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Mapping/GIS: Consumer Mapping Tools: On the Right Track
The combination of digital mapping products and GPS are helping pave the way for the consumer
map market.
By J.D. Wilson For years people in the GeoTechnology industries have dreamed about the potential consumer applications that would catapult the technology into mass market appeal. But high costs and an aura of mystery with which most people approach maps and mapping technologies have kept these applications pretty much in the realm of theorists and futurists.
Dave Hill wants to make that dream a reality.
Hill's a newcomer to the mapping industry. He gave up his position as assistant general manager card products and marketing at the Bank of Nova Scotia to form Navitrak. Now he is trying to change the way consumers look at and use maps.
In the last few years, he has designed, produced and now is marketing a line of pocket-sized personal navigation products that he thinks will revolutionize the consumer map market. One is a high-tech hand-held device that incorporates a GPS receiver along with a digital map display. The other is a decidedly low-tech, combination compass and map viewing device that takes no batteries and is not much bigger than the pocket compass it replaces. Need Begets Invention
Hill's inspiration for the Navitracker family of products is personal experience. On a fishing excursion in 1987, Hill got lost deep in the woods. He had a map and a compass, but he just couldn't find his way back.
"It's a sickening feeling in your gut," He said. "You're disoriented and you just stumble around. I had the maps and the compass, but they're not so easy to use, especially when you're lost, cold and trying not to panic."
Hill wandered in the wilds for three days before stumbling on a familiar trail and making his way back to civilization. The experience affected him so profoundly he began searching for a better way to navigate in the wilderness.
Two years later, he founded Navitrak and soon introduced his first product, the Navigator®.
The Navigator is a hand-held, non-mechanical device that helps individuals find their way in the outdoors. The system includes 46 mm map slides which are placed inside a viewer. Looking through the viewer, users locate their position on the map and their destination. They then rotate a dial to align an arrow to the direction they need to go. The top of the device includes a compass. Users simply align the compass to north and then follow the second arrow toward their destination.
The simple device which sells for around $50 is lightweight, easy to carry and easy to use, according to Hill. "People don't need to understand maps to use the Navigator," Hill explained. "I can show it to people who have never seen it before, and they can figure out how to use it without any coaching at all." Bringing High Tech Home
If the Navigator is Hill's version of the ultimate compass, his next product is a must have for every high-tech toy junkie in the developed world.
The Navitracker is a hand-held electronic mapping device that incorporates a GPS receiver and digital raster maps. It is about the size of pocket calendar.
The digital maps are stored on the same PCM/CIA cards used in today's laptop computers. They are georeferenced and displayed on a 4X5 inch color screen. The GPS receiver pinpoints the user's location and displays it on the map. The user can then chart a course to his or her desired destination.
The Navitracker is different from other personal GPS devices used mostly in small airplanes and ocean-going boats. It incorporates detailed topographic maps. To fill this need, Hill turned to Land Info, Denver, Colo. Land Info specializes in off-the-shelf digital mapping products, including the color raster topographic maps Hill needs for his products.
"In the woods, it's not enough just to know which direction you need to go. You also need to know if there's an obstacle in your way and how to get around it," he said. Technology to Solve a Problem
Hill's experience with high tech banking products, including credit and debit cards and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), was just the kind of background he needed to develop the Navitracker. "I started with the question, 'why can't this be done?' and I concluded that it can," he said. "The technology existed-it was just a matter of putting it together in the right package."
Now the Navitracker is catching attention in a lot of corners. "The G7 recently gave Canada the job of developing a standard process and technical tools to be used by all countries for search and rescue operation," Hill said. "They were very excited when they saw what our system could do."
He said the same system that is in the Navitracker can be loaded on a PC and can be used to manage a search and rescue operation. The PC version is called WhereverȘ. "The system provides feedback, so it can monitor searchers and track where they've been and where they still need to search," he said.
"I've been involved in search and rescue operations and sometimes there's a lot of confusion. Some areas get searched over and over and others can get missed and no one really knows for sure," Hill explained. "With this system the search team can be sure every inch is covered." Quality Maps as a Foundation
Land Info's continually growing catalog of maps includes complete, seamless coverage of the U.S. at 1:24,000 scale and Canada at 1:50,000, as well as many other nations throughout the world. The low-cost maps are provided on CD-ROM for use in many applications including telecommunications, oil and gas, pipeline, and engineering maps. Land Info's approach to the GIS/remote sensing markets is to provide high-quality, off-the-shelf data that's compatible with most GeoTechnology software applications.
The CD-ROM data is recorded as a 250 DPI (dots per inch), four-bit TIF file, that can easily download to these applications. Because it is archival, there is quick retrieval of the data to met the needs of Navitrak's growing customer base.
When Hill discovered Land Info's digital databases, he solved his last nagging production problem. "When we first met, David was exploring a number of map production scenarios. But they were all comparatively expensive, especially when developing digital images with the accuracy and georeferencing needed to seam the maps together and tie them into GPS signals," explained Michael Blakeman, president of Land Info. "We were able to provide the maps he needed in a timely manner and at an affordable price that provided a solution to Navitrak's mapping requirements."
Already Land Info has provided Navitrak with digital maps for most of Canada, and is providing maps of the U.S. as market demand continues to expand.
Over the long run, Hill expects map sales could exceed sales of the devices themselves.
Unlike his competitors, Hill has focused on detailed raster maps taken from Quads and digital terrain models available from the USGS and Geomatics Canada. "Most of my competitors are using vector data, but that only gives you roads and addresses. It doesn't tell you about the area around you, especially if you're out in the woods," he explained. "There are 200 million outdoor enthusiasts and they need more than road centerlines to get them to where they're going and back again." Fast Track to Market
With his product design down and his manufacturing program worked out, Hill is attacking the market aggressively now.
There are five major market segments for the Navitracker family of products according to Hill. "We've identified and are marketing to automotive, avionics, marine, outdoor recreation and search and rescue groups," he said. "Avionics and marine applications already know about GPS and its widely used for navigation. But even there we think there's is real opportunity to add value by providing a detailed map of the environment around them," Hill said. About the Author:
J.D. Wilson is a freelance writer in Denver, Colo., specializing in the GeoTechnologies. He may be reached at 303-751-7636 (phone) or 303-322-3702 (fax).
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