It is not merely a map. It is a moving map. It speaks to prompt drivers when
to turn left and where to fill up their gas tanks.
Digital navigation maps accessed from vehicles and mobile phones are an
indicator of the country's future mobile lifestyle, as more Chinese turn to them
for directions.
"Quite a number of automobile producers, both domestic and international,
will install our navigating map in their new models," said Sun Yuguo, president
of Beijing-based NavInfo Co Ltd, which is the country's top cartographic
information provider. Sixteen car brands use NavInfo's map service.
Leading mobile phone manufacturers are also eager to join forces with the
mapping giant, propelled by the success of Nokia, which marketed a new mobile
personal navigation module late last year.
As small as a disc, or even smaller to fit into mobile phones, the digital
map reciprocates with the global positioning system (GPS) to guide people to
their inputted destination in a few clicks.
All road information is displayed in a 3D model, accompanied by a voice. For
each query, five routes are recommended, including expressway priority and
distance priority.
The map also includes lists of nearby gas stations, hotels, supermarkets and
restaurants and their telephone numbers.
Less than 1 per cent of cars in China are equipped with the device, said Sun.
In Japan, half of the cars in the country navigate digitally.
But, the Chinese market is growing quickly. Beijing plans to plant GPS
receivers in all its buses and taxis by 2008, which "implies a big market for
the navigating map," said Sun.
By 2015, China will demand 26 million sets of in-car and personal navigation
systems, about 28 times more than last year, thanks to the 2008 Beijing Olympics
and the 2012 Shanghai World Expo, a survey released in March by Yano Research
Institute found.
Hu Yue, a Shanghai-based Lexus owner, agrees that the future is rosy for
in-car navigation, based on personal experience.
"It is useful and handy especially when you head for a strange place," said
Hu, who purchased a Lexus with an in-car navigation a month ago.
Although Hu admits that he seldom uses it in Shanghai, the map will
definitely "play a big part when I explore other cities," he said.
Between 20 to 30 per cent of Hu's friends have such a system in their cars,
he said. "The number will soon go up, I believe," Hu said.
Travel enthusiasts have especially high expectations and believe the system
will be extremely useful when they drive through city jungles.
Shi Hui, a Beijing-based white-collar worker, said she would like to have a
navigation system to save time by not having to study paper maps and tourist
manuals.
There are nine cartographic information providers in China. NavInfo is the
oldest, and occupies more than 80 per cent of the in-car navigation map market
in China.
The company has the most complete map data that spans more than 300 cities
across the country, excluding Taiwan Province and Hong Kong and Macao special
administrative regions. The data is updated twice a year for big cities, and
annually for smaller ones.
By co-operating with telecommunications giant China Unicom, the map is
accessible to mobile phone users trying to find destinations.
"They do not need to buy another auxiliary. All they need is a mobile with a
GPS receiver and to register for the service," he said.
(China Daily 05/05/2006 page2)
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