Title: GPS – More than a Navigation System
Description: These days GPS aren’t just navigation tools. Hello car theatre.
Author: Charlotte Malycon © 2007
Credits: Please credit author and link to www.decypher.com.au
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Have you got your GPS navigation system yet? Chances are, if you didn’t throw out your Gregory’s during 2007, then Santa would have popped a nice surprise in your stocking.
These handy devices are becoming ubiquitous. If you don’t see one on your neighbour’s parked car, look for the suction mark on their windscreen. At least, that’s what the local hoods are doing when cruising for a break & enter. If you’re not careful to wipe away this small telltale circle, you could be next.
If your neighbour has neither a ghosted mark, or they’re so new to the act that their GPS is still on full display, then you’ve every right to make fun of them with your kids. Anybody who drives more than the daily 5km round school-trip, should rate these handy machines somewhere up there with clean undies and a daily cuppa: in my mother’s book – mandatory. Yes, even she has one.
Joyfully, these handy talking street guides are also supported by huge investment from the telematics industry. By combining your mobile phone, your GPS and some fancy footwork (or should I say networking), these guys are spelling the end of manual fleet tracking for all big players.
Australian farmers have already cashed in on the technology. Since the early 2000’s Aussie farmers have been using GPS auto-guidance in their crop preparation and sowing to increase canola and wheat yields by up to 200 per cent.
On the fleet management front, such advancements could spell great news for improved safety on long distance hauls and in tight city centres. Back in 2005, General Motors declared it would be launching Traffic Assist – a GPS auto pilot system – in their 2008 Opel Vectra. A look at the actual features of this year’s models shows they switched focus to alternative fuel and reduced CO2 emissions instead, but the fact is that the auto-guide technology exists and is being used in various guises to improve driver safety.
Of course such systems do at times, end up frustrating us mere drivers. Apart from the dogmatic and relentless voiced commands, not being able to sneak in a quick coffee at your mate’s around the corner from drop-off may impede the course of social justice. But the time it will save you manually filling out your trip-sheets could give you twice as much earning power, especially when the bosses realise improved productivity across the board.
Me, I’m more excited by evolution of these most useful of devices into the most playful of machines. These days we have increasingly better options to turn our navigation systems into full blown multi-media centres. Complete with 5 megapixel cameras, MP3 players, DVD players, wide-screens and in some cases, a mobile phone connectivity, GPS navigation systems have not only just become a whole lot smarter, but a whole lot more sexy too.
I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours. Oh what? When you get back from the shops then. Hurry, or I’ll send my kids over to start laughing at you.
