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6/6/2016

Here Maps for Navigation and soon Autonomous Cars

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Written by Michael McDermott
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Formally known as Nokia, HERE maps is a web mapping platform similar to Google Maps or Apple Maps. HERE maps was recently purchased by the huge Auto Companies, AUDI AG, BMW, and Daimler AG for 3 billion dollars. These large auto industry leaders believe HERE maps will be the Vital Technology for self-driving cars all based off of the HERE Location Cloud.

HERE Maps goal is to become “an open location platform accessible to all customers-within and outside the automotive industry- who seek to leverage the power of location in their businesses.”

​I believe HERE maps will take the place of Google and Apple maps very soon. HERE is strictly focused on the mapping aspect unlike Google and Apple who focus on a wide verity of other services.
 
Here are some awesome features HERE maps has that other navigation mapping platforms do not.
 
Maps in 196 countries
Public Transit maps
Over 90,000 building maps
Works online and offline
Amazing real time traffic info
 
HERE maps has some of the best traffic Information out of all other navigation platforms. There is a dedicated team working 24/7 to gather and update traffic information. HERE Maps traffic team can even use verified Twitter feeds and police reports to make sure traffic information is useful. The Map devices also have the ability to Connect or talk with other devices or cars using HERE maps technology. Here’s how the company website puts it…
 
“Say there was a dangerous pothole on a busy section of road; data could be crowdsourced from cars via the cloud in the area to update the HD maps of cars approaching this road.”
 
The cars will also talk to each other if there is traffic or an accident. Over all this new technology of Maps talking to each other and updating 24/7 will make your commute much safer and faster. With more and more cars using HERE maps the Software will get better and this technology of cars connecting with each other will be a huge factor contributing to the autonomous cars safety.
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​Another Feature HERE maps has, is the ability to work off line. I know I could have used that when traveling in another country when there’s no cell service. HERE Maps gives you the option to save the interactive maps directly on a device and then use them for navigation offline. 
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Unlike Google maps, HERE maps give you options about how you want to make your route. You can say you want the fastest way possible, or you can say that you want the most scenic comfortable speed route.

HERE Maps still isn’t perfect, the company doesn’t have the huge databases as Google, but with the new Auto industry investors, and with time this company will soon become the number one used interactive map for navigation and businesses because of their dedication to collection real-time Map data through the HERE Location Cloud.

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3 Comments
Kat
6/6/2016 04:48:17 pm

Considering google and tesla are both competing in the emerging industry for autonomous vehicles and have more "cloud processing power" do you think HERE maps has the ability to out-compete the data processing giant google? It is amazing how quickly technology is being generated and I look forward to seeing how HERE maps will play out-whether in fact it will replace google or eventually get bought out or somehow outmaneuvered. It seems like quite the challenge for a company backed by auto manufactures to go up against a data specialized goliath. I am sure the EU is supporting them in this endeavor :) Interesting post!

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Kayla Tomlin
5/14/2017 11:19:25 am

This is a great idea getting away from Google and using a more dedicated system that uses the cars instead of cell phone locations to track things like traffic. Plus the ability to easily download and use offline is crucial to navigation not only in other countries but in our own where cell phone service is limited. Google has its own goals and they are not focused on improving the driving experience and safety. This should be something the auto industry takes as their own, regardless of the competition factor with Google. If it is more customized to the driving experience then it will be a better product, so time will tell. The quality of the product seems dependent on the number of cards involved in contributing and that the more cards talking to each other the better.

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eddie
5/28/2017 02:40:12 pm

I sincerely hope this experiment in autonomous vehicles fails - there is already one fatality, someone was watching "Shrek" while autopiloting his Tesla down the freeway at night when his car randomly swerved into a semi truck, killing him. Some hackers figured out how to control someone else's Jeep from their laptops thousands of miles away, and so forth..

I think there will be more of these incidents, and overwhelming lawsuits, and the technology will be indefinitely stalled, thankfully.

I find the technology interesting because it's amazing how futuristic and wired it all is, but honestly I think people should be in control of their vehicles at all times. It seems irresponsible not to.

What's probably going to happen is, people will kick back and get drunk or stoned or watch TV or sleep or whatever and just clog the roadways more, plus use cars way more than they need to because it's less work. I just don't see anything good coming out of it, aside from convenience for people who can afford the technology.

Additionally it's a bad idea, IMHO to put so much energy into making private vehicles autonomous when our public transport is struggling and the streets of major US cities are getting increasingly gridlocked.

Okay, off my soapbox...

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    Blog posts are written by students in the Interactive Map Design course at Portland Community College.

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