Mobile Mapping Comes To Thailand

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Mobile mapping comes to Thailand

By Avantikumar , MIS Asia , 01/30/2009 Sponsored by:

<A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.us.nwf.printpage/;pos=imu;sz=336x280;tile=4;ord=1233370534?"> <IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.us.nwf.printpage/;pos=imu;sz=336x280;tile=4;ord=1233370534?" border=0 height="280" width="336"></A> Mobile mapping firm Tele Atlas has said it will begin mapping Thailand, as part of its commitment to delivering high quality digital map data around the world.

Tele Atlas Asia Pacific chief operating officer Mark Steele said a mobile mapping van in Thailand will be deployed to collect data to ensure that changes to the map are accurately reflected, and to help generate advanced map features such as 3D landmarks, city blocks with textures and junction views to help generate maps that accurately reflect the urban landscape.

"It will also be used to verify changes in the road network, to determine width of roads and height of bridges, and to record the slope and banking of roads," said Steele. "The laser technology in combination with high resolution imagery will help generate texture of buildings for virtual reality three-dimensional city modelling.

A subsidiary of TomTom N.V, Tele Atlas delivers digital maps of more than 200 countries that are behind many of the world's navigation and location-based services. The company has offices in 24 countries around the world.

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Better maps for navigation

Steele said Tele Atlas currently has nearly 50 mobile mapping vans driving around the world, travelling hundreds of thousands of kilometres each year. "The company's fleet in the Asia Pacific has already covered Singapore and Taiwan. The deployment of the Mobile Mapping Van in Thailand marks the company's commitment to deliver advanced features to customers worldwide."

"Mapping vans are fitted with cameras including one or more stereoscopic camera pairs, differential GPS [global positioning system] hardware, an inertial measurement unit and computers to capture highly-detailed imagery of the entire road network and its surroundings," he said. "The Mobile Mapping Van fleet also includes vehicles equipped with lasers and ladybug 360-degree cameras. This combination of technology enables the vans to deliver a multi-dimensional, 360-degree view of the road for a high level of detail and precision at exceptional speed, up to five times faster, and with a more efficient than traditional vehicle collection methods."

Thailand's growing subscriber base

Steele said the mapping van in Thailand will also be used to verify changes in the road network, to determine width of roads and height of bridges, and to record the slope and banking of roads. "The laser technology in combination with high resolution imagery will help generate the texture of buildings for virtual reality 3D city modelling. This wealth of sophisticated context-specific map data that can be integrated with on-board automotive electronics is already having an impact on both vehicle safety and efficiency, and is anticipated to have far-reaching effects on the emerging advanced driver assistance systems applications."

In addition to the strength of its growing mobile subscriber base, Steele said Thailand currently represents a vital market for both automotive production and sales in Southeast Asia. Analyst firm Global Insight estimates that 590,000 passenger vehicles were sold in Thailand during the year 2008, and expects this figure to rise to 637,000 for the year 2011.

"Thailand is a key area in the automotive market and has strong potential in the burgeoning wireless market as well, both of which are critical to our industry partners as in-car navigation systems and mobile applications rely on a rich combination of content to help users find a destination and arrive safely," said Steele.

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