Toyota said on Thursday it has developed the world’s first technology for automatically delivering differential map data to car navigation systems.

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This technology – which TMC has named ‘Map on Demand’ – will be available as a new feature of TMC’s Japanese-market G-Book telematics service from spring 2007.


Map on Demand, which was jointly developed with Aisin AW, Zenrin, Denso and Toyota Mapmaster, delivers updated data on all Japanese expressways and toll roads, as well as on roads near the registered home of the subscriber and on roads in the vicinity of user-specified destinations. Data is delivered via such methods as cell phone networks and internet downloads.


Although conventional data updating and editing for car navigation maps is conducted on a nationwide basis – involving a large volume of data and requiring considerable data transfer time and cost – Map on Demand focuses only on updates for areas specified by users, in addition to data for expressways and toll roads.

In cases in which a modified road extends beyond the area specified by users for updating, the update area is extended to include connection to another road. This allows the car navigation system to provide route-connection information, with such connection information covering all roads throughout Japan.

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And while conventional data renewal is done only twice a year – often resulting in a delay in the availability of up-to-date information – Map on Demand greatly shortens the renewal cycle by delivering data soon after roads have been changed. In the case of expressways and toll roads, updated data is sent out about seven days after a new thoroughfare is open to traffic; maps for other roads are updated as soon as relevant information becomes available.