Several years ago, automobile manufacturers and after-market electronics manufacturers began selling the first generation of electronic navigation systems for private automobiles. These systems simply provided the user with a map and the ability to search the map in a variety of ways (e.g., search for an address, search for a landmark, scroll and pan). Then, second generation systems have began to appear. These systems provide both a map and the user's current location/position. Most recently, a handful of third generations systems have been developed. These systems provide a map, the user's current location, and some guidance.

The TIDE Center is working to:

• Improve third generation vehicle guidance systems; and
• Develop fourth generation systems that incorporate real-time information.

Improving Third Generation Systems

The Center is involved in a number of activities that are aimed at improving third generation in-vehicle navigation systems including:

• Improving the decision-support capabilities of these systems (e.g., fiding alternative routes, incorporating time and toll information, calculating routes through intermediate points).
• Improving the map-matching capabilities of these systems (i.e., determining the vehicles position on the street network).

Developing Fourth Generation Systems

The Center is also actively involved in developing the technologies that are needed for fourth generation systems, including:

• Enabling in-vehicle systems to collect and transmit travel times both to each other and to a central repository.
• Enabling vehicles to make use of real-time traffic information both for pre-trip and en-route planning.
• Developing technologies for fusing the data obtained from the vehicles themselves with data collected from other surveillance systems.
• Forecasting future traffic conditions.