Vodafone is making its Location-based Services software  that it acquired with the purchase of Swedish firm Wayfinder, open source. The code will be made available on the github social coding site.

Vodafone says the aim is to offer other organisations the opportunity to use a code base which has been developed over the past decade so that they can build new and innovative navigation products which widen choice for consumers.

“Given our decision to stop developing turn-by-turn location based services as part of our core business, it seemed an obvious choice to make the code we own open source” says Pieter Knook, director of internet services at Vodafone Group. “We look forward to seeing its continued use in all sorts of different applications in the future.”

In addition to making the software open source, and in recognition of the specific needs of the blind and partially-sighted community, Wayfinder Systems will offer all Wayfinder Access subscribers a fixed refund on their existing service. Full details of this will be made available in September on the Vodafone Group website.

Product developers have welcomed the decision. Code Factory CEO Eduard Sanchez says: “We welcome this Vodafone initiative and we are willing to add new products to our accessible navigation software product line.  Mobile Geo, our GPS solution for Windows Mobile has become a world reference among the blind community and we are now ready to start new GPS projects.”
There’s more information on Vodafone’s open source portal.