HERE announced that the 6,500 strong team has officially bid farewell to Nokia to bring all its global mapping and location technology under a new umbrella backed by Audi, BMW and Daimler AG. It's not the end of the mapping giant relied on by millions, but rather the opening of the flood gates to new advances in the field, as well as in-car services.
With self-driving vehicles already in development by multiple companies, HERE will certainly look to leverage its mapping platform and available data to insert itself as a viable provider for said concepts. They haven't forgotten their roots, however. HERE has committed to provide an open platform accessible to all customers, whether you're inside your automobile or on your smartphone.
HERE already utilizes its high-tech vehicles to essentially map the world. We managed to take a look at said vehicles some time ago, but the company will also be looking to incorporate anonymized data from its new backers, enhancing the platform with multiple sources for information. Automated driving is a serious goal for HERE.
So what will change for you and the HERE Maps mobile apps? Not a lot, if anything at all. The company has committed to provide its mapping platform to all customers, regardless as to what you're attempting to navigate on.
Source: HERE
