Working with NAVTEQ 3D Landmarks

NAVTEQ has developed models of thousands of landmarks throughout North America and Europe. The NAVTEQ navigable map references these models such that a richer map display can be realised. In this way, the end user, particularly when on foot,
can relate the map to their surroundings.

Posted: 7/24/2008

Using OpenLS XML to Access Autodesk and deCarta Mapping Servers

Follow NN4D Technical consultant Mike Moore as he takes you through the ins and outs of using OpenLS XML to access Autodesk and deCarta mapping servers.

Posted: 7/17/2008

Choosing Right NAVTEQ Extraction Format

Extraction formats are used to publish the raw NAVTEQ data externally to customers and enables them to process the NAVTEQ data into their own production environment. Extraction formats generally have a design independent from the NAVTEQ internal production environment. The extraction formats are not impacted when NAVTEQ modifies parts of the production environment.

Posted: 7/15/2008

Wireless Location Technology for Location Based
Services

Location-Based Services (LBS) refer to the applications that deliver specific information based on a wireless handset’s location and movement. Handset location is determined by positioning technology in the handset, by the handset’s location in the carrier’s network, by the user, or a combination of the three. Each location technology can be characterized by four measurements: accuracy, yield, consistency and latency. This white paper will examine how handsets determine a user’s location, what are the characteristics of that location fix, and how the application can access location information.

Posted: 7/14/2008

Observations of CommunicAsia and the Global LBS Challenge

NN4D Technical Writer Jeff Wagner and NN4D Technical Consultant Michael Moore offer their points of view on CommunicAsia and the first ever Global LBS Challenge Awards Ceremony in the Asia-Pacific region.

Posted: 7/10/2008

Global Point Address Model in NAVTEQ Map Data

In Q2 2008, NAVTEQ released a Global Point Address Model, which is a single specification of NAVTEQ Point Address feature for all countries on the globe. This Global Point Address model supersedes the Q4, 2007 Point Address model in GDF and SIF+ used for the U.S. products. Therefore, all countries, including the U.S., will use the Global Point Address model from Q2, 2008. In this article, we will discuss the Global Point Address model
and how this model is implemented in each extraction formats – GDF, SIF+, RDF and NAVSTREETS.

Posted: 7/8/2008

flashNavigator vol. 3

Authored by NN4D Member Dino Ravnić, this third installment is for application developers who are looking to explore the use of flashNavigator APIs.

Posted: 7/8/2008

Femtocells – There’s No Place Like Home

Read NAVTEQ Marketing Specialist Nick Lefler's article on Femtocell, a cellular access point that connects to a carrier’s wireless network through an existing residential broadband internet connection.

Posted: 6/27/2008

Location-based services set to conquer Asia

Read an article by VP of Business Development for APAC Rafay Khan that was originally published in the June 20th, 2008 edition of the "Communicasia Daily 2008" magazine during the recent CommunicAsia conference in Singapore.

Posted: 6/23/2008

NAVTEQ Transport™: A look at Truck Attributes (refreshed June 2008)

Are you looking to create a fleet management application? Building that niche application for trucks? NAVTEQ Transport, an add-on to the NAVTEQ® core database, covers 23 truck-related attributes of interest to truck management companies and truck drivers. Learn about these truck attributes and create an application that improves efficiency and optimizes the operations of a company's fleet. Follow along with Dan Gibbons as he updates this product.

Posted: 6/23/2008

Load RDF into your MSSQL 2005 Environment

In this webinar, Ejaz Iqbal and Wally Tremel present a demo of loading RDF into a MSSQL database.

Posted: 6/23/2008

PTV Mobility Platform

PTV's MobilityPlatform is one of the industry’s leading geospatial platforms. It includes components for mapping, routing, proximity search or traffic alerts. Its modular concept allows fast and easy development of your own applications. All platform components can be accessed via the Web Services interface at PTV's hosting center.

Posted: 6/16/2008

JavaOne 2008 Reports

JavaOne is the largest annual Java Conference in the world, with the total number of attendees in 2008 reaching between 15,000 and 20,000. The latest and greatest technology based on the Java programming language and the Java platforms are presented during the conference. Get two different points of view with JavaOne articles from NAVTEQ Software Architect James Scott or NN4D Technical Writers Stephanie Bhesania & Jeff Wagner.

