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BBC writes that German carmakers Audi, BMW and Daimler are buying Nokia's "Here" maps business for €2.8bn (£2bn):
"High-precision digital maps are a crucial component of the mobility of the future," said Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of Daimler. The carmakers plan to use Here's technology to combine precise digital maps with real-time vehicle data more closely. "For the automotive industry, this is the basis for new assistance systems and ultimately fully autonomous driving," the automakers said in a statement.
The rival automakers each plan to hold an equal stake in Here. The company said vehicle manufacturers are sharing data to make real-time map updates a reality.
Perhaps it's also worth mentioning that Nokia bought Navteq in 2007 for €5.7bn.
takyon: Nokia Intends to Buy Alcatel-Lucent
BMW, Audi, and Mercedes Want to Buy Nokia's Here Mapping Group
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(Score: 2) by q.kontinuum on Tuesday August 04 2015, @11:48AM
It's not about the man-years only. Nokia created their own gear to collect the high-precision map data with laser scanners on their scouting-vehicles, which is a major investment in RnD and equipment. Nokia provides the infrastructure to collect and provide crucial traffic information. Both is not available for OSM. Don't get me wrong, I love OSM, for cycling and walking it's really great. For serious navigation tasks, where height-information (because it has a serious impact on gasoline costs e.g. for a fright-company) etc. is crucial and valid map-data is not only a nice-to-have, but business-critical, OSM is probably not an option.
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