NaVigation Markup Language (NVML)
W3C Note 6 Aug 1999
- This Version:
- http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/NOTE-NVML-19990806
- Latest version:
- http://www.w3.org/TR/NVML
- Authors:
- Minoru Sekiguchi, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., minoru@flab.fujitsu.co.jp
- Kuniharu Takayama, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., taka@iias.flab.fujitsu.co.jp
- Hirohisa Naito, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., naitou@flab.fujitsu.co.jp
- Yoshiharu Maeda, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., haru@iias.flab.fujitsu.co.jp
- Hisayuki Horai, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.,
horai@iias.flab.fujitsu.co.jp
- Masahito Toriumi, Fujitsu Limited,
toriumi@sysrap.cs.fujitsu.co.jp
This document is a submission to the World Wide Web Consortium from Fujitsu
Laboratories Ltd. (see
Submission Request,
W3C Staff Comment).
This document is a NOTE made available by W3C for discussion only. This
indicates no endorsement of its content, nor that W3C has had any editorial
control in its preparation, nor that W3C has, is, or will be allocating any
resources to the issues addressed by the NOTE.
A variety of mobile information appliances are developed rapidly such as smart
phones with capability of Internet access, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)
equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System), and car navigation systems. A
navigation service is one of the indispensable services to these mobile
information appliances, but currently it is only available with car navigation
systems. In order to use the navigation service not only on cars but also on
trains, on buses, and on foot with various mobile information appliances, a
common data format for describing navigation information such as locations of
points and route information is required. The "NVML" (NaVigation Markup
Language) is a markup language for describing the navigation information
satisfying the above requirement. The NVML enables us to use a navigation
service at any time and anywhere, and it will also be used in other services
such as a guide service for sightseeing, a travel planning service, and a
publishing service for tourists.
Contents
A variety of mobile information appliances are developed rapidly such as
smart phones with capability of Internet access, PDAs (Personal Digital
Assistants) equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System), and car navigation
systems.
A navigation service is one of the indispensable services to these mobile
information appliances, but currently it is only available with car navigation
systems. In order to use the navigation service not only on cars but also on
trains, on buses, and on foot with various mobile information appliances, a
common data format for describing navigation information such as locations of
points and route information is required.
The "NVML" (NaVigation Markup Language) is a markup language for describing
the navigation information satisfying the above requirement, and is defined by
using the XML (Extensible Markup Language) authorized by the W3C (World Wide
Web Consortium).
Since the contents of NVML data (ex., Kyoto-Nara Tour) are marked up by
tags (ex., <title>), anyone can understand the data easily and computers
can process and search the data quickly. Besides, NVML has a capability to
describe several types of navigation information such as:
- a route from the current point to a destination point;
- a way to a shop from the nearest station;
- transportation courses;
- sightseeing courses;
- tour schedules.
The NVML enables us to use a navigation service at any time and anywhere,
and it will also be used in other services such as a guide service for
sightseeing, a travel planning service, and a publishing service for
tourists.
This document describes the NVML specification. In the following, the
system that inputs and/or outputs any NVML data is called an NVML system.
The NVML has the following features:
- XML-Base
- NVML data can be wide-spreaded through webs as an XML
application.
- NVML users can use various XML tools.
- The NVML inherits the XML features such as readability and
processability.
- Route Navigation and Point Guidance
- The NVML has two functionalities:
route navigation, i.e., an information service along route, and
point guidance, i.e., an information service around point of
interest.
- Several Output Information Types
- The NVML can deal with several output information types
including:
maps, text characters, voices, and images.
- Authorized by Anyone
- NVML data can be authorized by anyone.
- For example, users write their driving courses, and tour companies
make their tour data.
- Released by Anyone
- NVML data can be released by anyone.
- For example, users can mail an NVML data to their friends, and
contents providers can serve various NVML data from their sightseeing
database.
- At any Time and Anywhere
- NVML data can be used at any time and anywhere.
- For example, users will be able to use a navigation service at home,
at office, during moving on foot, on bus, on train with various
information appliances, for example, car navigation systems, personal
computers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and cellular
phones.
- Actual Navigation/Guidance and Simulation
- NVML data can be used in actual navigation/guidance as well as in
virtual simulation.
The file extension suffix of NVML files is ".nvml" and ".nvm". These
suffixes are used to recognize whether the file is an NVML file or not.
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) Media Type [1] of NVML files
is "application/x-nvml".
The XML declaration of NVML data is as follows:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="xxx"?>
<!DOCTYPE nvml SYSTEM "http://yyy/nvml.dtd">
The value of the attribute "encoding" (i.e., "xxx" in the above description)
is subject to the XML (Extensible Markup Language) specification [2]. Possible
encoding types depend on each NVML system. The URL (i.e., "yyy" in the above
description) will be set appropriately in practical uses.
The NVML is defined by using the XML (Extensible Markup Language) [2]. In
this specification, we describe the NVML specific specification. Other
specifications regarding to the XML, see the reference [2]. For example,
although the XML reserved attribute "xml:lang" which is very useful to specify
the description language, it is not explained in this specification.
In the following, on each element, the outline, basic and simple examples,
the attribute, and the content are explained. In order to prescribe the values
of each attribute and content, the Extended Backus-Naur Form [2] is
utilized.