Posted: 6/10/2008

Using OpenLS XML to Access Autodesk and deCarta Mapping Servers

NN4D Technical Consultant Michael Moore explains how OpenLS XML can help you develop on Autodesk and deCarta Mapping Servers.

Posted: 6/10/2008

Since NAVTEQ unveiled the Discover Cities product in Q4 2007, it has drawn a great attention from the developer community in the LBS space. To understand this phenomenal we need to understand Discover Cities, the product’s capabilities, and how it enables the application developers and device manufacturers to address the need for LBS applications beyond navigation.

Posted: 6/8/2008

Join ADCi president Jim Reid as he shows you how ADCi can provide NAVTEQ data for Oracle Spatial applications. By customizing the data to meet your Oracle Spatial requirements, ADCi makes it easy for you to “plug and play” and allows you to start using the NAVTEQ data immediately!

Posted: 5/27/2008

In this webinar, Steven Si explains Administrative Areas and Zones and takes a closer look at their roles in your LBS development projects.

Posted: 5/22/2008

Authored by NN4D Member Dino Ravnić, this article is intended for application developers who are looking to explore the use of flashNavigator APIs.

Posted: 5/13/2008

MapInfo gives your computer the mapping power to display your data as points, as thematically shaded regions, as pie or bar charts, or as districts, etc. You can perform geographic operations such as redistricting, combining and splitting objects, and buffering or make queries against your data and access your remote data directly from MapInfo.

Posted: 5/13/2008

Expanding on Michael Moore's March 5 webinar, NN4D Technical Consultant Ejaz Iqbal take you through the NAVTEQ Data Hosting Partners, obtaining a map image, marking a landmark (POI), obtaining the current address (reverse geocoding), and obtaining a map image with a route.

Posted: 5/13/2008

flashNavigator is a rapid development framework, used for publishing GIS and CAD data through Adobe Flash technology in web, desktop and mobile applications. It has been in active development for over two years. Unlike other solutions it provides tiled vector to vector conversion of GIS and CAD file and database formats to Flash. In this article, Dino Ravnić outlines how to develop with flashNavigator.

Posted: 4/10/2008

In this two-part series, NN4D Member Jon Person explores the task of interpreting raw GPS data and gives you the skills to write a commercial‐grade GPS application that works with a majority of GPS devices in the industry today.

Posted: 4/10/2008

In the first part of this article, NN4D Member Jon Person described how to write an interpreter for raw GPS NMEA data. In this second part, he covers precision in detail and talks about what it takes to make GPS applications smart enough for in‐car navigation and reliable enough for commercial use.

Posted: 4/10/2008

deCarta’s Drill Down Server® (DDS) is a non-branded geospatial software platform for building locationenabled applications. DDS allows developers to integrate maps, driving directions, geocoding, map extracts, proximity search and other location technology
into web-based and mobile location-enabled applications.

Posted: 4/10/2008

Routing engines try to emulate human logic when performing a route calculation. When trying to determine the best route from an address in City A to an address in City B, one first considers how to get from the local street to a major arterial, then to a highway and ultimately to a freeway. As one gets close to the destination, the directions would step down the same road hierarchy leaving the freeway. Local roads would never be used for traveling a long distance if higher priority roads were available. Routing algorithms do the same thing.

Posted: 4/9/2008

AJAX mapping applications are rapidly replacing traditional “click-and-wait” applications for web-based map, local search, driving direction and other map-centric applications. The technical details of AJAX mapping applications have been hard to find as most well-known implementations use obfuscated JavaScript for both performance and security reasons. This article describes deCarta’s open architecture for browser-based mapping applications.

Posted: 4/9/2008

Geocoding is a process of finding a geographic location based some sort of location input such as postal address, map link, latitude and longitude, etc.. For example, starting with the postal address “222 Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL,” a geocoder may
find the address in the map at latitude 41.887618 ° and longitude -87.634566 °. The input may contain partial/incomplete location information. The geocoder tries to find the best match based on input, and if it is successful in finding a match, it returns complete
postal address information, map links and latitude and longitude.

