Chinese Software Firm Offers Free HD Mapping and GPS for Self-driving Cars

Amap Software, a Chinese web mapping, navigation and location-based services provider, announced that it has made its HD map and data services free of charge for automakers during their development and testing of self-driving cars.

Amap’s free HD map service offers an alternative solution for both automakers and map service providers to the traditional buyer-seller relationship of offline map data, by providing a real-time kinematic (RTK) data service platform that guarantees service continuity and clear pricing, while reducing the cost of app development and improving update speed.

Rong, general manager of the automobile business unit of Amap’s VIP business center, explained that the company has “realized a multi-stage data acquisition system consisting of specialized professional, public and data collection vehicles.”  The company leverages a smart cloud dispatch to monitor, collect and feed back real-time road traffic updates.

Amap also announced in December it will launch version 2.0 of its Amap Auto, the first internet in-vehicle navigation system in China.

Looking ahead, version 2.0 will be equipped with Amap’s AI engine, a new generation service engine based on big data capability and the machine’s learning ability.  Ideally it will provide optimized travel services customized to individual user’s needs and different driving conditions.  It will also offer an enhanced  user experience compared with support from the AI engine, multi-formats and even multi-lingual cloud control.

“Amap’s mobile app is now the No.1 ranking smartphone map app in the industry with the highest number of daily active users,” says Yongfu Yu, president of Amap and Alibaba’s Mobile Business Group.” As the focus shifts from ‘smartphone + PC’ to ‘smartphone + automobile, Amap will lend its full support to the development of automotive industry.”

Tags: Amap Software Co.

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