Building a global mapping platform

You’re probably familiar with the pace at which we are continuously updating our location-based apps like Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive, Nokia Transport and the acclaimed Nokia City Lens. However, one of your most frequently asked questions is how these apps get their data, in other words what’s the engine that make them work. The answer is very easy. All our location-based apps share the same technology core: the Nokia Location Platform.

It does not only power our location-based apps, but also Yahoo!, Flickr, Bing (therefore Facebook) and the whole Windows Phone 8 ecosystem. In more recent news, Amazon is licensing the Nokia Location Platform for maps and geocoding. Additionally, our maps power 4 out of 5 cars with in-dash navigation (e.g. BMW and Ford). All these companies decided to choose the Nokia because our competence in the location business is a key and differentiating asset, open to other leading players in the industry to offer great location consumer experiences.

Such a competence cannot be established overnight, it has to be meticulously built over the years to provide the best quality and richness of data. Nokia is strongly investing in this business, creating content, building a platform and offering consumer apps. This is the reason why Nokia is the only pure location player.

Going beyond a digital version of the paper map

Nokia realized soon enough the importance of location-based services on mobile and with the acquisition of NAVTEQ in 2006, Nokia also acquired over 20 years of mapping experience. That experience is living now in our location platform.

The Nokia Location Platform is the most advanced mobile location platform with a unique global footprint. It provides maps for almost 200 countries (with more than 100 of them navigable) and provides the best, automotive-grade map quality based on industry-leading technology. We have summarized all the platform attributes in the following infographic.

Because location is playing a central role in Nokia’s strategy, and because of its global footprint, quality and completeness of performance the Nokia Location Platform offers great opportunities for third parties to build upon. We provide the location platform solution they want, regardless of their business and/or screen strategy. We’ve invested in the platform, so they don’t have to, guaranteeing them fast, easy access to continuous innovation.

What this means for Nokia smartphones

Although the Nokia Location Platform is being offered to third parties for their devices and screens, it is important to understand the privileged position of Nokia smartphones in this context.

Nokia has a unique opportunity to build mobile devices and mobile apps made for each other. Not only our apps are optimized for our smartphones, but our experience in the location business gives us the chance to build mobile devices specifically designed to optimize consumer location experience.

Seven years ago we introduced the world’s first smartphone with GPS and navigation. Today, with the Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820, we are introducing the first autonomously assisted GPS and GLONASS receivers that optimize the offline experience of potentially any location-based apps on our Windows Phone 8 smartphones.