As more of us use electronic devices to store our phone numbers and use GPS devices to navigate through streets, are our brains losing their ability to store information? 

Although the human brain has a breakdown when it comes to remembering numbers longer than 10 digits, could the use of cell phones be having a detrimental effect? Years ago there was no problem remembering phone numbers, you had no choice. You may have had a phone book, but you could remember six or so phone numbers without any problems.

Picture from The Alchemist Lab
Today it appears that that GPS navigation devices maybe actually changing the way in which our brain's form cognitive maps.  As any London black cab driver will tell you ad nauseam "we're the best cabbies in the world". This is because of their extra large rear hippocampuses, caused by three years of riding around every London street before they can take "The Knowledge".  But for us mere mortals our brains usually do a pretty good job of picturing areas and routes in our minds eye.

Alex Hutchinson in The Walrus writes that…neuroscientists are starting to uncover a two-way street: our brains determine how we navigate, but our navigational efforts also shape our brains."

Experts are starting to see signs that changes in our brains will occur as we grow accustomed to using GPS devices, and not our minds to see the route ahead. But adaptation is what humans have been doing for millennia; this is just one more thing to adapt to.

Dansk Røde Kors skyder for andet år i træk velgørenhedsauktionen Årets Bedste Bud i gang på Lauritz.com – Mio har doneret 10 GPS'er til formålet.

København, den 14. oktober 2009. GPS-producenten Mio Technology samarbejder med Dansk Røde Kors i lanceringen af internetauktionen Årets Bedste Bud på Lauritz.com. Mio har doneret 10 GPS'er af modellen Mio V735 TV, som der kan bydes på fra i dag frem til den 28. oktober 2009.
"Temaet for auktionen er passion. GPS'er fra Mio afspejler tydeligt en passion for flot design og brugervenlighed," udtaler Ann-Christin Lystrup, ansvarlig for Corporate Fundraising hos Dansk Røde Kors.
Det er andet år i træk, at Dansk Røde Kors lancerer den succesfulde velgørenhedsauktion Årets Bedste Bud, hvor alle indtægter går ubeskåret til velgørenhed. I alt bliver der afholdt 60 forskellige auktioner, og sponsorgaverne favner bredt – lige fra kameraer, cykler, porcelæn, kurophold, koncertoplevelser og brugskunst til stilladsreklamer. Pengene går ikke til ét bestemt formål, men bruges derimod til pludseligt opståede opgaver, såsom naturkatastrofer.
"Jeg blev kontaktet af Dansk Røde Kors, der spurgte, om Mio ville deltage i deres internetauktion Årets Bedste Bud, og da projektet lød spændende, sagde vi ja med det samme. Med vores sponsorgaver håber Mio at kunne hjælpe med at gøre en forskel i indsamlingen, især nu hvor naturkatastroferne i Indonesien kræver alt den hjælp, vi kan give,"  siger Kenni Christensen, Nordic Country Marketing Manager for Mio Technology.
Mio sponserer 10 stk. Mio V735 TV GPS'er fra serien Moov Spirit TV. Mio V735 TV er en 7" GPS med indbygget digital tv-tuner med auto-tuning, som gør indstilling enkel, og to antenner, der sikrer stærkt signal. Den trykfølsomme skærm og fjernbetjeningen gør det desuden nemt at finde de enkelte kanaler. I GPS’en er den nyeste software, Spirit, fra Mio indbygget, der giver en række funktioner såsom TruMap™ og Explore Mode, der gør det enkelt at navigere frem til den ønskede destination, samt udforske interessepunkter undervejs.

  The European Union just unveiled its new hyper accurate GPS enhancement system to much homegrown hoopla. Pinpoint accuracy up to five times that of standard GPS might sound sexy to some. The folks at Mio, however, see the project as a bit of overkill when it comes to drivers who rely on their car navigation devices to get them from point A to point B. 

The European Geostationary Navigation Overly System (EGNOS) differs from GPS in that it focuses on regional rather than global coverage. What EGNOS lacks in global scope, it makes up for in precision. GPS boasts of accuracy down to 10 meters, while EGNOS shrinks that to just two.

 
Users switching their devices to “pedestrian mode” should see more immediate benefits.

Do most drivers really need that degree of precision? Probably not, according to the product management team at Mio. Current levels of accuracy provided by systems like GPS are sufficient for roadway navigation and have the added benefit of global coverage (that all-important “G” in GPS). Accuracy down to the seven- to five-meter level is negligible for most drivers, they said. As one online source points out, driver navigation problems more often stem from map reliability than signal accuracy.

A system like EGNOS would probably have the biggest impact for drivers in some of Europe's older cities, known for their twisting alleys and narrow back streets. Additionally, delivery drivers trying to locate an address among a confusing jumble of buildings should be pleased.

Picture from Trip Advisor

On the consumer side, all that vaunted accuracy has bigger implications for those traveling on foot, says the Mio team. Users switching their devices to “pedestrian mode” should see more immediate benefits. Outdoor enthusiasts such as hikers and mountain climbers can hit the trail with confidence that the next turn isn't going to lead them over the edge of a ravine.

Taking this idea a step further, geocaching hobbyists could know right down to the meter where to find hidden treasure, but where is the fun in that? Mio points out that a flood of EGNOS devices in geocaching circles could take some of the thrill and mystery out of searching a location. It would be sort of like consulting Wikipedia while playing a game of Trivial Pursuit.

 Picture from GPS Daily

All this is not to say that EGNOS doesn’t have its benefits, particularly in the areas of commercial shipping and aviation. The vision impaired could be guided with handheld EGNOS devices. Europe’s farmers hope to use the system to direct tractors and crop-dusting planes that spread fertilizer and pesticides. Not bad for “free” service, though one online commentator points out that the end cost does get passed on to the EU taxpayer.

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More to read -

Harvesting EGNOS and Galileo for use in agriculture
http://www.gsa.europa.eu/go/news/harvesting-egnos-and-galileo-for-use-in-agriculture

Space technology to help the blind
http://www.esa.int/esaNA/ESAKN58708D_egnos_0.html

Geocaching - WAAS/EGNOS and Accuracy - Detailed information
http://www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk/resources/egnos.html