Geo-locating people with technology

The world is wired together with cables under the ground, telephone wires above the ground and cell phone towers. Satellites complete this world network by enabling governments, corporations and individuals to track you. The concept of “geo-location” of data is a reality and here is how it effects your business.

“All Mobile Phones have Homing Microchips”

By now, you might have heard that all smart phones have a microchip in them to allow the public authorities to find you in case of an emergency. If you call 911, your phone can be traced. Cell phone towers can be used to find your exact position or geo-location through triangulation. Usually, three cell towers are found surrounding you and the time it takes for your cell phone message to “Ping” the towers will reveal your distance away.

While you are surfing the Web you also may notice that advertisements seem to be smarter nowadays. Not only will you get an ad that is based on some keyword you might have used in the past couple of minutes, but you will also have geographical marketing targeting your specific town. How do they know where you live?

“Big Brother is Watching”

The fears of the book, “1984” have been realized. At first the government was able to track all of your movements. Corporations have latched onto this powerful geo-location technology in order to sell you their products and services. Here is how geo-location works.

Every time you log onto the Internet, your mobile device or computer communicates with World Wide Web connections. The Internet asks who you are and where you are located. Your Internet Protocol (IP) address has all of this information. If you are using a public online connection, it will have your physical address.

Many e-mail systems are free. In exchange for this free service, the companies running the messaging systems are collecting your data. Have you noticed how more of these email companies are asking for your telephone number or other contact information? Many are selling this information to marketing firms.

“Finding Where You Are”

An organization can find you by your IP address, radar, radio-frequency, global positioning system (GPS) or by using cookies that collect other information. Some people notice that five minutes after typing a keyword in their email box, they receive an ad for that item in their area. Business makes money by offering good ways to sell you their products and services. Geo-location is one of the best ways.

Customers want products and services that interest them in their areas. Geo-location can serve both purposes. This deeper level of information allows faster, more complete and more profitable business-customer relationships. Used properly, this can increase sales and profits. Geo-location is an incredible technology linking the world together.