A location-based and preference-based system and method for matching the
profiles of the attributes and/or characteristics of persons, places
and/or things with the expressed preferences of mobile users such as
travelers, to alert and direct such users to any places having attributes
matching the user's express preferences. In particular, the system
comprises a mobile device such as a GPS-capable PDA that stores the
user's preferences and communicates with a server that contains or
accesses the profiles of the persons, places or things to compare the
profiles and preferences. Comparison of the user's preferences with the
various profiles allows the user only to be informed of those persons,
places and/or things that it is likely to be interested in. The system
and method thus provides for a mobile real-time point of interest
exchange network.