Mobile location is just the beginning for TeleAtlas

In the last few years, mobile location has gone from being maybe the next big thing to being the next big thing. Location Based Services (LBS) have influenced everything from social networking to on-line search. But perhaps the market that has felt the presence of location most sharply is navigation. We interviewed Simon Glassman, the Director of Vertical Marketing (EMEA) for digital mapping and navigation powerhouse TeleAtlas. Simon will be speaking at the Navigation and Location Summit on June 15-16 in Berlin. Click here for more information: http://www.thewherebusiness.com/navigationeurope/agenda.shtml

A little background:

TeleAtlas is one of the two big digital mapping companies in the world – the other being Navteq. Part of the shifting fortunes of navigation was seen when mobile manufacturer Nokia bought Navteq in 2008. That same year saw the acquisition of TeleAtlas by navigation device makers TomTom. So we have an interesting situation. The two biggest mapping agencies in the world are owned by different sides of the divide: Navteq on mobile, TeleAtlas on navigation. But both have a keen interest in LBS. GoMo News asked Simon how TeleAtlas views location:

Simon: TeleAtlas has been in the map and location business for more than 25 years… pretty much longer than any of the competition. So we’ve got a very good view on how the market has evolved and IS evolving. Not only that, we work across the entire market, both in terms of the value chain and geographically. We’ve seen the LBS market evolve to the point where it is now generating major successes.

There have been a lot of different catalysts that have brought LBS to the fore. First was that the technology barrier has been overcome. Devices that previously couldn’t support LBS now can. You’ve got smartphones that now have the processing and display capability necessary. You’ve also got a strong developer community, which wasn’t there for LBS before. And in terms of mobile networks, you’ve got the explosion of 3G, and the approach of 4G, which provides the kind of bandwidth that these applications use.

The second big catalyst is the change in market dynamics. Whether we’re talking about Google making maps an integral part of Android, or Apple hugely promoting maps, or the increased numbers and complexity of Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs), we’re seeing a hugely raised awareness amongst consumers of location. What has changed? One of the biggest things is that consumers are getting a really good deal here. Companies like Nokia are offering Ovi Maps for free to the consumer. Now, it’s important to remember that this is just “free to consumer”. Nokia makes that money back on increased devices sales. Google’s doing it to gain more eyeballs. But ultimately, consumers are reaping the benefits. What we’re seeing is an evolution of not just turn-by-turn apps, but also apps that are based around communities.

Speaking of communities, what does TeleAtlas think of the growing interest in “hyper-local” services?

That’s a really pertinent area. If you combine geo-tagged content with mapping – whether it’s restaurant suggestions or shop locations or whatever – you have a potent offering. And there are companies like Layar who are coming out with very nice apps. These are Augmented Reality services which help you scan your immediate locality. It’s very interesting from where we stand, because we create the enablers. We don’t create apps ourself. The map becomes more of a backdrop in AR solutions, but there’s more emphasis on good content around points of interest and 3d landmarks. You need even more accurate map databasing.

Where does TeleAtlas stand on the “smartphone vs PND” debate?

We see them as complimentary: the PND as a category will never disappear. At the end of the day, PNDs are optimised for a single function. They’re designed to fit in cars, and get you where you need to go quickly and clearly. And they do their job very well. At the end of the day, the smartphone is a swiss army knife. It has so many things to do that it can’t focus on a single task as well. I certainly see them being complimentary device categories, especially when you factor in applications. So you can get a TomTom device for your car… and then you can have the TomTom app on your phone when you’re on foot.

Does TeleAtlas interact directly with developers who want to use mapping information for mobile apps?

We do have a developer program, and we have reciprocal links with the major developer communities. We provide a lot information on best practice, and how to use maps and geo-coding content in applications. We pass that to the respective developer communities. We support them and provide them with ammunition for apps. What we’re evolving at the moment to us the notion of helping developers to serve up maps in a service – creating a layer of abstraction in serving up maps through APIs in a managed fashion.

What’s in the near future for TeleAtlas?

We’re part of a much larger group now. We joined with TomTom because of shared philosophy and beliefs about location and mapping – and that association is really starting to bear fruit. We’re looking at the kind of data that we’re capable of gathering, and we can mine that and use it. We’re focused on putting more layers of information over the maps, like origin/destination analysis and real-time traffic reports. We’re talking about advanced content and 3D mapping! We’re very excited about the way the market is changing as a consequence of big players making investments – and the kind of changes that users will be seeing.

I also asked Simon about crowd-sourcing – but much of the answer was covered by a presentation that GoMo News covered at the Location Business Summit last month in Amsterdam by Rik Temmink, VP of global product management. What it boils down to is this: TeleAtlas embraces crowd-sourcing, but the data obtained is tempered with advanced checking systems. They call this “the appliance of science” – and it has lead to almost 2 trillion data points being used to enhance existing mapping and create entirely new geometries.

To get a better insight into the developing world of how mobile is changing the location and navigation industries, check out the Navigation and Location Summit on June 15-16 in Berlin: http://www.thewherebusiness.com/navigationeurope/agenda.shtml