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The radio industry is looking for directions. Specifically, the National Radio Systems Committee is seeking guidance regarding location-based services, which it definitely wants to expand. It has issued a Request for Proposals to help reach this goal of identifying new and additional services that use geo-tagging and location-based service protocols.

Collecting and disseminating traffic information is the one location-based service that FM analog-based Radio Data System and HD Radio already do fairly well. But it could be done better, the NRSC thinks, and there are other ideas out there too. Highly targeted advertising, pop-up information bubbles, and limited-reach public emergency warnings are examples of such services.

The NRSC wants to see systems that have already been lab and field tested, along with their related test procedures, submitted by Oct. 15.

The RFP was issued by the Digital Radio Broadcasting Subcommittee, which is co-chaired by Andy Laird, vice president and chief technology officer, Journal Broadcast Group, and Mike Bergman, vice president of new digital technologies, Kenwood USA. It was developed by the subcommittee’s Geo-coding Usage Task Group, which is chaired by Mike Starling, vice president, chief technology officer and executive director, NPR Labs.

The National Radio Systems Committee (NRSC) is jointly sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). Its purpose is to study and make recommendations for technical standards that relate to radio broadcasting and the reception of radio broadcast signals.

Related Links:

NRSC Geo-location RFP (PDF) – http://tinyurl.com/3n9un6d

Radio World – http://tinyurl.com/3dpngrx

http://www.nrscstandards.org

Photo by flickr user AllAboutGeorge, used under Creative Commons license

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