Note that the notation "NVML" represents the language specification while
the notation "nvml" represents the root element of the NVML. In addition, the
data described subject to the NVML specification is called an "NVML data", and
the file containing NVML data is called an "NVML file".
(1) Outline
The nvml element is the root element of the NVML and must be described. The
nvml element shows the data is an NVML data.
(2) Example
<nvml version="0.60">
<head> ... </head>
<body> ... </body>
</nvml>
(3) Attribute
The nvml element has the following attribute:
- - version
- specifies the NVML version and can take values:
- [0-9]"."[0-9][0-9]([0-9]?)
The default value is the latest version of the NVML.
(4) Content
The nvml element has the following child elements:
- - head
- The head element is defined in Section
2.4.2. The head element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - body
- The body element is defined in Section
2.4.3. The body element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
These child elements must be described in the order:
- head, body.
(1) Outline
The head element is a child element of the nvml element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The head element shows the outline
of the entire navigation and guidance.
(2) Example
<head>
<title> Rainbow Town Tour </title>
<category> sightseeing </category>
<transport> car, foot </transport>
<duration> 3 hours </duration>
<distance> 9.6 km </distance>
<expense> 700 yen </expense>
<geodetic-system> itrf </geodetic-system>
<note name="author" content="XYZ Tour"/>
<info>
<text>
This is the Rainbow Town Tour.
</text>
<voice>
Welcome to the Rainbow Town Tour!
</voice>
<image src="image/rainbow-town-tour.jpg"/>
<note name="copyright" content="XYZ Tour"/>
</info>
</head>
(3) Attribute
The head element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The head element has the following child elements:
- - title
- The title element is defined in Section
2.4.9. The title element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - category
- The category element is defined in Section
2.4.10. The category element does not need to be described or
can be described any times.
- - transport
- The transport element is defined in Section 2.4.11. The transport element does
not need to be described or can be described once.
- - duration
- The duration element is defined in Section
2.4.12. The duration element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - distance
- The distance element is defined in Section
2.4.13. The distance element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - expense
- The expense element is defined in Section
2.4.14. The expense element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - geodetic-system
- The geodetic-system element is defined in Section 2.4.15. The geodetic-system element
does not need to be described or can be described once.
- - note
- The note element is defined in Section
2.4.16. The note element does not need to be described or can
be described any times.
- - info
- The info element is defined in Section
2.4.8. The info element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
These child elements must be described in the order:
- title, category, transport, duration, distance, expense,
geodetic-system, note, info.
(1) Outline
The body element is a child element of the nvml element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The body element specifies the
detail of the route navigation and the point guidances.
(2) Example
<body>
<navi> ... </navi>
<navi> ... </navi>
...
<guide> ... </guide>
<guide> ... </guide>
...
<navi> ... </navi>
<guide> ... </guide>
...
</body>
(3) Attribute
The body element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The body element has the following child elements:
- - navi
- The navi element is defined in Section
2.4.4. The navi element does not need to be described or can
be described any times.
- - guide
- The guide element is defined in Section
2.4.5. The guide element does not need to be described or can
be described any times.
These child elements can be described in any order.
(1) Outline
The navi element is a child element of the body element and does not need
to be described or can be described any times. The navi element specifies the
detail of the route navigation.
(2) Example
<navi>
<point>
<name> Tokyo Station </name>
<category> Station </category>
<latitude> N35.40.39.0 </latitude>
<longitude> E139.46.18.1 </longitude>
<address> Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo </address>
<zip-code> 123-4567 </zip-code>
<phone> 012-345-6789 </phone>
<fax> 012-345-6789 </fax>
<e-mail> xxx@yyy.zzz </e-mail>
<url> http://xxx.yyy.zzz </url>
</point>
<info duration="3min">
<text>
Tokyo Station
</text>
<voice>
This is Tokyo Station.
</voice>
<image src="image/tokyo-station.jpg"/>
<note name="copyright" content="XYZ Tour"/>
</info>
</navi>
<navi>
<route>
<name> Toumei Highway </name>
<category> highway </category>
<means> car </means>
<duration> 10 minutes </duration>
<distance> 20 km </distance>
<expense> 500 yen </expense>
</route>
<info duration="1min">
<text>
Toumei Highway
</text>
<voice>
This is Toumei Highway.
</voice>
<image src="image/tomei-highway.jpg"/>
<note name="copyright" content="XYZ Tour"/>
</info>
</navi>
(3) Attribute
The navi element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The navi element has the following child elements:
- - point
- The point element is defined in Section
2.4.6. Ether one point element or one route element must be
specified exclusively in one navi element.
- - route
- The route element is defined in Section
2.4.7. Ether one route element or one point element must be
specified exclusively in one navi element.
- - info
- The info element is defined in Section
2.4.8.
These child elements must be described in the order:
- point, info, or, route, info.
The first example in the above examples means that the information
specified in the info element is output at the point specified in the point
element. On the other hand, the second example means that the information
described in the info element is output on the route specified in the route
element.
