Gartner Calls Attention to Importance of High-Precision Location Sensing in MobileGartner this week published a new report identifying key mobile technologies and capabilities for 2015 and 2016 that could have a profound impact on a variety of industries, including mobile marketing.

Organizations wishing to unlock the full potential of mobility must master a wide range of technologies and skills, many of which remain unfamiliar to IT staff, Gartner says.

Nick Jones, vice president and analyst at Gartner, revealed the ten mobile technologies and capabilities that organizations must master in the next two years.

“Knowing an individual’s location to within a few meters is a key enabler of the delivery of highly relevant contextual information and services,” Jones explains. “Apps exploiting precise indoor location currently use technologies such as Wi-Fi, imaging, ultrasonic beacons and geomagnetics.”

In 2014, Gartner expects growth in the use of wireless beacons using the new Bluetooth Smart standard.

“In the longer term, technologies such as smart lighting will also become important,” Jones adds. “Precise indoor location sensing, combined with mobile apps, will enable a new generation of extremely personalized services and information.”

Not surprisingly, “Metrics and Monitoring Tools” also made the list.

“The diversity of mobile devices makes comprehensive app testing impossible, and the nondeterministic nature of mobile networks and the cloud services that support them can result in performance bottlenecks that are hard to locate,” Jones writes. “Mobile metrics and monitoring tools, often known as application performance monitoring (APM), can help. APM provides visibility into app behavior, delivers statistics about which devices and OSs are adopted, and monitors user behavior to determine which app features are being successfully exploited.”