GPS technology goes green

Navteq provides maps used for navigation in devices that support global positioning system (GPS), including mobile phones by Nokia, Samsung and LG.

At its booth in this week's imbX confernce and exhibition, Navteq featured the winner of a contest the company held to showcase location-based services.

Credit: Konrad Foo

Featured in this picture, Navitime was awarded winner of the Navteq LBS challenge. The company's winning application is a GPS-guided multi-modal navigation application that provides maps for seven major transportation modes: walking, driving, trains, subways, buses, taxis and commercial air-flights.

Photo credit: Konrad Foo

Two routes are featured in this picture: by car (top) and walking (bottom). Hiroshi Sasaki, an executive with Navitime's LBS planning and marketing business division, said the application always maps the shortest route for the user. For example, the picture shows how the map guides users via the "walking route" to cut through a landmark, while drivers were shown a detour.

Photo credit: Konrad Foo

Another unqiue feature in the Navitime application is able calculate carbon (CO2) emission and taking this into consideration, maps the routes that are least exposed to CO2, according to Sasaki.

This technology is already available in Japan, he said. The company is also planning to bring the technology and Navitime application to Singapore, as part of its business expansion plan, he added.

Photo credit: Konrad Foo

Nano Equipment also participated in the Navteq LBS competition. The Singapore-based company developed an application called Geo-tagged Mobile Video Broadcast. The application offers a low-cost means for mobile users to broadcast live video feeds to the Web, and at the same time, show the user's location on the map.

K. C. Chong, Nano's director of sales and business development, said the company provided its technology to a variety show aired on a local channel, Okto. Chong said the technology can be used for blogs and future broadcasting modes in future creating more opportunities for user interaction and entertainment.

Photo credit: Konrad Foo

Another contestant of Navteq's contest, TourSpot, came up with an application that combines a GPS-enabled city guide and social networking features. The tool features location-based search capabilities and live mapping, allowing users to tour cities without having to carry a paper map or street directory.

Photo credit: Konrad Foo