Location Based Services vs Offline Mapping

Developers should learn LBS to create applications that require real-time location awareness, such as ride-sharing apps (e meets developers should learn offline mapping for applications that need to operate in remote locations, during network outages, or to reduce data usage and latency. Here's our take.

Location Based Services

Nice Pick

Developers should learn LBS to create applications that require real-time location awareness, such as ride-sharing apps (e

Pros

• g
• Related to: gps, geospatial-data

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Offline Mapping

Developers should learn offline mapping for applications that need to operate in remote locations, during network outages, or to reduce data usage and latency

Pros

• Key use cases include navigation apps for hiking or driving in rural areas, field data collection tools for agriculture or surveying, and logistics software for delivery tracking in low-connectivity zones
• Related to: geographic-information-systems, mobile-development

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Location Based Services is a platform while Offline Mapping is a concept. We picked Location Based Services based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Location Based Services wins

Based on overall popularity. Location Based Services is more widely used, but Offline Mapping excels in its own space.