So, a very interesting question is how does such technology work?

They consult a service called Skyhook Wireless. They drive around settlements in several countries and record the GPS co-ordinates of where they pick up certain wireless access points, so when users send the access point’s MAC to them, it can return the co-ordinates. Many areas aren’t covered but if you would still like to use it, and let others use it, one can manually add details to the system. The same system is used to correct erroneous listings.

Many services already make use of WiFi-based location services.

For example, GPS units may struggle to provide an accurate location indoors or in an urban environment, but Skyhook Wireless doesn’t have this problem. Software like Google Maps on the iPhone use WiFi-based location in such scenarios.

Several online websites also use WiFi-based location services to return information based on the locality. Some are social networking, like brightkite and Fire Eagle to local search, although these services tend to be American. MyLoki is another service which relies on geolocation, and this allows location data to be exported to RSS feeds, Facebook or even Twitter. It can also grab data from ‘channels’ and plot things nearby on a map. These ‘channels’ include everything from Starbucks coffee shops to geotagged photos, Yelp reviews and cinemas.

Google Gears uses its own geolocation service, which websites like ITN use, but this is much worse than Geode/Skyhook, being accurate for me to about 150 miles instead of 15 meters!

Skyhook-based locations are built into the iPhone, the Opera web-browser and Mozilla Geode.

Privacy concerns are put to ease as data is only sent if you confirm the website can have access to it, and the software lets you specify how accurate a location you’re willing to send.

The idea of geolocation and WiFi positioning is fantastic. Eventually, it will allow you to open your laptop and then share your location with others, should you choose, or find the nearest restaurant in a distant city!

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OpenStreetMap is a project to provide maps, like Google Maps does. Unlike sites like Google, though, OpenStreetMap provides its data freely under a Creative Commons licence.

The site relies on its users to utilise their GPS devices to record roads, something that can be done through several pieces of software available for platforms ranging from Linux to PocketPC to iPhones. These pieces of software produce journeys which can be traced around, labelled using software and then uploaded to OSM. As roads change, other users can then edit these pieces of information.

Many websites and appplication, especially those involved in the free software movement, utilise OpenStreetMap’s data.

To contribute to this project, you need a GPS receiver. Then, you need software to log it in the ‘GPX’ format; the project’s wiki lists a number of pieces of software for several platforms which do that. TopoGrafix Personally, I use Track n Trail for iPhone. OSM seem to like GPSBabel for non-mobile operating systems. Maps are then uploaded to OpenStreetMap, where using a Java editor they are edited and published. If this sounds complicated, a clearer how-to guide is available.

To summarise, OpenStreetMap is a wonderful idea. Coverage is patchy outside major cities, although most major roads in most Western countries are marked. There is no harm in contributing, naturally! It gives but more access to free information.

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GPX on the other hand is the GPS exchange format, a light-weight XML data format which is more or less the standard gps transfer format on the Internet. While most web applications and software programs support those formats most gps devices have their own proprietary format that cannot read gpx or kml data.

That is where Route Converter comes into play. The multi-platform tool can convert gps data between various formats and provides a few extra options to adopt the data to the needs of the user.

Router Converter is a Java application which means it requires Java to be run. On the positive side the software does not require any installation.

The easiest way to use the application is to load a source gps file, select a destination file format and save it. About 30 gps formats are supported by Route Converter, the best way to find out if the gps format of your gps device is supported is to check out the features page of Route Converter that lists all the supported formats.

If several tracks are stored in the gps file one can be selected. The positions can be moved around or reversed as well.

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The GPS tracking device was put into a briefcase and sent away with the DHL transportation company which flew it around the world using travel instructions given to them by the artist. It took them 55 days to finish the route and deliver the tracking device to the artist who downloaded the date to his computer to create the drawing from it.

The drawing was created in one stroke that passed six continents and 62 countries and a total length of 110664 kilometers.

The artist created several Youtube videos and published proof of what he did accomplish by posting pictures of the GPS device and the delivery notes as well as two Youtube videos detailing several aspects of the project. What can I say, it’s interesting if you like it or not. Maybe a new art form, GPS art was created. What do you think ?

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