LBS articles from the O'Reilly Network

Via pasta & vinegar: A Design Approach for the Geospatial Web by Julian Bleecker

"This coupling of the physical world with the data world represents an exciting and challenging new frontier. Just as no one could have anticipated how radically everyday experiences would change with the proliferation of the Web, it is difficult to say precisely what the Geospatial Web will bring to our daily lives. By tagging content and data with geographic metadata--effectively giving content a location in the real world--it is possible to imagine new metaphors to describe experiences in geographic space. We'll stumble across lost pet notices on our way to work; freeway exit ramps will have indicators for a quicker route to the beach on city streets during a busy weekend; standing in front of a local theater will enable you to find movie reviews left by previous patrons. It's incredibly exciting to think of the possibilities. Perhaps our metaphors for managing content will change as the Geospatial Web grows in consequence. It may be that someday in the near future, we'll be talking about leaving our files, rather than saving them."

This is a really good article about LBS which gives a nice, up-to-date listing of LBS apps that are already out there and has a really good understanding of how to enhance the value of LBS in general. I especially like how Bleecker talks about Craigslist as a LBS and stresses the importance of collaborative mapping. Everyone who is interested in LBS should read this at least once and explore some of the links from it! =)

(Also see The Geospatial Web: A Call to Action by Mike Liebhold)