Overview
NAVI was a research and development as well as co-operation programme intended for developing international services relating to personal navigation. The programme included research, product and service development, regulation, awareness activities, education, follow-up, co-ordination and strategy work. The NAVI programme was expected to create new services as well as much new business and many internationally marketable products.
The programme consisted of the projects focusing on vertical applications, generic technologies, horizontal support projects, practical training and co-ordination. The seven identified vertical application areas were mobile work, transactions, shopping and delivery, hobbies and sports, tourism and culture, public transport, welfare and unfettered mobility as well as safety.
The three support projects are:
- the regulatory framework,
- usability and ethical audit
- service architecture and meta data.
The four areas of generic technology are map and route services, in-door positioning and guidance, location services and navigation devices.
The aim of the programme was to develop and test infrastructure, devices, software and services within the framework of consumer demand and the possibilities of technology. The services will help people to navigate on work-related and leisure journeys, to choose the route and mode of transport necessary to reach a particular destination, and to find the service or product that they desire.
The guidance will be implemented on the basis of mobile multimedia and it should be available in both outdoor and indoor environments. It should be possible to access the services using mobile devices like mobile phones, traditional PCs via Internet and digital television.
The NAVI programme was launched in May 2000 by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Finland. The planning project started in August 1999 under the management of VTT Information Technology in co-operation with many enterprises and partners in the administration.
Now about 90 organisations are members in the ongoing NAVI network that was formed under the programme. The management board consists of representatives of device manufacturers, telecom operators, software industry, content industry and six ministries.
Funding
NAVI programme included projects receiving funding from co-ordination group, National Technology Agency and Ministry of Transport and Communications and projects with private funding.