Global Positioning System Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 5.1 Maslow's hierarchy of needs applied to Whereness.
It can be argued that as the developed world gets steadily wealthier, as it has
since the Second World War ended, the pyramid is inverting in relative terms. We
still need the essentials but more and more wealth is focused on self-actualization,
which generally are things and activities that appeal to our emotions. In economic
terms, the utility function of many things now includes increasing emotional value
in addition to material value.
Today we are seeing Whereness beginning to be applied to the middle layers
with LBS and social messaging based on location, but in the past the areas of
Whereness were mostly niche and applied to security and logistics. In a narrow
sense these are more useful but as wealth increases useful is being redefined.
5.1.2 Neglect of the Basics
One consequence is the neglect of the lower layers of the hierarchy as politicians,
business people, and the public focus on the newer “essentials.” A changing
climate is one of a number of trends that could highlight this neglect, forcing
governments, in particular, to spend more on environmental monitoring and
 
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