The fact that smart mobile devices are rapidly proliferating, and are set to replace the desktop as the primary computing platform, seems lost in some quarters. The United Arab Emirates is set to block e-mail and web services accessed via Blackberry devices, citing concerns that they’re unable to monitor traffic and content on these devices. Research in Motion, the device manufacturer, has needed to allay security concerns in other countries in the past.
While the ban seems to center entirely on Blackberry devices, these moves to control the types of content that can be viewed will certainly impact mobile application development in these countries. The technology exists and is improving for rich handheld-based location services and map data collection capabilities. These new applications and capabilities will thrive and spur economic development in countries that provide encouraging policy to support platform development.
The UAE is sending a strong anti-innovation message with this planned ban on specific devices. Similar crackdowns on content such as China’s close regulation of online mapping providers, also send a troubling signal. There are encouraging signs that both open data movements by governments and open platform environments will usher in a whole new era of geospatial software and service innovation. As the conditions are ripe for this surge in most of the developed world, we may see the divide grow deeper in other areas due to censorship and security concerns.
