Technology for sharing gps navigation information

A computer program product stored on a computer readable medium for providing navigation information to drivers, the computer program product having instructions for execution by a computer, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to implement a method comprising:

• sending routes of the respective drivers from GPS devices of vehicles of the respective drivers to a host application for saving of the received routes on a computer readable memory remote from the vehicles accessible by the host application;
• sending coordinates of the driver positions from the GPS devices of the vehicles of the respective drivers to the host application, the respective coordinates being automatically generated and sent a plurality of times by the respective GPS devices;
• sending selections of ones of the saved routes by ones of the drivers and coordinates of driver positions indicating starting and completion of the selected ones of the saved routes to the host application for storing driver trip times corresponding to ones of the saved routes on computer readable memory accessible by the host application;
• sending a request to the host application from a first one of the drivers for one of the saved routes;
• and
• receiving, by the GPS device of the first one of the drivers from the host application, at least one other one of the saved routes and corresponding trip time responsive to the host application identifying others of the saved routes that have start and destination locations within predetermined distances of start and destination locations of the requested one of the saved routes.

An apparatus for providing navigation information to drivers comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a storage device connected to the processor, wherein the storage device has stored thereon a navigation information program for controlling the processor, and wherein the processor is operative with the program to execute the program for performing:
• sending routes of the respective drivers from GPS devices of vehicles of the respective drivers to a host application for saving of the received routes on a computer readable memory remote from the vehicles accessible by the host application;
• sending coordinates of the driver positions from the GPS devices of the vehicles of the respective drivers to the host application, the respective coordinates being automatically generated and sent a plurality of times by the respective GPS devices;
• sending selections of ones of the saved routes by ones of the drivers and coordinates of driver positions indicating starting and completion of the selected ones of the saved routes to the host application for storing driver trip times corresponding to ones of the saved routes on computer readable memory accessible by the host application;
• sending a request to the host application from a first one of the drivers for one of the saved routes;
• and
• receiving, by the GPS device of the first one of the drivers from the host application, at least one other one of the saved routes and corresponding trip time responsive to the host application identifying others of the saved routes that have start and destination locations within predetermined distances of start and destination locations of the requested one of the saved routes.