The history of navigation and what’s next

Early navigation relied on simple observation. Without any technology to guide them, sailors had to stick to the only tool they had – the naked eye. By keeping close watch of clouds during the day and stars at night, they could approximate their location. Navigation tools evolved with astronomy, and reliance grew on constellations and star charts. Then came the compass in the 11th century – the first made of a magnetized ore of iron. Thanks to the Earth’s magnetic poles, sailors no longer had to look to the skies to know where they were.

Eventually there was a shift from seeking guidance from maps of the stars to maps of the earth. One of the most important innovations known to humanity, mapmaking, evolved from simple country maps to sophisticated road maps using satellite imagery and aerial photography. Paper maps became an in-car staple, but not a cure-all, as they were quickly outdated. Enter location technology.

While traditional maps still play an important role, innovations in location technology – including digital maps and GPS systems – have drastically changed the way we move, making it easier to plan trips and enjoy safer driving.

Delivery of digital maps began in 1984 with Tele Atlas, together with the University of Ghent. Tele Atlas’s map services were initially delivered through CDs, DVDs and in-dash navigation systems. The following year, Philips entered the realm of auto navigation with its embedded navigation system, Carin. At the time, GPS signals were scrambled by the US Army, making the public signal unreliable for road navigation. Early pioneers had to be creative: They used sensors in the car to determine relative positioning. Looking at the rotation of the wheels and position of the steering wheel, they were able to measure distance and direction.

With gains being made in navigation, the then mayor of Paris, the late Jacques Chirac, asked Carin’s development team to demonstrate their system. For the next two weeks, the team drove a small bus around the city. Overcoming real life scenarios - like the magnetic interference of the subway on the electronic compass - gave rise to new improvements, research and findings in location technology.

Navigation continued to advance. In 1994, TomTom was making various navigation applications for minicomputers, aka, PDAs. Our main focus then was route planning – our most popular offering. We developed a bundle of software, maps and a GPS receiver that drivers could connect to their PDA. The user experience was a success – but it was not ready for the masses. By combining a touchscreen, GPS receiver, maps and software in one portable navigation device (PND), navigation became accessible for everyone and TomTom became synonymous with navigation.

Going from point A to B was now sorted, saving a lot of marriages along the way. The next step was to make every driver a local driver. With connected devices and real-time traffic across all roads, drivers gained control behind the wheel. The days of community input and floating car data had arrived – with TomTom HD Traffic leading the way.

While portable navigation was able to keep up with consumer demands, the embedded navigation system struggled, with map updates being particularly difficult. Portable devices were updated easily and inexpensively via the computer. In-dash systems moved from CDs and DVDs to memory cards and USB sticks, but the user experience was lacking.

Connectivity proved to be even trickier. The question was: should it be an embedded SIM card or tethering via the user’s phone? The former offered a seamless user experience, but was costly for the carmaker given the long lifespan of a car. The latter was attractive for carmakers’ procurement managers, but a nightmare for brand managers as it was complex from a user perspective.