Lost in the city

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Nokia reveals the results of a global study into how people find
their way around

Getting lost in London is inevitable. According to new research
commissioned by Nokia, the world's leading supplier of map-enabled
devices, there are more people getting lost in London than anywhere
else in the world, including cities like Bangkok and Beijing, which
are nearly twice the size of London.

The findings are part of a global study, one of the largest
navigation studies to date, where 12 500 people in 13 countries world
were quizzed about their sense of direction and navigational habits.

Research found that one in ten people (ten percent) find it
impossible to navigate around London, followed closely by Paris (nine
percent), Bangkok (five percent), Hong Kong (five percent) and
Beijing (four percent), making up the top five 'lost cities' on the
planet. Moreover, when lost in London be wary of asking the locals
for directions, as one in three Londoners admit to deliberately
giving people the wrong directions.

Digital navigation overtakes traditional maps
More than 25 percent of people surveyed rely on online and mobile
navigation tools to find their way around. More specifically, 13
percent of people use a mobile phone as their primary navigation
tool, from a zero base just a few years ago. The country with the
world's best sense of direction is Germany, where a third of people
claim to have never lost their way. Unsurprisingly, it is also the
country with the highest reliance on satellite navigation. One in ten
women admits to not being able to read a traditional map, twice the
number of men. This suggests that the end of the traditional map and
compass is fast approaching with map reading skills across the world
generally considered poor.

A sense of direction
One in five people believe a sense of direction is genetic and those
that have a bad sense of direction are simply born that way. However
having a good sense of direction seems rare and despite huge advances
in online maps and mobile navigation, almost everyone surveyed (93
percent) still get lost regularly, with the average person wasting 13
minutes each time they do. This has big implications for some, with
one in ten missing a job interview, an important business meeting or
flight because they lost their way. Getting lost is affecting
people's personal lives as well, with one in ten Brazilians missing
out on a date because they got lost en-route.

"More people are becoming comfortable with using navigation tools on
their phones and in their cars, and are seeing direct benefits from
using these devices in their everyday lives," says Marita Markkula,
head of Marketing for Nokia Maps. "People can customize the
navigation features in their phones according to the routes they
take, and updating information is quicker and easier than with
traditional maps. You can even set your navigation enabled mobile
phone to avoid traffic jams and roadworks, which cause many people to
go off course."

Keeping up to date with the ever changing landscape
When approached by strangers asking for directions, many people use
iconic landmarks such as statues, churches and bridges as
recognizable 'breadcrumbs' to a destination. However, people in
Britain prefer to use local pubs to signpost directions to others. In
another reflection of city culture and make-up, the Chinese typically
use skyscrapers to give directions.

"With cities growing so rapidly and new roads and buildings being
built all the time, people are relying more on mobile navigation
tools that are always with them. The development of turn by turn
pedestrian navigation is a technology that should be embraced, as it
helps people reach their destination easily," continues Marita
Markkula.

The Nokia Maps service, which combines the latest services with
devices like the Nokia 6210 Navigator, are perfect for staying on
track. People can reach their destination more effectively with
turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation, high-sensitivity GPS and a
combined integrated compass. Nokia Maps are the perfect travel
companions at home or abroad.

Other research highlights:
- 30 percent of people blame their partners for getting lost, either
because they were fighting or shouting directions at them
- Dependence on technology is now such that one in four people claim
they could not find their way without online maps and mobile
satellite navigation
- One in ten Spaniards consider a sense of direction matures with
age, like fine wine
- Indian men are the most likely people in the world to miss the
birth of their child
- Nearly a quarter of Italians rely on mobile navigation devices to
find their way
- Half of the Chinese depend on personal interaction for directions
en-route
- The most popular excuse for getting lost by Asians is bad weather
- Russians have an alternative motive when it comes to asking for
directions, with one in ten using it as an excuse to flirt

Notes to Editor
Research conducted by ICM among 12 500 people in 13 countries during
the period of 1 - 23 October 2008. Countries where research was
conducted: UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Australia, Brazil,
China, UAE, Russia, Singapore, India, South Africa.

About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and
growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We
make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that
enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television,
imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing
our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise
solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide
equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through
the Nokia Siemens Networks.

Media Enquiries:

Nokia
Communications
Tel. [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

www.nokia.com


 
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