This is why I need broadband in the car: Presenting GNav!

At the risk of sounding like an "all things google" blog...  This is marvelous.  Apparently Google is working with Volkswagen's Electronics Research Laboratory in Palo Alto to make what looks like a Google Earth / Google Maps / Yahoo Traffic / Weather Channel / in-car navigation mashup.   

The three-dimensional, photorealistic display of the surrounding area would make intuitive orientation easier for the driver and passengers.   Imagine a Google Earth style flyover of your route from within the car.  Net-linked cars could also do things like this:

• Self-report average velocity, giving *very* accurate reads on real-time traffic.  No need to rely on the limited number of traffic sensors currently in use.  Imagine if I knew the median speed of the last 20 cars going from my neighborhood to my work...
• Overlay the map with speed limits (so I'd know the limit for my area and could slow for the upcoming school zone)
• Overlay the map with known contruction zones, accidents, speed traps, red-light cameras
• Allow a google-style search of points of interest (POIs).  My current nav system forces me to browse a hierarchy (Restaurants, All Types, By Keyword, By Distance to Location) before I enter the name.  That's so Yahoo 1998.  With a google search, I could just type "Jackie's" and it would use page rank with my location and history to know I probably meant the nearby restaurant.
• Color code my POIs by whether they're open or not.  Show their phone number and automatically dial it from a bluetooth phone.

Throw in an API to let me create my own map overlays, and I'm one happy camper. 

I suppose there's no real need for this to be confined to a vehicle; the same tech could find its way onto cell phones or Origami devices.  But I am looking forward to the increased convenience.  If we're gonna live like we do, packed into cities, why not at least optimize the experience?

Comments

Sweet, just gotta share this.

[Stig]

Thanks. There's been a lot of progress lately in this area, since I wrote this three years back... not just the TomTom work, but also another GPS maker announced last week that it would start learning your driving habits. Sure, this rural road has a posted limit of 30, but if you typically drive 55 on it, then routing decisions should change.

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