For many drivers today, the Personal Navigation Device (PND)
is a real necessity that gets one from source to destination
quickly and efficiently. Such is the demand for PNDs that
a booming industry has sprung up to meet drivers’ needs.
The devices available today use input from a GPS receiver
to track the location in space and time of the unit, and point
out the location on a map. The SIRF-III high-sensitivity GPS
receiver is one of the market’s better receivers which
provides faster acquisition times and even maintains signal
under heavy foliage and near city skyscrapers. It is used
in many of the high-end PNDs currently on the market.
Inbuilt software routing algorithm can also calculate the most efficient route
from the current location to the specified destination, through
the installed map database. PNDs such as the HP iPAQ rx5900
Travel Companion come with customisable navigation software,
efficient map & routing software, and extras, such as
an MP3 player and a Bluetooth wireless phone.
Of course, I envision a future where PNDs have taken a great
leap forward in cutting-edge technology by incorporating DGPS
receivers so that the devices can use the higher-accuracy
DGPS coordinates to deliver high precision navigation. So
anytime you need to find a parking lot Entrance, you can!
Through SiReNT, Singapore has the infrastructure in place
to deliver DGPS correction data. All that remains is for users
to catch up!
More details about SIRF-III can be found here.
While, details about the HP iPAQ rx5900 can
be found here.
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