March/April 2005

"Hybrid navigation" is the way forward in satellite navigation systems, according to German-based mapping specialist PTV.

In using the term hybrid, the company is referring to a combination of on-board an off-board functionality. As an example, it cites a system in which the user might map out a scenic route on a desktop PC, then transfer the information to an on-board device, on which the driver could pick up information about points of interest from a remote server during the journey.

Another way of looking at the concept, says PTV, might be a situation where a vehicle operator usually works close to base, and therefore manages all the navigation functions on-board, but then needs to travel further afield. In this situation map data and traffic information might be downloaded off-board in preparation for the journey.

The company sees a future unfolding in which users select from any possible combination of hybrid navigation systems - benefiting from business models tailor-made for their specific requirements.

In pursuit of this approach, PTV has launched a new map format, PTV SMArt (Scalable Map Architecture), which it says allows dynamic and selective updating. It says this is ideal for hybrid navigation. It divides the world into square tiles, which can be updated individually. Other map producers have offered broadly comparable systems; recent versions of some products from MapMechanics, for instance, have allowed incremental updating.