Are Location Tracking Applications of mobile devices too revealing?

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A platform has been created to let developers build mobile apps that understand one's behavior based on the patent-pending sensing technologies. Sam Liang who worked on the google's geological project in 2006, is hitting the headlines again with the new blue dot application.

This technology not only uses the usual location-finding sensors(GPS receiver and WI-FI hot spot triangulation) but also additional sensors like accelerometer and algorithms which improves the location greatly.

According to CNET'S Rafe Needleman, who spoke with Alohar's co-founder Sam Liang about the technology , gathered that with speed detection, one's location can be placed on the sidewalk if one is moving at walking speed or on the middle o the road if moving at a higher speed. Through the phone's camera, flourescent light detection will try geolocate one to an indoor location.

Since this app is aimed at improving the location and minimizing the the battery life, it shuts down the GPS when one stops mving and starts it when there is movement again.

This platform can offer development of several applications. The app could determine if a person with the phone si involved in a car accident and send an onstar-like emergencyalert automatically. It is also tied up with a rich database of locations hence lists of buildings visited can be tracked and even the time spent in a particular place.This is the part that makes it a little too revealing but also useful.

This platform indeed offers much to the developers and it is stated that several developers havesigned up to use or try this Alohar Technology. The library is free but there is license fee for the intense users.