Nokia’s HERE Maps to Come Back With Audi, BMW’s Self-Driving Cars

HERE was recently purchased by BMW, Mercedes and Audi from Nokia for $3 billion.

German automakers Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz (Daimler AG) recently bought Nokia’s mapping business called HERE for almost USD $3 Billion and HERE has announced that it will be working towards creating maps that not only help humans, but also self-driving vehicles

Now we have the backing of three automotive companies which share our view that this map will be life-changing for people: It will power location services that improve mobility for people and enterprises, make driving safer and more enjoyable, and reduce emissions.

Sean Fernback, President, HERE

HERE will be an open platform which will be accessible to general users and people connected to the automotive industry. It will also help to create their own business models based off HERE’s maps.

Currently, HERE powers its maps with data from more than 80,000 sources, including data captured by its cars that are 3D mapping the surroundings while they are driven.

According to a blog post by HERE, mapping has been more effective as the huge number of points scanning their surroundings are generated by connected devices as well as the on-board sensors of internet-connected vehicles.

The company added that it plans to deliver real-time maps by incorporating data from Audi, BMW and Daimler AG vehicles.