A new service called Micello is touting itself as the equivalent of Google maps only for inside buildings, such as when you get to your destination, and can’t find that store inside the mall, or that office where you’re already 10 minutes late for a meeting.
Explains Micello founder and CEO, Ankit Agarwal, “Micello is quite literally Google maps for the insides of buildings. We are mapping the last unchartered territory – the last mile – between the front door and where you are going. We are building the foundation for an indoor location-based services market.”
The “last mile” may be a bit of hyperbole (either that or Agarwal’s world view was shaped by too much time in malls, airports and superdomes as a child), but that notwithstanding, having your last 100 yards once you get into a strange building mapped for you is an interesting idea.
And there’s more, and here’s where it gets really interesting.
Micello plans to create a social networking mashup overlaid on the basic Micello premise, including indicating the locations of friends and contacts, and bringing to your attention items and locations that it determines may be of interest to you based on your social networking profiles.
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As for monetization, says Agarwal, “We plan to make money from premium content, not ads. We will charge to put premium content on our maps. For example, a conference organizer can pay to add the exhibitors booths and information about what is happening at that location, but it will only appear for the two or three days of the conference.”
Micello will be out shortly for the iPhone, with versions for Palm, Android and the Blackberry to follow.
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and we don't subject you to ads or annoying video pop-ups. But it does cost us out of our pocket to keep the site going (going on 20 years now!) So your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated!
Receipts will come from ISIPP.