Santa Claus Partners with NAVTEQ ?

17 December 2009, 1:15pm

Lapland – December 17, 2009 – NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, announced today that it is working closely with the North Pole’s Department of Transport (NPDOT) to ensure that Santa Claus has the latest NAVTEQ® map data powering his sleigh this holiday season. In an effort to increase the efficiency, accuracy and general merriment of Santa’s long jaunt around the world on Christmas Eve, the NPDOT has identified NAVTEQ map data as the fundamental asset to his route planning.

NAVTEQ digital map data enables chimney-to-chimney routing around the world and contains millions of Points of Interest (POIs) – useful if you need a sleigh repair shop or food for the reindeer. New coverage of Iceland should increase Santa’s confidence in this region and it is estimated that the Iceland leg alone will be reduced by 30 minutes thanks to the new coverage. Other new content launched in Brazil should undoubtedly help Santa work his way through South America more quickly. Based on NAVTEQ’s own research into navigation and fuel savings, it has also been calculated that Rudolph and the other reindeer will require 5000 fewer tons of feed to fuel their flight around the world.

“We upgraded Santa’s sleigh last year, opting for a model with navigation and were amazed at the time and energy savings seen in last year’s expedition,” commented Buddy D. Elf, Secretary of NPDOT. “Everyone at the NPDOT, including the Claus’, now fully understands the value of navigation and the importance of a highly accurate and reliable map. We are excited to expand our relationship with NAVTEQ and expect to see even more marked efficiencies in this year’s Christmas Eve trek. We thank NAVTEQ for helping us realise the Christmas wishes of children around the world.”

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Geo: International