Google's Geospatial Data Rising to the Top

Google's Geospatial Data Rising to the Top
http://www.gpsworld.com/gis/google039s-geospatial-data-rising-top-9044=

http://www.gpsworld.com/files/gpsworld/nodes/2009/9044/GoogleMaps.gif

Back in June 2008, Tele Atlas announced it signed a five-year contract wi=
th Google that=20
gives Google access to Tele Atlas =E2=80=9Cmaps and dynamic content in mo=
re than 200 countries=20
around the world=E2=80=9D.

Furthermore, the announcement state that =E2=80=9Cthe agreement spans Goo=
gle=E2=80=99s current and future=20
map-based services and navigation offerings across mobile, online and des=
ktop=20
environments. These include the Google Maps and Google Earth services and=
mobile=20
applications such as Google Maps for Mobile. The agreement also gives Tel=
e Atlas access to=20
edits for its maps from Google=E2=80=99s community of users, whose sugges=
ted changes can help the=20
company further increase the quality and richness of Tele Atlas maps.=E2=80=
=9D

Just last week, however, it was rumored that Google has stopped using Tel=
e Atlas in Google=20
Maps for the United States. Sure enough, something has changed. Go to Goo=
gle Maps and/or=20
Google Earth and zoom in on a location within the United States. The Tele=
Atlas copyright=20
notation at the bottom of the map display is not there any longer. Take a=
look at the=20
following map...



It=E2=80=99s no secret that Google has been developing its own map databa=
se. Some of you may have=20
even seen the Google street cars running around. These are cars equipped =
with high tech=20
instrumentation to collect a mind-boggling amount of data. Search for =E2=
=80=9Cgoogle street car=E2=80=9D=20
and your search engine will reward you with a page full of photos. There =
are not only=20
Google Street Cars, but also much more highly sophisticated trucks outfit=
ted with high=20
performance GPS, cameras and digital scanners that can collect not only i=
magery, but a=20
tremendous amount of vector data.

A little background on digital map companies

Digital map data has been around the block for more than two decades with=
a number of=20
different companies offering products. However, in the past several years=
, two have risen=20
to the top through acquiring other companies and via organic growth; Tele=
Atlas and=20
Navteq. Their rise to the top has been prominently noted due to the explo=
sive growth of=20
GPS Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs). Yes, every one of those Garmin, T=
omTom, Magellan,=20
Mio, etc. units contains either a Tele Atlas map database or a Navteq map=
database. Also,=20
every in-dash automobile navigation system contains one of the two databa=
ses also.

Of course, this duopoly and explosive PND unit sales made Navteq and Tele=
Atlas prime=20
targets for MBAs who were looking to make a buck or two. They were going =
crazy trying to=20
understand mapping technology and barriers to market entry. In the end, N=
avteq was=20
acquired by Nokia for US$8.1B and Tele Atlas was acquired by TomTom (afte=
r a bidding war=20
with Garmin) for 2.7B Euros. Garmin ended up signing a medium-term contra=
ct with Navteq=20
(until 2015) to secure its map database supply.

Creating and maintaining these street-level map databases is a huge chore=
and part of the=20
reason why there is still a duopoly in the map database market. The ques=
tion has been=20
=E2=80=9Cwhen will a third or fourth party enter the street-level map dat=
abase market?=E2=80=9D. Google is=20
invariably mentioned in that conversation. There are also some establishe=
d bit players=20
like Automotive Navigation Data (AND) and upstarts such as Facet Technolo=
gy Corp. that are=20
looking to take a bite out of the duopoly=E2=80=99s dominate market share=
=2E

The fact is that it=E2=80=99s much easier (but still very complex) to gen=
erate a map database=20
today than it was twenty-five years ago. When Navteq (then Karlin & Colli=
ns, Inc.=20
according to Wikipedia) first began in the mid-80=E2=80=99s, they collect=
ed position data without=20
GPS (using gyros) and annotated the positions by speaking into a voice re=
corder. Can you=20
imagine the work it took to transcribe that information and turn it into =
a usable street=20
map? A map database of the single city was a daunting enough task, not to=
mention a=20
nationwide street-level database. Today, there is an amazing amount of pu=
blicly available=20
GIS data (both raster and vector). One can begin generating a very good q=
uality base map=20
without ever leaving the office. Google has done this and they have also =
taken to the=20
streets to produce a map database that can stand on its own.

