'A Prelude to a 10 bagger'

An excellent article about the possibilities for LBS in the Pacific Rim, where CPS already have an excellent presence (anyone heard of Gizmogrid before? Appalling name!):


"LBS Take-Up Could Take Off In Pacific Rim

According to new research from In-Stat, location-based services (LBS) may finally realize their potential in the Asia/Pacific region in the upcoming five years.

Many industry soothsayers have labeled LBS as "the next big thing," and the technology has been the subject of aggressive revenue projections by industry insiders. Despite that, LBS has yet to materialize in a big way.

"Slower-than-expected implementation of more accurate location determination technologies (LDTs), consumer privacy concerns, and operators focused on the deployment of other proven mobile data services have hampered LBS in the region," says In-Stat analyst Bryan Wang. "One factor that is not lacking, however, is consumer interest in LBS."

Last year alone, In-Stat says Asia reported LBS revenue of $353 million, and that market is expected to reach $771.9 million by 2010. In addition, more than 88 percent of Japanese wireless subscribers and virtually 100 percent of South Korean wireless users recently surveyed by the research firm are interested in one or more LBS application.

More players are getting into the LBS game to serve the global marketplace. Sometime this week, a low-cost, high-accuracy positioning system, which locates vehicles and other valuable assets, will be launched by HD Positions in the U.K. The service provides coverage inside buildings and containers, and it uses Cambridge Positioning Systems’ Matrix technology based on the Orange UK network. HD Positions supplies the interface to Matrix, and it facilitates related machine-to-machine (M2M) services, including network connectivity, billing and support.

One of the first complete solutions to use the Matrix system is the "Boomerang Box,” which HD Positions says is a “robustly constructed device, combining low installation cost and a two-year battery life. This is one of the first devices to address a wide range of potential applications including the tracking of trailers, cars, motorcycles, caravans and many other valuable assets.” The first company to use the box is Altrincham, U.K.-based Cartwright Group, a U.K. provider of vehicle-transport solutions. Last year, more than 4,000 trailers with goods worth more than $1.5 billion were stolen in the U.K. Cartwright also is a customer of Retreve, which makes telematics gear.

Stateside, Asheville, N.C.-based Homeland Integrated Security Systems Inc. signed a three-year, $6 million strategic marketing and sales agreement with Gizmogrid Inc., a Silicon Valley-based company that develops location-based software for on-demand, real-time wireless applications that gives Homeland the right to sell Gizmogrid's software to such North American and European carriers as Vodafone, Orange, Verizon Wireless and TeliaSonera. Homeland is targetting the 361 U.S. commercial seaports it says are vulnerable to any kind of criminal penetration.

Gizmogrid says it develops on-demand, real-time wireless location-based software (LBS) platforms and applications that work without the aid of CDs and memory cards. Gizmogrid Just In Time Navigator software provides turn-by-turn directions using audio and moving maps on demand whether the users are in their hometowns or out of the country, and it works with smartphones and other digital gear made by Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Treo, Windows Mobile and RIM BlackBerry."