NEWSBRIEFS –LBS

Survey of India maps for SatNav SatNav Technologies and Survey of India (SOI) have signed an agreement that allows SatNav to use SOI maps in its consumer products. It will release SOIapproved digital maps and custom map content for commercial use in personal and mobile navigation and locationbased solutions. www.satguide.in

Bilora recently launched “Bilora photogeotagger” based on u-blox’ “Capture & Process” GPS solution. The photos are matched with fixes and geotagged with latitude/longitude and street address details which can be displayed on a satellite map. www.bilora.de

Gispro have implemented the Land Based Mobile Mapping System (MMS/ MLS). The system consists of Riegl laser scanners, digital videoscanners and ground-penetrating radar. Positioning and orientation are established using POS420 and GPS receivers with IMU and DMI, built onto a car. www.gispro.pl

Google released an updated version of the S60 version of its Google Maps for Mobile application. It adds a ‘Layers’ feature which helps organise the information displayed on top of the map including the existing Latitude, Driving Directions and Traffic functionality. It has also started to add points of interests, featuring tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants, bars and shops. www.google.com

The Ajman Municipality in UAE has started a project of renaming and numbering streets, squares and roads in all parts of the emirate replacing the names that are difficult to pronounce with easier ones. The project would also help in the implementation of GIS using GPS and is scheduled to be accomplished in three phases. www.am.gov.ae

L2, Inc. revealed the addition of geolocation to their cross media software platform, Fuse. It will help marketers understand where their recipients are clicking from and use that data to initiate two-way conversations. Common uses of the geotagging feature include providing location-based news/information, contact information and directions. www.l2soft.com

NAS Insights mapping solutions can help determine key locations for print media and radio advertising. Maps can also pinpoint heavily travelled highways and roads to support a billboard campaign, or target highly populated cities to support the use of direct mail. They can even be used to calculate the most favourable local recruiting areas based on miles or drive time. www.nasrecruitment.com

New analysis from Frost and Sullivan shows that the Russian navigation and telematics market is witnessing a reversal of trends, with GPS-enabled smartphone technology gaining ground over traditional PND. In 2009, the smartphone-based navigation market already exceeded 350,000 units sold in Russia, while the PND market failed to register even half that amount. www.frost.com

NAVTEQ shared a company analysis of research from several proprietary studies which points to key differences between the male versus female audience for navigation. The results offer insights into each group’s interest and interaction with navigation across different types of devices. Many women are not taking advantage of advanced features such as POI search and Traffic, and thus, the satisfaction is dramatically lower than men. www.navteq.com

INRIX is starting a real-time traffic flow for over 50,000 kilometres across 6 European countries: Benelux, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. INRIX traffic services are designed for integration with navigation and traffic services on mobile devices and vehiclebased systems. www.inrix.com