Every weekend around seven million of us venture into the British countryside and promptly get lost, overlook an historically vital early Saxon church, or more importantly, miss that Michelin starred gastro pub because it’s in the middle of nowhere.
Now, thanks to Active 10, a small hand held digital mapping device, developed by Cambridge Design Partnership Ltd and it’s client Satmap Systems Ltd, anyone who takes to the countryside – walkers, ramblers, hikers and cyclists will be able to know exactly where they are, where they have been, where they are going and have a detailed description of what’s going on around them.
Satmap’s easy to use and feature rich content ensures you will never again miss a vitally important piece of the natural landscape or man-made structure.
All you do is click on ‘places of interest’ and you will immediately be given a full multimedia description with audio, video, pictures and text – a digital guide book in your pocket.
Developed in the UK, Satmap’s Active 10, is the world’s first high specification and user friendly digital mapping system for outdoor activities which also has integrated GPS and a digital compass. Highly detailed Ordnance Survey maps (which can be downloaded from the Internet or inserted into Active 10 on SD cards) are loaded into the device enabling GPS tracking to immediately reveal the exact location of the user on the map.
Alongside well known Ordnance Survey, A to Z and National Geographic mapping, several established guidebook publishers are providing exciting content from pub walks to mountain bike trails.
As you move, Active 10 creates a trail showing the ground you have covered, where you are, the direction you are heading and even the altitude. Satmap’s screen is high resolution and can be read in daylight.
The device is a result of collaboration between two British companies Satmap Systems Ltd and Cambridge Design Partnership Ltd which is responsible for all Satmap’s technical capabilities – GPS, engineering, design, hardware and software.
Rugged, waterproof and extremely easy to use, Satmap offers a wide range of maps covering the UK and Europe.
Commenting, Mike Beadman a Director at Cambridge Design Partnership said: “We were so impressed by the potential for Satmap and the clear points of difference it has over other GPS based products that we decided to invest in the company from our 1 million development fund.”
Satmap will be available in August 2007 and will have over 100 different map cards to choose from covering National Parks, National Trails, UK regions and UK counties. More maps will be launched throughout the year and will include countries throughout the world.
