28
Oct
2008
Times Online: A new generation of in-car navigation systems will take sat nav from being simply an electronic mapping device to being a driving instructor, telling motorists when to change gear, at what speed to take a corner and even how to drive more economically.
The systems, due to be installed in cars within three years, will present detailed three-dimensional images of the road ahead showing obstructions, gradients and narrow stretches – potentially saving country lanes from the curse of misdirected lorries.
The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (Adas), under development by leading sat nav manufacturers, will be a significant advance on the current devices which have become almost ubiquitous on dashboards over the past five years.
“The 3-D mapping taking place now will allow us to bring huge advances in the information that sat navs can provide for drivers,” said Rik Temmink, vice-president for global product management at Tele Atlas, the mapping division of TomTom, the market leader in sat navs.
The new systems are being developed by TomTom and Navteq.