07 November 2007

Yahoo! to introduce Fireeagle

Search engine provider Yahoo! is planning to release a service later this month for obtaining geo-location information.

The service, which has been internally codenamed Fireeagle, will also allow individuals to store such information and make it available to other web applications.

Users will be able to enter data concerning their location from a range of places - including social networking sites - and software developers will have the ability to draw on the information for applications.

According to Michael Arrington, writing for Techcrunch, the platform service is currently in closed alpha testing and the Yahoo! team is working on a final launch date and name.

Using the service, individuals will be able to enter information concerning their whereabouts by entering a postcode, latitude and longitude or city name and it will note their location.

Additionally, users with GPS devices will have the option of setting them to periodically update Fireeagle with geographical information.

People will also be able to turn off tracking whenever they like and delete any personal information stored on the system.

According to Mr Arrington, Yahoo! has been working with around 50 third-party developers in secret over the past couple of months, many of whom will have applications that draw on Fireeagle data.

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