What is a Geolocation?

Geolocation is the identification of the real geographical location of an object such as a mobile phone, an Internet-connected computer terminal, or a radar source. Geolocation may also be referred to as the practice of assessing a location or an actual assessed location. The term is commonly used to refer to the capability of mobile devices and as well as online services to assess and specify a user’s specific geographical location via technical means. Technical means in this case refer to GPS or satellite tracking, mobile, tablet, or phone location, Media Access Control(MAC), Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF), radio frequency (RF), IP address/web identification, Wi-Fi hot-spot identification, and other wireless positioning systems.


In IP address location identification, information such as country, region/city, postal/zip code, latitude, longitude, and time zone may be included. More extensive data sets may determine other parameters such as the Internet Service Provider (ISP), domain name, connection speed, company name, proxies, language, NAICS codes, home/business, including others.

How Geolocation Works

Typically, geolocation works through a pre-built GPS in any device that propagates the device’s latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates. It can also use other related technologies to identify the latitude and longitude coordinates.

These coordinates are then identified on a map to provide a complete address which includes a country, region, city, town, street address, and building name.

Geolocation Apps

If you use a smartphone, you can easily download geolocation apps for iOS or Android. These apps have two principal functions. One, they report your location to other users and two, they associate real-world locations such as airports, coffee shops, restaurants, events, among others to your location. For example, if you visit New York City, the app in your phone will identify all the important locations in the city. These apps also allow to search for a specific location when a user asks questions like: where am i for example.

The reason why geolocation apps that run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets provide a richer experience is that the relevant data that you send and receive changes as your location changes.

Significance of Geolocation

Geolocation basically helps users identify location details such as a country, region, city, town, and even street address. As long as you have a GPS-enabled device or have access to other means such as Wi-Fi, radio frequency, including others, finding your way through a certain location should be easy.

You can easily access restaurant listings, cinema theaters, clothe shops, events, clubs and others in the area that you are in. You can as well share your location on social media platform to notify your friends of your specific location.

Besides location identification, geolocation enables webmasters and marketers to revise and adjust their marketing strategies based on their customers’ location and proximity to goods and services. This way, they are able to get as physically close to their customers and possible.

Also, geolocation enables marketers and website owners to identify the location from which they are receiving a huge traffic volume. This way, they are able to provide goods and services that suit their needs. It also helps them to provide the right content on their websites and even offer translation based on the customers’ language.

What is an IP Address?

IP or Internet Protocol address is a unique identifying number that allows computing devices to communicate via a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. Practically, any device that’s connected to the IP network must have a unique IP address within the network. Think of it as the way someone would need your address to send you mail. It’s the same way that computing devices use the unique identifier, in this case, the IP address to send data to specific devices connected to a network.


Today, most networks, including all computers on the internet use the TCP/IP protocol as the standard for communicating on the network.

Functions of an IP Address

An IP address basically serves two principal functions;

• Network Interface or Host Identification: As stated earlier, an IP address allows the identification of computing devices that use internet protocol for communication.

• Location Addressing: An IP address also allows computing devices that are connected to the internet to be identified on a location basis and differentiated from other devices.

An IP address consists of four numbers, with each containing one to three digits, with a single dot separating each set of digits or number. Each of the four numbers can range from 0 up to 255. A good example of an IP address is It’s these special digits that allow you to send and retrieve data over internet connections and also allow you to know the exact location to which data has been sent or received from. It would be practically impossible to send and receive data over the World Wide Web without an IP address. That’s just how important the address is.

IP Address Versions

There are two standard versions of IP addresses: IP Version 4 (IPv4) and IP Version 6 (IPv6). Each version defines an IP address in a different manner. Currently, all computing devices with IP addresses have an IPv4 address; although others are have also begun using the IPv6 address as well.

IPv4 Address: The IPv4 address uses the 32 binary bits to create a single unique address on the network. It’s expressed by four numbers separated by single dots. Each of the numbers is the decimal (base-10) representation of an eight-digit binary number, also known as an octet. A good example of an IPv4 address is

IPv6: The IPv6 address uses the 128 binary bits to create a single unique address on the network. The address is expressed by eight groups of hexadecimal (base-16) numbers which are separated by colons. A good example of an IPv6 address is 2000: dbce: 0000:0000:0000:0000:3978:7864. In some cases, the groups of numbers containing zeros are omitted to save space, since they tend to take up a lot of space. Instead, a colon is put to mark the gap. For example, the address with the zeros omitted would look like this- 2000: dbce: 3978:7864.

Static and Dynamic IP Addresses

An IP address can either be Static or Dynamic. Static addresses are those that you configure by editing your computer’s network settings. The addresses serve as a permanent internet address and provide a simple and reliable way for remote computing devices to communicate effectively with you. The static address reveals information such as the continent, country, region/city in which a computer is located, the Internet Service Provider (ISP), and the latitude and longitude of the specific country.

On the other hand, dynamic addresses are issued using a leasing system, meaning that they are temporary. In other words, they are assigned each time a computing device accesses the internet.

You don’t have to be a tech geek to learn what an IP address really is. Some basic information can be of great assistance to help you understand how computing devices send and retrieve data from over an IP network.

What is a Proxy Server?

