3-D GPS Maps to Help at Difficult Intersections

Have you ever come to a highway intersection and found it difficult to tell which real-world road you want to take — even with GPS?

Navteq, a digital map and traffic data provider, plans to help drivers navigate the most difficult intersections by rendering them in 3-D. The image appears as animation but mimics what the driver sees through the windshield, including roads signs, overhead passes and other real-world objects.

For 2,000 of the U.S.’s most confusing intersections and 8,000 worldwide, Navteq’s software will switch from a flat map to 3-D and highlight the correct lane. It will provide the visual cues that are most useful to people in the midst of an uncertain split-second decision, according to the company.

Navteq calls these 3-D renderings “Motorway Junction Objects.” The company has not announced when the service will become available on GPS units.

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