Streamlines Design Through Market-Delivery Timelines
ABI Research estimates that 14 million personal navigation devices were sold in 2006, and the market is expected to reach 24 million units in 2007. As competition drives the need for product differentiation and fast time-to-market, deCarta's navigation application offers manufacturers a fully-featured product that can be used as delivered, or customized to reflect a unique look that reinforces the manufacturer's brand identity.
"The personal navigation market is growing by leaps and bounds," said Clint Wheelock, vice president of research for ABI Research. "Ready-made navigation applications that provide quicker time to market are a viable option for both new vendors and established players looking to gain a competitive edge in capitalizing on this tremendous market opportunity."
The deCarta navigation application has been designed to emphasize ease-of-use for drivers with intuitive menus that allow them to access commands in a convenient manner. deCarta's navigation application can be used in a stand-alone mode or can be paired with the company's industry-standard Drill Down Server(TM) (DDS) for use in connected navigation applications.
deCarta's navigation application employs deCarta's market-leading Rich Map Engine, the same software platform known for its speed and accuracy in powering leading Internet and wireless LBS applications at Verizon, Sprint, Cingular, TeliaSonera, Google, Yahoo! and Ask.com. The software is compatible with Windows Mobile(R) and is specifically designed for porting for use on Windows(R) CE-based PNDs, and supports a wide range of features demanded by drivers:
-- Full-featured navigation functionality including 2-D and bird's-eye
view maps
-- One-touch access to all key navigation features and controls
-- Flexible routing files (i.e., Waypoints, Shortest, Fastest;
including/excluding toll roads, freeway, ferry, tunnels, car / train)
-- Easy method for selecting a destination or POI (i.e., Category, Nearby,
Key-word search, ZIP/Postal code)
-- Compressed map data for small storage footprint on Flash and HDD media
-- Map-matching and support for both GPS and dead-reckoning sensors
-- Writable indices allowing download of customized Point of Interest or
traffic incident data
-- Customizable voice prompts and guidance and advisory instructions
The turn-key navigation application is also designed to be used with the DDS in connected navigation applications that combine personal navigation with dynamic content for a more interesting driving experience. Routes calculated by the driver on the PND can be populated with relevant information useful to the driver such as restaurants, gas stations and gas prices, parking spaces or traffic incidents. deCarta's DDS is a server-based location platform that powers many of the most successful location-based applications on the Internet and mobile applications, offering extremely fast performance and scalability to mass market application. As a benefit to the customer, this enables Internet-based location services to be quickly pushed to the client PND.
Navigation Application Screen Detail Example:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070312/SFM109
The deCarta navigation application complements the company's Navigation SDK, introduced last year. The Navigation SDK is a software developer's environment that enables easier, efficient development of a customized navigation system for PNDs. To help accelerate development, sample applications are available in source code to illustrate the use of all the navigation functionality supported. The navigation application builds on the core functionality of the SDK with a complete user interface.
"The release of our turn-key PND application completes an entire suite of comprehensive capabilities that PND and smartphone developers can leverage to capture this explosive market with maximum efficiency," said J. Kim Fennell, president and CEO of deCarta. "Our turn-key PND application, navigation SDK and Drill Down Server platform provide a clear migration path for stand-alone to connected personal navigation devices."
About deCarta
deCarta is the leading geospatial software platform that powers today's most successful Location-Based Services (LBS) applications such as those deployed at Google Maps, Yahoo, Ask.com, Verizon and Sprint. The company's unique, patented technology is ideal for high-volume LBS applications for use in Internet, mobile, personal navigation and enterprise applications where scalability, speed, and reliability are vital. Its Drill Down Server geospatial software platform, Rich Map Engine and Hosted Web Service are preferred by application developers and service providers who also want the flexibility to customize map styles, utilize unique routing capabilities and self brand. deCarta customers and technology partners include AND, Appello, Ask.com, ATX, AutoTrader.com, Google, Hotels.com, Local Matters, Maps.com, Motorola, NAVTEQ, Networks In Motion, Pharos, Rand McNally, Tele Atlas, TeleNav, TopTable.com, Yahoo! and Zillow. deCarta is privately held and headquartered in San Jose, California with international offices in the UK and China. http://www.decarta.com.
NOTE: deCarta, the deCarta logo and Drill Down Server are trademarks or registered trademarks of deCarta, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other product or company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