Referring to these examples, by specifying the navi elements plural times,
any navigation via point 1, point 2, and so on in a sequential order can be
described as follows:
<navi>
<point>
description of the point 1
</point>
<info>
description of the information
output at the point 1
</info>
</navi>
<navi>
<route>
description of the route 1-2
from the point 1 to the point 2
</route>
<info>
description of the information
output on the route 1-2
</info>
</navi>
<navi>
<point>
description of the point 2
</point>
<info>
description of the information
output at the point 2
</info>
</navi>
<navi>
<route>
description of the route 2-3
from the point 2 to the point 3
</route>
<info>
description of the information
output on the route 2-3
</info>
</navi>
<navi>
<point>
description of the point 3
</point>
<info>
description of the information
output at the point 3
</info>
</navi>
...
Note that the route element does not need to describe the route in detail
from one point to the other point (see also Section
2.4.7.). If the route element is not described or is not described in
detail, the NVML system should complete the information when executing the
navigation. For example, in the following case,
<navi>
<point>
description of the point 1
</point>
</navi>
<navi>
<route>
description of the route A
</route>
</navi>
if the point 1 does not exist on the route A, the NVML system should complete
the route from the point 1 to the route A in an appropriate manner.
In general, as child elements of the body element, any sequences of navi
elements can be described. Specifically, not only the above described case,
which can be described as follows by omitting the info elements for
simplification,
<navi>
<point> ... </point>
</navi>
<navi>
<route> ... </route>
</navi>
<navi>
<point> ... </point>
</navi>
<navi>
<route> ... </route>
</navi>
...
but also the following case can also be described.
<navi>
<point> ... </point>
</navi>
<navi>
<point> ... </point>
</navi>
...
<navi>
<route> ... </route>
</navi>
<navi>
<route> ... </route>
</navi>
...
In these incomplete cases, the NVML should complete the information on points
and routes. For example, in the following case,
<navi>
<route>
description of the route A
</route>
</navi>
<navi>
<route>
description of the route B
</route>
</navi>
if the route A and the route B do not interchange, the NVML system should
complete an appropriate route from an appropriate point on the route A to an
appropriate point on the route B.
Note that any numbers of guide elements can be inserted between navi
elements and oppositely any numbers of navi elements can be inserted between
guide elements. In such cases, the interpretation of the navi elements is the
same as the interpretation of the cases where all the guide elements are
omitted.
(1) Outline
The guide element is a child element of the body element and does not need
to be described or can be described any times. The guide element specifies the
detail of the point guidance.
(2) Example
<guide>
<point area="1.0km">
<name> Tokyo Station </name>
<category> Station </category>
<latitude> N35.40.39.0 </latitude>
<longitude> E139.46.18.1 </longitude>
<address> Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo </address>
<zip-code> 123-4567 </zip-code>
<phone> 012-345-6789 </phone>
<fax> 012-345-6789 </fax>
<e-mail> xxx@yyy.zzz </e-mail>
<url> http://xxx.yyy.zzz </url>
</point>
<info duration="3min">
<text>
Tokyo Station
</text>
<voice>
This is Tokyo Station.
</voice>
<image src="image/tokyo-station.jpg"/>
<note name="copyright" content="XYZ Tour"/>
</info>
</guide>
(3) Attribute
The guide element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The guide element specifies the detail of the point guidances. The guide
element has the following child elements:
- - point
- The point element is defined in Section
2.4.6. The point element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - info
- The info element is defined in Section
2.4.8.
These child elements must be described in the order:
- point, info.
(1) Outline
The point element is a child element of the navi element and the guide
element. If the parent element is a navi element, ether one point element or
one route element must be specified exclusively in one navi element. If the
parent element is a guide element, one point element must be described in one
guide element. The point element specifies the detail of the point
information.
(2) Example
<point>
<name> Tokyo Station </name>
<category> Station </category>
<latitude> N35.40.39.0 </latitude>
<longitude> E139.46.18.1 </longitude>
<address> Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo </address>
<zip-code> 123-4567 </zip-code>
<phone> 012-345-6789 </phone>
<fax> 012-345-6789 </fax>
<e-mail> xxx@yyy.zzz </e-mail>
<url> http://xxx.yyy.zzz </url>
</point>
(3) Attribute
The point element has the following attribute:
- - area
- is effective only when the parent element is a guide element.
The area attribute specifies the area, where the information
described in the info element is output, by the radius of the
circle centered at the location of the point. The area attribute
can take the following values:
- (0|[1-9][0-9]*)("."[0-9]*)?("km"|"m")
The default value is none. If no value is specified, the value
should be determined by each NVML system.
(4) Content
The point element has the following child elements:
- - name
- The name element is defined in Section
2.4.17. The name element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - category
- The category element is defined in Section
2.4.10. The category element does not need to be described or
can be described any times.
- - latitude
- The latitude element is defined in Section
2.4.18. The latitude element does not need to be described or
can be described once. Note that the longitude element must also
be described if the latitude element is described.
- - longitude
- The longitude element is defined in Section 2.4.19. The longitude element does
not need to be described or can be described once. Note that the
latitude element must also be described if the longitude element
is described.
- - address
- The address element is defined in Section
2.4.20. The address element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - zip-code
- The zip-code element is defined in Section
2.4.21. The zip-code element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - phone
- The phone element is defined in Section
2.4.22. The phone element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - fax
- The fax element is defined in Section
2.4.23. The fax element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - e-mail
- The e-mail element is defined in Section
2.4.24. The e-mail element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - url
- The url element is defined in Section
2.4.25. The url element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - expense
- The expense element is defined in Section
2.4.14. The expense element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - note
- The note element is defined in Section
2.4.16.
