Indoor location is basically made of two components: map content in one hand and location engine in the other hand. These components are often provided by two different types of companies. Because GPS and Glonass are not working indoor, other types of technologies are offered by a number of companies to provide the positioning of mobile devices: Wi-Fi RF fingerprinting & triangulation (Cisco, Pole Star, Navizon), Bluetooth (NAVTEQ/Nokia), Cellular signal (GloPos), GPS Pseudolytes (Insiteo).

In addition, some companies like CSR/SiRF with its SiRFusion platform are willing to fuse several techniques/sensors to provide the best positioning depending on the sensors available. As it comes to indoor maps providers, there are several of them such as Micello, Point Inside, What A Map and of course NAVTEQ who came late to the game. There are also players which specialize in vertical markets. For example, aisle411 provides store maps and in-store navigation for retailers such as Home Depot or Lowe’s as well as grocery stores in a dozen of U.S. metropolitan markets. FastMall is, as the name implies, specializing in shopping malls maps and navigation.

Before talking about the impact of Google it is interesting to understand the business models and go to market strategies of the players in this market segment. There are basically two ways to monetize indoor location. One is to work directly with venue owners to provide them with tools to offer maps and navigation to their visitors and, sometimes, to track these visitors behaviours. In this category the business model is traightforward: the venue owner supports the cost of the system and offer it as a value added service.

The second type of business model is to provide a service directly to consumers with a mobile app. This type of model requires scale and the monetization is likely to come from advertising. this is where Google is obviously playing. It is therefore interesting to understand that many players are not really afraid of Google because they not directly compete against the web giant.
This is the case for WiFi positioning provider Pole Star. According to its CEO Christian Carle, “Google’s announcement creates great opportunities. It demonstrates to Pole Star’s prospects and customers that indoor positioning and mapping have great value. For Pole Star, it reinforces the value of our high accuracy positioning technology. Google educates on “Where Am I?”, Pole Star’s technology enables step-by-step guidance for users and advanced marketing services to our customers. Moreover, this creates a need for apps with maps whose specific look and feel are able to convey the image of the brand.“

According to Todd Sherman Chief Marketing Officer at indoor map vendor Point Inside, Google is silently building a system that is threatening retailers because it could easily allow in-store marketing from competitors.
“A customer inside a store is a high-value target for advertisers and a lucrative revenue opportunity for Google. It is likely that Google’s indoor maps will operate with Google’s very successful AdWords model where algorithms decide which ads to present and are biased toward the highest bidder – which can easily be a competitor.“

The key here is that indoor location is one of the technologies where brick & mortar players collides with the web giants. Everything indicates there will be a battle over who is going to own the smartphone experience in-store and in-mall. To some extend it is not very different of the battle launched by Amazon against brick and mortar stores with its price check app that is offering a 5 percent discount on any product scanned at a retail location. Small players in the indoor location market might therefore find a good business working with retailers to enable their own indoor maps and navigation applications that will compete with Google products.

“Still at a nascent stage“
Nevertheless, this market is still at its very early days; even Google does not have much to offer yet with only a few location mapped. As noticed by Patrick Connelly, analyst with ABI Research, “A tranche of new technologies from CSR, Nokia, Google, Ericsson, Mexens Technology, NextNav, and Boeing have all been launched over the last three months to help unlock the potential of indoor location and marketing. However, it will take a few years for these technologies to proliferate; indoor mapping has yet to reach anywhere near a critical mass and the ability to build relevant indoor information, marketing, and advertising is still at a nascent stage.“
Source: gpsbusinessnews.com

December issue has links to GPS maps for Garmin, Navitel and CityGuide, Maps to all countries in the Middle East and ….More information

Kish Island GPS Map

There are different types of maps; the traditional paper map, an internet generated map and a GPS map. Amongst all these, a GPS map is perhaps the most versatile and updated one. A GPS device is as good as the mapping information it holds. Thus GPS navigators come with basemaps and several points of interests that indicate the locations of gas stations or hotels. A GPS receiver comes preloaded with the detailed and most updated map information of a specific region or country. In case you need any additional data, you can always download it to your device. A few advantages a GPS map has over the others is stated below :

Advantage I: Most Up-to-Date

Unlike the traditional paper maps or an internet generated one, the GPS map is the most up-to-date one. This is because although, the device comes with preloaded maps of certain region, you can definitely download the latest version of the maps directly into your unit from the mapping website. Also the sat nav manufacturers ensure to have the most recent versions of maps on their site, wherein you get the detailed mapping data absolutely free of cost.

Advantage II: It provides the facility to personalise the map
Paper map and internet generated maps can also be customized to suit your needs. However you will need a marker to mark the locations of gas stations or trace your best hiking route. Once you use a marker or highlighter on the map, it is permanent and next time you want to mark something, you either need a new map or a different colour marker. Eventually you might have either spent a great deal on buying a new map everytime you visit a new place or there would be so many markings on your map that it would appear shabby and unreadable.

This is where GPS maps are useful. All you need to do is create a separate folder and save the data in the specific folder after every trip. You can later even make alterations or changes to it, as per your convenience and choice. The maps are in no way rendered unreadable. Saves you loads or time and money as well.

