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Ask HN: Science data as viable monetization strategy for mobile apps?
Recent data [1] shows that there are a lot of apps that aren't based on a sustainable revenue stream and have little hope of finding one. Many developers try to use advertising/IAP to make revenue on a free app, but success with this model isn't possible without very large scale. Additionally, returns are smaller and the market is increasingly crowded.
I suggest a new monetization strategy: integrate code to collect useful scientific data from the phone's sensors in the background. This data, in aggregate, is potentially valuable after being anonymized, cleaned, and re-packaged (by a third-party). App developers could make partnerships with companies who need this data - both parties can benefit through revenue sharing.
An example of how this might work: I run the PressureNet platform, which collects atmospheric pressure data from Android sensors. I wrote a library project that you can drop into your app that handles all the sensor data tasks. App developers can integrate this code and join my weather sensor network; in return for sending data, any profits in the future can be shared among the contributing apps. Does this strategy seem viable? Would you consider adding a similar library to your app?
http://pressurenet.io/
https://github.com/Cbsoftware/PressureNet-SDK
[1]: The Majority Of Today’s App Businesses Are Not Sustainable: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8092518
- rprospero 12y agoI remember, back around 2000, hearing the various pundits explain how, any day now, TiVo would start giving away their hardware and subscriptions for free. After all, the company was collecting vast quantities of data on people's viewing habits, including which commercials they were watching instead of skipping, what parts of shows were their favourites, what episodes they liked and hated, and connected viewership graphs between shows. Getting more data from having more subscribers would more than offset the costs of passing out free DVRs. As for how well that plan worked, I just visited their website to see if they were even still in business. That was for data that's far more valuable than atmospheric data. Despite all of our advances in data mining and machine learning, there doesn't seem to be that much actual value in data.