These child elements must be described in the order:
- name, category, latitude, longitude, address, zip-code, phone, fax,
e-mail, url, expense, note.
If the latitude element and the longitude element are specified in the
point element, the NVML system may use these information in order to determine
the point location. If not specified, the NVML system may use information of
the other child elements. If the information is not enough to determine the
point location, the NVML system may deduce it as possible as the system can
do. If the system can not deduce, it should inform an error.
(1) Outline
The route element is a child element of the navi element. Ether one point
element or one route element must be specified exclusively in one navi
element. The route element specifies the detail of the route information.
(2) Example
<route>
<name> Toumei Highway </name>
<category> highway </category>
<means> car </means>
<duration> 10 minutes </duration>
<distance> 20 km </distance>
<expense> 500 yen </expense>
</route>
(3) Attribute
The route element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The route element has the following child elements:
- - name
- The name element is defined in Section
2.4.17. The name element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - category
- The category element is defined in Section
2.4.10. The category element does not need to be described or
can be described any times.
- - number
- The number element is defined in Section
2.4.26. The number element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - means
- The means element is defined in Section
2.4.27. The means element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - duration
- The duration element is defined in Section
2.4.12. The duration element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - distance
- The distance element is defined in Section
2.4.13. The distance element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - expense
- The expense element is defined in Section
2.4.14. The expense element does not need to be described or
can be described once.
- - note
- The note element is defined in Section
2.4.16. The note element does not need to be described or can
be described any times.
- - info
- The info element is defined in Section
2.4.8. The info element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
These child elements must be described in the order:
- name, category, number, means, duration, distance, expense, note,
info.
(1) Outline
The info element is a child element of the head element, the navi element,
and the guide element and does not need to be described or can be described
once. The info element specifies the detail of the output information.
If the parent element is a head element, the timing of outputting the
information described in the info element should be determined by each NVML
system. If the parent element is a navi element, the information described in
the info element is output when the current location arrives at the point
specified in the point element that is the brother element of the info
element. If the parent element is a guide element, the information described
in the info element is output when the current location comes in the area
around the point specified in the point element which is the brother element
of the info element. See the following attribute subsection about the
detail.
Notice that in some cases, navi elements and guide elements are possible to
desire to output some information at the same time. In such cases, it depends
on each NVML system whether the two (or more) information will be output at
the same time or one comes before the other.
(2) Example
<info duration="3min">
<text>
Tokyo Station
</text>
<voice>
This is Tokyo Station.
</voice>
<image src="image/tokyo-station.jpg"/>
<note name="copyright" content="XYZ Tour"/>
</info>
(3) Attribute
The info element has the following attributes:
- - delay
- specifies the beginning time that the output of the information
begins, and can take the values as follows:
- ("+"|"-")?
((0|[1-9][0-9]*)("."[0-9]*)?"h")?
((0|[1-9][0-9]*)("."[0-9]*)?"min")?
((0|[1-9][0-9]*)("."[0-9]*)?"s")?
The cases of no sign and with "+" sign mean a delay from the
default beginning time, and the case with "-" sign means a gain
from the default beginning time.
The default beginning time is set as follows:
- - In the case that the parent element is a head
element,
- it should be determined by each NVML system.
- - In the case that the parent element is a navi
element,
- it is the time arriving at the point specified in
the brother point element. In this case, if the
beginning time becomes later than the default
beginning time of the next navi element, or the
beginning time becomes earlier than the default
beginning time of the previous navi element, the
output of the information becomes invalid.
- - In the case that the parent element is a guide
element,
- it is the time coming in the area specified in the
brother point element. Note that in this case the
default beginning time is reset every time that the
current location comes in the area.
The default value is none. If no value is specified, the value
should be determined by each NVML system.
case: delay >= 0
-----------|----------------
default beginning time
|---->|
delay
|--------------->|
duration
case: delay <= 0
-----------|----------------
default beginning time
|<----|
delay
|--------------->|
duration
- - duration
- specifies the duration time to output the information and can
take values:
- (((0|[1-9][0-9]*)("."[0-9]*)?"h")?
((0|[1-9][0-9]*)("."[0-9]*)?"min")?
((0|[1-9][0-9]*)("."[0-9]*)?"s")?)|
"full-time"
The value "full-time" means follows:
- - In the case that the parent element is a head
element,
- the NVML system determine how the information is
output.
- - In the case that the parent element is a navi
element,
- the output of the information is kept until the next
navi element becomes valid.
- - In the case that the parent element is a guide
element,
- the output of the information is kept until the
current location gets out of the area specified by the
brother point element.
The default value is none. If no value is specified, the value
should be determined by each NVML system.
- - times
- is effective only when the parent element is a guide element. If
there exists a point element as a brother element, the information
specified in the info element is output certain times, which is
specified by the times attribute, when the current location comes
in the area specified by the area attribute. The times attribute
takes the values:
- (0|[1-9][0-9]*)|"any-times"
The value "any-times" means that the information is output any
times. The default value is none. If no value is specified, the
value should be determined by each NVML system.
(4) Content
The info element has the following child elements:
- - text
- The text element is defined in Section
2.4.28. The text element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - voice
- The voice element is defined in Section
2.4.29. The voice element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - image
- The image element is defined in Section
2.4.30. The image element does not need to be described or can
be described once.
- - note
- The note element is defined in Section
2.4.16.
