Car navigation systems
Dr Frans van der Zee
JIIP Annual Symposium, 17th November 2014
6th European Innovation Summit, Brussels
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JIIP Symposium 2014
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1. Introduction
• Car navigation around since early 20th century
• Modern car navigation: start early 1980s
• GPS car navigation ‘SatNav’: 1990 and beyond
Etak Navigator 1985
Avto 1930
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Philips CarIn 1995
TomTom Go 2004
Smartphone + nav app 2009
2. SatNav: a mature innovation…
• SatNav: Hardware (CPU, memory, GPS), software, maps
• Very dynamic development path
– 1981-1990 (development & market introduction)
– 1990-2004 (GPS)
– 2004-now (PND, interactive communication, smartphone)
• Three main market segments (as from 2009):
– Built-in ‘in-dash’ navigation systems
– Portable navigation systems
• ‘All-in-one’ Portable Navigation Device (PNDs)
• Navigation apps (smartphone-based)
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JIIP Symposium 2014
3. Research & innovation landscape:
critical contributions, critical players
• 1985: Etak Navigator (US), Steven Lobbezzoo (Germany)
• 1990: GPS ‘in dash’ car navigation in a production car
– Japan in 1990 (Mitsubishi / Pioneer), followed by Toyota (1991)
– Europe in 1994 (Philips CarIn in BMW 7-series)
– US in 1995 (GuideStar in Oldsmobile; Magellan)
• 2004: First ‘all-in-one’ Portable Navigation Device (TomTom Go)
• 1999: First GPS/GSM safety phone by Benefon
• 2007: iPhone introduction, apps
• 2009: Google free maps
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JIIP Symposium 2014
4. Technologies
What technologies made car navigation ‘big’?
• GPS – global positioning system based on satellites and receivers
• Digitalisation (digital maps, geocoding)
• Memory (from CD-ROM to flash) for map storage/retrieval
• Text-to-speech
• Turn-by-turn guidance
But also…
• Dead reckoning; sensor technology
• Map matching
• Bluetooth
• Screen technology (heading-up display, touch, colour, resolution)
• Graphical user interface / graphic engine
• Lithium ion battery
• RDS-TMC / Live traffic
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JIIP Symposium 2014
5. What made it a major innovation?
• Opening GPS–NAVSTAR satellite system to civic use in 2000
• Readiness of underlying innovations
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Computing power and size (Moore’s law!)
Software (Windows and open source: Linux, HTML)
Digital maps
Memory storage and retrieval
External communication (mobile phone, bluetooth)
• Close relation between ‘device makers’ and ‘map makers’
• Integration – making it an all-in-one portable device
– “Apple-like” vision and entrepreneurship (TomTom)
• Competition (price; new solutions)
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JIIP Symposium 2014
6. Market developments and outlook
• In-dash segment: various producers, from electronics and automotive
companies to PND producers (increasing strategic collaboration)
• PND segment: TomTom, Garmin, MiTAC (strong consolidation, price erosion)
• Nav App segment: Google, Hero (NavTeq), TomTom (Teleatlas), various
specialised players
• Live services: traffic information, weather forecasts, local search, dynamic
routing, live point-of-interests (POIs), fuel pricing, etc
• Hybrid and niche market applications
• In-car entertainment / infotainment systems
• Roadside assistance services / subscription services
• EU’s Galileo (Positioning accurate to the decimetre; authentication feature)
• HAD/self-driving/driverless car
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JIIP Symposium 2014
7. How did policy make a difference?
• Clinton Administration decision to open up NAVSTAR for civic purposes
• Emergency/safety legislation: GPS chip in mobile phones
• RTD public policy: US military NAVSTAR + positioning technology
• EU RTD public policy: mostly indirect, through supporting technologies
and embedded innovations (integrating and building on the shoulders
of other innovations (‘family of innovations’)
– EU FP 5-6-7 (1998-now): some contributions, but limited, esp. to PND
– Mostly incremental innovations extending/modernising SatNav systems
• Next generation GNSS  Galileo – to be introduced by 2017
Satellite navigation in H2020: 1st call 38 million euro, overall 140 million euro
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JIIP Symposium 2014
8. Europe’s role and contribution
• Three main separate ‘development’ markets: US, Japan, Europe
• Private companies leading – ‘closed’ innovation (automotive closed front)
• Importance of integration of technologies and innovations
• Importance of big electronics companies (Philips, Sony, Pioneer, Siemens,
Bosch-Blaupunkt) and seed capitalists (esp. US: ETAK) in development
• Japan leading in ‘in-dash’ early years until mid-1990s
• Europe fast in technological development (Philips 1985, Lobbezzoo), but
slower than others in market intro & roll-out (Philips CarIn system 1997)
• Strategic importance of digital map and map software makers, with a
telling historical development: NavTeq, ETAK, TeleAtlas
• First in launching ‘all-in-one’ Portable Nav Device (PND) (TomTom, 2004)
• First in launching first GPS phone (Benefon, 1999)
• Limited position in smartphones, but big in maps and apps (NavTeq, now
Here, owned by Nokia, TeleAtlas owned by TomTom)
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9. Lessons to be learned
• SatNav is a typical example of a major innovation building
on and successfully integrating other major innovations
• Key elements for SatNav success:
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Vision, ability to integrate
Readiness and maturity of technologies and innovations
Market understanding
Long time horizon and deep pockets for innovation
Timing (cf ETAK; Philips; TomTom)
• Proof of European innovation paradox (Philips, Nokia), but
also innovation success (TomTom, TeleAtlas)
• Example of closed innovation, difficult-to-access world
• Importance of public investment in supporting technologies
(fundamental!), standards (mapping) and system
development (GPS NavStar, Galileo)
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