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NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of maps, traffic and location data enabling navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising around the world, today launched the much anticipated NAVTEQ Natural Guidance™ in India. The product breaks new ground by enabling navigation applications to provide guidance that sounds like it is coming from a friend riding alongside of you.
For the first time, navigation applications in India will be able to move beyond the norm of using only time and distance based directional cues—e.g. ‘turn right in 50 meters’ —by guiding the way Indians instruct each other through vivid descriptions of static orientation points, such as distinctive points of interest, landmarks and other contextual elements such as traffic lights—e.g. ‘turn left after the red glass building’ or ‘turn left at the traffic signal.’
NAVTEQ did extensive local research that validates the importance of this type of product for the Indian market. The study* showed:
• Indian travelers typically do not consult maps prior to or during their journey. Approximately 70% of drivers in India stop by the side of the street to ask for directions because they need to reconfirm or they are confused
o They stop and ask for direction at least 2 times per trip for an average of nearly 3 minutes or 6% of their total travel time
• Indian travelers place value on guidance information in the form of local points of interests such as banks, hospitals, movie theatres, places of worship and traffic signals for guidance cues.
o In the study, approximately 30% of respondents stated ‘landmarks’ as a piece of information they would request when asking for directions
“Natural Guidance is a revolutionary first step toward more natural and ultimately more efficient experiences by enabling the kind of directions we need in India," said Rajat Tandon, director of sales India, NAVTEQ. "So not only does it provide drivers with a navigation experience which will allow them to avoid stopping for directions, but it does so in a manner that by design is aligned with how Indian consumers seek directions.”
NAVTEQ leveraged both proprietary and secondary research to understand how the human mind processes information and what common criteria is used when people give verbal directions. Such findings laid the foundation for data models that allow navigation applications to algorithmically generate humanized guidance. The product also employs a variety of importance criteria to help optimize when and how the guidance is presented to consumers Examples of specific factors taken into consideration include determining whether the guidance cue is eye-catching from all directions and whether it is it more or less likely than another reference cue to change its color or most distinguishing feature. In addition, local insights are also factored in—e.g. in India, places of worship are commonly used by locals when giving directions.
NAVTEQ Natural Guidance is currently available for Mumbai and Delhi with continuous expansion planned to more cities throughout India.
*NAVTEQ Traveler Navigation Behavior in India (2008)
About NAVTEQ
NAVTEQ is the leading global provider of location content in the form of maps, traffic and places data that enables navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising around the world. NAVTEQ supplies precise, comprehensive location content to power automotive navigation systems, portable and wireless devices, Internet-based mapping applications and government and business solutions. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 5,600 employees located in 213 offices in 50 countries.
For more information on NAVTEQ, please visit corporate.navteq.com . This NAVTEQ press release and other news is available at press.navteq.com. Join NAVTEQ on Facebook at facebook.com/NAVTEQCompany and Twitter at @NAVTEQ.
NAVTEQ and NAVTEQ Natural Guidance are trademarks in the U.S. and other countries. All rights reserved.
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kim.isele[.]navteq.com 
