Content supports pedestrian navigation to see the Leones del Caracas play at Estadio Universitario

CARACAS, Venezuela—October 12, 2009 —/PRNewswire/ -- NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, announced that it has reached a major pedestrian milestone of one hundred cities for its NAVTEQ Discover Cities product including coverage for Caracas.

As the most populous city in Venezuela, Caracas is a key destination for business and pleasure making it a natural extension of the NAVTEQ Discover Cities coverage footprint. Whether a local, a business traveler, or a tourist, Discover Cities enables unique pedestrian navigation experiences by adding detail to the NAVTEQ Map. This distinctive combination of pedestrian geometry and pathways, Points of Interest (POIs) and transit data enables development of applications to help pedestrians navigate to their destinations via a variety of pedestrian specific routes, including those entirely on foot - or (if it's too far to walk), with portions aboard the public transit system.

NAVTEQ works closely with public transit operators to source information on schedules and the entrances and exits to transit stations to help application providers deliver the best routing options. For example a baseball fan visiting Caracas to see their beloved Leones del Caracas play at the Estadio Universitario could be provided instructions to take the Caracas Metro to the Ciudad Universtaria stop on the number 3 or blue line. Upon exiting their hotel lobby they would also be provided turn-by-turn pedestrian directions to the metro entrance.

"Reaching 100 cities demonstrates our commitment to rolling out NAVTEQ Discover Cities across all major regions in the world," commented Cindy Paulauskas, vice president Americas map and content products for NAVTEQ. "Further, our research indicates providing the last steps of the journey after the end-user has departed from their vehicle has a major influence on mobile device purchasing decisions. Discover Cities enables our customers to provide consumers with quality relevant services for those devices."

This achievement is also significant given the sheer depth and complexity of the pedestrian navigation data NAVTEQ specialists collect, based on a single, global specification. While walking the world's cities, these specialists meticulously collect more than 50 pedestrian-specific attributes.

A key benefit of NAVTEQ's robust specification and "feet on the street" is the inclusion of pedestrian "shortcuts" that can be used to save time. These shortcuts may be via unmarked paths through parks, plazas or even publicly accessible buildings--with time of day restrictions. Without this additional data, applications may generate a route that involves only sidewalks when significantly shorter options are possible in reality. For example, a pedestrian walking to an address on Avenida Libertador commencing on Paseo Colon would be provided directions that illustrate a path through Parque Los Caobas. This short-cut saves the traveler both time and energy. Additionally the pedestrian map would display a 3D Landmark representation of the Galeria de Arte Nacional adding to the pedestrians' confidence that they are heading in the right direction to their final destination. While seemingly simple, the content and data representation required for this type of routing represents a formidable challenge and is only possible with Discover Cities.

About NAVTEQ

NAVTEQ is the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data that enables navigation and location-based platforms around the world. NAVTEQ supplies comprehensive digital map information to power automotive navigation systems, portable and wireless devices, Internet-based mapping applications and government and business solutions. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 4,400 employees located in 192 offices and in 43 countries.



Contact:

Kim Isele
NAVTEQ
Tel.:+1-312-894-7719
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Bob Richter
NAVTEQ
Tel.:+1-212-802-8588
E-mail: Email Contact