These child elements must be described in the order:
- text, voice, image, note.
(1) Outline
The title element is a child element of the head element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The title element specifies the
title of the navigation.
(2) Example
<title> Rainbow Town Tour </title>
(3) Attribute
The title element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The title element describes the title of the entire navigation and
guidances. The title element can take any text character sequences. Each
character is any character permitted to use in the XML specification [2].
(1) Outline
The category element is a child element of the head element, the point
element, and the route element, and does not need to be described or can be
described any times. The category element describes the category of the
information that the parent element represents.
(2) Example
<head>
<category> sightseeing </category>
</head>
<point>
<category> restaurant </category>
<category> Italian </category>
</point>
<route>
<category> highway </category>
</route>
(3) Attribute
The category element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The category element describes the category of the information that the
parent element represents. In the case that the parent element is a head
element, the category element describes the category of the entire navigation
and guidances of the NVML. In the case that the parent element is a point
element, the category element describes the category of the point. In the case
that the parent element is a route element, the category element describes the
category of the route. The method of the categorization and the detail of the
categories are not specified in this specification.
The category element can take any text character sequences. Each character
is any character permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The category
element has no default value.
(1) Outline
The transport element is a child element of the head element and does not
need to be described or can be described once. The transport element describes
the means of transportation which are used during the navigation.
(2) Example
<transport> car, foot </transport>
(3) Attribute
The transport element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The transport element describes the means of transportation which are used
during the navigation. The method of the categorization and the detail of the
categories are not specified in this specification.
The transport element can take any text character sequences. Each character
is any character permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The transport
element has no default value.
(1) Outline
The duration element is a child element of the head element and the route
element and does not need to be described or can be described once. The
duration element describes the time duration required to navigate the course
or the route.
(2) Example
<duration> 3 hours </duration>
(3) Attribute
The duration element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The duration element describes the time duration required to navigate the
course or the route. The method of the categorization and the detail of the
categories are not specified in this specification.
The duration element can take any text character sequences. Each character
is any character permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The duration
element has no default value.
The use of the information of the duration element depends on each NVML
system. For example, if a system searches and finds a route considering the
traffic congestion and then estimates the time duration, the system may use
the estimated time duration rather than that of the duration element.
(1) Outline
The distance element is a child element of the head element and the route
element and does not need to be described or can be described once. The
distance element specifies the distance of the course or the route.
(2) Example
<distance> 9.6km </distance>
(3) Attribute
The distance element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The distance element describes the distance of the course or the route. The
method of the categorization and the detail of the categories are not
specified in this specification.
The distance element can take any text character sequences. Each character
is any character permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The distance
element has no default value.
The use of the information of the distance element depends on each NVML
system. For example, if a system searches and finds a route considering the
traffic congestion and then estimates the distance, the system may use the
estimated distance rather than that of the distance element.
(1) Outline
The expense element is a child element of the head element, the point
element, and the route element and does not need to be described or can be
described once. The expense element describes the required expense, such as
admission fee, toll, and bus/train fare.
(2) Example
<expense> 700 yen </expense>
(3) Attribute
The expense element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The expense element describes the required expense, such as admission fee,
toll, and bus/train fare. The method of the categorization and the detail of
the categories are not specified in this specification.
The expense element can take any text character sequences. Each character
is any character permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The expense
element has no default value.
The use of the information of the expense element depends on each NVML
system. For example, if a system searches and finds a route considering the
traffic congestion and then estimates the expense, the system may use the
estimated expense rather than that of the expense element.
(1) Outline
The geodetic-system element is a child element of the head element and does
not need to be described or can be described once. The geodetic-system element
specifies the geodetic system. The values of the latitude element and the
longitude element of each point element are represented in the reference frame
of this geodetic system.
(2) Example
<geodetic-system> itrf </geodetic-system>
(3) Attribute
The geodetic-system element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The geodetic-system element specifies the geodetic-system in which the
latitude and the longitude of each point are represented. The geodetic-system
element can take the values as follows:
("itrf"|"wgs84")
and any text character sequences where each character is any character
permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The value "itrf" means the
International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) [3] and the value "wgs84"
means the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) [4]. The default value is
"itrf".
(1) Outline
The note element is a child element of the head element, point element,
route element, and info element and does not need to be described or can be
described any times. Users can describe any notes in note elements. The note
element is similar to the macro element of the Synchronized Multimedia
Integration Language (SMIL) [5].
(2) Example
<note name="author" content="XYZ Tour"/>
(3) Attribute
The note element has the following attributes.
- - name
- describes the name of the note. The name attribute can take any
text character sequences. Each character is any character
permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The name attribute
has no default value.
- - content
- describes the content of the note. The content attribute can
take any text character sequences. Each character is any character
permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The content
attribute has no default value.
(4) Content
The note element has no content.
(1) Outline
The name element is a child element of the point element and the route
element and does not need to be described or can be described once. The name
element describes the name of the point or the route.
(2) Example
<point>
<name> Tokyo Station </name>
</point>
<route>
<name> Toumei Highway </name>
</route>
(3) Attribute
The name element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The name element describes the name of the point or the route. The name
element can take any text character sequences. Each character is any character
permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The name element has no default
value.
