The intelligent cloud behind HERE Auto

Today we have introduced HERE Auto and its companion app for smartphones. Together, they deliver the right map at the right moment, with or without a data connection.

At first sight, HERE Auto may look just like any other in-dash navigation system: it offers voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, places search and collections, different map views, 3D landmarks, speed limit and speed camera warnings and even traffic estimation based on historic data.

But what sets HERE Auto apart is our location cloud, a robust engine that provides always-on access to dynamic services.

• You can save your favourite places, routes and commutes in the HERE Cloud and synchronize them with other HERE products;
• You always get the freshest maps with frequent updates;
• With real-time traffic information you always know the fastest route;
• You can find nearby and available electric charging stations, which connector types they offer and how they are rated by the community;
• You can get fuel price information in the United States, Canada and Europe;
• You can find nearby points of interests including community-generated content (ratings, reviews, pictures);
• You can find nearby and available on-street and off-street parking and, where possible, you can pay for it;
• You can know where validated fixed and crowd-sourced mobile traffic cameras are;
• You have access to weather information at the destination or along a route;
• And you can see street level images of your destination and orientate yourself more easily.

HERE aggregates these services from many sources to deliver a complete package to carmakers and through them to drivers. In particular, we have completely rebuilt our traffic engine to be more powerful and reliable.

Our new traffic engine

It’s not at all easy to understand how traffic works, even in optimal conditions. Micro-disturbances like a driver changing lanes or tapping on the brakes can trigger a sequence of events that slows everyone down.

A really great solution to providing a real-time picture of what is happening everywhere didn’t exist, so we built one. HERE Traffic now relies on a new data processing system that crunches traffic probes even faster and more accurately, integrating the growing volumes of higher-quality traffic probes, with historic data, weather data and more. With our traffic engine, you get more accurate travel time estimates, so you can better plan your routes and quickly re-route on the go. Let’s look at two examples.

1) It’s 3:00 PM and you need to be home from work by 6:30 PM, and with current conditions, it’ll be a 90 minute commute. But HERE knows that congestion will build, and you’ll be late if you leave at 5:00 PM: it will alert you that you have to leave no later than 4:00 PM to arrive on time.

2) A significant congestion is reported along your route, but you’re only going to reach it in 45 minutes. Traditional systems would suggest a re-route to avoid the incident, but HERE suggests you to stay on the original route, because the congestion will improve before you reach it.

As the automobile industry faces new realities, we are creating a new generation of location products and services that put the focus on the driver. We believe in technology that keeps drivers safe, helps them save time, fuel and money, and rediscover the driving experience.