Posted: 3/18/2008

JSR 293 adds services for geocoding, navigation and map display, filling out the suite of services needed to develop location-based applications on a mobile device. It increases the number of Java classes and interfaces from 13 to 40. Sun has provided the
mechanism for extending the J2ME language through the Java Community Process (JCP). The process starts with a Java Specification Request (JSR) for a new feature or extension to an existing feature. Once the proposal is accepted, an expert group forms to create the specification.

Posted: 3/11/2008

There are three primary methods by which mobile advertising is being delivered today.  These are messaging, WAP and the mobile web, and streaming media.  The cost and reach of these different types of mobile ads differs greatly.

Posted: 3/7/2008

Badger Meter is a leading manufacturer and marketer of flow measurement and control products, serving water utilities, municipalities and industrial customers worldwide.

Posted: 3/7/2008

Mike Moore, Technical Consultant, for the NN4D takes you through the basics of using Geospatial Data.

Posted: 3/7/2008

As a developer or customer using NAVTEQ map data, you may have noticed that the UTF-8 encoding has been introduced GDF 3.0 and SIF+ extraction formats starting Q4 2007. There might be a lot of questions on the introduction of the Unicode encoding such as, what does this mean to me? What is the benefit of UTF-8 encoding? What does it impact on the existing Extraction Formats, etc.? This article may not answer all the questions, but it tries to provide a common understanding of this new feature from various technical aspects.

Posted: 3/5/2008

NAVTEQ's Relational Data Format (RDF) is becoming increasingly popular among developers for its flexibility and quick implementation capabilities. RDF combines multiple NAVTEQ data sources into a single repository and it significantly reduces time to market and development costs by simplifying and shortening compilation cycles. Read the latest information in this update.

Posted: 1/2/2008

Updated: 3/5/2008

NN4D Developer Alliance Manager Tom Tierney and Omnisdata founder Dino Ravnić discuss how FlashLite will make an impact in the moblie market.

Posted: 2/27/2008

Point Addressing represents individual addresses, numeric and non-numeric house numbers as point objects. It enhances the quality of destination selection and produces accurate display of addresses along a road segment and the precision of “to the door” arrival by providing points adjusted to the road for address locations.

Posted: 2/25/2008

4th Generation Communication System is commonly used to describe the next generation in wireless technology. Although many wireless carriers are still transitioning from 2G to 3G networks, there is already stiff competition for the technology that will become what we refer to as 4G. The top contenders for this honor seem to be WiMAX, LTE, and UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband).

Posted: 2/20/2008

Providing the user with the most optimal route in the shortest amount of time is essential to the success of a routing application. This article highlights how deCarta’s efficient routing engine and map data format provide fast, accurate and flexible routes, resulting in an outstanding user experience.

Posted: 2/7/2008

Read the awards book for the 2008 Global LBS Challenge - EMEA and find out information on this years' semifinalists.

Posted: 2/7/2008

Updated: Most technology or software professionals have heard and read about the Open Source movement. What many people are not aware of are the powerful Open Source tools available for manipulating map data. Over the course of many development years, these tools are now mature enough to handle large data sets such as those found in NAVTEQ® data products. Authored by Marcus Jenkins, NAVTEQ Principal Consultant, this whitepaper intends to provide you with a neutral overview of various Open Source tools. Download the Perl script referenced in the article by clicking here.

Posted: 1/24/2008

Originally Posted: 7/22/2007

LBS Globe publisher David H. Williams discusses his predictions for the LBS Industry in 2008.

Posted: 1/23/2008

Point Addressing, a new feature, is being added to NAVTEQ map data products. The Point Addressing will enhance the quality of destination selection and produce accurate display of addresses along a road segment.

Posted: 1/9/2008

MapInfo gives your computer the mapping power to display your data as points, as thematically shaded regions, as pie or bar charts, or as districts, etc. You can perform geographic operations such as redistricting, combining and splitting objects, and buffering or make queries against your data and access your remote data directly. NN4D Technical Consultant Ejaz Iqbal shows you how to use the power of MapInfo.

