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During 2009, users were offered an increasing number of ways to experience navigation and other location-based information. However, the aim of the analysis was to provide a quantifiable look at actual usage. The industry perspective is derived from a number of studies, including Navteq's annual tracking study, its traffic study, and new pedestrian navigation product research.

Navteq says user experience of consumer navigation is double what it was just a few years ago; but even in mature markets it has reached only around half of all possible consumers. On average, in APAC (China and south Asia), only 34 per cent of respondents said that they had used navigation; another 58 per cent were familiar with it.

Most users are exposed to navigation via dedicated portable devices (28 per cent of all respondents). Other forms of exposure, such as via in-car systems (17 per cent) or navigation software riding on mobile phones, were much less popular. Of those consumers that have the devices available, owners of in-car navigation systems are the most frequent users, followed by PNDs and mobile devices. In APAC, 67 per cent regularly use their embedded navigation system versus 50 per cent and 46 per cent respectively for PNDs and mobile.

One interesting point uncovered in the Navteq surveys that might direct future development is that interest in pedestrian navigation is real among mobile users. Navteq says two thirds of users want a mapping service that provides both car and walking directions. This has implications both for the data sets required and for the way instructions are given. The data would require paths across parklands, walking tracks and so on. Walking instructions would be quite different to the typical turn-by-turn instruction set. It is much more likely to include land marks than road layout

ASM Newsletter is distributed by e-mail every week. It reports on events in the spatial industry in Asia and events outside the region which will impact on Asia.