Pronto? I'm Almost There
Combining navigation and communication for in-car devices

In-car navigation and communication systems are becoming common. But they remain unconnected to each other, and entering addresses or phone numbers into them takes time, involves referring manually to one’s PDA, for instance, and can dangerously divert attention from driving. Getting behind the steering wheel, in short, means abandoning how one normally organises a busy life.
Pronto is a navigation and communication system for car drivers which accepts data from the driver’s digital address and appointment books and uses it to simplify interaction with itself.
Get into your car: Pronto automatically synchronises wirelessly with the digital address and appointment books in your PDA, phone or laptop, thus learning the location and contact person of your current trip’s destination. It plans the route, offers traffic updates, and adjusts its communication channel to give priority to the destination contact, later scheduled contacts, and your frequent contact list. So, without having to use an address book or search long menus, you can phone the people you most probably need to contact during the journey. Location-monitoring is a core aspect: Pronto can, for example, by comparing your appointment time with your current location and speed, automatically warn your contact that you may be late and estimate your arrival time.
GPS navigation systems allow drivers to find their way without needing to consult an atlas on the
seat beside them. Giving turn-by-turn directions through an ambient display makes them more effective and
intuitive. Similarly, synchronising the driver’s personal data with the navigation system makes more simple,
convenient and safe the route-planning and communication tasks associated with driving.

Setting up the system
When a driver starts using the system for the first time, he pairs up his mobile device (mobile phone, PDA) with the in-car system. From that point on, every time he steps into the car, his device automatically synchronizes with the in-car system.
Navigating to addresses
The user is able to select addresses from his phone’s address book, or from a saved addresses list in his navigation system, or by simply entering the address manually. If he is actively using a calendaring application, his upcoming event, based on the time of the day he gets in the car, is displayed as a possible address to navigate to, so he can get this route by pressing only one button.
Communicating with contacts
The interface of the system has a tabbed model. The first active tab displays the prioritized items in his contact list. The user can form a short list of “most dialed contacts” or simply use his push-to-talk contacts list as a priority list for this simplified interface. And if he is using his calendar application, the contact he will meet gets displayed in this priority list as well, but only for a period of time around that specific meeting. The second tab is the list of last calls made; which is taken from the history of the user’s phone. Last calls list usually include contacts people call the most or people relate to events of that specific day, so it can be a good way of prioritizing some contacts above others. The third tab contains the rest of the contact list from the phone, so the driver still has access to his contacts even if a particular contact is not in either of the first two tabs.
Location sharing
Since the navigation system is aware of the user’s location, the traffic status on the road, and even his destination in some cases, it is possible to generate messages that estimate how far he is from his destination point or, for instance, if he is going to be late for his meeting.
Location based messages come in 2 formats: status messages and location messages.
Status messages
Status messages give the driver’s approximate time or distance from his destination point. They don’t reveal the exact location of the driver to the message recipient, but they still contain useful information. For example, a time-based status message could say:
“Hi Andreas, I am 35 minutes away from you.”
Or a distance-based status message could say:
“Hi Andreas, I am 10 km away from you.”
The user has the option of customizing his messages beforehand, so he can type his own message the way he likes (casual or formal for example), while keeping the parameters of time/distance and, the system creates if he wishes, the contact name.
When he decides to send a status message, the system creates a data package with his location information. When the other party receives this status message, the system integrates the location information of the receiver as well. The system uses this information to calculate the time or distance between the two parties and customizes the user’s message with this information.
Location messages
Location messages give the exact location of the user on the map to the message recipient, allowing the recipient to track the user on the map. Similar to status messages, location messages can be customized by the user beforehand. Another customization option for location messages is setting the time for tracking. The user can set how long he will allow the recipient to track him, so that he is in control of his privacy. When the user sends a location message, the recipient gets a message in his phone saying, “You have received a location message from (sender)”. If the recipient chooses to view the message, the sender is shown moving on the recipient’s navigation map only for as long as allowed by the time frame set by the sender.
Status and location messages can be sent either through the communication channel directly by selecting the contact and sending it, or they can be sent as a reply to incoming calls. So, for instance, if your friend calls you repeatedly to know where you are, you can just reply to his call by sending your location. He will know you are on your way, and you don’t have to talk to him about your being late.
Location request
When the receiver replies with his location, it gets displayed on the map in the car, and the user can choose to follow
the path to his friend. This case could be useful when the friend is moving around and the meeting place is not finalized, and can also be useful when 2 vehicles are traveling together. By sharing their locations, they can keep track of each other.