Google Streetview may soon find a rival in India. Navteq, a map and traffic data provider, plans to launch its version of a panoramic view of key locations in the country.
“We will soon launch a service where we will provide 360 degree pictures of certain key locations in our maps. This will help drivers and travellers in navigation as they will be able to locate landmarks more easily,” Mr Brajesh Shrivastava, Director, South Asia Field Operations, Navteq India, told Business Line . He said this feature was already available in the US and Europe.
The company, which is a subsidiary of Finnish telecom giant Nokia but operates independently, also plans to start providing real time traffic information for navigation systems in the country by the second half of this year.
“We feel the tipping point in India is around the corner, where navigation will be even more widely used. Almost all automakers are in touch with us to add such systems as a feature in their cars. Till now, the domestic consumer had not been as aware, but navigation system prices have now come down significantly,” he said.
He added that the prices for navigation devices have come down to Rs 5,000-10,000 a unit, from Rs 27,000 around two years ago. This is close to the US price for such units of Rs 3,000.
Navteq, which competes with Google Maps and homegrown firm MapmyIndia.com, covers around 720 cities and 46 lakh Point of Interests – locations like monuments, malls which are often visited. All National and State Highways are also covered, with updates happening every few months.
“We have more than 1,000 employees and many dedicated contractors working for us at the field level. At present, we have offices in 20 locations, to which we will add 10 more by 2012,” said Mr Shrivastava.
Navteq is one of the world's largest providers of primary maps based on satellite and ground surveillance (on foot and vehicles).