GPS FINDS ITS WAY TO THE TOP

GPS FINDS ITS WAY TO THE TOP
http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/CORS/Newsletter/082807.doc

28 August 2007

The Australian

PORTABLE navigation devices are rather like pants with elastic
waistbands: everyone likes them, and there's plenty of room for
growth. Whether it's because of the combined appeal to the twin male
obsessions of gadgetry and cars, or simply so that blokes can avoid
getting lost quite so often, global positioning system (GPS)
navigation devices are proving popular among Australian consumers.

"It's been one of the fastest-growing categories in our business for
the last two years," says Rutland Smith, general manager for
computers and communications at Harvey Norman. Smith cites TomTom,
Mio and Navman as among the top-selling brands for the chain.

Without obvious market drivers such as operating system updates
pushing large waves of purchasers to upgrade at a specific time, GPS
sales haven't yet clustered around particular events or times of
year. "It's fairly typical of an immature category in that it's
continually growing month on month," Smith says, although he does
expect a boost in interest this Christmas.

Fuelled by better quality maps, cheaper devices and growing traffic
volumes, the overall GPS market is expanding rapidly. Sales of
navigation devices in the US grew more than 154 per cent last year,
according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

The CEA is predicting equally strong growth for this year, and
similar trends are being seen in markets around the world. Research
firm NPD says demand for navigation devices is, unsurprisingly,
typically highest in cities with major congestion, which often
compels drivers to seek alternative routes. However, just what
constitutes a traffic jam can be open to interpretation.

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