Navigation is essential in every aspect of life, not only for us but for animals as well. Digital navigation has evolved massively, allowing for simple, easy route planning. Navigation is defined as the ability to identify and comprehend one’s location following a planned route. Before the days of Google Maps and City Mapper, people relied on various tools of navigation to get them where they needed to go.
In the animal kingdom, certain animals are seen to be following internal navigation during migrations and other mass movements. It is thought that this internal compass is often guided by the moons gravitational pull in addition to visual and mental cues. In the human world, navigation is important for many reasons. Whether it’s to help you get to your friend’s house for the first time or to help a sailor find their way home.
The compass was invented in 206 BC and since then it has revolutionised the world of navigation. Compasses are operated using magnets against the Earth’s natural magnetic fields. Over time, the Sextant was developed. Used mainly by sailors, it allows the user to identify the angular measurement between two objects. Sailor also used a navigational aid called a Nautical Almanac which can help identify a ship using celestial navigation.
The need for accurate navigation also influenced the development of coordinates and the use of accurate geographic mapping. For a more in-depth look at the history of maps and their impact on Wayfinding, click here.
The world of digital navigation has massively benefited from the advancement of technology. For example, the introduction of GPS, or Global Positioning System is now used all over the world. GPS is a satellite-based, radio navigation system that was developed in the United States. Additionally, Car Satelite Navigation has allowed for easy and quick route planning.
As the world of technology continues to make advancements, so do the tools we use to navigate. We use our smartphones all day, every day so it makes sense for us to have applications like Google Maps, Apple Maps and City Mapper to help us find our way. Not only do these provide directions, but they also keep us update with things like traffic and public transformation data.
There are also fun, modern solutions to identifying location such as What3Words. This system essentially assigns 3 unique words to every 2 metres of land/water. For example, Design JD’s are ‘care.woes.grace’!
Maps can also be customised to meet certain needs and location limitations. This means, for example, you can programme your mobile map app to base all of your journies from the location of your home. This type of interactive wayfinding can also feed you live data from various sources giving you information on weather, travel times etc. This gives you more relevant information to your area and where you are trying to go, giving you the opportunity to save money.
The way we navigate will continue to change and evolve as we do. While we can’t predict the future, you’re most likely going to see a lot more Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality integrations into the way you get from A to B. We talk about the impacts of AI and AU on navigation in a bit more depth, here.
It’s also likely that the future will see a lot more autonomous navigation which is when technology guides vehicles or machines without human responsibility. One of the main companies already implementing this technology is Tesla. However, there are much larger vessels set to be using autonomous navigation, especially in the marine and aviation industries.
Overall, the world of digital navigation is constantly shifting and advancing. If you need any help re-imagining a path for your customers to navigate around your built environment, don’t hesitate to get in touch.