Tele Atlas, a leading global provider of digital maps and dynamic content for navigation and location-based solutions, announced Tele Atlas MultiNet™ China, the most complete digital map of the country available with street level coverage for more than 3,000 provincial and county cities. The company also announced it has opened a Display Technology Center in Shanghai, focused on producing visual enhancements such as 3D landmarks, 3D city maps and crossing magnifications for the Asia Pacific region designed to help make navigation systems clear and compelling to end users.
Industry analysts report that the Chinese market for map-based devices and applications is one of the fastest growing in the world. “According to our recent studies, the in-vehicle navigation market in China is projected to grow from 80,000 units in 2005 to nearly 1.5 million systems by 2012,” said Phil Magney, president and co-founder, Telematics Research Group. “Dedicated personal navigation devices (PNDs) are likely to see even stronger growth—from 220,000 units in 2006 to over 2.8 million units in 2012.”
China is also the world’s largest market for mobile phones. With falling Average Selling Prices (ASPs) for GPS handsets, domestic shipments will rise to 16.5 million units in 2011, more than 10 times the 1.4 million in 2007, iSuppli Corp. predicts.
“China represents a key market for our global personal navigation and wireless partners seeking to expand in Asia and for our regional partners wanting to further differentiate their offerings,” said Mark Steele, Chief Operating Officer of Tele Atlas Asia Pacific. “By delivering the most complete maps available for this burgeoning market, we continue to fulfill our commitment to help our partners grow their businesses with reliable and innovative navigation solutions.”
MultiNet is a turn-by-turn database product for creating map-based solutions designed to help end users quickly locate the people and services they need; reach their destinations via safe, reliable and customizable routes; and use the clearest, most visually compelling maps available. MultiNet-based applications have already been deployed in millions of automotive systems, personal navigation devices, personal computers, PDAs and mobile phones around the world.
Through its partnership with Beijing Changdi Mapping Technologies Co., an affiliate of China-based Ritu Information Systems Inc., Tele Atlas’ global digital map database now includes complete and seamless coverage for more than 3,000 Chinese cities and territories, including Hong Kong and Macao, as well as one million kilometers of navigable data and 2.6 million points of interest (POIs). The maps also feature information that helps provide clear driving instruction for highways and complex intersections, such as lane, signpost, direction, exit and entrance information.
“Having the most complete, highly accurate and fully authorized map of China is important to global companies wanting to expand their personal navigation and local search business in the world’s fastest growing market,” said Peter Wang, CEO of Ritu Information Systems, Inc. “We are pleased to partner with Tele Atlas to help the company deliver the best digital map of China.”
Tele Atlas also announced it has opened a Display Technology Center in Shanghai, focused on delivering advanced display features such as 3D city maps, 2D city maps, 3D landmarks, crossing magnifications and icons. The Center is currently producing display features for navigation and local search products in the Asia Pacific region. Tele Atlas expects it to become the company’s global center for display production in the future.
