The Future of GPS - What Do WE Want from a SatNav?

Darren

Trawling the web earlier I cam across links to Honda's Electro Gyrocator, claimed to be the first commercially available navigation system.

Developed jointly by Honda and Alpine in 1981, the device used map sheets placed in the device and driven across an illuminated screen. You inserted the map of your chosen area, set the start point and then a gyroscope tracked your movement and plotted the position on the moving map. For the time an amazing if hardly practical demonstration of the technology!

Honda Electro Gyrocator

This started me thinking, navigation systems have become commonplace and manufacturers are racing each other to release ever more functionality but what do WE, the consumers actually want from a navigation system? Detailed traffic information is perhaps nice to have but in our small and ever congested island the choice of alternative routes is at best limited so how useful is it really, even if the data was accurate? 3D building data is another current 'hot' feature and one I am not wholly convinced adds anything to the actual navigation experience.

Future GPS
So here is your opportunity to discuss and debate what features you would like to see.

I'll kick it off with some of the items on my wishlist:

Maps that indicate the lie of the land, mountains, valleys etc rather than OS style maps.
6" screen
Fully configurable information fields
Full voice control
Steering wheel mounted remote to access device
Blackbox data recorder
Active mount with all connections on the mount
Alternative mounting options
Easy integration with car stereo

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Darren Griffin

Border_Collie · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject:

1. iGO8 already has 3D landscape, which is quite good, and 3D buildings... Why?
6. Can record track logs which can be saved and transferred to Google Earth to view route or fly-over. Can also save NMEA data which can be read to see driving speeds etc., although it consumes quite a bit of memory. Not quite 'black box' but not too far off.

My own wish list? iGO8 does all I want and more so I'm one happy soul. Very Happy

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Darren · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 3:54 pm Post subject:

I too am a big fan of iGO but I'd like to see it packaged on a nice wide-screen PND. MyGuide's gone, Mio dropped iGO (utter madness).

I'd rather not have the 3D buildings though!
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Darren Griffin

Border_Collie · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:15 pm Post subject:

NickG · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:33 pm Post subject:

1. 2D, top-down, easy to read maps. I don't want any of this gimmicky 3D rubbish.
2. The ability for the satnav to tell you exactly where it is after it's been stolen.

MaFt · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:36 pm Post subject:

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Blogs&op=showBlogPix&idImage=372

is this one big enough for you darren? i believe it was running igo, albeit v2006. i also think i crashed it...

3d landscapes are useful - ie you can see hills / dips in teh road etc but the buildings are not really that useful!

MaFt

tsdinos · Pocket GPS Verifier Joined: Jun 03, 2006 Posts: 119

I believe the future of GPS is that eventually will combine to mobile phones and PDAs and in a few years time we will buy relatively inexpensive little computer devices that will do gps navigation, mobile phone calls, taking pictures, playing music, internet browsing and use of a wide variety of aftermarket applications! (much more like pc windows or mac if u prefer) I also believe that the next decade we will be so depended to these devices, that we will look back to 2008 and early 2000s and we will say how could we lived like that! manual paper map??? Thats ancient history! (I dont even dare to talk about the 90s!) Laughing

well...for now I believe that the next step for GPS is to have internet connectivity with some way. Sattelite dual way communication seems a bit distant at the moment. so most likely GPS companies may do some contracts with mobile phone providers and obtain wireless internet. After that the possibilities are simply....endless!

Live POIs either community or company based (for example restaurants ads with real time reviews!) Petrol stations with real time prices....etc
Also temporary speed limits (icy road....gritting in progress), temporary road closures (e.g football match) road works AND traffic will be much more accurate!

I believe that 3D landscape is quite usefull so you will know if you're heading towards a steep slope, or to an open field.... but how cool would that be if they could integrate somehow real Google earth pictures? I think this is something that cannot be done without internet connection

roger-m · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 29, 2008 Posts: 10

I just want existing navigation features to work and I don't want features that offer no benefit to navigation.

The muddy track outside my house has been a muddy track since the Romans abandoned it yet TomTom still thinks I can get my car down it. How long have digi maps been in existance and why do basic things never get fixed.

With all the cheap computing power available why are PND's so damn slow at doing things.

Why are...

I could go on and on, but really SatNav's haven't improved in any way since I got my first Garmin many years ago. I actually just purchased a TomTom 730 and it's no better.

Rant over.

Roger

alanlakes · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:23 pm Post subject:

1. Bigger screen
2. I have the latest map on my 910. Yet driving to and from a destination in the centre of Warrington today. I was told/advised to turn into a No Entry street 5 times. Checking with the locals the streets have been like that for years. And yes I did mark them for correction. So for me it would be more accurate maps.
3. And following on from 2. That we all send in our "local" corrections and get them corrected quickly. Of course there may not be any Tomtom users in Warrington!

Alan
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StuartStrangeboy · Regular Visitor Joined: Nov 09, 2005 Posts: 84

I have never used any of my sat nav's other than to get from A to B and mess around with a few voices etc. I saw this with mobile phones years ago, they got smaller and smaller, telling us that people wanted a tiny phone, then low and behold everyone wanted a bigger phone and smart phones became all the rage.
I do think the smart phone is a huge part of the future for GPS companies as will built in systems in our cars be. I also think the small PND's that you can fit in your pocket will also continue to do well, I remember my old TomTom 700 which was like trying to put a large triangle in your pocket, not that it was made to go in your pocket of course but I always wanted one that I could carry around with me so I bought the TomTom 5 for my old Nokia which was great fun but ended up using a Garmin 310 for the very reason it was easy to carry around and was a great device and sad to see it discontinued along with the 6XX series.
I am sure you will see many more add ons and subscription services as margins continue to fall as the companies look to further entice customers, but for me simplicity will always win the day.

navver · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:21 pm Post subject:

GPS to drive the car for you on autopilot.

Automatic speed control.

GPS that says "Yes that's the road, when you're not sure" or "Not that one stupid".

GPS to drive the car to pick the kids up when the footballs on.

GPS to drive you home from the pub.

The possibiliies are endless.

steveJ · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject:

Darren · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:04 pm Post subject:

Can we try to keep this constructive? I'd rather not have yet another thread moaning about this manufacturer or that feature.

I thought it would be interesting to discuss what features we'd like to see in our ideal sat-nav, I'm sure we all have our own ideas about what we would like as features?
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Darren Griffin

dlpruk · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:16 pm Post subject:

I'd like a Sat Nav that just did that. (With 100% accuracy and no gimmicks like speech recognition, music players, phone connections and such that I consider to be expensive technology looking for an application.)

Just give me:
All the roads that are open and none that aren't.
Routing that doesn't include unsurfaced bridleways when I ask it to avoid them.
Private roads - like the one past my house.
House names as well as numbers - because us country bumpkins don't have numbers and nor do most industrial estates.

David

tomthompson · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:49 pm Post subject:

GPS has progressed by leaps and bounds and most of it is due to increased computing power.
The same goes for the future, as the machines get more powerful , I would expect the devices to become multipurpose. i.e. wether walking ,riding , boating driving the one device will assist but not control . It will of course be a multi contact device , phone wi fi bluetooth and pager with email . Videos and music .

Yes to some extent you can get most of these now but they need more power and that is what the computing people are great at . Getting more power in a smaller package .

So soon I would expect my phone/gps/internet device to replace my laptop.

No fanciful ideas for me just reality coming .
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