GeoNames founder opens up the GIS world

What kind of mobile applications could GeoNames be used on/with?

In the mobile space I see the most interesting applications on devices with integrated GPS chip. Reverse geocoding the latitude / longitude provided by the GPS chip will enable applications to assign place names to the current location. I think of a camera that automatically assigns or tags photos with place names and maybe even the names of objects visible on them. This will make it easier for the user to search and group the holiday photos by place names. The places where friends, children, cars are at any given moment may be visible on all kinds of applications. The Oops I'm Late application compares the calendar information on the mobile phone with the current position and notifies the contacts if it determines that the user will not make it in time to the next appointment.

What future developments are you planning in GeoNames?

We are currently talking to a couple of national and subnational mapping providers who would like to work together with us and provide data tothe GeoNames project. We are also discussing cooperations with a couple of corporations.

Where do you see GeoNames in five years' time?

The main challenge for GeoNames nowadays is a political one.

Authoritative Geodata in most countries with the exception of the US is not freely available and we have to make do with other sources. Many national mapping agencies like Geoscience Australia act at least in part as independent cost centers and have to generate revenue to cover their costs for generating and aggregating the data. Economic reasons clearly speak for the US model where free access to data is driving many businesses and engendering new applications and technologies. In the age of GPS devices and navigation systems, people are using technical devices for navigation and the economic advantage for a country to release authoritative data freely will increase tremendously. We are therefore convinced that more and more, official geodata will become freely available, and GeoNames will be the major global aggregator of high quality authoritative geodata.