Nokia recently acquired NAVTEQ and both Garmin and TomTom are vying for control of Tele Atlas. These are just a couple of the many examples indicating the growing importance of digital maps and mapping services to those manufacturing and marketing navigation devices; hand-held or otherwise.
With the expected growth in the navigation and location-based service market it's becoming increasingly clear that traditional map generation technologies are quickly becoming as obsolete as the maps they produce. According to a report released last week by ABI Research; the up and coming methods of generating and updating digital maps will rely heavily, if not solely, on user-generated information.
Constantly updated maps noting such items as the current status of road construction projects can, obviously, be of tremendous value. Still, the greatest value may come with the addition, to those digital maps, of a seemingly infinite variety of user-added POI (Point of Interest) information. Speaking specifically about the trucking industry I can imagine a veritable plethora of possibilities. I spoke about some of these in the Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 2 during my brief coverage of the soon to be released Dash Express; a device that relies quite heavily on user-generated content.
As the demand for up to date, even up to the minute, maps and location based information increases I'm sure you can visualize the impossibility, not to mention the cost, of commercially generating this type of digital map. This leaves community-based efforts as the only available option. One such community can and should be truck drivers and trucking companies as well as shippers, receivers and vendors like repair shops and truck stops.
The ABI Research report asserts that "by 2012 a large part of all map and POI content will be generated by more than 50 million active members of user communities." Let's hope that we, as a community, aren't left out of this loop.
I am desperately trying to get the word out about these AWESOME portable gps units by TeleType and made just for us commercial drivers. All of the major truck stop chains carry these buy rarely are they in stock.
I just got a computer for Christmas and my son helped me find some online (he's helping me with this too!). My very first "Favorites" was the Online Truck Stop. How exciting! So they have all 3 commercial gps navigation units with truck routes and that's is where I bought mine.
I have only had it for about 2 weeks but I have not had one problem with it yet. I can get an update from TeleType anytime I need it if I need it. I have told so many people and buddies about this and I'm glad that I did. All of them that have bought their own are more than happy & most have written letters to the Online Truck Stop to tell them how great these really are.
I recommend you check them out too! If you are a commercial driver you can not afford to not have one of these. The very first time that it steers you clear it will pay for itself. I remember the first time I turned the wrong way down a 1 way. Oh my gosh, I though I could just die. Not really, but I would have given everything that I owned to not be in that position at that time. Having one of these 28 years ago would have been great. Having one now is a blessing!.
Posted by: Truckers GPS Navigation with Truck Routes | February 01, 2009 at 11:02 AM
I need a GPS that has truck routes.
Which one to buy?
Robert
Ice44@optonline.net
Posted by: Robert Rice | June 07, 2009 at 03:53 AM