Technology Convergence
The first hand-held personal GPS
receivers launched in the market in the
early 1990’s produced coordinates readings
on a simple screen (PNT Only).
Within a few years these personal GPS
were capable of loading colour maps
and displaying navigation information
graphically on the screen (PNT-GIS)
Today a sophisticated personal navigator
can upload maps and send location
to third parties (GeoICT).
As we mentioned earlier, it is probably
true to say that consumer applications
have migrated more quickly than
professional and industrial applications.
This is a function of consumer
GeoICT products using more common
components but is also a function of
some of the constraints on convergence
which we shall discuss later.
IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE MOBILE PRODUCTS
AND SERVICES
Given the historic trend for mobile
applications to migrate to the center of
convergence and the prediction that
GeoICT will eventually become part of
ICT the implications for future products
and services are clear. Mobile
Products and Services will increasingly
incorporate elements of PNT, GIS and
CT.
As was mentioned earlier in the paper,
whereas examples of this occurring in
the consumer applications are increasingly
common, examples in the professional
and industrial applications (e.g.
Survey, Agriculture, Avionics) are less
frequent. In order for this trend to
eventuate in these domains the constraints
on convergence must be
removed completely, a subject we shall
now examine in more detail.
CONSTRAINTS ON CONVERGENCE
Integration at the electronic component
level is a key constraining factor to
convergence. Component volumes (and
hence cost) are driven by large consumer
markets such as mobile phones
and PDA’s. For example to build positioning
functionality into a wirelessmapping
consumer product requires
that the additional component cost is
kept to a minimum. This has been the
thrust of several GPS companies such
as SiRF and u-Blox and it is interesting
to note the rapid growth of CPS whose
matrix technology is a software only
solution on a mobile phone.
Professional and Industrial products
have a tendency to use custom ASIC’s
and “hardened” components to achieve
the performance they require. Where
these components are not driven by
consumer volumes, costs are significantly
higher which is reflected in the
retail price. When products use proprietary
architecture this can also lead to
higher integration costs as “standard”
components may need to be customized
to fit into the architecture.
Engineering philosophy for professional
and industrial products is moving to
using as many off-the-shelf components
as possible but this is still in
process and is a clear constraint to technology
convergence in professional and
industrial applications insofar as cost is
limiting factor to end user uptake.
It should be noted that the decision to
use custom or proprietary components
is often driven by the end user market
for the application, this is especially
true of markets such as Military and
Avionics which perceive they have
unique requirements.
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