(1) Outline
The latitude element is a child element of the point element and does not
need to be described or can be described once. If the latitude element is
described, then the longitude element must also be described. The latitude
element specifies the latitude of the point.
(2) Example
<latitude> N35.37.28.72 </latitude>
(3) Attribute
The latitude element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The latitude element specifies the latitude of the point. The latitude
element can take the following latitude values in the reference frame of the
geodetic system specified in the geodetic-system element of the head
element.
("N"|"S")
((0?[0-9])|([1-8][0-9])|90)"."
((0?[0-9])|([1-5][0-9]))"."
((0?[0-9])|([1-5][0-9]))
("."[0-9]*)?
The terms "N" and "S" represent north and south latitudes respectively. The
latitude element has no default value.
If the latitude element and the longitude element are specified in the
point element, the NVML system may use these information to determine the
point location. If not specified, the system may use information of the other
child elements. If the information is not enough to determine the point
location, the system may deduce it as possible as the system can do. If the
system can not deduce, it should inform an error.
(1) Outline
The longitude element is a child element of the point element and the
longitude element does not need to be described or can be described once. If
the longitude element is described, then the latitude element must also be
described. The longitude element specifies the longitude of the point.
(2) Example
<longitude> E139.37.52.128 </longitude>
(3) Attribute
The longitude element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The longitude element specifies the longitude of the point. The longitude
element can take the following longitude values in the reference frame of the
geodetic system specified in the geodetic-system element of the head
element.
("E"|"W")
((0?0?[0-9])|(0?[1-9][0-9])|(1[1-7][0-9])|180)"."
((0?[0-9])|([1-5][0-9]))"."
((0?[0-9])|([1-5][0-9]))
("."[0-9]*)?
The terms "E" and "W" represent east and west longitudes respectively. The
longitude element has no default value.
If the longitude element and the latitude element are specified in the
point element, the NVML system may use these information in order to determine
the point location. If not specified, the system may use information of the
other child elements. If the information is not enough to determine the point
location, the system may deduce it as possible as the system can do. If the
system can not deduce, it should inform an error.
(1) Outline
The address element is a child element of the point element and the address
element does not need to be described or can be described once. The address
element specifies the address of the point.
(2) Example
<address> Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo </address>
(3) Attribute
The address element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The address element specifies the address of the point. The address element
can take any text character sequences. Each character is any character
permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The address element has no
default value.
(1) Outline
The zip-code element is a child element of the point element and does not
need to be described or can be described once. The zip-code element specifies
the zip-code of the point.
(2) Example
<zip-code> 123-4567 </zip-code>
(3) Attribute
The zip-code element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The zip-code element specifies the zip-code of the point. The zip-code
element can take the following values:
([0-9]|"-")*
The zip-code element has no default value.
(1) Outline
The phone element is a child element of the point element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The phone element specifies the
phone number related to the point.
(2) Example
<phone> 012-345-6789 </phone>
(3) Attribute
The phone element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The phone element specifies the phone no. related to the point. The phone
element can take the following values:
([0-9]|"+"|"-")*
The phone element has no default value.
(1) Outline
The fax element is a child element of the point element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The fax element specifies the fax
number related to the point.
(2) Example
<fax> 012-345-6789 </fax>
(3) Attribute
The fax element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The fax element specifies the fax no. related to the point. The fax element
can take the following values:
([0-9]|"+"|"-")*
The fax element has no default value.
(1) Outline
The e-mail element is a child element of the point element and does not
need to be described or can be described once. The e-mail element specifies
the e-mail related to the point.
(2) Example
<e-mail> xxx@yyy.zzz </e-mail>
(3) Attribute
The e-mail element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The e-mail element specifies the e-mail address related to the point. The
e-mail element can take the following values:
([0-9]|[a-z]|[A-Z]|"@"|".")*
More exactly speaking, the value is subject to the RFC (Request for Comments)
822 [6]. The e-mail element has no default value.
(1) Outline
The url element is a child element of the point element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The url element specifies the url of
the feature located at the point.
(2) Example
<url> http://xxx.yyy.zzz </url>
(3) Attribute
The url element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The url element specifies the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) related to the
point. The url element can take the following values:
([0-9]|[a-z]|[A-Z]|":"|"/"|".")*
More exactly speaking, the value is subject to the RFC (Request for Comments)
1738 [7]. The url element has no default value.
(1) Outline
The number element is a child element of the route element and does not
need to be described or can be described once. The number element specifies
the number of the route.
(2) Example
<number> 123 </number>
(3) Attribute
The number element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The number element specifies the number of the route. The number element
can take any text character sequences. Each character is any character
permitted to use in the XML specification [2]. The number element has no
default value.
(1) Outline
The means element is a child element of the route element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The means element specifies the
means of the moving.
(2) Example
<means> car </means>
(3) Attribute
The means element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The means element specifies the means of the moving. The means element can
take the following values:
("foot"|
"bicycle"|
"motorcycle"|
"car"|
"bus"|
"train"|
"plane"|
"ship"|
"others")
The means element has no default value. If the system is a car navigation
system, the default value may be "car", and if the system is a cellar phone,
the default value may be "foot".
(1) Outline
The text element is a child element of the info element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The text element describes the
information by texts.
(2) Example
<text>
Tokyo Station
</text>
(3) Attribute
The text element has no attribute.
