The GPS Insider

InterMap Technologies recently announced the launch of AccuTerra, which provides existing outdoor GPS units and personal navigation devices (PNDs) with 3D maps and off-road points-of-interest (POI), integrated with interactive 3D rendering software. The product addresses a market that is currently limited to two-dimensional data and provides limited or no map coverage once users leave paved roads, the company says. AccuTerra will render trails and POIs in National Parks in the context of the natural terrain in which they exist. The product’s user interface includes:

• realistic 3D views
• accurate elevation information
• clearly identified and classified trails, paths, and roads (overlaid on the 3D terrain)
• outdoor-specific POI such as campgrounds, service facilities, and trailheads
• routing to points of interest and tracking progress
• a land use display that depicts the location of public and private property, including areas of restricted use

I must be a complete GPS nerd, because this is actually quite exciting. Off-road content substantially lags the mature routing and POI databases in traditional turn-by-turn navigation. It looks like InterMap has only mapped California to date, so it will be interesting to see if the response from PND manufacturers is high enough to justify continued investment in mapping the rest of the United States.

read the press release or data sheet (PDF warning)

Share This