Norman M. Sadeh, a computer-science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, knows exactly where his research assistants are. He can just pop open his laptop and see their locations on a Google map, represented as push-pin-like icons scattered around the campus. And his colleagues can track him, too — well, at least during weekdays when he’s in town.
Mr. Sadeh’s research focuses on whether location-tracking services can be run in a way that doesn’t creep people out. College campuses are, in many ways, ideal settings for the technology. Students and professors are highly mobile, and they often want to find partners for study groups, meetings, or trips to the bar. I recently visited Mr. Sadeh’s lab to see a demonstration of a system his team developed, and to get a sense of how college life might change if these tools catch on.
Read the latest installment of College 2.0 for my take. Or watch me use the system to make a surprise visit to one of Mr. Sadeh’s research assistants in the latest installment of Wired Campus TV. —Jeffrey R. Young
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