Putting Geolocation on the Map

Have you ever been routed to the wrong version of a website – or denied access altogether – because the site thought you were in some other country, because that’s where your ISP is headquartered. If so, then you were a subject – a victim, some might say – of geolocation techniques. The upside is they’re getting more accurate, according to Marie Alexander, CEO of Quova, which is one of the leaders in this area. She says that, as more and more websites use geolocation, pressure from end-users has pushed formerly sniffy carriers and network operators to open up to companies such as hers.  What they’re revealing is the internal network mapping that geolocation needs in order to provide the best possible fix. That in turn enables websites to provide localised content – yes, including local adverts – while ensuring that the carriers’ customers aren’t wrongly locked out.