Global Location-based Services Market is expected to reach $61,897 million by 2022. Increase in smartphone usage and growing acceptance of Geolocation supplements the growth of the global location-based services market. In this article, we find out why geolocation applications are climbing the pinnacle of popularity. Also, take a look at what it takes to develop a GPS app.
How to create a location based app is the talk of the town. The last decade has seen cosmic
growth in these geolocation applications. Pokemon Go, Foursquare, Google Maps, Uber, TripAdvisor, etc saw a staggering success and are enough to prove how geolocation app can take a business to new heights.
So, what is Geo-location and how do these geolocation app access the data?
When was the last time you asked a stranger for directions? I’m sure you don’t remember. This is because nowadays one just has to enter the destination on their phone in order to find a location. This everyday task leverages geolocation.
Geolocation is the geographical location i.e. the longitudinal and latitudinal location of a mobile that has an active internet connection. So, if your device last had access to the internet in a small cafe in San Jose, your location based on the IP address of that cafe will be - San Jose. The cafe or any other website you browse from that location will be able to access this data from you. While this is not as accurate as a GPS location and it only provides the businesses with a general understanding of your whereabouts, this information is sufficient for them to customize the way they represent their business in front of you.
Businesses over the last few years have started leveraging this geolocation data to completely turn around their business. Integrating geolocation in their mobile apps stepped up their marketing game. It also was a huge game changer for customer interaction.
According to Geomarketing.com, 90 percent of US mobile users keep location services turned on. This creates a whole new niche of location-based services in the market. Just think, if you create a location-based app, 90/100 smartphone users have the potential to be your clients.
So, how does location based apps work?
Location based data can be collected in two ways :
[1] GPS or Cellular networks or a combo of both
GPS - Smartphones are equipped with in-built GPS. GPS captures the location and the timing that is sent via satellites from space. At any point in time, there are at least 4 satellites visible to the GPS-enabled device. The GPS device receives radio signals from three satellites in sight in order to calculate the distance between the satellites and the device. Then via trilateration process, it calculates the exact location.
Once the location is known, the GPS can determine routes and other location-specific information.
Cellular Network - Another way is cellular network based tracking. Any network provider has more than hundreds of radio base stations called cells. These cells make up the cellular network. Mobile phones are connected to the network using cells. Using multiple cell towers and the triangulation method, a device can calculate the location..
[2] IP based location tracking
Everyone who is connected to the internet has a unique identifier against it called an IP address. So, in order to determine the location, the IP range is checked w.r.t the location using an IP-to-location database.
[3] Wi-fi
Wi-Fi positioning system (WPS) utilizes the characteristics of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and other wireless access points to discover where a device is located. This is done in two ways :
RSSI - measuring signal strength from a client device to several different access points, and then combining this information with a propagation model to determine the distance between the client device and the access points. It is only accurate for a median of 2-4m.
Fingerprinting - Records the signal strength from several access points in range and stores this information in a database along with the known coordinates of the client device in an offline phase. During the online tracking phase, the current RSSI vector at an unknown location is compared to those stored in the fingerprint and the closest match is returned as the estimated user location.
[4] Indoor Positioning System
GPS doesn’t work well inside buildings, so, in order to locate people and objects indoors, IPS is used. QR Codes / NFC tags, Bluetooth Low Energy beacons, Ultra Wide-Band, Infrared-based indoor localization systems, Wi-Fi Access Points, etc are few of the technologies that are used for IPS.
Now that we know how your location based app will work (if you create one ;-)), let’s see what goes into location based app development. Like I pointed out earlier, it’s becoming a niche, so, there exists a lot of these geo location apps. So, instead of blindly aiming an arrow, you have to first figure out if your idea is at all valid. If so, what will make your location based service app stand out? In the next section, we talk about how important market research is when it comes to gps app development.
Market research
So, you have an idea for a mobile app and you don’t know where to start? If I were you, I would start by exploring the market to see if at all the app idea is viable or not.
Start with evaluating your competitors. See who are the big players in your niche and run a thorough RnD on the apps they have, the features, no. of downloads, etc to find a trend. This will also help you understand the features that are in demand and you can incorporate them in your app too.
If there are hundreds of weather apps in the market, developing a similar simple app without some new feature will probably not be a good start. Similarly, developing a location based dating app even if there exists a lot of similar apps but introducing a city wise bifurcation or an occupation wise category might be a great idea.
Also, get an idea of how your competitors are generating revenue. Based on the market research you do, you can make better decisions about design, development, marketing and revenue generation.
****** Location based services apps have huge potential. So, give your custom app idea a good thought, run the idea in the market and decide on its features before approaching a location based app development company.
The location based app ideas that are in demand:
[1] City guide app
Where did I park my car?
Where is the nearest gas station?
Is there an ATM here somewhere?
An app will answer all these questions and many more. The app will find the user’s location and with the help of google maps, give a local spin on each destination. This is beneficial for both locals as well as tourists.
Some things to keep in mind:
Your city guide app must be multilingual, so that international tourists that don’t speak English can also discover the city and its attractions.
It should support both online and offline modes. This is very important because the tourists who are on international roaming would not want to exhaust their data when they don’t find wifi somewhere.
***** Add augmented reality to display the same information about the city but dynamically. This can add a value point for your gps app app.
[2] Indoor location tracking for hospitals
Finding the way inside a hospital for anyone can be daunting. Let’s all agree the inside of any hospital looks like a maze. This creates frustration for patients and their family members. A real-time indoor tracking system for the hospitals can help direct patients or visitors to the right place in an instant.
