NAVTEQ Launches 3D Visual Content For Its Maps In India

NAVTEQ, a maps and location content company, has unveiled new visual content for its NAVTEQ maps for India. The content includes motorway junction objects, sign-as-real and 3D landmarks for the top eight cities in India.

According to the company, users want at-a-glance visual cues as part of the ideal navigation system and hence the visual content will work in synchronization with NAVTEQ maps (the latest version of the map is available for more than 2000 cities across India with 1.15 million km of road networks) to provide better geographic integration and visual navigation experience to users in India.

Let's have a look at the new offerings.

3D Landmarks: These include monuments, buildings or places of interest like Hotel Taj (Mumbai), Clock Tower (Hyderabad) and Fortis (Noida) that are easily recognizable due to size, history or local appeal.

Motorway Junction Objects: 3D animation of complex junctions to enhance lane level guidance. By enabling situation specific 3D context that closely matches what is outside the windshield, the maps aid drivers. Examples include Hebbal Flyover (Bangalore), AIIMS flyover (Delhi), and Western Express Highway (Mumbai).

Sign-as-Real: This enables highly realistic representation of key motorway signs. Also, complex manoeuvres can be simplified by emphasizing destination sign text and fading out irrelevant signs. As of now, more than 300 key motorway signs are available in major cities like Mumbai and Delhi.

Founded in 1985, NAVTEQ is headquartered in Chicago and has approximately 5,600 employees located in 216 offices in 53 countries. The company provides location content in the form of maps, traffic and places data.

Tarun Harnathka, director, product management, Indian Subcontinent, NAVTEQ said, "3D visual content enables our customers to more closely match the navigation experience to reality. This will help raise overall acceptance of navigation systems throughout India."

The new visual content could prove useful since in India, typical guidance cues such as road names are not always prevalent. NAVTEQ's competition in India includes companies like MapmyIndia.

The company is also developing a search engine that will offer information as well as navigation details to reach any destination. For example, if the user searches for a restaurant, the search will offer details such as phone numbers, addresses and driving directions to help the user reach the destination.