Mobile Navigation and Mapping Systems

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Mobile Navigation and Mapping Systems

• Sean Casey

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Mobile Navigation

• Overview
• Why now?
• Features of navigational applications
• Overview most popular applications
• Outstanding issues
• Demo navigational apps running on a device

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Mobile Navigation Why Now?

• Used to be restricted to expensive dedicated
  devices
• Mainly in-car navigation
• Recent move toward offering mobile navigational
  applications for mobile phones.
• More interesting localised mobile services
• Killer app for 3G services
• 2 main groups involved in mobile navigation
• Diversification of web search engines
• Web2.0, LBS, mobile and community generated
  content
• Existing mapping companies targeting mobile
  market
• TomTom, Route66

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Mobile Navigation Why Now?

• Enabling technologies
• Widespread use of powerful Smartphone devices
• Nokia Series 60, Windows Mobile 5/6
• Data transfer
• Faster 3G access
• Mobile positioning hardware
• Cheap availability of GPS modules (30)
• Inevitable integration of mobile GPS (Nokia
  N95, 2007 onwards)
• "Time and place are the two most fundamental
  systems for framing our lives. Today, everyone
  has a watch to tell the time, but it's a glaring
  omission that we don't have a universal device
  for telling us where we are. Mobile phones are
  the only way of doing that."
• Professor Raper, City University. BBC Interview.

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Common Features

• Wide range of applications emerging, but most
  seem to concentrate on a few core features
• Not getting lost Where am I?
• Finding where places are Route
  finding/directions
• Finding what places exist Local
  services/attractions
• Retaining interesting places Tagging stuff for
  community or self
• Specialised uses hiking (memory map)

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Navigational Applications Mobile GMaps

• Early (mid 2005) mobile mapping tool
• Hacked together approach
• Front end to pull maps from Google maps, Yahoo!
  Maps, Windows Live Local, Ask.com Maps
• Uses GPS to pinpoint current location
• Downloads (non-optimised) maps as required
• Not many other features
• Highly compatible - most J2ME handsets
• Main non-commercial option (distributed under
  creative commons license)

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Navigational Applications Google Mobile Maps

• Offers directions (route finding) from one
  location to another
• Includes satellite imagery heavy data transfer
  costs
• Data transfer monitor indicates cost of use
• Good device support
• Virtually all J2ME/MS Smartphone/Blackberry
• Real time traffic data in certain US cities
• Tag favourite locations
• Localised business information none around
  Lincoln

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Navigational Applications Windows Live Search
Mobile

• Windows Live Search is umbrella for all MS
  mobile search tools
• Part of this are mapping tools
• Available as an online search, or enhanced
  stand-alone download
• Currently only covers UK and US
• Localised business searches work well
• Mapping
• Road and satellite views
• Driving instructions
• Address search
• Supports J2ME and MS Smartphone
• Traffic information in certain US cities
• No integration with route finder
• Clicky interface fewer key presses

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Navigational Applications Smart2Go

• Ability to download and install mapping data for
  large areas on device
• Can be used offline
• Needs routine updates
• Route directions
• Various prices dependant on area and time
  5/month
• 2D or 3D
• Voice and visual instructions
• Series 60/Windows Mobile 5
• Tagging locations/services and sharing these with
  friends
• Localised business information Not very good
  around Lincoln
• Localised premium guides
• Designed to replace travel guide books
• Need to be purchased
• Huge coverage (almost worldwide)

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Navigational Applications Yahoo! Maps Yahoo
Go/OneSearch

• Similar solution to Windows Live
• Attempts to do everything
• Aims to organise ones life around spatial data
• Revolutionary voice over IM feature! An ironic
  joke?
• Very restricted set of operators/phones we are
  not able to test
• Self reported location - no GPS yet
• Community reviewed localised service information
• Driving directions
• Free, but set to be bundled with certain
  providers phones

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Navigational Applications Others
Wayfinder

• Mapquest

Memory Map
Route66 Mobile
TomTom Mobile
Anquet
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Outstanding Issues/Questions

• Interaction speed, current software coverage
• Helping or manipulating the consumer?
• Forced direction Routing traffic to preferred
  roads. Sometimes result in increased traffic in
  rural areas.
• Are the directions always best? Leading people
  through busy or dangerous areas/people wanting
  scenic routes
• Shared community experience envisaged by Web2.0,
  or just another advertising space for big
  business? Inclusion of smaller local services
  okay if you love McDonalds
• Adaptability bad Coping with unforeseen
  circumstances and context (diversions, traffic,
  weather, etc)
• Off road less effective
• Doesn't know direction (at all)
• Location less accurate

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Outstanding Issues/Questions

• Compromising privacy
• These are opt-in/opt-out services user can
  easily exit
• Paying for free services with locative market
  research? GPS of clubcards?
• Communication of spatial instructions
• Not particularly novel developers favor
  maps/directions/voice
• Are these suited to mobile screens - perhaps we
  need a new notion for spatial communications?

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Demonstration of Applications

• A number of free mobile navigational applications
  are installed on the Smartphone