GPS has marked its presence in almost every mobile application these days – Food delivery, Taxi Booking, Map, Fitness, dating, etc. How much does it cost to build such an app?
Geo-location feature allows for determining the current geographical location of a device. Generally in-built into your smartphone, wherever you go, GPS follows. Irrespective of your location, hotel, cafe, mall, office, university, hospital, or at home, users can share their current location with whomever they want. To make it all better, in GPS-enabled apps like Google maps, the users can enter their source, mention their destination, and start the routing. It shows the directions from your current location (or from the source) if you are about to start. It also automatically calculates the distance to be taken by car, by two-wheeler, by bus, by train, or by walking, based on traffic conditions. Users can pin their locations for a faster commute each day.
What is geolocation in the mobile app?
Mobile app development companies are using Geolocation technology (GPS) chip, installed in smartphones. This chip determines the current location of the device by using the data of time and location sent by remote satellites. Geolocation data is capable of fulfilling one or more of the two functions – (1) providing the location of an object on earth through longitude and latitude coordinates. (2) It can also add location information to a digital artifact such as a photo or social media post. Examples – BackCountry Navigator, HERE WeGo, MapFactor, MapQuest, Google Maps and Waze, Maps.Me, OsmAnd, Polaris GPS Navigation, Sygic GPS, and Scout GPS Navigation. These points form the app development prices.
Which apps use GPS the most?
- Navigation and mapping apps
- Location tracking and safety apps
- Check-in and reviews apps
- Banking apps
- eCommerce location-based apps
- Advertising apps
- Shipping and delivery apps
- Uber-like apps
- Weather apps
- Dating apps
- Fitness and healthcare apps
- Apps for travellers
Which industries use GPS most?
- Healthcare and Medical Apps
- Taxi Booking and Fleet Services
- Food industry
- Chat Applications
- Delivery Order Tracking & Delivery Apps
- E-commerce Apps
- Social Apps
- Education consulting (for parents, school authorities & students)
- Staffing (real-time position tracking of employees)
- Logistics
- Automobile
How does Geolocation-based app work?
Outdoor navigation is based on GPS technology and it relies on signals received from satellites. If the user’s device is not able to receive a GPS signal, its location can be calculated by acquiring data from the cell tower to where the smartphone is connected. GPS is inbuilt in every smartphone these days. It can however be turned off if they do not want Google to track their whereabouts. Google Maps and Google Fit use location tracking to count the number of steps, the terrain, and the type of vehicle (in case) they have used to traverse from one location to the next.
Geolocation apps are inclusive of (1) Establishing the current geographical location of the user, (2) Sharing the location with other users, and (3) Connecting to one location with different devices around the user. Data is received from a minimum of four different satellites. Smartphone’s Cell ID can be used in case the GPS is unavailable. It compares the database of the station with the user data. Google Map API for Android offers amazing performance and is an important tool for geolocation. Further, geofencing can be of three types – Dynamic, static, and combined.
What are the features of Geolocation-based applications?
Geolocation tagging allows users to share their current location, check the distance to where they want to be, and calculate the distance between objects (Google Maps, pinpoint your position, display the nearest point of interest that you search). In-app maps in GPS-based apps create the most efficient routes from one location to another (Uber/Grab/Google Maps – showing the best way to the destination).
- Monitoring – To display real-time functions like object status, object location, real-time navigation and route calculation.
- Instant Notifications – For the users to receive quick alerts
- GPS accuracy – Indicates the GPS accuracy
- Face Recognition Feature – To facilitate attendance marking by face recognition
- Cashless System – To track and deliver apps with unique modes of payment.
- Support Maps – To support enhanced operations with the help of Google Maps, open street Maps, Hybrid Maps, etc.
What are the ways in which geo-location data is collected?
GPS
GPS is used in many modern vehicles and mobile devices. A device emits location signals to the nearby ground-based detection station and a satellite out in space. It gives the accurate latitude and longitude coordinates for a person, device, or vehicle location.
Cellular Networks
Telecom carriers direct the call or data signal between nearby cellular towers.
Internet
The IP address assigned to a person while accessing a web browser and connecting to the internet contains information that corresponds to their physical location. The network’s SSID (Service Set Identifier) reveals the location of the person when they connect to the Wi-Fi network.
Transaction Data
Electronic transactions may carry useful information if they take place at the point of sale. This makes it easier for credit and debit card companies and other third-party payment processors.
Geotagging
Some social networks manually add location details to a photo or other status update. Camera applications also detect the user’s location and add it as metadata to a photo when it is taken.
Maps and GIS Applications
Maps put names to points of interest and streets. Modern GIS applications contain specific geolocation API data such as GPS coordinates, specific addresses, and imagery with detailed point-of-interest information like classification of land use, contact information, hours of operation, brand affiliations, price range and more.
Purchase from the provider
It might happen that geolocation is difficult in mass quantities, and many applications are dependent on it. While it can be challenging to organize into formats that yield meaningful insights, most organizations prefer buying it from a specialist company.
How to develop Geolocation Applications?
Every Geolocation App works with the smartphone’s operating system by making use of the APIs – (1) to locate the user or a specific object when the user manually enters the address of the device, (2) To find nearby stores, cafes, and restaurants around a particular location. Android applications integrate geolocation by using Google Play Services API.
To get started with location-based app development, have a basic understanding of the technologies – GPS, Cell ID, Assisted GPS, Wi-Fi, geofencing, iBeacon, Eddystone, explore the market, check upon competitor market, create a prototype, create UI/UX design with GPS geolocation. It will be cross-platform app development, so ensure ios, web and android app development. Test and release to complete the SDLC process.
Geo-location Application Examples
- Location trackers (Waze, Glympse, Google Maps)
- Social networks, messengers (Facebook, WhatsApp)
- Dating apps (Tinder, OkCupid)
- Fitness apps with GPS route tracking (Nike Running Club, MyFitnessPal)
- On-demand delivery apps (Uber, UberEats, Zomato)
- Travel apps (Expedia, TripAdvisor, Booking)
- Weather apps (Accuweather)
- Photo location finder apps (Google Photos, Explorest)
Technology Stack
Tech stack bifurcate according to the applicability:
Outdoor geolocation technologies include – GPS, A-GPS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Indoor geolocation Technologies – Geofencing, iBeacon and Eddystone.
- Android/iOS background services
- Web Socket implementations
- Cron jobs
- Broadcast receivers
- Rails Socket/NodeJS for the server end
How much does a Geo-location Android App Development Cost?
The cost of geo-location app development depends upon factors like (1) the number of features and their complexity, (2) The number of platforms on which the app must be released, (3) The location of the software development company, (4) GPS Software developers’ hourly salary. Top mobile app development companies in India create a typical geo-location-based android application for $20K to $30K.
