TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo unveiled its DokoNavi Global Positioning System-based mobile personal location service. Using a cellular phone linked to a personal digital assistant from Denso, called Naviewn, and GPS technology from SnapTrack Inc., the service can locate users in a wide range of environments.
According to SnapTrack, the Wireless Assisted GPS technology allows the Naviewn palmtop to accurately process the position signals it receives from GPS satellites. The information is relayed via a cell-phone link to a SnapTrack location server with special location calculation software operating in DoCoMo’s network. The server extracts information from the cellular link, and in combination with the GPS signals, calculates the caller’s position to within 5-20 meters.
