BMW Develops MicroNavigation, Augments In-Car GPS With Downloadable MicroMaps

Why do Beemers cost us big bucks? Because they invest in a lot of hi-tech finds itself populating their cars and recently they have brought a better edge in navigating by developing a ‘microNavigation’ system.Known as Pathfinder, it supplements the data stored in the in-dash navigation system by allowing us to download more detailed information regarding your destination in the form of a MicroMap into a memory card, which can also be inserted into the car enabling the newly downloaded data to update the built-in navigation system.

What’s more impressive with this technology is that it can actually link up with the embedded camera to actually tell the driver which lane allows them to catch the ramps to highways or parking structures.

Once the car’s parked, the data captured can be transferred to a Smartphone or any compatible mobile device. You can then use them to guide you to the destination even by foot. Parked cars can be saved and marked so as to allow us to track back to our cars.

There’s high possibility that the new maps can be downloaded directly from the car, but it need many and constant updates to the current map together with the compatibility of the software with the hardware that Google is currently working on by providing updated search index of maps.

Word has it that Google will soon be the default map-provider for many automakers in the near future. Lets wait and see.