Over the past two years, my range of familiarity has improved considerably, but there are still large areas of Bangalore that are alien to me. About a year ago, I invested Rs 15,000 in buying a PDA with GSP navigation guidance. It has been a life-saver since then. Once, we went to the Forum Mall, and it began to pour outside. I couldn’t make a U-turn to return home outside the mall because traffic was jammed, and had to take a detour. With rain pounding at the car and visibility very poor, the GPS device took me to the familiar Outer Ring Road, from where I was able to drive more confidently. This has happened more than once, and I thank the “Navigator Lady” in the GPS for getting me home safely many times without having to get out of the car and ask for directions.

The maps I use are from Satguide in Hyderabad. GPS navigation is a great concept, but it is as good as the map you have. If your map is not accurate, then the GPS will not help. There have been occasions when the Navigator Lady has asked me to turn right, and I saw no road. The good thing about the navigator is that you can keep driving, and the computer will calculate a new route for you. Satguide’s city map of Bangalore is reasonably accurate, but their all-India map is bad. On a recent road trip to Yercaud in Tamil Nadu, the GPS device could not link up with the map. There is no doubt, however, that GPS navigation is yet another example of information technology being of direct, practical use to the common man.