SocialRadar acquires Gridskippr, plans to share geolocation tech

SocialRadar announced today that it’s acquiring Gridskippr, another D.C. startup that developed the location technology running the SocialRadar app.
The company will also be sharing those tools through an SDK — a response to popular demand. “We had a lot of people come to us and say, ‘Wow, this is a great location management service. I’d love to put this into my own app,'” said SocialRadar CEO Michael Chasen.

The technology is more precise than conventional GPS services, offering two-meter accuracy, said Chasen. “We’ll tell you not only the latitude and longitude of our users but also that they’re in Starbucks.”
It utilizes 2.5 percent per hour or less battery time, he added.
For SocialRadar, which can tell you who’s nearby based on your social network, developing those sharper location tools was a key step in building a compelling app — but it took longer than expected.
“We spent a long time developing this technology,” said SocialRadar’s Chasen. “We want to get this in the hands of as many people as possible.”
The tools will also allow developers to gather location insight on users and draw more revenue through targeted advertising, two services embedded in the forthcoming devkit.
Founded in May 2013, SocialRadar has launched beta releases in New York, Philadelphia and D.C., and is planning to go nationwide early next year.