Monday 14 September 2009

GPS changing driving instincts

I have a theory that GPS navigators will change the way we drive. I don't mean that nobody will need directions ever again. I'm talking about making up for their deficiencies. The maps are not always up to date, and if our unit is anything to go by, the route taken is not always optimal or obvious. Those situations, where you find yourself second-guessing the directions, will become our new "navigation sense".

This won't apply to everyone. Some people will never get a GPS until it's included in their new car by default. Some will use it just to fill in the gaps in their own knowledge. Some, like me, need to use it five or six times on the same route to remember it properly. But all of us will be affected by the change when computer navigation becomes a standard feature of cars. I'm just not sure how it will look yet.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I navigate like an ant.
PPS - Low to the ground, no deviation, and I need the scent of past trips to find my way.

4 comments:

Stu said...

I think once live updating of the maps and traffic become standard, people will buy them more than they do now, and hopefully they will improve some of the routing algorithms so that they miss some of the stupid routes they take you on when there is one that is easier and less confusing

John said...

Live updating of maps and traffic will pretty much require an internet connection in every car. And when the traffic info is live, you might find yourself directed to equally confusing routes to avoid the heaviest traffic.

Erin Marie said...

I just want to gloat about the fact that I only need to go to a place once to remember how to get there.

I'm smarter than Jo-ohn! I'm smarter than Jo-ohn!

John said...

I'd prefer the more accurate but less chantable "I have a stronger navigational instinct than Jo-ohn!". :P