Map Information and Navigation systems - Powerful tool for modern technology

A variety of online services use the integration of maps and databases to provide detailed information ranging from weather forecasts to traffic conditions to local shopping and restaurants. Increasingly, these services can be customized to the user’s needs. Further, when combined with global positioning system (GPS) devices, the map display can be focused on the user’s current location, providing navigation and/or “points of interest” information. (For mapping systems primarily designed for scientific or other analytical use, see geographical information systems.)

MAPQUEST

mapQuest has its roots in the Cartographic Services Division of R. R. Donnelley, a leading maker of printed maps. The company first went online in 1996, was renamed mapQuest in 1999, and was acquired by America Online (AOL) in 2000. The basic services offered by MapQuest are street maps of a user-specified location and driving routes between an origin and a destination. In recent years the service has been elaborated to allow users to customize routes, to obtain location-related “Yellow Pages” service from AOL, and to receive maps and driving directions on PDAs and mobile phones.

Google Maps and Google Earth 

Arriving on the Web in 2005 was google maps, a more sophisticated and versatile mapping service. There are four types of map view: a street map, actual satellite or aerial photo, street map overlaid on the photo, and street-level photo views (in selected cities.) Besides specifying a particular location for the map, users can enter queries such as “pizza in Berkeley” to highlight locations where the pies are available. A related application is Google Earth, which was based on a product acquired by Google in 2004. Google Earth is available for PCs running Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, and shows detailed images of most terrain at 15-meters resolution or smaller, with considerably more detailed imagery of some cities. Views have also been enhanced to provide a better 3D visualization of features such as the Grand Canyon or Mount Everest, as well as a significant number of major buildings. In 2007 google added sky views as well as surface views of the moon and mars. Like other Google services, google maps and Google Earth offer extensive interfaces that can be used to link maps and imagery with data from other programs. For example, Wikipedia articles that include coordinate tags will now be automatically linked to the corresponding content from Google Earth. (For more on the creation of new applications through combining existing services, see mashups.) Because mapping services (particularly Google) have featured relatively high-resolution aerial and even street level photographic views, some government agencies around the world have complained that the service is providing too much detail of military or other sensitive installations. (This is also a potential terrorism concern.) Also, privacy advocates are concerned that actual images of identifiable persons show up in the street-level imagery. Google has responded to security concerns by blurring the imagery of some U.S. locations, presumably at government request. They have also argued that pictures of people who are in public places months or years earlier are not a real privacy concern.

Mobile Navigation Systems

mobile navigation systems can provide maps, driving directions, and sometimes additional information such as traffic conditions and advisories. The system can be either built into the dashboard (as with many higher-end vehicles) or available as a mounted unit such as those from Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan (see caRs and computing). mobile navigation systems link the user’s current location (obtained through the GPS system) to the unit’s stored database of maps and other information, such as local points of interest. (Some units have backup dead-reckoning systems based on the car’s motion, for use when GPS signals are lost or distorted because of buildings or other obstacles.) An alternative to in-car systems is the smartphone or PDA equipped with GPS and navigation software. These have the advantage of also being useful for pedestrians or hikers.

Users should look for navigation systems that have features such as: 

•  large, clear, readable display 
•  overhead display and display from the driver’s point of view 
•  an uncluttered user interface to avoid distracting the driver
•  voice announcements of driving directions and other information 
•  comprehensive maps and database including the ability to load supplemental coverage for other areas

An important and sometimes overlooked issue with mobile navigation systems is the need to design the display and user interface so as to minimize distraction. A combination of large displays without unnecessary complexity and the use of spoken driving directions can help. A more controversial approach is to disable many functions of the system (such as entering new destinations) while the car is in motion.

Further readings

• Car gPS (Navigation) Reviews. CNET. Available online. URL: http://reviews.cnet.com/4566-3430_7-0.html. Accessed September 30, 2007.
• Crowder, David A. Google Earth for Dummies. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2007. 
• google maps. Available online. URL: http://maps.google.com. Accessed September 29, 2007.
• Hofmann-Wellenhof, Bernhard, Klaus Legat, and manfred Wieser. Navigation: Principles of Positioning and Guidance. New York: Springer, 2003
• “Introduction to In-Car Navigation.” Crutchfield Advisor. Available online. URL: http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO- rgbtcspd/learningcenter/car/navigation.html. Accessed September 30, 2007. 
• mapquest. Available online. URL: http://www.mapquest.com/. Accessed September 29, 2007. 
• Purvis, michael, Jeffrey Sambells, and Cameron Turner. Beginning Google Maps Applications with PHP and Ajax: From Novice to Professional. Berkeley, Calif.: APress, 2006.