Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Navteq hopes to take navigation indoors

New maps and future indoor positioning technologies will result in more advanced services

Nokia-owned Navteq has launched Destination Maps, which will add more detail to indoor maps, starting with large shopping centers, the company said on Monday.

Destination Maps includes the layout for stairs and elevators, as well as the ability to handle different floor levels. A feature called Virtual Connections provides better guidance by recognizing open areas. There are also restrictions to prevent users from being sent to emergency exits, according to Navteq.

Initially, Navteq will focus on mapping large shopping centers in the U.S., but plans to extend the product to include other types of indoor spaces. Currently, Destination Maps covers more than 200 of the largest shopping centers in the U.S. Future expansion plans also include coverage in Europe and Asia, Navteq said.

The concept of indoor mapping and navigation is still relatively new, and related software doesn't perform as well -- for example, offering less exact position information -- as outdoor navigation. However, the industry is working to change that, and Navteq is hoping the launch of Destination Maps will help spur that on, according to a spokeswoman.

Better maps and improved indoor performance will open the door for more advanced location-based services. For example, just like users today can be kept abreast of traffic jams, Destination Maps and future indoor positioning technologies will be able to warn them about crowded restaurants, according to Navteq.

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: Nokia

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: consumer electronics, GPS, Handhelds / PDAs, Navteq, Nokia, Phones, smartphones
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Consolidated Storage for Virtualised Server Environments
    This research brief is based on a recent Tech Target survey with more than 200 storage administrators and IT professionals in mid-sized and enterprise-class companies, and focuses on how these decision-makers view the storage-related challenges that result from server virtualisation. See the results.
    Learn more »
  • Consolidation Without Compromise
    Virtualisation of computer, storage and infrastructure is enabling the transformation of enterprise datacentres into private clouds. The impact is an unprecedented ability to consolidate infrastructure without compromise: no change to service level agreements (SLAs), no loss of performance or scale, and no regression in the organisation’s overall security posture. Read on.
    Learn more »
  • Best practices for implementing 2048-bit SSL
    Secure sockets layer (SSL) technology continues to be essential to the growth of the web. With unabated increases in ecommerce traffic along with transmission of personal information, SSL is no longer just a nice to have capability; it is an absolute necessity. The requirement to protect information is further heightened by the universal availability of easy-touse hacking tools such as Firesheep. Read on.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments