Apps and services that use Location-based features have gotten a pretty bad rap lately because of security and privacy issues, to the point that the US government has created policies for their military personnel regarding its use. But if you opt-in for apps to be able to use where you are for a more personalized service, then it can be pretty useful. Accuweather will now be using the Pilgrim SDK by Foursquare to be able to brings its 20 million monthly app users new features that are hopefully relevant and useful.
Sharing your location to these apps, when used properly, is actually pretty cool if you want a more personalized and hyper-local approach and powers contextual, location-based experiences. For Accuweather users who opted in for the background location sharing, the Foursquare SDK will be able to power the hyper-local place recommendation engine of MinuteCast. This is the minute-by-minute precipitation forecast that they offer users.
Eventually, this will be used to ping users and suggest places they can go to within the area, given the weather conditon at that specific moment. For example, there was a sudden downpour and you need to wait out the rain. The app will suggest a nearby coffee shop where you can hang out. Or if you’re in an area where it’s extremely hot and there’s a nearby beach where you can cool down, it will proactively suggest it to you.
Advertisers will also be able to leverage this as they will be able to reach the 20 million users that Accuweather has. The will be able to connect with them in real world context and push their place or products to those who might be able to find them relevant. Users can expect the app to show ads that use relevant contextual targeting based on location searches, weather conditions, and other content that users engage with on the app.
Foursquare however wants to point out that location sharing through Accuweather is an opt-in thing. They can turn it on and off anytime, depending on what they want to use it for. Hopefully, toggling it on or off will also be easy to access.
SOURCE: Foursquare