A few additional features along with geolocation that your app can have:
- Automatic booking and check in
- Doctor/Nurse locator
- Assets Tracking
[3] Weather apps
Everyone has heard the line “If you don’t like the weather in Chicago, wait five minutes.” If your end users reside in Chicago or Denver, they know how unpredictable weather gets around there. So, weather apps are a must for them.
Apart from the general weather forecasts, add in other features like :
- Predicting weather changes with a per minute accuracy
- Trends in the weather over a period of time
- A tornado or hurricane tracker etc.
Add a smart notification alert based on the current weather forecast so that it keeps your app users updated about any weather fluctuations. For developing a weather app, you need to get the weather data from somewhere. There are ample available APIs, you just have to choose the one that serves your purpose.
[4] Fitness
This is the era of being self-conscious and every other day someone decides to download an app and start tracking their fitness. The first thing that you have to keep in mind in order to excel in this category is personalization. Fitness tracking and recommendations will be highly dependant on individual user’s height, weight, age, and gender.
The app must have the following features :
[1] Setting goals w.r.t individual users
[2] Tracking the fitness exercises
[3] Recommending other exercises
[4] Customized Diet Plans
[5] Sleep tracking
[6] Wearable Device Integration
Another feature that can make your fitness app shine is gamification. Track your user’s progress and award them with badges as and when they reach a milestone. Also, design challenges that your users can compete against others and get their adrenaline pumped.
[5] Dating app development
Location based app has also been introduced that allows people to connect with others based on their location and interests. Pretty and sleek UI/UX, efficient matching algorithms, effortless swiping, in-app chatting and a solid user profile creation section will make sure your app stands out. Examples: Tinder, Bumble
Apart from location based social search, these apps will have the features stated below:
[1] Messenger
[2] Matching algorithm
[3] Feature of swapping to like or dislike
[4] Preferences for dating to be set
[5] Questionnaire
[6] Artificial Intelligence
Read more : How to create a dating app like Tinder?
[6]On-demand services
These applications are built to help improve the lives of people who are looking for instant gratification. You can call a cab anytime you need with the help of these location based apps. All you need to do is search and there it is! Order anything with a tap on your phone!
Examples: Uber, Zomato
Read more : How to build an Uber like app
Other features these On-demand service apps have:
[1] Navigation
[2[ Search option to the user
[3] Multiple payment options
[4] Map integration to the site
[5] Strong notification management
[7] Travel apps
Looking for a hotel while you travel has turned out to be an easy task today with these apps that detects your location and shows the list of all the hotels available near you along with all the required information.
Examples: Airbnb, Make my trip
Features of app like this:
[1] Registration and login facility to the user
[2] Search option to the user
[3] Payment Integration with third party like Phonepe, Googlepay, Paytm
[4] Feature to compare all the basic amenities provided to the customer.
[5] Additional options like Call customer care, rate the service and app etc.
These are just a few location based app ideas. You can also create location based apps like social apps (Snapchat), IoT apps, interactive games, etc.
After reading these location based app ideas, if you want to build a geolocation app, we also have a list of a few things to keep in mind while developing geolocation apps :
[i] Tech Stack
In order to create a location based app , you will need two APIs - one that would fetch the user’s location and another to put those coordinates on a map. For the first part, one can use Google Maps API to locate and Google Maps SDK or Apple MapKit to display the location. This is for iOS.
For Android, use Google Location Services API for locating the user’s location and Google Maps API to display that location.
Also, Google Places API, Foursquare API, Yelp API, etc can be used if your app needs additional features.
[ii] Permissions
Statista says, the number of location-based service users in the United States increased to 242 million in 2018 from 123 million in 2013. But, also, 60% of the users are not very eager to share their location. But, location based services apps wouldn’t work unless the app users turn their GPS on.
Keep in mind to never ask for permission when the app launches for the first time. Ask for permission when they first access a location-based feature.
Also, transparency is a must. Make sure you make the purpose behind the permission very clear. Users generally agree to provide permissions when they know the reason behind it.
[iii] Reduction in battery drain
Higher the accuracy, the higher the battery drain. The location needs to be computed less frequently and the location data needs to be delivered quickly. This way the battery drain of the user’s mobile can be reduced when they access the app.
[iv] Ensure data security to the customer
Accessing GPS apps means feeding them with your information. Data security is something that your end users look for. These apps should ensure that the customer data is secured so that the customers can feel free to provide the details that has been asked from them. Data security, if not provided to the customers, can break the trust and the business in no time and result in your geolocation app to be a huge liability.
And now the obvious question, how much does it cost to create a GPS app?
The cost will largely depend on the kind of geolocational app that you create and the features that you want in the app. It also depends on whether you hire in-house developers or you outsource your app development.
Say, you outsource the app development:
For simple applications with only map integration like an appointment app - below $10K
For application with medium complexity, say an on-demand app or a weather app - $10K - $20K
For highly complex geolocation apps, like IoT based trackers or AR-based games, dating apps etc, your cost will be higher than $20K.
If you decide to hire in-house developers, the cost will be much higher. If you want to get an idea why, follow the link to this article where we explain why costs vary so much for in-house developers vs software outsourcing.
Wrapping up
We hope that this article helped you understand the concept of creating a location based app better. This location based apps have helped people transform their lives and when implemented will attract the customers. Let's underline the key ideas:
[1] Carry out a proper market research
[2] Be very clear with the features that you want to include in your GPS app.
[3] Costs depends on various factors - hiring strategy, features, design, development, etc.
BinaryFolks has 8+ years of experience in developing location based apps. Take a look at few geolocation apps we developed here. If you have an app idea in mind or looking for some consultation, contact us and we’ll be happy to help!
