The Introduction of Location-Aware Systems

Positioning technologies are a piece of the everyware puzzle. GPS navigation systems stories provide examples on how location-aware systems are introduced into transactions never before subject to technical intervention. Having once to reach a specific building in the chaotic (barely no roadway signals + local driving habits) city of Milan, the car navigation system helped me to almost completely focus on my task. However, such navigation systems are far from designed to become invisible. Partially due to the known system flaws (inaccuracy, non-updated/missing geo data, fuzzy indications …) the user questions the system reliability when there is a visual mismatch between the physical observations of the driver and the digital (graphic and voice) indications. A clear situation of uncertainty. However, navigation system seem intrusive outside of critical situations. As highlighted in a survey, “13% (of drivers with GPS units) would rely solely on their GPS to get them to their destination, rendering them completely oblivious to the world around them”. Street signs are bypassed by the navigation system (like I did in Milan… expect that there were barely any road signs there). It is an interesting example of supplanting our judgments (taking decisions according to road sign, a physical environment and sense of direction) by complying to an external system (Marshall McLuhan). Interestingly I stumbled on an opposite approach to navigation systems in the comment “As a Taxi driver I used a GPS for awhile but it was too inaccurate and distracting, now I just use a downloaded city map.” An interesting appropriation technique by removing the burden having the deal with inaccurate information and rely on trusted data (the driver’s experience of the area, his observations and a basic map).

The introduction of GPS creates new type of incidents (the everyware types of Blue Screen of Death!) like what happens in the village of Luckington. Since a road closure, dozens of drivers have blithely followed directions from their satellite navigation systems, not realising that the recommended route goes through the ford. Other similar stories this month include the motorists sent to the edge of a 100ft drop on an unclassified road at Crackpot in North Yorkshire.

There is not suprise to see courses and training session that teach how to use them and a popular swiss TV show went into explaining how the technology works (probably in order to better understand how to use it) and warning of the system shortcomings for the potential buyers.

Relation to my thesis: Here, I try to understand how location-aware are introduced in our lives and our ways to deal with them and their imperfections. In what way it introduces undue complications into ordinary operations (the taxi driver comment) and by extension how they can be harmless (motorist sent to the edge of a clif).