Tele Atlas reaches 20 million customers via TomTom

30 June 2008, 3:52pm

2008-06-30 - User feedback will be an important source for quick changes in map data.
TomTom and Tele Atlas bring the ideal of having fully up-to-date maps closer than ever before. TomTom provides all Map Share feedback to Tele Atlas. After extensive verification of these millions of customer suggestions, the results will be made available in map releases to all Tele Atlas partners as early as Q4 2008. Map Share enables TomTom's 20 million customers to contribute to the creation, maintenance and improvement of digital maps instantly on their devices and benefit from the contributions of others. This helps ensure that drivers always have the most accurate and up-to-date maps available in the mapping and navigation industry. Millions of map improvements have been contributed by TomTom's customers since the launch of the Map Share service in July 2007.

"As promised, the transfer of this feedback marks the first tangible deliverable following TomTom's acquisition of Tele Atlas," said Harold Goddijn, CEO of the new combined entity. "It will ensure that everybody can benefit from this community feedback, and the amount we have received is staggering. On average, by the end of 2008, if you drive anywhere for one hour with a Tele Atlas map enhanced by Map Share feedback, your route will be influenced by more than 20 corrections."

"It is not just the quantity, but the quality of the Map Share feedback that is impressive," said Bill Henry, CEO of Tele Atlas. "Validating and integrating large amounts of data is what we've been experts at for 25 years. But these are not just any corrections, these are issues actual customers cared about enough to report. Tele Atlas has always been at the forefront in terms of industry innovations. For example, we invented and deploy the largest fleet of high-tech map-detection vehicles in the world. Now we will be the first company to use real-time input from the world's largest navigation community to deliver what we believe will be the best and freshest maps and dynamic content products to all our partners. I am particularly happy that we'll be able to get the first results in the hands of our partners this year already."

TomTom developed Map Share to solve the most common navigation customer complaint: maps that are out of sync with reality, and get more so every day due to the continuously changing road network. TomTom analyzed the most common map frustrations and enabled drivers to easily and instantly correct map errors directly on their portable navigation device.

With a few taps on the screen a driver can edit Points of Interest (POIs), block or unblock streets, change the direction of traffic, edit street names and add, as well as change, turn restrictions and speed limits. These changes take effect on the device immediately. And more importantly, TomTom users can benefit from all the improvements made by others, every day, free of charge. TomTom Map Share is available in 30 countries in five continents.

Source: LBS Insights online news

http://www.lbsinsight.com/?id=1165

Geo: International