Advantage III: Easy to Trace Back
With a GPS map you can easily trace back your steps. This is because the device has the capability to track your progress, thus by just selecting the right buttons, you can easily get a complete history of the route taken, makes it simple to re-trace your steps. Although, this can also be done by using the paper maps, it is a little tedious and cumbersome procedure.

The above stated points are some of the reasons why users might prefer a GPS map from a traditional paper map. If you too need to reap the benefits of GPS maps, then just go and grab a satellite navigational unit that has the latest and updated GPS maps and plan your travel to unknown and unfamiliar cities.

The Iran GPS Map in Farsi includes:
* Complete detailed maps of Ahvaz, Arak, Ardabil, Bam, Babol, Babolsar, Bandar-Abbas, Chalos, Dizin ski resort, Esfahan (Isfahan), Fereydoon kenar, Ghom (Qom), Hamedan, Kashan, Karaj, Kerman, Kish Island, Nour, Noshahr, Mashhad, Qeshm Island, Rasht, Sabzevar, Sari, Semnan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Tehran, Uromiyeh (Urima), Yazd, Zanjan and …..

* Iran roads complete map
* Turn-by-turn voice directions in Farsi (Persian),
* Mapping/route guide in Farsi (Persian),
* Monthly & Yearly update and
* With more than 83.000 POI

It can be purchased at following web sites:
- MapShop.me Online Shop
- Iran GPS map for Mobiles

More information

The “LT” stands for lifetime traffic, which means that nuvi provides subscription-free traffic alerts for the life of the unit. This option is standard on most of Garmin units and it’s a great sanity-saver for commuters or anyone who doesn’t care to sit idle in traffic jams.
“LM” stands for lifetime maps, which means if your nuvi comes with this, you can download the latest maps for your unit up to four times a year. And, the “LMT”, means lifetime maps and traffic.

Younger drivers (18-24) are much more likely to have a sat nav – over half (52%) of the younger age group have a sat nav compared to just 28% of the over 65s. Overall only 14% trust the sat nav not to get them lost so it’s no surprise that two thirds always carry a road atlas in their car on unfamiliar journeys.

Whatever your age it’s important that you understand the limitations of a sat nav system so that you can get the best out of it without getting into trouble.

1- You’re driving, not the sat nav
You can’t blame the sat nav if you commit an offence or have an accident. It’s your fault.

2- Trust your eyes not the sat nav
People have been marooned in fords, driven into rivers and down railways because their sat nav told them to. If the road looks wrong, don’t take it.

3- You know what you’re driving, the sat nav probably doesn’t
If you have a large vehicle or a caravan, you can’t be sure that a road is suitable just because the sat nav tells you to go down it. Watch for signs.

4- Watch the road not the sat nav
A sat nav can give all sorts of information about where you are going, much of which you don’t need.

5- Don’t block your view of the road
The sat nav should be in your line of sight. You don’t want to have to look down or turn your head a long way, but it should not block your view of the road. Put it where it won’t injure anyone in an accident.

6- Don’t try to programme the sat nav while driving
Programming on the move will take one hand from the wheel, two eyes from the road and a brain from driving. Always pull over before adjusting settings.

7- Use all of the features
On a complicated, busy roundabout, it is unwise to take your eyes off the road to look at the sat nav, and much better to receive spoken instructions.

8- Check the route is practical before you go
Is the sat nav taking you to the right Farnborough? Hampshire, Warwickshire or Kent? If you put in the wrong destination, it will take you to the wrong destination. Does the route look right?

9- Update the sat nav regularly
It needs to know about new roads, new traffic systems and generally keep itself up to date.

10- Thieves like sat navs too
If it’s detachable, always take it out when you leave the car. Mounts or suction cap marks also attract thieves as they know that drivers who remove the sat nav from the window tend to leave it in the car.

Many of the cell phones today have GPS capabilities that allow them to perform a wide range of useful functions. Connecting with emergency response teams, location tracking and navigation are just some of the abilities cell phone owners enjoy.

From Space to Your Phone
Navigation systems in general are supported by the aforementioned constellation of satellites. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, these satellites are orbiting the earth in cyclic patterns. A minimum of four satellites are accessible to any single point on the earth at any given time, which enables them to start tracking the device. Once the device has been activated, the satellite signals are automatically transmitted.

The exact location of your cell phone is determined through a process known as trilateration, in which three satellites work collectively to narrow down location points. During this process, a fourth satellite compiles the information and determines a match. Distance calculations are based on how long it takes the signals to travel between the satellite and GPS receiver.

Mapping capabilities are then displayed on your screen via the cell phone network’s database. The accuracy of these maps will all depend on how frequently your provider makes updates to its database.

Improved Accuracy through Your Mobile Phone
In order for any GPS unit to function properly, there must be a clear line of sight between the sky and the receiver. Because this is not always possible, it is very common to receive inaccurate readings or no signal information at all on a sat nav device. Using your GPS-enabled cell phone in a building, near a tall building or in the obstruction of trees may result in these signal problems.

To achieve better results, many of the newer cell phones rely on Assisted GPS, as this enhanced technology uses a cellular network’s assistance server in addition to the satellites. Using cell towers, the phone relays satellite data to the server. Because the server has the ability to process incoming data at higher rates than sat nav receivers, the information is transmitted faster, which often results in better accuracy than what the device could achieve on its own.

The versions of the Garmin StreetPilot Onboard App are now available in US ($39.99), all of North America ($49.99) and UK & Ireland (£44.99).