The future of navigation

The future of navigation

The future of navigation

Digital mapping has potential to make travel more efficient and safer, while also offering marketing opportunities.

• Published: 3/08/2011 at 12:00 AM


• Newspaper section: Business

If you have a car navigation system but feel it is distracting and just as likely to lead to an accident as a stress-free journey, three-dimensional digital mapping might be an alternative.

Navteq staff use custom software on a laptop to collect attributes for points of interest that can be incorporated into navigation devices.

New 3D-navigation system technology has the capability to show the real-world appearance of buildings and road surfaces, enhancing the experiences of drivers or pedestrians who use it.
For instance, if you are shopping at a department store, you can use your mobile phone to see the layout of all the stores, elevators and even emergency exits.
As more people use advanced wireless devices, particularly smartphones and tablets, and wireless broadband networks develop, the use of digital maps is expected to increase.
The widespread use of digital maps and advanced location-based services is also expected to increase revenue opportunities for mobile operators, software developers and store and product owners.
Digital maps offer a more convenient way for people to reach target destinations in a safe and efficient manner, said Hataichanok Leerahathon, manager for customer marketing at Navteq Solution (Thailand).
The global digital map maker recently introduced its new Natural Guidance system, providing instructions based on points of interest and landmarks.
Unlike conventional navigation systems that tell users how many metres before turning right, the natural guidance system will identify a specific place for users such as "turn right at the 7-Eleven".
"This helps drivers keep their eyes on the road, rather than the navigation system," she said.
The company's digital map can integrate with a real-time traffic system to display congestion in different areas with various colours, helping drivers avoid bottlenecks.
It also features a visual map displaying the visual aspects of a city including road surfaces, sidewalks and land use via 3D-textured representations of buildings.
Advanced location-based services are becoming more popular, with Nokia's Ovi maps and LG and Samsung using digital maps routed off of Microsoft's Bing search engine.
Ms Hataichanok said that once 3G wireless broadband services are universally available together with a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal, more map applications will be created.
This will also broaden mobile advertising revenue opportunities for content developers and mobile operators.
Navteq provides location-aware mobile advertising services via its global LocationPoint ad network, one of the world's fastest-growing hyperlocal networks for global network publishers.
LocationPoint enables advertisers to pinpoint where consumers are and deliver ads for stores within a few metres of that location. The ads are more like mini-apps in that they have a number of high-engagement calls to action.
A consumer can click to call a merchant, then click to save discount coupons to be used later. But the main service is accurate step-by-step instructions to the merchant.
She said this ad network enables publishers to monetise high-value revenue streams for premium mobile sites and applications. The advertiser pays based on how that revenue is divided among other stakeholders in the value chain.
Digital maps are also appearing in digital cameras. Users simply activate the GPS function on a camera to display landmarks on the monitor and identify the country or region being shot. This allows users to organise their photos more conveniently, allowing them to determine the precise location of where the photo was taken.
Navteq has hired more geographic analysis staff to increase its points of interest from 400,000 to 900,000 over the past six months.
More border trade is driving demand for fleet management to track transport vehicles.
"This has potential in Thailand for entertainment hubs, eating out and automobile production," she said, adding that selling mapping licences to portable navigation devices offers bright prospects.