Google wants to offer you more timely sat nav directions and re-route you based on radio adverts

Google has had patent approval for an integration of its Google Maps navigation with audio content, so it can better manage the timing of its voice directions, and suggest new routes to stores in radio adverts.

In a move that has the potential to make you late for every meeting, the mapping service wants to be 'content-aware'. That means, if a hypothetical ‘Joe’s Coffee ad’ were to play on the radio, the system might suggest a stop-off en route to work, and seek driver approval.

Google is looking into this "content-aware navigation system" to better manage the competition between the navigation audio and the radio/preferred audio, which is an ongoing challenge. Currently integration with its Android Auto phone mirroring suite temporarily reduces the volume of the radio so the navigation instructions can be heard by the driver, but apparently it's not that effective.

The patent states the "audio instructions provided by the in-vehicle navigation systems generally have to be informative and provide sufficient, well-timed instruction for the route to be followed without unnecessarily distracting those listening, particularly the driver".

With that in mind, the Google researchers suggest issuing the alternative route suggestions at the end of the audio segment, the end of a song, or the end of a sentence. They (quite smartly) identify it could also appear visually... kinda like it does now when there’s traffic ahead and a quicker route option.

As part of the patent, the system is also looking to try and match the speed and language of the voice directions with the audio being listened to. Google reckons this will enable the driver to understand the instructions better, and in turn, improve user safety.

As part of the application, the researchers have gone into geek-level detail about how the collaboration between various audio sources and the nav might be linked, and how it’ll change if you switch modes of transport. You can read the whole thing here, if such knowledge floats your boat.

Beyond getting the feature to work, one imagines it'll be another way to monetise driver data, in due course. What do you think?