At IFA 2007 in Berlin (August 31 – September 5, 2007), Tele Atlas, a leading global provider of digital maps and dynamic content for navigation and location-based solutions, and Mio Technology, a leading vendor in Europe of portable navigation devices, announced the C620 with MioMap 2008 featuring the recently released Tele Atlas Digital Elevation Model 2007 and 3D landmark map data.
The C620 and its TMC version, the C620t, are the first products available with MioMap 2008, where the road network can be draped over the contours of the landscape. They use the Tele Atlas Digital Elevation Model map data to display images of the landscape with height profiles in 2D or 3D. Coupled with this highly-detailed image display offering, the C620 and C620t feature 3D images of many famous landmarks throughout Europe. In combination, these features enable users to recognize their location faster and relate the display more easily to the world around them.
To create the Digital Elevation Model, Tele Atlas tapped and merged information from several high quality sources including SRTM, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission of NASA, and the GTOPO project led by the US Geological Survey.
Jack Reinelt, COO & Managing Director at Tele Atlas EMEA comments: “By employing the Tele Atlas Digital Elevation Model and 3D landmark data in the MioMap 2008 software, Mio Technology is taking another step towards reality in the map displays of electronic devices. The 2007 release became available in August this year. It covers 48 countries in West and East Europe, including the whole of Scandinavia, and image quality has been taken to unprecedented levels. Displays can show realistic landscape with contours at scales up to 1:50,000.”
Paul Notteboom, President at Mio Technology Europe, comments: “Continuous customer feedback has indicated that people would like to see more detailed geographical information while driving. The digital elevation maps together with 3D landmarks offer users faster recognition of map locations and a 3D visual display of maps. By integrating this map content into the slim and compact Mio-products, we are able to create a unique offer to people getting more and more familiar with navigation.”
Jack Reinelt of Tele Atlas concluded: “Following the launch by Mio Technology, the Tele Atlas Digital Elevation Model will soon be enhancing the displays of further navigation devices, both personal and in-dash systems. We can also predict that our partners will be finding additional ways to use this new dimension in geographic data.”
Tele Atlas will be extending coverage of the Digital Elevation Model around the globe and refining the resolution to the point where eventually it can be integrated with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), further enhancing safety and economy.”
