> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_information_system

Theoretically speaking, how might one go about interfacing the intelligence contained in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) with dialog systems?

Would it be a purely database issue, such as interfacing dialog systems with databases??

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geolocation

Are there examples of this already, such as the geo-location capabilities of the new assistant apps??

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS

Don’t many of the new assistant apps use IP geo-location, instead of phone based GPS??

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Location_Based_Services

I see location-based services of assistant apps as being distinct from dialog systems drawing from geographical information systems per se….

“Don’t many of the new assistant apps use IP geo-location, instead of phone based GPS??”

Not sure, but CallMom knows where I am some how.  For example if I say ‘I don’t feel well’ it will show me local hospitals.

Perhaps Dr Wallace or Steve Worswick can comment on that one.

Many of the latest applications allow you to “opt-in” to location based services.

These are usually handled by the device if it has GPS or from resolving the IP address to the location. Depending on the service, a Longitude and Latitude may be given, and an additional service may be required to resolve questions like:
“What city am I in?” or “Where is the nearest gas station.”

Actually Merlin you made me think…  because the IP location for me is nowhere near where I am - its just where the closest gateway is I assume.  CallMom must be tapping into something else, possibly GPS as other apps know where I am too, such as weather.

CallMom passes the query to Google maps on your phone and lets the map work out the nearest one.

For example, when you say, “I don’t feel well”, this <srai>s to a category which calls this:

This basically opens Google maps on your phone and searches for hospital or whatever else is between the map tags.

Interesting but is it sending the IP address to google or GPS data ?

CallMom doesn’t send anything apart from the object or place you are looking for. It simply loads google maps, which then finds your location and finds what you need to know. I would assume Google maps uses a mixture of GPS (if switched on) or phone location if not. I doubt it will use IP address, as mine usually comes up as London when in fact I am 200 miles away up here in Yorkshire.

There is also a third way that a cell phone can resolve your position. By triangulation from the three closest cell phone towers, your location can be pinpointed.

Sometimes the web based/IP services on a phone can be inaccurate because the services are consolidated at a central phone exchange, which may be a distance from you.