The Expanding Applications of GPS Technology

Aisle411, the mobile application designed to help locate items inside retail stores hits the market today. The introduction of Aisle411, currently available only on the iPhone, is among the vast indications that GPS based apps are in high demand within the mobile community. Mobile applications aren’t just changing the way we get our directions, they’re changing the direction of GPS technology. More and more, as evidenced by Aisle 411 and other GPS apps designed to help us save time and eliminate hassle, GPS is undergoing a major shift. It’s not just about getting there any more, it’s about getting their faster and eliminating as much hassle as we can along the way.

Going to the grocery store used to mean wandering around the frozen foods aisle looking for pizza only to find it next to the ice cream and not the frozen vegetables. Now, if you’re shopping in one of the places where Aisle 411’s service is applicable, only in a few grocery stores in San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, and San Jose, Calif., that challenge no longer exists. The focused nature of Aisle 411 is representative of a major shift in the way consumers use GPS, not just to get there, but to get there faster.

Earlier this year the release of Happy Hour, a GPS fueled application that points users in the direction of the nearest Happy Hour, with details on the drink specials is also designed to help shave off extra minutes anywhere we can. The same could be said of the popular retail app released last year that employed GPS technology to find the best deal on an item at the nearest retail locations.

The improvements in accuracy of GPS in the last year or so have led to a flurry of new applications, many of which have gained popularity as a result of their capacity for eliminating everyday aggravations once considered inevitable. 83% of people have said they have experienced difficulty finding an item in the grocery store, now they don’t have to. One of worst parts of holiday shopping is finding out you missed out on a deal and now, both of these could conceivably be a thing of the past.


“The rapid rate of smartphone adoption is unparallel to previous technologies that over time became ubiquitous. We are at the very beginning of this wave and already it is larger and has more momentum than ever measured before,” says Patrick Bertagna, the CEO of leading GPS company, GTXO.

Smartphones are a huge game changer for the GPS industry and the more people buy them, the faster that change happens. People now want more from their GPS than just directions. They want to be able to locate items, venues, packages being shipped or lawless teenagers out past their curfew. Today they have applications for all of these things.

If GPS is going to fulfill practical applications outside of the car, that means they have to be as portable as the people who use the technology. Bertagna, like Aisle 411 CEO Nathan Pettyjohn, was able to envision this, concentrating on the practical applications of the technology and how they can apply to personal and business needs beyond the original parameters drawn out at first introduction. Just like we no longer have to spend 30 minutes trying to find our way back to the freeway after taking a wrong turn, GPS is helping us get everywhere faster than we otherwise could, whether it’s to the bar, to the party our teenage son is attending after hours or even just to the produce aisle.