GPS points. The problem mobile-side is the significant drain upon the battery.

(Via ReadWriteWeb) Location Labs has announced the beta for its geofencing library for the new iPhone. This will allow new location aware apps to response to more than a single GPS point. In short, you can define a whole sector of GPS points as a single area, place or building. If Foursquare-type apps are your thing, this would mean people would actually have to enter a place before checking in.

GPS real estate. I wonder about the future lawsuit of owning location data. When geofencing data is claimed by a third party other than the people who own the building. Anyway, I’m thinking out loud. The useful part is that a museum that can plot of every corner of its own floorplan can be involved with the next generation of location aware apps. There’s also the function for automatic “checking-in” (To borrow from Foursquare again) and also automatically saying when you’ve left.

Other uses could be improved Augmented Reality apps that provided information exactly over an object without additional location tags (like QR, bokode etc.). Maybe location-aware WiFi? You can only connect to a network when sitting in a defined area.

Or maybe, tracking where you museum users are walking with handheld tours and working out the most popular objects/exhibits and where people gather. Vitally important metrics for museums.