Geo-mapping and the future of mobile advertising

There's seems little doubt about where the future of cutting edge marketing and advertising is going.  Developers and corporate marketing groups are starting to focus on what seems to be the grand prediction: that stationary computing and passive advertising will soon be trumped by mobile and geo-targeted communications.

It certainly seems quite clear that mobile technology has exploded, and that nothing really stands in its way.  It will be fascinating to see how GPS and Bluetooth technologies will be integrated into user based handhelds to identify them to their respective environments, and vice versa.  When you think about it, it's as simple as an electronic awareness or how your technology (and therefore you) will integrate with your environment. A great example in what one user references, "I'm still waiting for the life-size holograms that will address me by name when I enter a store, like in "Minority Report."

Edit: Some incredibly useful insights and conclusions introduced by one of the respondents to the article.

1. Equipped with a growing array of sophisticated sensors, mobile phones are morphing into devices that connect users to places, other individuals and location-specific content in new and compelling ways.
2. Leveraging camera phones, object recognition on mobile devices will be regarded as one of the most significant developments of the decade.
3. The ability to scan bar codes - both 1D and 2d versions, such as QR codes - with camera phones will revolutionize the way in which individuals obtain information, shop and more generally experience places.
4. Geotagging is becoming increasingly automated, increasing the amount and accessibility of posts, images and other location-specific user-generated content.
5. As more content is geotagged more precisely, the accuracy of "nearby results" is also likely to improve, further reinforcing and boosting usage.
6. Augmented Reality (AR) transforms the way in which users find and view location-specific content.
7. The leading incumbent providers are losing their grip on geodata and digital maps.
8. Once limited to imprecise, "locked-down" location information from mobile operators, developers can now choose from an array of methods and providers to locate users more quickly, with greater precision and at a lower cost.
9. 3-D geodata will enable new location-based applications in much the same way as early maps opened up new routes and navigation.
10. Google, Facebook, and Twitter are in a fierce battle to capitalize on emerging LBS opportunities.
-- Dr. Phil Hendrix, immr (www.immr.org)