HERE Maps To Collect And Utilize Real Time Data

HERE, the mapping company formerly owned by Nokia, recently announced plans to expand its global mapping efforts, using real-time data collected by vehicles around the world. The company was acquired by Audi, BMW and Daimler AG for around $3.1 billion last August.

While the three major German automakers hold equal shares in HERE, the company will remain an independent entity with a governance structure that will allow seamless continuation of their daily business. This independence will be key in HERE further developing their value, as their current location platform delivers detailed maps that combine with real-time location information gathered from over 80,000 sources and billions of sensor points on a daily basis.

With 80 percent of cars sold in the U.S. and Europe currently outfitted with HERE navigation software, it’s important the company convinces users that their service is a good alternative to consumer map platforms, since more data collected translates to a better service. Other car manufacturers are being encouraged to cooperate with the service by providing further data as well, a move that will see the auto industry take firm control of mapping capabilities over the likes of Google and Apple.

“We want HERE to become the world’s best reality index,” said Rupert Stadler, the chief executive of Audi. “This index knows what happens where, in the very moment. It is a live representation of the world.”

The mapping company will allow customers and developers to leverage the platform for a wide range of products and services that suit individual business models, while minimizing privacy concerns by anonymizing data. “The cars will send data about the current driving situation but not about the driver,” said BMW’s chief technology officer, Klaus Froehlich.

HERE is looking to the future of high-precision, real-time mapping as an integral role in the development of autonomous cars. “What if map data is not only designed for direct consumption by people, but also to be read by machines capable of processing vast quantities of information?” the company stated in a recent blog post. Cooperation across the industry will “accelerate the development of the next generation map needed for automated driving,” as automakers would likely prefer to work with HERE rather than building on consumer software from tech companies that lack access to vehicle data, as well as being able to leverage the vast amount of data already acquired by Nokia.

The blog post continued by explaining that if map data could be deciphered by software then “one can indeed have a map that is close to 1:1 scale, thereby maximizing its usefulness to a machine such as a self-driving vehicle.”

Collecting data won’t be limited to traffic information either, as the various sensor devices allow a host of other conditions to be monitored, such as windshield-wiper use, for example, transmitted to indicate weather conditions. Data provided from smartphones and other wearable devices will also supplement real-time accuracy of the service.

With 6,500 employees worldwide and confident new owners, HERE is set to create major changes in navigation software. Could this latest development in mapping technology accelerate the move to a more trustworthy self-driving car?