Also known as a Proxy or an Application-level Gateway, a proxy server is a server (either a computer system or an application) that serves as a hub for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. In simpler terms, a server acts as an intermediary through which internet requests are processed. When a client connects to the proxy server in search of a service such as a web page, file, connection or any other resource available from a different server, the proxy server evaluates and processes the request, and then returns the requested service. The proxy basically simplifies and controls a service request’s complexity.

Proxy server

Principal Functions of Proxy Servers

Proxy servers serve various functions. In personal computing, proxies are used to enable user privacy as well as anonymous surfing. Regarding privacy, proxies can provide you with more privacy when connecting to the internet. All incoming data enters through one port and is forwarded to the rest of the network via another port. This basically blocks direct access between two networks. By blocking access, proxy servers make it a lot more difficult for hackers to obtain details of a private network and internal addresses.

If you ever want to surf the web anonymously, using a proxy server is the most secure way.

In an organization, a proxy server is used to enhance security, improve administrative control or caching services, among other purposes. Also, proxy services are used by organizations to filter requests. Filtering requests prevent employees from accessing a specific set of websites.

Proxy servers are also used to improve performance by caching web pages. This simply means that each time you request a URL from a certain web page, a copy is stored temporarily. The next time you request the same URL, the proxy server serves the stored copy instead of retrieving the original URL (which is often time-consuming) across the network, thereby improving performance.

Some proxy servers are a group of servers or applications whose function is to block common internet services. For example, the HTTP proxy intercepts web access. On the other hand, the SMTP proxy intercepts email.

In some cases, a proxy server can be one of the major components of a firewall.

Types of Proxy Servers

There are many different types of proxy servers. However, the commonly known proxies include;

• Regular Proxy listens on a separate port and browsers (clients) are configured to send requests for connectivity to that specific port.

• Transparent Proxy is configured in a way to eliminate the browser side (client side) configuration. It’s basically used due to its ability to cache websites but do not effectively provide anonymity to the users

• Anonymous Proxy identifies itself as a proxy but does not provide the original IP address. However, this proxy is detectable.

• Reverse Proxy is used to pass requests from the internet, through a firewall, directly to isolated, private networks. It prevents clients from obtaining direct, unmonitored access to sensitive data available on content servers on an isolated network. The proxy is also used to reduce network traffic if caching is enabled.

• Distorting Proxy identifies itself as a proxy but provides an incorrect original IP address through the HTTP headers.

• High Anonymity Proxy does not identify itself as a proxy and does not provide the original IP address. It’s basically undetectable.

Note that you should not confuse the Network Address Translation (NAT) device with a proxy server. A NAT device basically transparently changes the origination address of incoming traffic before passing it to the internet. On the other hand, a proxy server connects to, responds to, and receives traffic from the internet. It performs these actions by acting on behalf of the client computer.

What is Google Maps?

In the 21st century, getting lost has become a thing of the past, thanks to Google Maps. Google Maps allows you to search, explore, and find your way all over the world using your computer, mobile phone or tablet. It provides you with real-time navigation, traffic, transit as well as nearby places. If you want to find specific places in your town, Google Maps will provide you with the necessary information to help you get there. If you want to avoid traffic, the application will let you know the roads or lanes with highest traffic volume. It basically makes navigating your world much faster and easier.


So, what exactly is Google Maps? 

Developed by Google, Google Maps is a web-based service that provides some detailed information about geographical locations and sites all over the world. The service was originally developed as a means of providing motorists with driving directions. Although it’s currently the most commonly used service, Google Maps has become much more advanced and is now used for many different purposes.

It offers Street View (360 degrees panoramic views of the streets), satellite imagery, street maps, route planning for traveling by foot, bicycle, car, or public transportation, and real-time traffic conditions which is also known as Google Traffic.

For motorists, Google Maps offers a location service that utilizes the GPS (Global Positioning System) of their mobile when a wireless or cellular network is available.

By providing real-time traffic information, the service can help you find the best route to your destination. It dynamically re-routes based on the upcoming traffic patterns. This as a result helps you avoid traffic jams. Also, the service even suggests lanes which are less congested. It basically allows you to drive like a pro and avoid all road traffic hassles.

Google Maps for Websites

At its most advanced level, Google Maps can be customized and embedded into websites through its Application Program Interface (API). This allows website administrators and owners to display their business locations to potential visitors. If people get to know the location of a certain business, they are more likely to visit. Of course, this would mean more traffic and therefore increased profits. Also, the service allows web administrators to identify where visitors are visiting their sites from. By identifying visitors’ locations, they are able to provide products and services that meet their specific needs. Also, business owners are able to provide their products and services in proximity to their potential customers based on their locations.

Google Maps Location Finding

If you’ve just arrived in a new town and have got no idea where to dine or spend the night, Google Maps comes in very handy. All you have to is input the name of the town in the search box and every business will be displayed. You can even make hotel or restaurant reservations because the address and contact information of the businesses are also provided.

Explore the Universe

With Google Maps, traveling to Mars, the moon, and checking out the Milky Way has never been easier. You don’t need a spaceship to watch the universe. Everything you’ve ever wanted to see is right there on your device.

Google Maps has literally become an everyday use navigation tool for individuals as well as businesses. Nowadays, it’s just hard to imagine a life without this powerful yet easy to use service.