The business case for Sat Nav: Part 1

There is more to satellite navigation technology than route planning for consumers. The latest crop of standalone devices and software for PDAs offer a growing level of business functionality.

By IT PRO, 19 Mar 2007 at 10:55

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Satellite navigation devices (sat nav) have quickly established themselves as the must-have in-car gadget of the moment. In the last two years, sales of portable sat nav units have increased fivefold and there are now more than four million systems in use on the UK's roads.

As their popularity has increased, prices have tumbled. While early models cost £1,000 or more, quite advanced standalone units can now be found for less than £100 at supermarkets and car specialists such as Halfords.

We are also seeing a particular trend emerge, particularly among business users. Fleet managers and executives are increasingly opting for third-party add-on sat nav units over and above integrated factory fitted navigation systems.

The reasons for this are very simple - dedicated third-party sat nav units are smaller and neater than ever, ensuring that you can install them in a car without too much mess and fuss. It also means that you can easily upgrade as new models and improved features come along - not so simple when upgrading your sat nav involved replacing a harge part of a model-specific dashboard console. Finally, with theft of all types of sat nav units at an all time high, third party sat nav units can be removed from the car easily and taken with you, hopefully reducing the risk that a local yob will brick your car's windows in search of your device. Ease of removal also makes it far easier for the end user to perform firmware updates, map updates and additions, and the purchase and activation of additional premium services.

Third party sat nav solutions started out as software applications that could be added to your PDA. Companies such as TomTom, ViaMichelin and Navman made their names providing such software and bundles including the necessary GPS receiver (the integral part of any sat nav solution). However, a PDA doubling up as a sat nav can be a messy solution, with cables going everywhere to connect GPS unit to PDA and both to the lighter socket for power. Even the use of Bluetooth to eliminate some of the cables still makes for a cumbersome two-device install.

So, manufacturers have turned their attentions to dedicated devices, many of which are little more than a cut down PDA on the inside, but which come out of the box pre-installed with software, with a built-in GPS receiver, and many with rechargeable batteries or even capable of running off a couple of AA batteries.

More than just navigation

So what sort of services can you expect to find from your sat nav unit other than the ability to plan a route from A to B. For the business user, effective route management is not only about finding the quickest way to a given destination, but also being able to remain productive behind the wheel while also staying safe.

Sat nav manufacturers have added a large arsenal of support services to both their software and their dedicated sat nav devices, to make the business traveller's life a bit easier and their journey more effective:

Weather: It seems like such a simple thing, but if your business operates field service engineers who have to work outside as part of their normal activities (window fitters or drainage specialists for example) then having ready access to frequently updated weather information can not only help you prepare for the next job, but also ensure you are carrying the necessary equipment to work comfortably and safely in that environment.