Get paid to wardrive
QuarterScope adds the proffit opportunities to the fun of wardriving. They are building a commercial database of available WiFi access points with GPS information attached and thus are willing to pay the wardrivers to scan the high density areas.
We will pay between $0.01-$0.05 per access point depending on the priority of the area (NYC versus Topeka) and the quality of the data (number of GPS locations per access point).
The company’s applications include location-based gaming, mapping directions, localized searches. WifiNetNews has more information on what exactly QuarterScope is trying to do: they are building GPS information database for WiFi-connnected laptops without the GPS service. By knowing the exact GPS location of the WiFi access point (and that’s the information for which the wardrivers will get paid), QuarterScope can tell you where exactly you are located (unless the admin has been naughty and removed the access point).
Quarterscope has seen what Morgan characterizes as a surprisingly high level of interest from cell phone makers and cell carriers. These companies are concerned about relying entirely on GPS, especially in urban areas where downtown caverns block accurate satellite reception, or inside buildings or other structures where Wi-Fi might be prevalent and GPS unavailable. Morgan said that when a carrier tries to sell a GPS-enabled phone, the first thing a customer does is try it out in the store—where it fails because it can’t get a satellite read.