Nokia’s HERE debuts community mapping project in India

Nokia’s mapping services business HERE is launching its first community mapping pilot project in India where the company partners with handpicked local experts to improve its navigation services.

The project, which is part of an ongoing series of pilot programmes by HERE to enhance its community mapping capabilities, will see HERE integrate its industrial data collection procedures with a crowd mapping initiative.

As part of the initiative, HERE’s regional team of more than 1,000 people will work directly with local experts from more than 12 universities across the country, including Mount Carmel College in Bangalore, Karnataka and the SAL Institute of Technology in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The local experts can add missing streets, bridges, points of interests (POIs) and other information to the map using Map Creator, a HERE tool.

In order to maintain accuracy and ensure map quality, HERE has introduced a community map moderation system that enables both HERE team and the community to verify edits before integrating the data into the base map.

Once integrated, the changes will become available within days to wide range of HERE customers.

HERE EVP Michael Halbherr said that in vibrant, fast-growing countries like India a community mapping approach, paired with input from the right experts, means HERE can keep pace with the ever-evolving landscape so that our maps are never obsolete.

"Equally important, however, is not just the pure number of people contributing to our map-making community, but that we work with the right experts," Halbherr added.

In smaller towns and cities in India, HERE will work with locals to map road networks, and in densely populated areas, contributors will provide information about points of interest and capture changes.

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Image: The latest project in India is part of an ongoing series of pilot programmes by HERE to enhance its community mapping capabilities. Photo: courtesy of Nokia.