the next 12 months
Today I had my dissertation research proposal presentation.
I presented my topic choice to two tutors and four other students off of our course.
I’ve decided to write about sat-nav. I was looking to talk about four areas of interest:
1. Why do people buy sat-nav?
The motivation to bin all their maps?
It’s so cheap nowadays?
Gadget craving?
Other reasons such as safety camera databases?
2. How do they use it?
Route planning?
Journey time estimation?
Points of interest/safety cameras?
Showing off?
3. How does sat-nav affect driver behaviour?
Do drivers ignore the cognitive maps we have learned over many years in lieu of the routes offered by sat-nav?
What distance does a journey need to be before we engage our sat-nav?
How familiar does a journey need to be before we don’t use sat-nav?
4. What are the external effects of sat-nav beyond the confines of the vehicle?
“Lorries ruined my village” (Imagine it on the front of the Daily Mail and you’ll get my point)
I was concerned that I’d be told that my topic was far too simplistic and perhaps something too “faddy”, but in fact, both tutors liked my proposal, albeit I have tons to do between now and next April when I hand it in. Anyway, 1,900 words down, 16,100 to go…
If you have any bright ideas, or work for TomTom or Navman, then I’d really like to hear from you :)
I still think this idea is great, you little genius, you. Being a lowly town planner without a specialism, unlike you, I don’t think I can help that much. Except for question 4 – the County Council for which I work and which will remain nameless following my last bollocking for referring to it on my blog has had a spate of complaints about certain sat navs sending people down dead ends in villages or lorries trying to get round our beautiful, rural county and getting trapped down single track lanes. The trouble is, it’s not really the County Council’s fault, is it? But TomTom and Navman are so far shirking responsibility. So where does the responsibility lie when you have the front page of local rags blaming the local authority? I realise that’s just rambling and probably no help at all…
At the end of the day (yikes, it’s all going a bit Gavin & Stacey), perhaps we need to be applying our own common sense to the routes mapped by sat nav systems instead of blindly accepting them.
I like maps and my own sense of direction. The only reason I use my sat nav is to try and beat the ETA. Gives me something to do on a long distance journey :)
*Blushes* High praise indeed! Thank-you!
The thing is that the tutors said I had far too much there (nearer a PhD scope apparently!) so I should cut it down to one of the points, drawing on the others a little where relevant and whilst “Lorries ruined my village” is (I think) the populist choice, as it were, I am far more interested in the reasons and psychology behind why people get sat-nav in the first place and if way they use it differs from the reasons for getting it in the first place. I think.
And beating the ETA is also very close to my heart as well :)
Sounds interesting. Though if it was really from the Mail shouldn’t there be a reference to immigrants or terrorists?
Doing supply, I imagine that I should be using sat nav going somewhere different everyday. It’s just, I’m happy enough with Google Maps print outs. The benefit means I have at least an idea of where I’m going in my head. It’s not perfect by though… :)
How about “Illegal imigrants are stealing your pension with innaproprite sat-nav useage”
I like it. If the transport planning fails, Mr. Green, there’s a career in tabloid (yes, tabloid) journalism ahead of you. I think you’re probably right to steer clear of question 4 if you’re cutting it down – the other stuff sounds far more interesting and touching on the external stuff could getting a little infuriating. Probably.
Whilst you’re working so hard, if you could cut down my dissertation from a gazillion words on the horizontal and vertical integration of spatial planning in the post-1997 New Labour world of devolution, regionalisation and local government modernisation and all that that entails* before my presentation on 23rd April, that would be just smashing… :)
*this is clearly not the title of my dissertation but I’m currently lacking inspiration so it will have to do.
You *do* like to make things difficult for yourself don’t you? :P
But this is what worries me. You’ve lost me at the title, so how can I possibly turn out a serious piece of work about something you can buy for £90 in Woolworths, when you’re doing that?
What you need its a snappy title and then all that in a smaller font underneath:
Investigating the horizontal and vertical integration of spatial planning in a world of Regionalisation and Local Government Modernisation
@ Omar – also – your point about having to think about where you are going rather than trusting the machines* is one of the other important things I want to investigate.
* they made that mistake in Terminator after all
Rob’s dissertation = genuinely useful social commentary that could potentially be used to improve a system or increase sales.
JH’s dissertation = introspective rambling about the state of local government and how planning works (or doesn’t) rather than what it actually achieves.
Also, I love that your dissertation topic has prompted so many comments :)
Seriously, £90 in Woolies that’s not bad…
You forgot a crucial element – “Illegal immigrants are stealing your pension with sat-nav paid for with YOUR taxes”
It relates to our generally becoming reliant on such technology isn’t it?
Jenn, I can’t even mock it as I have no idea what it means :(
And £80 at Argos in fact! Crikey!
That may be, but I just can’t see myself buying the cheapest one.
Hell no! TomTom 720 ftw! You can edit the maps on your computer to put in all the tricky little one-way systems that never show up on there…
Then what’s the point in getting sat nav?? (Ignore me, I’m just a girl…)
*ignores*
i feel safer with a sat nav….spesh if alone…and it means i dont have to keep stopping
So the title is “From Sat Nav to Skynet”, or have I missed the point?
Since I started my long(ish) commute (please don’t kill me Rob’s traffic mates) I use my Sat Nav (TT720*) all the time as I find it helps me concentrate on the motorway and count down the miles, although to get to the motorway I ignore it and go the way I know is quickest…
…If only it were a learning computer…or I could get it to re-route using thought control, but only Clint Eastwood could do that.
*Forerunner to a T800?
Unrelated to your dissertation but related to sat-nav is this > http://www.askbjoernhansen.com/2008/04/13/dash_express_living_in_the_future.html
@ Omar. I like that a LOT!
See also > http://www.redferret.net/?p=10330 . Though, is it better to just have a map?
I think it might get cluttered and overdetailed – heading towards being a driver distraction than a driver aid…