With GPS or Global Positioning System, the method of tracking has got to be easier where you can easily find where something is.
Of course, even now there are people who still give such broken directions, most of the times, we just prefer to send them our location pin that shows where we are exactly standing. And that is the beauty of GPS tracking.
To find a specific place, we certainly don’t require a road map or to ask unknown people for directions. Our smartphones have all the capabilities to guide us toward the particular place we want and tell the exact place that we are looking — A nearby drug store, restaurant, etc. For businesses, location-based tracking services provide a comprehensive suite of opportunities also — Right from improved customer services to detailed marketing and greater in-store traffic.
Now, before we start getting deeper into the technical stuff, there is another essential question that you have to ask yourself: What do we have to build a GPS tracking app at all?
What is the purpose of your GPS Tracking application?
The main purpose of a location tracking app is to get information about the person’s current place and pinpoint the exact position. However, this information and functionalities can be utilized in multiple ways across industries and here are some of the instances for your understanding:
- GPS location tracking can be combined with time tracking to determine your remote employees’ efficiency and performance. Also, it’s up to you if you want to integrate automatic reporting and payment depending on the extra time they did. That’s it. You now have an effective and robust employee management tool.
- Location tracking is frequently utilized to streamline fleet management operations. Users can offer their drivers with mapping and routing functionalities and through the app, produce reports and forward warnings if there is any emergency scenario. In situations like these, a GPS tracking app completely rules out the requirement to buy and download GPS handheld electronics.
- You can create a GPS tracker application for outdoor and sports enthusiasts so that they can organize their everyday routes, get statements on the distance, and ensure never left behind.
User Privacy — Important Concern
Many times, users find that the rate of access to their location data surprising and feel like they are being followed by their own smartphone.
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Also, a study by Pew Research Center says that in most of the situations, people feel completely normal regarding giving their personal information against some personalized deals or any other tangible benefits and on the other side there are scenarios where such close monitoring becomes too intimidating.
- Almost 45 percent of participants said that it is highly unacceptable for insurance companies to provide them surveilling their driving practices and provide deals or discounts for safe driving.
- More than 50 percent felt uncertain about social media networking applications which collect their exact location and other related info and utilize it to send them personalized ads or even trade it with 3rd-parties.
- 55 percent participants said that they never even think of installing s “Smart thermostat” as it would pursue their in-house actions and make its own temperature changes/modifications to minimize the electricity bill.
If you indeed want to build a GPS tracking application then ensure that your location-based functionalities really offers some great benefits for your customers. Put your theories to test with your customer pool clearly and tell them why they should choose to share their locations with you.
Know How Mobile Location is Received
Now, how to develop GPS tracking apps which are exact enough? Let us take a detailed look at what affects the quality of data in this scenario:
- Users’ actions and the frequency of re-evaluations have to be conducted as and when the user changes his or her position.
- Multitude of location references.
- Wi-Fi, Cell-ID, Network data, and GPS can provide data on users’ location. But depending on just either of the choices can be a bit difficult as they each have their own speed, exactitude, and battery efficiency.
The last two can result in unfolding prevalence of assisted GPS — A method which utilizes both GPS and network data to receive location data. Google Maps and some other map apps usually utilize this style and recommend to connect your device to the network for an enhanced positioning.
Another concern for this GPS tracking application development is that location data received 10 seconds past from one channel could be more exact than the present location received from another channel. Such stabilization might be needed to obtain accurate information.
APIs for Location-based Services
If your GPS app customers are iOS users, then you need to compare the Core Location Framework and related APIs before you start doing anything else. This will let you identify the user’s status and direction, design, and plan the delivery of place and managing events, create a geofence if it is required and make sure the application works with iBecaons.
Thinking about a GPS application for Android users? Well, in this case, elements are a little less easy since there are two distinct approaches to receive the users’ location on this platform:
- Utilizing Google Play services location APIs
- Utilizing Android framework location APIs
The below are a couple of tips for app developers to take into consideration:
Android Location API
This earlier released API utilizes 3 separate providers to receive user’s position data:
- LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER identifies location utilizing satellites and takes some time to deliver the information.
- LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER identifies location depending on the reachability of a cell reception tower and Wi-Fi access networks.
- LocationManager.PASSIVE_PROVIDER returns location produced by different providers. You indirectly obtain locations’ updates when rest apps or services ask them without having to request the location yourself.
Google Play Services Location APIs
Nowwadays, Google is actively promoting thischoice as a robust, less-battery consumption solution and dynamic solution for identifying user’s location. It is a component of Google Play Services APK and is developed on best Android’s APIs.
The provider automatically chooses which location channel to utilize depending on the efficiency and battery utilization and lets set up more cutting-edge features such as geofencing.
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