Everything is going GEO
As discussed in the Corum’s May Tech M&A Webinar, we share the optimism the M&A markets have recently demonstrated for technologies variously named as GIS, GPS, LBS – all revolving around the use of data related to location, often delivering location-specific content and services. Location is especially relevant to people on the move, so the fact that millions of us are walking the earth with our GPS- and GSM-enabled smartphones greatly expands the range of applications we should find useful.
If we know your location, we can help you navigate, or find the nearest ATM, offer services or advertising or coupons for nearby businesses, help you find a nearby friend or your car in the parking lot. Or guide and track equipment where you work, survey a construction site or a crime scene, engage in a geocoded game or take geocoded pictures. Maybe even track your location with a drone? This technology touches many sectors in the software space as there is a wave of consolidation in process impacting most market sectors.
So, what’s coming our way? We’ll see the further impact of built-in GPS – as nearly every device becomes GPS capable, while assisted GPS greatly expands the range of potential applications as we move outside the range of GPS satellites, and augment GPS with other technologies to expand its reach. New advertising models are possible with refined location data, including advertising based not just on where you are, but where you’ve been, where you haven’t been, and where you might be going. And location awareness becomes even more multidimensional, such as 3D with floors and building locations, not just grounded positions, and pathways through time, not just where you are now. All of these devices are pushing back more data – big data. Geospatial data including maps, imagery, derived data, publically crowd sourced data, tagged data, metadata, and others, creating further opportunities for new applications to interpret, manage and monetize this flow of data.
And applications we have not even thought of yet, as the really compelling applications may be those of machine to machine communications as the “internet of things” finds itself and becomes location aware at levels we’ve yet to imagine. But some have the vision, as we see a quickening of deals in the M&A space – forewarning of the upcoming wave. This is a space that is really exciting, and one growing by leaps and bounds, with tremendous opportunities as both traditional and new players seek to geo-enable their application suites. At Corum we have witnessed the dynamics of a market wave time and again, demonstrating once more the importance of timing as markets ebb and flow. We really like what we see in this space, and believe that strong opportunities exist for buyers to expand their holdings, while sellers leverage the scale and distribution of these active acquirers. Stay tuned for more coverage as we participate in an upcoming World Financial Symposiums Market Spotlight featuring M&A in a location-based world.
Posted by WardCarter, Chairman on 16 May 2012
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