Tele Atlas, a global geographic content provider, announced at Telematics Update Detroit 2006 that it is expanding its Latin American map coverage with the acquisition of detailed source data covering Mexico’s highway and street network. The company also announced it will grow its operations in Mexico with the opening of an office focused on sourcing and data validation.
“Mexico’s ports are experiencing a boom in container traffic, and there is growing need for maps that seamlessly facilitate commercial traffic from the factory to the warehouse to the store between Canada, the United States and Mexico,” says Mike Gerling, Tele Atlas chief operating officer of the Americas. “Our acquisition of detailed highway and street source data answers customer requirements for highly accurate digital map data to support not only commercial activity, but consumer activity as well.”
Tele Atlas supplies digital map data across a range of markets, including government, personal navigation, Internet and wireless markets. Gerling says the acquisition also will benefit many noncommercial and consumer-focused partners, including government entities looking to better track border activities.
President Tony Stroncheck of Promiles, a software development company for the trucking industry and Tele Atlas partner, says that the availability of Mexico data is vital to his customers’ business. “They are actively moving operations to Mexico, and want the same types of tools, devices and technologies available to them in other markets,” Stroncheck says. “To date, we haven’t had a quality map on which to base our applications. We’re excited that Tele Atlas’ source data will help us deliver accurate map-based applications that not only guide our customers’ operations, but protect them as well.”
Tele Atlas has provided digital map coverage in Latin America for nearly 10 years. The Mexico maps will enrich a database that already includes more than seven million miles of roads in Canada, the United States, Brazil and Argentina. To date, Tele Atlas maps cover more than 50 countries across Europe, Asia/Pacific and the Americas regions. For more information, go to www.teleatlas.com.
