Here's a new technology from NTT DoCoMo and some other clowns that allows mobile phones to display 3D map data. Au would probably be interested in something like this to go with their EZ Navi Walker service.

Mitsubishi Electric, NTT DoCoMo, and Pasco will begin tests of their pedestrian navigation system for mobile phones using 3D maps, in Tokyo's Marunouchi. The test will be held o­n February 7th, 9th, and 10th, and will be held with contest winners that have already been decided.

This experiment involves the selection of needed data from a 3D map of the city area, its compression, and transmission to a mobile phone; the phone then displays the information as 3D images for pedestrian navigation purposes. It will be held under cooperation from the Mitsubishi estate, and inside of Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications R&D.

Handsets to be used during the experiment are the D901i, the N900i, and the N900iS. The 3D graphics engine in the D901i will be used, and will reproduce 3D images with the lined-up window look of the facades of buildings, so that they are easily recognizable by humans.

Though Mitsubishi had previously announced that they had developed a system for the creation and transmission of "on the street" contents created from real images, there were some problems with practical use, such as the need to take loads and loads of pictures of certain areas before actually launching the service. This new system, however, can use 3D maps already available o­n the market, thus reducing those sorts of problems.

While the current system does not contain a position information technology such as GPS, the users themselves can scroll the image. However, it is reported that before actual commercialization of the technology, this sort of function will be equipped.



Inspired by:
http://k-tai.impress.co.jp/cda/article/news_toppage/22465.html

Press Release:
http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/new/contents/05/whatnew0203a.html