Overcoming the 7 Major Challenges in the Location Space with UNL

ByMihaela GeorgievaOctober 27, 2023

In today’s fast-paced world, location technology stands at the forefront of digital transformation. It plays a pivotal role in various sectors, from transportation and e-commerce to banking and marketing.

However, the location ecosystem has long been dominated by a select few companies, with solutions built on aging databases and legacy technology, like NAVTEQ, that was originally designed for mapping and navigation purposes. This limits capabilities for innovation and brings major challenges in the location space, especially for the rising new wave of technological advancements, such as 5G, IoT, smart city, logistics, and autonomous solutions.

We built UNL from the grounds up. This allowed us to think beyond navigation or simply communicating locations and approach the location space without legacy tech limitations. In the process, we created a location technology that radically changes the way we interact, utilize and digitize the physical world, set to solve for some of the major challenges in the location space today. In this article, we dive into the 7 challenges UNL is addressing:

1. Lack of Location Reliability

The accuracy, quality, and consistency of addressing and location data (incl first- & last meter/centimeter) are paramount for businesses relying on location-based services. Whether you are a transportation company striving to optimize routes, an e-commerce retailer offering precise delivery options, or a marketing agency targeting specific demographics, the reliability of location data is key for cost optimization, operational efficiency, as well as overall user experience. Even consumers depend on location-based apps for navigation and discovery, making accuracy a top priority.

2. Low Location Data Quality

Today, 95% of drivers face problems with inaccurate mapping. Inaccuracies between the real world and digital maps representation can lead to incorrect directions, mislabeled or missing locations, and other discrepancies that undermine the effectiveness of location-based services. Solving this challenge involves improving the quality of mapping data, bridging the gap between digital and physical realms.

3. Dependency on Single Data Providers

$2.5B wasted annually due to maps taking drivers to the wrong location. Relying solely on one data source has its limitations, as no single mapping or data provider can guarantee highly accurate and reliable information across various geographies, let alone ensure a consistent global coverage and data quality.

Businesses no longer want to be dependent on a single data provider. Diversifying data sources and incorporating real-time updates from multiple stakeholders can lead to more dynamic location solutions.

4. Decentralization of Location Data and Map Making

Businesses are no longer content with depending on a single data provider. Many organizations generate substantial location data themselves. By connecting multiple stakeholders, technology and customers through synchronous feedbacks loops, the industry can offset the cost of building and managing maps, location data and services while ensuring a wider perspective on location information.

5. Data Monetization and Ownership

Many companies have amassed petabytes of location data, but they often hesitate to leverage this valuable resource due to concerns about data ownership. Unlocking the potential of this data while preserving ownership rights presents a significant challenge for the location tech industry.

6. Advanced Location Technology for the Masses

Traditionally, location-based services have been built upon a limited set of data and APIs provided by tech giants like Google. These solutions are often too expensive and lack the flexibility needed to power innovation at a hyperlocal level. To democratize advanced location technology, a “no code” platform that empowers core businesses with user-friendly tools is needed, enabling companies of any size, creators and developers to create customized location-based services.

7. Edge Computing

As cloud services become more expensive at certain volumes, the industry is looking toward edge computing solutions and capabilities to run location-based services in private clouds or on-premise infrastructure. Leveraging cloud agnostic capabilities, companies can reduce costs while maintaining high-performance location solutions.

Towards the Internet of Places.

UNL is on a mission to democratize access to advanced location technology, hyperlocal data and services for developers, creators and companies of all sizes.

By dividing the world into pixels with unique identity, we built a universal language for locations and addressing that allows us to communicate, exchange and transact with locations and location data. We designed our technology around data and cloud agnostic principles to power contextual, dynamic and scalable location solutions that accurately capture and represent the real world and can serve any person, business and place on Earth.

Similarly to the massive transformational waves the Internet brought to every aspect of how people connect, communicate and transact, the UNL’s Internet of Places is set to reshape the very fabric of how experience the physical world and digital realms and enable a new era of mixed-reality, hyperlocal experiences and business models for advertising, games, smart cities, commerce, logistics and sustainability.