Relying on the masses

In the beginning, creating a reasonably complete map database was the cha=
llenge, a huge=20
challenge. Once introduced to the market, customers began reporting for a=
nd asking for map=20
updates. If you=E2=80=99ve used a PND, you know the frustration of trying=
to look up a soccer=20
field that=E2=80=99s not listed in the PND map database.

TomTom/Tele Atlas was first to implement a community-based map update ser=
vice called Map=20
Share. Smart concept=E2=80=A6get your customers to report and collect dat=
a to update your map=20
database. The idea is to record road changes using a TomTom receiver and =
them, at some=20
point, connect the TomTom receiver to your home computer and share the ch=
anges with the=20
Map Share community. TomTom launched Map Share in July 2007 and reported=
their one=20
millionth update seven months later.

Road changes are only one issue with keeping map databases current. Point=
s of Interest=20
(POI) are a different story as businesses, especially retail, open and cl=
ose on a regular=20
basis. The leading POI database supplier in the US is infoUSA. infoUSA cl=
aims to make 20=20
million telephone calls each year to confirm the accuracy of their data.

Of course Google seems to be taking the same =E2=80=9Ccommunity update=E2=
=80=9D approach. Surely, there=20
will be areas where Google=E2=80=99s base map isn=E2=80=99t as complete a=
s Tele Atlas, but I think Google=20
believes they can catch up fast. Whereas Tele Atlas map updates might tak=
e six months to=20
work their way into production, Google is talking about 30 days and maybe=
down to a day.=20
Also, by Google owning their own base map data, it gives them tremendous =
flexibility to do=20
what they want, when they want rather than dealing with the Tele Atlas co=
ntract terms.=20
Speaking of data ownership, once you submit an error report to Google, th=
e data is theirs=20
to keep. That=E2=80=99s their upside. Read the Google Map and Earth blog =
here.

Open Source?

All the geospatial data players discussed so far are commercial entities.=
There is always=20
room for a Linux-type (free and open source) of player in any high tech s=
pace, right? Of=20
course!

Introducing OpenStreetMap.

According to the Wikipedia entry, OpenStreetMap data =E2=80=9Cis publishe=
d under an open content=20
license, with the intention of promoting free use and re-distribution of =
the data (both=20
commercial and non-commercial)=E2=80=9D. Like Linux, OpenStreetMap starte=
d with a basic package=20
and it=E2=80=99s up to the user community to enhance and customize it. Re=
ferring back to=20
Wikipedia, as of March 2009, there were more than 100,000 registered user=
s of=20
OpenStreetMap. One commercial entity that=E2=80=99s using OpenStreetMap d=
ata is CloudMade.=20
CloudMade Maps offers Google maps type of functionality. View the CloudMa=
de blog here.

Watch out=E2=80=A6this is going to be very interesting. The digital map d=
atabase market has been=20
simmering for awhile and ripe for action. It=E2=80=99s safe to say that n=
ow it=E2=80=99s nearing a slow boil.

Somewhat related -- article on a West Point cadet's computer science
project -- a $300 version of a Google Street View data collection
system.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/hands-on/diy-streetview-camera/

He lists the GPS receiver, which uses a SiRFStar III chipset, at $37.

http://www.globalsat.com.tw/eng/product_detail_00000044.htm

Story links to an open source utility for geotagging photos:

http://code.google.com/p/gpicsync/

A $300 system that performs something like Google's street view,
except for where it doesn't.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL