Category: GPS

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GIS GPS

Sat Nav.. how old is your data ?

Thanks to Adena at allpoints for pointing out this press release from Navteq announcing their new “Sat Nav” Challenge website which allows users to find out if there is updated data for their navigation system.

navteq data

Great I though.. I checked for my system, only to find that my system is not listed.., although my Nissan X-Trail has a factory fit navigation system, the data comes from Zenrin and is not compatible with either navteq or Tele Atlas data for that matter. Zenrin as you might guess don’t seem to offer updates..

My car is two years old, the data on the navigation DVD was published two years earlier so I am using at least four year old data – and I am unable to update.

In my view this is not an acceptable situation, once again a new technologies growth is been limited by a “walled garden’ approach to technology in the same way LBS will not take off until the applications are separated from the network providers, sat nav will stall unless there is an open data format for navigation systems.

Written and submitted from home, using my home 802.11 network.

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GPS Technology Thoughts

Innsbruck in a day… thanks to Tom Tom

Just on my way back from a whistle stop trip to Innsbruck – there are still a few places in Europe where it is still only just possible to visit in a day.. I was there to present to some of the team drafting the technical details that will make the Inspire directive to share environmental information in Europe work… well as soon at is passed in a form acceptable to all 🙂

My Journey was only just possible because i was trying out one of the new Tom Tom navigation systems, which came fully loaded with no only the full European road network but North American roads also.. This really is the ipod of navigation systems !

So a round trip of 450Km later I’m back at the airport in Munich and I did not get lost once !! – Now if only my flight was not delayed…

Written and submitted from the Delta Crown Room Lounge, at Munich Airport using the t-mobile wifi network.

Categories
GIS GPS Technology Thoughts

London Black Cabs add GPS

Evening Standard

This evenings Evening Standard, London’s evening newspaper reports that for the first time London’s Black Taxi Cab drivers are to be allowed to supplement they “Knowledge” of the streets of London with GPS navigation systems.

For the Public Carriage Office, not an organisation known for its grip on technology (have you ever tried to pay by credit card in a London Taxi ?) to adopt this is a massive leap forward.

This could get interesting.. is the navigation system a match for the encyclopaedic knowledge of you average London taxi driver, I actually doubt it, the intricate knowledge of the streets of London and how congested they are likely to be at any point of time is something very difficult to capture at present – another “sense of place” type of data where traditional GI approaches fail.

Still there is no longer an excuse to hear.. “Sorry Guv, Can’t go south of the river!”

Written and submitted from home, using my home 802.11 network.