(4) Content
The text element describes the information by texts. The text element can
take any text character sequences. Each character is any character permitted
to use in the XML specification [2]. The text element has no default
value.
(1) Outline
The voice element is a child element of the info element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The voice element describes the
information by voice.
(2) Example
<voice src="voice/tokyo-station.avi"/>
<voice>
This is Tokyo Station.
</voice>
(3) Attribute
The voice element has the following attribute:
- - src
- specifies the name of the voice file to be output as
information. Acceptable voice file types depend on each NVML
system.
(4) Content
The voice element describes the information by voice. The voice element can
take any text character sequences. Each character is any character permitted
to use in the XML specification [2]. The voice element has no default value.
If both the src attribute and the content are specified, the NVML system
should use the src attribute first.
(1) Outline
The image element is a child element of the info element and does not need
to be described or can be described once. The image element specifies the
information by image.
(2) Example
<image src="image/tokyo-station.jpg"/>
(3) Attribute
The image element has the following attribute:
- - src
- specifies the name of the image file to be output as
information. Acceptable image file types depend on each NVML
system.
(4) Content
The image element has no content.
The "NVML" (NaVigation Markup Language) is a markup language for describing
the navigation information such as locations of points and route information.
The NVML enables us to use a navigation service at any time and anywhere, and
it will also be used in other services such as a guide service for
sightseeing, a travel planning service, and a publishing service for
tourists.
The current NVML can not describe in detail or perfectly various
information of points, routes, or features. These information will be
categorized and described by each special society. The nature of the NVML is
to describe the sequences consisting of time, point, and information, in other
words, navigation and guidance information. By inputting NVML data to systems,
information will be output depending on the time and the point.
As future developments of NVML, we should consider the following
issues:
- - Time Concept
- The time concept, for example, starting time, arriving time, or
staying time, should be included.
- - Relative Time and Point Representations
- Relative time and point representations should be permitted for
convenience. For example, (output some information)
- - 10 minutes before arriving at the next point;
- - 10 minutes after starting from the current point;
- - 10 km before arriving at the next point; or
- - 10 km after starting from the current point.
- - Values and Units
- Values and units of attributes and contents, should be
prescribed more precisely. For example, duration, distance,
expense, and so on. Note that this problem is related to the
multilingual problem.
- - Referring Functionality
- For example, information on points and routes should be refereed
from other or outer resources such as external files or webs. This
referring functionality will be realized by using the entity
functionality of the XML [2] or more generally by using the XML
Linking Language (XLink) [8] and the XML Pointer Language
(XPointer) [9].
- - Resource Description Framework (RDF)
- The current version of NVML is defined by using the Document
Type Definition (DTD). A future another way is to use the Resource
Description Framework (RDF) [11] since the NVML contains many meta
data.
- - Integration with Other Markup Languages
- The info element may be integrated with or substituted by some
specialized markup language, for example, the Synchronized
Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) [5]. Such integration or
substitution will be realized by using the namespaces
functionality [10].
- - Fundamentality and Flexibility
- The NVML should be compact and fundamental to represent times,
points, and information. However, the NVML should also have
flexibility so as to be used in many applications.
| [1] |
N. Borenstein and N. Freed, "MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extensions) Part One: Mechanisms for Specifying and Describing the
Format of Internet Message Bodies," RFC (Request for Comments): 1521,
Sep. 1993. ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc1521.txt |
| [2] |
"Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0," World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C) Recommendation, REC-xml-19980210, Feb. 2, 1998.
http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-xml-19980202 |
| [3] |
"International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF)," International
Earth Rotation Service (IERS), http://hpiers.obspm.fr/ |
| [4] |
"WGS 84 - World Geodetic System 1984," European Organization for the
Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL), http://www.wgs84.com/ |
| [5] |
"Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) 1.0
Specification," World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Recommendation,
REC-smil-19980615, Jun. 15, 1998.
http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-smil-19980615 |
| [6] |
David H. Crocker, "Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text
Messages," RFC (Request for Comments): 822, Aug. 13, 1982.
http://www.morito.mgmt.waseda.ac.jp/~tom/RFC/rfc822.txt |
| [7] |
T. Berners-Lee, L. Masinter, and M. McCahill, "Uniform Resource
Locators (URL)," RFC (Request for Comments): 1738, Dec. 1994.
http://www.morito.mgmt.waseda.ac.jp/~tom/RFC/rfc1738.txt |
| [8] |
"XML Linking Language (XLink)," World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Working Draft, WD-xlink-19980303, Mar. 3, 1998.
http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/WD-xlink-19980303 |
| [9] |
"XML Pointer Language (XPointer)," World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Working Draft, WD-xptr-19980303, Mar. 3, 1998.
http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/WD-xptr-19980303 |
| [10] |
"Namespaces in XML," World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Recommendation,
REC-xml-names-19990114, Jan. 14, 1999.
http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-xml-names-19990114 |
| [11] |
"Resource Description Framework (RDF) Model and Syntax
Specification," World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Recommendation,
REC-rdf-syntax-19990222, Feb. 22, 1999.
