Overall, I see the ubiquity of up-to-date and precise mapping data and directions as a phenomenally positive development. It’s mind boggling that we’re moving toward a world where we can have a device in our hand that helps us navigate places and points of interest anywhere. Yet, to date the data about our surroundings is rather one-dimensional — closest, quickest, cheapest, etc. What’s missing is the color of our communities.
I’d like to see a future where more trips become adventures. A future where our devices connect us to places in tune with our personal aesthetics and interests. Where wayfinding adds a closer connection to our community, and with people of like minds. Where stimulating journeys are more likely to occur closer to us, thanks to a sharing of our collective knowledge about our spaces.
A world where we’re all more in tune with places that work well. Where our design and alteration of landscapes add beauty and efficiency to our lives. Where we replicate and refresh the environments that work, and eliminate those that do not.
Navigation devices can provide much more than how to get from Point A to Point B. How about tools that successfully help us navigate space and time, and add richness to our lives?
There are great opportunities here for marrying geospatial data and social networking. I’m excited to learn more about Peter Batty’s forays into this field with his new company Spatial Networking. I’m certain we’ll see more ventures pop up that address this need for deeper, and more rewarding, connections with the places that we occupy.
