As expected, you find the bulk of your geolocation data is generated by the typical GPS mapping utilities. Many times, these vendors load map data that is not user created at the time of the application install. It is important not to confuse the two. Geolocation is also commonplace within the metadata of image and video files, and these files may be incorporated into your examination tool’s output of geo-tagged data. Applications that allow for the zooming in on maps to improve visibility, such as Google Maps, may also create cached map tiles of the data that appears on the device handset.

Some applications that appear to have GPS functionality can also be used for multiple purposes. The popular mapping application Waze incorporates GPS mapping along with a chat feature, which allows a network of Waze users to comment on traffic-related issues.

Other apps that don’t stand out as programs that would require GPS access store some of the best data. If you have ever answered “Yes” to the question regarding giving your smartphone access to your current location, your coordinates are most likely being stored. Facebook and Foursquare check-ins are obvious GPS users, but don’t overlook popular restaurant applications, house-hunting apps, tools for faster taxicab service, and even fitness-related apps as good collectors of GPS information. A simple review of a device’s weather app history could tie them to a location at a given moment in time.