Personal Navigation Devices

Case Analysis - Personal Navigation Devices ( PNDS)

Course: NETW583

Professor: Chetan Bhatia

Submitted by: Prem Kumaar

                                        Personal Navigation Devices ( PNDS)

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A Personal Navigation Device (PND) also known as Personal Navigation Assistant(PNA) or Portable Navigation Device (PND) is a portable electronic product which combines a positioning capability (such as GPS) and navigation functions. These devices assist the user to determine the most efficient path of travel. It can save the selections to memory. Personal navigation devices have become so popular because some people get tired of getting lost while driving.

Product Description:

In case of personal Navigation Devices were hand-held GPS units which were capable of displaying the user's location on an electronic map. These devices included simple navigation functions. This first generation of  navigation devices were used by the US military to synchronize operations, provide navigation information, pinpoint targets, and locate personnel. Personal Navigation Devices (PND) are portable devices which is used to run Road  navigation applications.  In fact navigation becoming increasingly popular due to use in smart phones and in vehicles system, the PND  market has been declining since 2009, according to the GNSS  Market Report . In case of considering the road personal navigation devices is driven by computer software which indicates turn-by-turn directions to the user, in order to achieve a chosen destination. In recent days  personal navigation systems  are able to provide precise information, without causing distractions to the driver. Any driver is capable to use these devices without any special training, skills or qualification.

The main competitors of Personal Navigation Devices are in-vehicle navigation systems and GNSS  phones running road navigation applications. In-vehicle navigation systems an average sized  car navigation  unit is about 3.5" high, 5" wide, and 1" to 2" deep . Usually the maps used in car navigation products are accurate and very often updated, comprising information such as, street/road names, speed limits, street directions,  now a day's car navigation is becoming more and more practical it includes features like automatic routing, voice-guided navigation, avoiding toll roads option and route re-calculating are used when we crossed the correct route .  Over the past few years, less expensive manufacturing companies have come on the market. Although the average price of car navigation has dropped a little, the value has increased with more, and better, features. The technology we have today has made it easy for mobile devices manufacturers to add GPS functions to the mobile phones  they make.

Google has launched a navigation software called "Google Maps "which is installed in all smart phones and tablets , when compared to in-vehicle navigation system the Google maps are easy to access using the mobile phones. Google Maps also has several new features like mode of transport for users wish to travel such as cars, Train and walking, it also estimates the time for each mode of travel.  By using Google map it also provides external features like avoiding traffic this helps the users to navigate to their destination easily. The maps provided with PNDs are usually road oriented vectorial maps that can be rendered as 2D(satellite)  map view and the 3D bird's eye (street ) view . The devices also offer the possibility to obtain map updates or maps from other countries /regions, usually connecting the device to a mobile data and getting the updates from internet.