Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with GPS and location

Nothing Compares 2 4

emelenjr — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:10:46 -0800

When I'm at the office, the Weather widget on my phone updates to show my location as "4." Huh? Google Maps recognizes the location (here are directions from my home zip code to the booming metropolis of 4, Virginia.)

What's going on? The Google Maps location is in the same general part of the state as my office, but it's nowhere near the exact location. Is the designation of "4" as a city name a Google bug? Does 4 refer to the location of a cell tower?

Where is this view taken from?

parttimeninja — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:05:26 -0800

Chicagoans: where is this view taken from?

Location-based reminders for Blackberry

jinatrix — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:05:29 -0800

Is there an application for Blackberry that has the ability to give location-specific reminders? The goal: to be able to specify reminders to only go off when the device is in a specified geographic area. Example - I need to pick up something I left at a friend's house, but I only want to be reminded when I am in the vicinity of his house.

Is there a standalone blackberry app that provides this, or a web-based app that can work with location information provided by, for example, google latitude, and generate SMS/email reminders?

Can gunshots be triangulated with sound analysis?

odinsdream — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:16:03 -0800

Pinpointing gunshot locations by triangulating sound waves: Would this be technically feasible? Would it be legal? Would it be technically possible, with an array of sound monitoring devices placed on utility poles, to determine the source of loud sounds, such as gunshot reports, by relying on very exact time signatures and possibly volume levels? Would this be super-expensive?

Would it be legal for a city or business to deploy such devices?