Manufacturers of navigation devices have highlighted special features that will assist soccer fans visiting SA for the World Cup.
Navigon, Garmin and TomTom devices have map updates that present points of interest for soccer fans in SA.
“Navigon's latest map update equips soccer fans in SA with everything they need to find their way to soccer spots across the country,” says Stephan Balte, country manager SA.
He adds that temporary soccer points of interest (POI) include soccer stadiums, fan zones, as well as park and ride areas.
Garmin's official mapping partner, Garmap Africa, also covers these POIs in its latest edition, which includes information on drop-off points, ticket offices and pedestrian walkways for tourists coming into the country, according to Garmin.
“This is an extremely important year for SA and, as a result, the latest version of our map data is one of the most significant updates we've made to the Garmap Africa map products,” says Garmap's CTO Dr Chris Crozier.
Tourist hotspots
Other general tourist POIs have been highlighted by the navigation manufacturers.
Garmap includes accommodation listings, selected Cape wine estates, PGA golf courses, skydiving clubs, scuba diving sites, and top geo-tagged sites and POIs in the Kruger National Park and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
“Navigon also added about 115 000 general POIs such as business parks, hotels and restaurants. Furthermore, the update includes coverage of 220 national parks and nature reserves, as well as 46 000km of additional roads,” says the company.
TomTom is supporting the Dutch team's Oranje fans. It has provided them with TomTom devices, according to Joost Jetten, VP of sales for sub-Sahara Africa.
Beating traffic
Navigon has cited its new Lane Assistant feature as a form of assistance for tourists when navigating through traffic.
Balte says it gives a clear look ahead, showing users whether they need to change lanes for any exits they are approaching.
TomTom's Live service will give drivers automatic real-time updates on what's ahead “so they remain informed about the traffic incidents and estimated time of arrival throughout their journey”.
The company adds that this will ease the journey of fans on their way to matches and will help them reach the venues on time.
Road trip
BlackBerry highlights specific applications for tourists taking road trips to follow their teams around the country.
The smartphone manufacturer has emphasised applications that help travellers plan their trip, get directions, find weather details and follow match scores for games missed while travelling.
It says “In Case of Emergency” provides emergency personnel with critical personal and medical data. This information includes one's name, who to contact, important notification telephone numbers, blood type, allergies, physician's name and number, the medications one takes, existing medical conditions and the name of their health insurer.
BlackBerry also mentions WorldMate Live, which acts as a personal travel assistant, giving itinerary details and currency converters.
Other applications highlight nearby places and events, read text messages out loud to keep concentration on the road and automatically respond to them.
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