January 16, 2007

NAVTEQ MapReporter - Map Change Requests

NAVTEQ has officially announced their re-designed MapReporter program that we talked about back on January 2nd, thanks to the tip from a GPSLodge reader who turned us onto the news. The program seeks to make you the citizen map makers and have you report on mapping errors and changes to help them update their data sets. The program follows the start of a similar program, called Map Insight, last year from rival map maker TeleAtlas. When I talked with TeleAtlas in December, they said that they have millions of changes each month to their data sets, but only a small fraction are coming from their MapInsight program. I still have faith in these systems because the most nagging issues might just be that hard to find problem with a major intersection that was just re-designed and the mapping companies aren't aware of it. I think it's a great move for both of them.

Press Release Follows...

NAVTEQ has updated its popular online feedback tool and renamed it NAVTEQ Map Reporter. Now in its 11th year and having already handled tens of thousands of update requests, the updated system is now map-based, giving users who discover potential discrepancies an easier way to provide feedback by pinpointing the exact location of the concern for possible updating of the database. NAVTEQ maps are consulted an estimated 90 million times a day through vehicle navigation systems, portable navigation systems, internet mapping sites and geographic information systems applications.

Map accuracy is the single most important indicator of a user’s satisfaction with their navigation system. Many of the users of the NAVTEQ map have expressed a desire to provide feedback directly to the company and NAVTEQ has responded with an intuitive web interface. To address its global audience, NAVTEQ continues to offer the program in 9 languages (i.e. Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Swedish) and has included freeform address entry that resolves and streamlines address entry, the ability to attach images to clarify the nature of a concern and preference storing and tracking to ensure returning users are able to quickly submit and subsequently monitor their reports. Each submitted report is followed up individually and “map reporters” are able to monitor the resolution of their report and if a change is being made to the database.

“NAVTEQ Map Reporter brings our established database updating system in line with the higher expectations our user community have expressed – for accurate and timely digital maps – and is an important part of how we identify areas of change for prioritized database maintenance activities. Aggregated map reports give us important insights into how our users are experiencing the changing real world”, said Cliff Fox, Senior Vice President, NAVTEQ Map Division.

The new system is available at www.navteq.com or http://mapreporter.navteq.com.