http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-rdf-syntax-19990222 |
The XML Document Type Definition (DTD) of the NaVigation Markup Language
(NVML) is shown below:
<!-- nvml.dtd -->
<!-- Document Type Definition (DTD) of NVML (Draft) -->
<!-- June 30, 1999 -->
<!ELEMENT nvml (head?,body?)>
<!ATTLIST nvml version CDATA #IMPLIED>
<!ELEMENT head (title?,category*,transport?,
duration?,distance?,expense?,
geodetic-system?,note*,info?)>
<!ELEMENT body (navi|guide)*>
<!ELEMENT navi ((point|route),info?)>
<!ELEMENT guide (point,info?)>
<!ELEMENT point (name?,category*,(latitude,longitude)?,
address?,zip-code?,
phone?,fax?,e-mail?,url?,
expense?,
note*)>
<!ATTLIST point area CDATA #IMPLIED>
<!ELEMENT route (name?,category*,number?,means?,
duration?,distance?,expense?,
note*)>
<!ELEMENT info (text?,voice?,image?,note*)>
<!ATTLIST info delay CDATA #IMPLIED
duration CDATA #IMPLIED
times CDATA #IMPLIED>
<!ELEMENT title (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT category (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT transport (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT duration (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT distance (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT expense (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT geodetic-system (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT note EMPTY>
<!ATTLIST note name CDATA #IMPLIED
content CDATA #IMPLIED>
<!ELEMENT name (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT latitude (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT longitude (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT address (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT zip-code (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT phone (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT fax (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT e-mail (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT url (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT number (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT means (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT text (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT voice (#PCDATA)>
<!ATTLIST voice src CDATA #IMPLIED>
<!ELEMENT image EMPTY>
<!ATTLIST image src CDATA #IMPLIED>
The quick table of the NaVigation Markup Language (NVML) is shown
below:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Element Attribute Times Examples
(#1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
nvml
| version 0/1 "0.60"
+-head 0/1 -
| +-title 0/1 XXX-Tour
| +-category 0- sightseeing
| +-transport 0/1 car, foot
| +-duration 0/1 4 hours 10 minutes
| +-distance 0/1 32.1 km
| +-expense 0/1 3,000 yen
| +-geodetic-system 0/1 itrf
| | wgs84
| +-note 0- -
| | name 0/1 "last modified"
| | content 0/1 "Jun. 30, 1999"
| +-info 0/1 -
| | delay 0/1 "1h23min45s"
| | duration 0/1 "1h23min45s"
| +-text 0/1 This is XXX-Tour.
| +-voice 0/1 Welcome to XXX-Tour!
| | src 0/1 "welcome.avi"
| +-image 0/1 -
| | src 0/1 "welcome.jpg"
| +-note 0- -
| name 0/1 "copyright"
| content 0/1 "XXX Tour"
+-body 0/1 -
+-navi 0- -
| +-point 0/1 -
| | +-name 0/1 Tokyo Station
| | +-category 0- station
| | +-latitude 0/1 N35.40.39.0
| | +-longitude 0/1 E139.46.18.1
| | +-address 0/1 Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
| | +-zip-code 0/1 012-3456
| | +-phone 0/1 012-345-6789
| | +-fax 0/1 012-345-6789
| | +-e-mail 0/1 xxx@yyy.zzz
| | +-url 0/1 http://xxx.yyy.zzz
| | +-expense 0/1 1,000 yen
| | +-note 0- -
| | name 0/1 "access"
| | content 0/1 "JR, subway, bus, car"
| +-route 0/1 -
| | +-name 0/1 Toumei Highway
| | +-category 0- highway
| | +-number 0/1 123
| | +-means 0/1 foot
| | | bicycle
| | | motorcycle
| | | car
| | | bus
| | | train
| | | plane
| | | ship
| | | others
| | +-duration 0/1 1 hour 40 minutes
| | +-distance 0/1 12.3 km
| | +-expense 0/1 1,000 yen
| | +-note 0- -
| | name 0/1 "max speed"
| | content 0/1 "100 km/h"
| +-info 0/1 -
| | delay 0/1 "1h23min45s"
| | duration 0/1 "1h23min45s"
| +-text 0/1 Tokyo Station
| +-voice 0/1 This is Tokyo Station.
| | src 0/1 "tokyo-station.avi"
| +-image 0/1 -
| | src 0/1 "tokyo-station.jpg"
| +-note 0- -
| name 0/1 "copyright"
| content 0/1 "XYZ Studio"
+-guide 0- -
+-point 1 -
| | area 0/1 "1.0km"
| +-name 0/1 Tokyo Station
| +-category 0- station
| +-latitude 0/1 N35.40.39.0
| +-longitude 0/1 E139.46.18.1
| +-address 0/1 Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
| +-zip-code 0/1 012-3456
| +-phone 0/1 012-345-6789
| +-fax 0/1 012-345-6789
| +-e-mail 0/1 xxx@yyy.zzz
| +-url 0/1 http://xxx.yyy.zzz
| +-expense 0/1 1,000 yen
| +-note 0- -
| name 0/1 "access"
| content 0/1 "JR, subway, bus, car"
+-info 0/1 -
| delay 0/1 "1h23min45s"
| duration 0/1 "1h23min45s"
| times 0/1 "1"
| "any-times"
+-text 0/1 Tokyo Station
+-voice 0/1 This is Tokyo Station.
| src 0/1 "tokyo-station.avi"
+-image 0/1 -
| src 0/1 "tokyo-station.jpg"
+-note 0- -
name 0/1 "copyright"
content 0/1 "XYZ Studio"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(#1) 0- : 0 or more
0/1: 0 or 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------