HERE processes 20 billion real-time GPS probe points a month
Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia’s HERE division said Tuesday it will integrate its real-time location-based traffic information with Esri’s ArcGIS geospatial and mapping software platform, used by about 350,000 organizations worldwide.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move comes about a month after Google Maps acquired Israeli startup firm Waze, and its popular social traffic app, for reportedly more than $1 billion. Waze’s traffic app features real-time traffic data provided by its community of nearly 50 million users to help drivers find the best route to a destination.
Nokia launched HERE last November as a rebranding of Nokia Maps, which was built on Nokia’s $8 billion purchase in 2007 of Chicago-based NAVTEQ, the largest maker map data used in car navigation. Redlands, Calif.-based Esri has been using Nokia’s mapping data for the past decade.
HERE maps are used on more than a billion mobile devices and power the in-dash navigation systems in 80 percent of cars with in-car navigation systems in North America and Europe.
HERE gathers data from the world’s largest compilation of both commercial and consumer probe data – over 80,000 info sources in 196 countries to make 2.7 million map updates per day.
HERE processes 20 billion real-time GPS probe points a month, with almost half of all the data less than one minute old and more than three-quarters less than five minutes old, providing a more accurate picture of traffic conditions.
“Traffic data is the single most important telematics application,” said HERE’s Roger Lanctot. “Whether for fleets or consumers, traffic data is essential to determining the fastest or most efficient route and HERE’s expanding relationships on the enterprise side are significant. Traffic information is core to maximizing uptime and essential for alternative fuel vehicles such as EVs.”
As part of HERE’s integration with ArcGIS, Esri will enhance its web and cloud location platform with more precise location data for intelligent routing allowing ArcGIS users to quickly embed traffic-aware routing into any application.
Fleet operators will be able to better manage problems as they occur in real time, re-routing fleets when traffic unexpectedly hits, and providing alerts when pickup or delivery delays occur.
With congestion in the top 100 highway bottlenecks getting worse, real time traffic information helps fleets avoid traffic hotspots so that they get can get to their destinations faster and more safely, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“For 10 years, Esri and HERE have had the shared goal of enhancing safety and increasing the efficiency of fleet operations by offering the most accurate transportation information on more roads than any other provider across the world,” said Chris Cappelli, Esri’s director of sales. “Launching real-time traffic from HERE on Esri’s platform for our ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS for Transportation Analytics software products will offer a deeper level of logistic and analytic capabilities for enterprise and government fleet companies.”
