Biodiesel Fueling Location Information for Cell Phones and Mobile Devices
15 November 2006
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| NearBio map. Click to enlarge. |
NearBio, operated and invented by WHDC LLC, a privately held company specializing in distributed mobile applications, has introduced a service that enables mobile phone users (and computer users) to find the nearest biodiesel fueling locations based on city, zip code, or GPS coordinates.
The national database of more than 1,000 individually verified locations is updated daily and is complete with driving directions, hours, payment options, and blend information (where available).
The website’s graphical map of nationwide locations is the first of its kind, using a color-coded icon for each pump location to identify the specific blend available.
While on the road, cell phone users can spontaneously access the WAP site nearbio.com (or nearbio.mobi) and retrieve the five nearest fueling locations along with driving directions, phone numbers and other details. For mobile devices that do not have Internet access, NearBio supports location retrieval via text messaging.
Instead of relying solely on retailers and manufacturers to enter their individual pump locations, NearBio encourages biodiesel suppliers to submit the Internet address (URL) of a page on their website containing biodiesel pump locations. NearBio automatically monitors these webpages for changes. As a result, NearBio ensures database entries are current, and eliminates the need for biodiesel providers to constantly update external systems when new locations are added or changed. Further, NearBio validates all submissions.
Additional website features include:
- The ability to find fueling locations while at a computer, but send the information to a cell phone for later reference;
- A comprehensive biodiesel news feed updated each hour on the website and delivered via email each day; and
- NearBio brand clothing and accessories.
NearBio is operated and invented by WHDC LLC, a privately held company specializing in unique, distributed mobile applications. The company has three patents pending relating to mobile imaging and telephony.
Good app.
Posted by: pizmo | 15 November 2006 at 09:13 PM
nice tool, but the fact that it can't show multiple gas stations on a single map is completely atrocious. the google maps API is out there – use it damnit!
Posted by: lensovet | 15 November 2006 at 10:07 PM
Thanks lensovet - our focus was on the mobile client
for release 1. for release 2 we have several things
planned for the desktop gui - stay tuned....
thx for the input
-ken
Posted by: Ken | 16 November 2006 at 07:45 AM
Ken,
make sure to license this to the auto-nav makers. They'll have a large presence in the diesel vehicle market 3-5 years down the road. This means protect your database IP today.
Posted by: gr | 16 November 2006 at 09:51 AM
Missing tons of sites. Where do you get your info. Check tdiclub.com and biodieslnow.com and biodiesel.org
Freedomfuelsinc.com sells in Gainesville Florida and there is also a station in Lake City.
Posted by: Peter NeSmith | 16 November 2006 at 01:43 PM
HI Folks-
Actually we get our data from over 70 web pages
right now, and that is continuing to expand as providers
give us new links to automatically track. Each day
we check the URL for changes and then someone on staff
does the verification of the change and updates the
DB if appropriate.
We have called over 1600 locations and narrowed that
down to somewhat over 1000 locations. We find many
erroneous entries and we don't include those. Also,
we find many that are not ASTM certified, and others
that are private cardlock or very seasonal and some
of those are eliminated as well. Also, some may
exist but have old phone numbers from outdated lists
and we have know way to track things down if all
webpages have a bad phone number.
We have the Freedom Fuels in the database but the log
shows that we have not yet made personal contact with
them meaning voicemail or no answer occurred.
Also, we don't see the addresses on the website.
The biodieselnow list links to the biodiesel.org list.
Can you provide the TDI link to locations?
Keep in mind that we just released on Monday, and
our goal is that we just don't list locations until
we have validated them. I expect that over the next 30
days we have the few that we have missed.
Also - I know of no other list that updates their
list within 24 hours of any press release or news
article of a new location coming online. We have been
doing that for the last 4 months.
thanks for the info- we are trying our hardest....
Best regards,
-Ken
Posted by: Ken | 16 November 2006 at 05:49 PM
GR- excellent point!
Posted by: Ken | 16 November 2006 at 06:06 PM
tomtom overlays, please?
tomtoms can also use Bluetooth DUN so you could use their open SDK to write a full, updating app. Community features (e.g. user updates/reviews) are also doable in that platform.
If you don't feel like prioritizing this particular platform, you can always expose a web service ;-)
Posted by: dimitris | 16 November 2006 at 06:14 PM
This is a much-needed service, but it is needed for not just biodiesel, but all alternative fuels. Even more for most alternative fuels, because the vehicles often can't fall back on dominant fuels like petrodiesel so well. If they wait, someone else will do this and overlap their project. They ought to be able to find a sponsor if they need one.
It wouldn't be hard to collect all the information from the Alternative Fuels Data Center site, which is a public domain database, and offer it all wireless.
They should also take a cue from that site, and offer sorting by proximity not to a single point, but to a route between two points (like where you are and destination). At least to a straight line between them. The goal is to save fuel & trouble wasted going out of your way for fuel.
BTW another source to check is Mapmuse.
Posted by: P Schager | 16 November 2006 at 09:08 PM
Posted by: Nbkvqfq | 02 June 2007 at 07:48 PM
Posted by: Nbkvqfq | 02 June 2007 at 07:48 PM
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k, just want to say hi :)
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Posted by: Music-Band | 05 August 2007 at 09:39 AM