| We have a serious problem brewing with GPS | | | | looking for an address or street in a new housing tract, |
| navigation systems for automobiles and even | | | | which you can see but the devise insists, does not |
| motorcycles. There are however problems with this | | | | exist? Then there are problems in areas like Cape |
| devise as a high tech toy are more serious than you | | | | Coral, FL and Tehachapi, CA or El Paso, TX and |
| might think. Ask anyone in a metro area who has | | | | Knoxville, TN where the roads have been scraped and |
| bought a new car with one of those cool GPS | | | | ready to put in or put in but do not connect or have |
| upgrades for their SUV or new sports car. We have | | | | nothing there yet. Of course it is very aggravating to |
| had our customers complain (customers of the | | | | see a road and try to go down it and find it is a dirt |
| carwash business, which is my profession). Oh they | | | | road that connects to nothing yet or an entire |
| love the gadget, but they are under whelmed by the | | | | sub-division that does not exist? Is it a Mirage? If so |
| lack of data and streets, which are not listed. You see | | | | where is the white Tiger Show?Jack Dangermond of |
| we have been seeing incredible suburban growth in | | | | ESRI had set up entire networks of software makers |
| many cities. Places near large DMA metros are a | | | | who developed data for their awesome software |
| problem out in the middle class suburbs. In many areas | | | | products for GPS and GIS needs. Used by |
| such as outside Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, | | | | government, military, utility companies, transportation |
| Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Dallas, | | | | companies, private companies with GPS units to sell to |
| Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Nashville, Kansas City, | | | | the public, First Responders and school districts for |
| Minneapolis, Columbus, Cleveland, Baltimore, | | | | buses. After the Dot Com crash those software |
| Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, DC | | | | companies were among some of the survivors, but |
| Subs, etc. And in NJ, NC, NV, OH lots of other fast | | | | had significantly cut costs. Thus without the proper |
| growing growth pockets.When GPS devises for cars | | | | data the GPS systems bought by the upper, |
| first hit the scenes at the CES and SEMA shows in | | | | upper-middle and middle class for their cars were not |
| 1996, they became increasingly more popular, powerful | | | | always good enough to support the price point for the |
| and better data. But like VHS and Beta, Apple and IBM, | | | | newest technology. This is especially upsetting since |
| competition became increasingly greater causing much | | | | the upper, upper-middle and middle class citizens who |
| consolidation in the industry along with patent fights. | | | | pay the most taxes live in the suburbs for the most |
| Much of the technology was former Defense | | | | part. The chances of a middle class American; who |
| Contractors peddling their wares through subsidiary | | | | bought a home during the 3 years last housing boom; |
| consumer level companies. But the tight market | | | | not being able to find their house or street on their new |
| remained due to the costs. Meanwhile companies like | | | | GPS devise is a higher probability then them actually |
| DeLorme and others tried to flood the market with low | | | | finding it. We interviewed one man who bought a new |
| priced GPS units, which made things even more | | | | Nissan Sports car.Who lives in a newer developed |
| competitive. And the bugs were not fully out of the | | | | area in the higher end Las Vegas, Clark County |
| system yet. Someday all cars will drive themselves | | | | Suburbs, which only had the main streets on his GPS |
| and people can watch TV, do video conferencing and | | | | and had huge blank spots on his device? Some GPS |
| use their transportation as a portable office or | | | | devices allow the user to choose a satellite vendor |
| entertainment system while they are being driven to | | | | and data vendor and software, but many of the |
| the location they have punched into their computer. | | | | Factory units do not. People think they are getting |
| Some things will have to occur before this is a reality | | | | something really good and then find they cannot use it |
| of course. But eventually your dexterity skills to actually | | | | to navigate, which would really piss you off considering |
| pilot a car will be worthless and un-needed.First the | | | | you may have paid as much as $6,000 for the unit. |
| satellites will need to be laser aligned and use multiple | | | | Even more dangerous is the information we learned |
| satellites to get absolute locations of ground items and | | | | from an EMT ambulance driver in Dallas area who told |
| vehicles. The cars will need to have additional anti | | | | us of looking for streets for 15-20 minutes after battling |
| collision devises made up of networked sonar and | | | | through suburban gridlock to get to where they thought |
| optic flow sensors. All of which are now available and | | | | it might be. 3G cell phone technology may assist for |
| the technology is getting better and better. Many | | | | those using cell phones to call in data to the dispatches. |
| military applications today will be civilian tomorrow. Just | | | | For all the training we are doing across this nation for |
| like Radar, Microwave ovens, Nuclear Energy, Cellular | | | | first responders and on-going education of police, fire, |
| Phones, Satellite Communication and Jet Aircraft in | | | | Hazmat, etc. it appears that we have forgotten the |
| Commercial Aviation. The flow of transportation will be | | | | problems of the system. Any time you build a system |
| brought to the next generation to serve man better.For | | | | to serve humankind you must make it simple and |
| the time being the incremental changes in these | | | | make it work, that should be the first, the very first |
| technologies has hit a slight road block even though | | | | priority, then you can fix all the other issues.With that |
| Honda, GM, Ford, Mercedes, Daimler Chrysler and | | | | said we interviewed a lady recently one evening who |
| Toyota have invested billions in anti-collision and safety | | | | had a hell of a long day working for the Metro Police |
| devices which they will add comfort and desirable | | | | Departments Central Nervous System. The |
| options which they can sell to customers as upgrades. | | | | communications center and dispatch is to what we |
| Smart Car Technologies can add Thousands of | | | | are referring. Although she was unaware of the |
| Dollars to the price of a car and consumers are glad | | | | problem at the center for bad data or missing data in |
| to pay for them. A factory GPS system with display | | | | the system, she could not say how they were able to |
| can cost up to $6,000.00 and they sell a lot of them on | | | | get the information. Luckily serving a metro area they |
| the higher end cars. It is a high profit item upgrade, | | | | are probably connected to the planning departments |
| although there are some, which only cost $1000. And if | | | | computer, which they should be. And if the police |
| you wish to compare these, some are very incredible | | | | department has the new data and no problem in this |
| with many features; .There are many companies, | | | | case, why have the software vendors not been able |
| which sell after market computer assist items. These | | | | to access the data? It is a safety issue if someone |
| companies are doing quite well and the systems work | | | | with a GPS system pulls out a map and tries to read it |
| great. The big issue is just because you have a super | | | | while driving in an area they are not familiar with. It is |
| duper incredible GPS system, does not mean the | | | | guaranteed that in the history of the automobile in this |
| street you are looking for is even on the map yet. In | | | | country more people have been in serious traffic |
| other words it is like using an old map. If you are a | | | | accidents from trying to read maps, than talking on cell |
| studier of maps like I happen to be, you will see the | | | | phones, although cell phones no doubt a contributing |
| problem with older maps. Even some companies keep | | | | factor in many lesser accidents will eventually pass this |
| printing old map data year after year without adding in | | | | figure. Where the streets are, well frankly I cannot |
| new on ramps, city streets, infrastructure freeway | | | | understand the need to keep this a secret unless it is |
| improvements and ring-roads, it is aggravating for | | | | the layout of Area 51, Prison, Power plant, Pentagon |
| those from out of town. Even more aggravating | | | | grounds, Military Bases, etc. |