A Faster, More Energy-Efficient GPS

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Geotate's approach is a redesign of the system that loses the processor. Instead, the hardware simply captures a small sample--200 milliseconds worth--of satellite orbit information and it stores it in memory. When a person uploads her pictures to a computer, the accompanying GPS data is used to calculate location information by employing the computer's processor and by querying Geotate's database of historic satellite positioning. The process requires only 10 millijoules of energy at the time the picture is taken, says Geotate's Marshall, which is about one-hundredth of the energy used in a traditional GPS system.

While the company doesn't provide any specific hardware, it is working with personal electronics companies to incorporate the approach in cameras. But ultimately, Geotate's product is the GPS processing software and the database used to locate the satellites after the fact. Marshall says that he expects Capture and Process add-ons for cameras to be available by the end of the year.

Bayen suspects that geotagging photos and other objects will start to be more popular in the coming years as people get more used to location-based services and location-aware devices such as the iPhone. It's unclear if Geotate's approach will be widely adopted in the industry, but it is approaching the industry wisely by attempting to solve energy-efficiency problems. In order to get more people to geotag their photos, says Bayen, the location technology needs to not drain the battery.