GeoGroups has launched its geo-social mobile app that helps families, friends, like-minded individuals and professionals interact via separate public or private groups on a single personalized map.

Anyone can create public groups to share points of interest with kindred spirits, private groups to track family members and map shared locations, or subscribe to a growing list of public utility groups to map nearby weather alerts, Wi-Fi hotspots, speed traps and more.

GeoGroups is available on the web and for iPhone, coming soon to other smartphone platforms.

Unlike traditional check-in or buddy list based tools, the GeoGroups platform lets you interact and explore via groups of people with common interests. Members of a group can share places (called GeoPosts) on a map, optionally share their own real-time location on the same map, and set location-based alerts within the group. For each GeoPost, users can add photos, links, tips and other helpful information.

"The venue-based check-in services are only a sliver of what is possible in the geo-social space. We worked with our thousands of beta users to create a platform that gives anyone the freedom to simply and easily build very personalized groups limited only by their imaginations," said Raghav Gupta, CEO of GeoGroups. "Very soon the platform will also let group owners monetize their networks."

The immense versatility of GeoGroups allows it to adapt to the specific needs of all users. For instance, you can create a small private group just for your family to map everyday locations like schools, friends' houses and parents' workplaces.

Parents can then quickly see where everyone is at any given time and, if desired, get a push notification when a family member arrives or leaves any set location. Adding a new location to the "family map", such as a soccer game, will let members easily navigate to the new location and add pictures of the event to the GeoPost photo album.

GeoGroups users can also join existing public groups such as Speed Traps, Cycling Trails or Wi-Fi Hotspots. If a desired group doesn't already exist, any user can start a public group to meet people with similar interests, or simply to share specific local information. This frees users from having to find new apps for every locale, hobby or other interest.

City governments may start their own public groups to allow residents to post potholes, graffiti and other annoyances. Businesses and organizations of all sizes can use GeoGroups to quickly create a private mobile collaborative network with additional enterprise features. Sporting event organizers may create public groups to let viewers map competitor progress in real time.

GeoGroups Features and Benefits

+ Create and Manage Private and Public Groups - Limit access to who can join or make group publicly available to GeoGroups community

+ Keep Your Location and Posts Private - Each group provides fine-grained privacy controls, giving you the ability to post anonymously and turn on/off location sharing

+ Locate People, Groups and Points of Interests - Quickly see where group members are in real-time and discover new hot spots based on user interest

+ Variety of Useful Public Groups - Updated regularly, find nearby Wi-Fi hotspots, restaurants, amber alerts, earthquake tremors, scenic areas, weather alerts, speed traps and more

+ Share Messages, Images, Tips - Securely send messages and share tips, images and other useful information

+ Facebook Integration - Post your location, or any location to your Facebook wall

+ GeoAlerts - Notifies users when leaving or coming within a set distance from a location or point of interest