The next generation of in-car satellite navigation technology could see the replacement of onscreen maps with real video footage of the journey in question, according to research presented at a science summit yesterday.
This would eventually enable travellers to accurately make out landmarks and other distinctive buildings, allowing them to identify the exact location of their journey rather than an approximate location.
It could also permit night-time drivers to use day-time "sat nav" footage, which directly correlates with the "real time" position of their vehicle.
Prof Stewart Fotheringham, director of the the National Centre for Geocomputation at NUI Maynooth, highlighted a number of major developments in recent years.
These include the increasing popularity of GPS systems, as used in "sat nav" systems, radio frequency-based identification tags such as those implanted in some airline boarding passes to monitor passenger movement, and the increased prevalence of CCTV cameras, particularly in the UK.
He said that his centre was currently working on the development of next generation "sat nav" systems, involving digitally-recorded video footage.
"When you interface with the 'sat nav' it is not a map but a video you would use," he said.
"It is technically feasible; it just takes time. The technological problem at this time is processing all that data and getting it to someone's 'sat nav'.
"That is what we're trying to overcome at the moment...to develop spatial algorithms to process and send very large data files to people very quickly."
While he acknowledged that, in order to have a complete data set, it would be necessary to film every road in the country, he noted that several "sat nav" companies already employ contractors to do just this for the more traditional map-based model.
He said researchers at his centre have already undertaken a trial run from Maynooth to Dublin airport, and estimated that a prototype relating to the Maynooth area could be available within a year. The roll-out of a comprehensive system could be achieved within in five years.
He said another key development in the coming years would be the emergence of "location aware devices" in Ireland.
Already in use in Japan, these allow accessories such as a mobile phone to identify where a person is.
As a result, they can be sent location-specific information such as a list of all available Italian restaurants in an area.
Yesterday's Science Foundation Ireland-organised summit at Citywest hotel also heard how Irish researchers were working on developing ways of relieving persistent pain which would mimic the effects of cannabis but without the associated side-effects.
Dr David Finn of NUI Galway said one aim was to provide a research basis for the development of drugs to alleviate types of physical and psychological pain or anxiety.