Portable global positioning systems, they are found most everywhere. In cell phones, cars, airplanes and even in some watches. They are great aids for navigation especially in cars, a good gps can find you an efficient route from point a to point B, a great GPS will harness traffic information and help you avoid it and amazing GPS will keep you away from bad drivers.

But as beneficiary as they are, they’re usefulness declines the more wide spread they’re used. This is because most gps systems use similar algorithm to calculate a route and because of the similarities drivers using the systems will take the same route.

I notified this on a trip from Pennsylvania back to my home state new york. As my navigon 700t created new routes based on traffic to divert me, traffic was always close by. Maybe it was a coincidence? Maybe everyone was following me?

No, most people around me had one of their very own GPS devices leading the way. With quite a bit of precision I was able to predict the movement of cars ahead of me based on what my navigon was telling me.

With all the devices providing similar routes, would it make sense to start a business along the route where these devices lead drivers?

Are GPS manufacturers fighting to become more advanced so similar situations don’t happen?

Yes, manufactures of these devices are getting smarter. The new iPhone is able to relay traffic information back to ATT based on its speed and location which then could be broadcaster to other devices. Similar ideas have been proposed in the past, such as a gps system that involved a system of gps devices that would communicate to one another to better direct traffic.

Please share your ideas.

Seth Shapiro is Chief Analyst at TechiTeens