As telecom and Web firms compete to provide location-based services, telcos have the advantage of knowing where a user is on the network. Today, Yahoo released new technology – dubbed FireEagle (http://fireeagle.yahoo.net) – that lets users explicitly enter, and control, information about their location.

Yahoo’s FireEagle is described as an “open platform” that gives users a place to store and manage information about their location with others. The open aspect of it is important because Yahoo also released protocols and methods for allowing developers to access the information in order to build location-awareness into their own applications. Yahoo has set up a developer program for FireEagle at http://fireeagle.yahoo.net/developer.

Location-based services have strong potential as the next evolution of existing services ranging from mobile applications to social networks.

A slew of Web sites and services – including social networks Brightkite and Loki; GPS and location services Dash and Navizon; blogging platform Movable Type; and Web applications including Dipity, Dopplr, Lightpole and Pownce said they have added location-based features enabled by Yahoo’s FireEagle service.

FireEagle takes the location-awareness of technologies like GPS or cell-tower triangulation and adds a “user-generated” element to it – a key feature of many Web 2.0 applications. It also provides user with a greater measure of control over how their location is delivered and shared with others while allowing individuals to add context to their location broadcasts – essentially sharing not only where they are but what they are doing in that moment.

FireEagle providers Web, mobile and desktop interfaces that let users update location automatically or manually. Users can also decide how much information to share with others – including people and applications. They can also hide themselves, an important element of first-generation location aware applications like instant messaging – sometimes people just don’t want to be seen or found.