Newsletter
Earlier this year, HERE Maps significantly expanded the amount of transit data offered to its users and it seems that the German map making company is making another important step towards offering the most in-depth service possible. Namely, HERE’s owners Volkswagen, BMW, and Daimler AG have recently agreed to a new form of partnership as they have started sharing various traffic conditions data between each other, TechCrunch reports. That’s not only significant for HERE as a service but for the auto industry in general given how the owners of the company are actively competing against each other both domestically and internationally.
More specifically, HERE is soon expected to introduce no less than four new services based on crowdsourced data. These services will allow drivers to share recordings of various traffic conditions and other data regarding accidents, traffic jams, slippery roads, fog, police checkpoints, you name it, HERE will allow you to record it. In addition to that, the services will also record and send data from all of the vehicle sensors so users will be able to know when they’re heading into a region with high windshield wiper activation so that they can anticipate driving in adverse weather conditions even when no other data is available. Of course, the fact that having access to such data while driving is incredibly useful doesn’t need particular explanations so this will be yet another good reason to start using HERE’s solutions. In that regard, the fact that competing manufacturers decided to team up in this endeavor isn’t that surprising given their unique position, i.e. the fact that they all have stakes in a successful map making company.
That isn’t to say HERE’s new network will be exclusive to Daimler, Volkswagen, and BMW as the car makers allegedly have plans to expand it after it launches in the first half of next year. Earlier this year, HERE Maps was rebranded to HERE WeGO as the Berlin-based company stated that the former name was too generic. In addition to that, HERE asserted that most people use their service to find a route to a specific location, adding that the new name better reflects users’ relationship with the software.