If this report is true, why would Google want SkyBox? In the article, it’s believed that there are two possible reasons for this purchase.
1. This would give Google more imagery for consumer maps
2. This gives Google more data for enterprise use case
It’s very possible this could be the legitimate reasons for the possible purchase of SkyBox. Why would Google want to bother owning such a company? More than likely, it’s to obtain the ability to control what sort of data and imagery is captured.
One use that Google may have for a company such as SkyBox is to help track digital ad exposure into the offline world of stores and other venues of the commercial type.
With Google’s “estimated total conversions” initiative, signed-in Chrome users can be tracked as they enter stores to determine offline conversion. It’s also possible that Google could be testing conversion tracking that involves “tight geofencing.” What this means is that mobile users are watched as users cross building perimeter thresholds.
The idea that the service that Google could provide after acquiring a company like SkyBox could be real useful, as tracking people’s offline activities could impact positively on online ads and search queries.