NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of maps, traffic and location data enabling navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising around the world, announced last night that UYMobile is the Grand Prize winner of the South America edition of the 2010 NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge competition. UYMobile will receive over $735,000 (US) in cash, data and tool licenses, and services, representing a sizeable share of the total global prize pool for the Global LBS Challenge, which is valued at a total over $10 million.
UYMobile won the competition with their location-aware mobile application, TouristicPoint, an application for locating tourist spots that offers non-intrusive advertisements based on the user’s location. Users can find nearby services, see detailed information and photos, and receive routing information.
Two Runners-Up were also selected by the judging panel:
First Runner-Up: NeuroX Solutions, I Love Recycle allows people within communities, cities or countries to more effectively recycle materials by locating recycling stations, classified according to type, on a map.
Second Runner-Up: EBECOM, Healthroute is an interactive mobile application that highlights areas at risk of the mosquito that transmit dengue.
The applications were evaluated by a prominent panel of seven judges consisting of executives from leading wireless, technology and venture capital companies, including, deCarta, HTC, Microsoft Bing Maps, Research In Motion (RIM), MundoGeo, Samsung and Vivo.
"The South America region is poised to make great strides in mobile technology adoption and in particular mobile location-enabled solutions," said Dave Dale, vice president, Americas sales, NAVTEQ. "We are delighted to hold our first NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge competition dedicated to the South America region, and are committed to helping developers capitalize on these opportunities by providing high quality products and superior technical support."
In addition to the overall winners, a special recognition award for Best Use of User-Generated Content was presented to EBECOM for their application Healthroute.
With increasing consumer interest in navigation and LBS, more affordable devices being found in the marketplace, and expanded map overage of the region, LBS adoption is well-positioned for the South America region. NAVTEQ provides maps in the following South American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, French Guiana(1), Peru and Venezuela and is committed to expanding its coverage and content offering throughout the regions.
Visit LBS Challenge web site for information on the other four regions in this year’s competition: Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA), North America, India and Asia-Pacific (APAC).
Follow us on Twitter.