Navigation programming standard

But soon all that might be a thing of the past, thanks to a new ISO standard that defines a navigation system’s application programming interface (API).

Car navigation systems use map databases to give precise driving directions, or to determine the vehicle’s location and provide information about nearby points of interest, such as restaurants and hotels. Some newer systems can also receive and display information on traffic congestion and suggest alternate routes.

The new standard will help facilitate the interoperability between navigation systems and map databases by providing an interface that will make information accessible and retrievable.

It describes what data may be retrieved from a database, defines the interface for access and specifies a set of navigation function calls. It also describes the design of the API and gives examples of its intended use. Furthermore, it specifies the criteria used to determine if a data access library is in accordance with the standard.