AOL introduces location plug-in for IM

location based services

NEW YORK - AOL is offering users of its AIM instant messaging service new capabilities to see where people on their buddy lists are physically located.
The Skyhook plug-in, available as a free download, adds a new grouping to AIM‘s buddy list window called "Near Me." That group will feature the names of any buddies who opt to share their locations and who are within a set distance from the AIM user. The application also can display a buddy‘s location on a map. For now, these capabilities will be available when using AIM on a computer, but not on a cell phone.
"As we build these platforms for people to connect, we find that context is very important," said Marcien Jenckes, who heads the AIM business.
AIM‘s new features are being introduced at a time when cell phone companies are launching an array of location-based services to provide driving directions, help parents keep tabs on the whereabouts of a child, or to show when friends and family are in the vicinity.
Notably, where those cellular services rely on the Global Positioning Satellite capabilities built into a growing number of mobile handsets, the Skyhook system was developed through a seemingly oddball, laborious process:
The resulting database consists of 16 million Wi-Fi access points covering an area where Skyhook says 70 percent of the U.S. population lives and six Canadian markets where the majority of that nation‘s people live.
"I am a big admirer of the logistics and effort that goes into creating the kind of database that Skyhook has built," Jenckes said.