Posted: 12/20/2007

Find out why membership with NN4D has its own benefits. Read the article from the 2007 Q4 issue of Turning Points.

Posted: 12/20/2007

Interested in NAVTEQ digital mapping products for your area? Jim Reid shows you how to get the most of your NAVTEQ data through the services of American Digital Cartography, Inc.

Posted: 12/10/2007

NN4D Senior Technical Consultant Steven Si highlights the best ways to use NAVTEQ digital data in the SIF+ format.

Posted: 12/10/2007

Ejaz Iqbal, NAVTEQ Technical Consultant offers the best tips and advice on getting the most out of your NAVSTREETS Applications.

Posted: 12/10/2007

We're building a reliable, accurate map. One smart turn after another. Rooted in the real world, NAVTEQ maps are built to a single global specification by hundreds of highly trained geographic analysts who drive millions of miles each year, using powerful proprietary equipment to build maps that are rich, reliable and accurate. Our up-to-date coverage of the world continues to grow. So does our reputation for delivering high-quality map data. At every step in our process, we continually check and validate the accuracy of that data. Our goal: create data that reflects real-world conditions.

Posted: 11/20/2007

Are you looking to create a fleet management application? Building that niche application for trucks? NAVTEQ Transport, an add-on to the NAVTEQ® core database, covers 23 truck-related attributes of interest to truck management companies and truck drivers. Learn about these truck attributes and create an application that improves efficiency and optimizes the operations of a company's fleet.

Posted: 11/20/2007

Map Display is the software component that takes a digital map database, such as found in the NAVTEQ product line, and renders it into a picture for use in a navigation system, LBS service, web site, etc. Authored by Marcus Jenkins, NAVTEQ Principal Consultant, this article takes you through the basics of Cartography (Scale, Projections, Map Generalization) and gives you tips on achieving that 'paper map feel'.

Posted: 11/15/2007

NAVTEQ has a large number of unique attributes that add to the depth, quality, and accuracy of the database. This developer guide intends to provide the reader with a high-level matrix of suggested use cases for the NAVTEQ attribute set and refers to data published in Q4 07.

Posted: 10/23/2007

NAVTEQ has a large number of unique attributes that add to the depth, quality, and accuracy of the database. This developer guide intends to provide the reader with a high-level matrix of suggested use cases for the NAVTEQ attribute set and refers to data published in Q4 07.

Posted: 10/23/2007

Authored by NN4D Technical Consultant Ejaz Iqbal, Arcview is an off-the-shelf, versatile, user-friendly GIS program. ArcView allows the geographic researcher to import, analyze and convert small digital data-sets by themselves. After learning the basics of ArcView, you will be able to query spatial information and create thematic maps to aid in natural and cultural resource management.

Posted: 10/20/2007

NAVTEQ Product Manager Andy Olsen gives an overview of NAVTEQ Junction Views.

Posted: 10/20/2007

Stay informed with NN4D Senior Technical Consultant Steven Si's presentation from the NAVTEQ Connections Conference.

Posted: 10/20/2007

SIF+ stands for the Standard Interchange Format+. A SIF+ file is composed of records with a 164-byte fixed length. It is a textual file filled with ASCII characters.

Posted: 10/19/2007

NN4D Technical Consultant Ejaz Iqbal discusses how NAVSTREETS uses one data set specification across all countries.

Posted: 10/15/2007

Enjoy the PDF version of NN4D Senior Technical Consultant Steven Si webinar on understanding administrative areas and zones.

Posted: 9/20/2007

NN4D Content Manager Adam Grabowski and NN4D Technical Consultant Steven Si show the best way to use the GDF Viewer.

Posted: 9/20/2007

NN4D Technical Consultant Ejaz Iqbal and NAVTEQ R & D Manager Pedro Febles-Cortez explain how to develop Relational Data Format (RDF).

Posted: 9/20/2007

NN4D Technical Consultant Ejaz Iqbal and NAVTEQ R & D Developer Debashis Saha run through examples of how Geocoding can enhance your LBS applications.

Posted: 9/15/2007

NAVSTREETS contains the most navigable attributes available in a database. Utilizing the data to its fullest allows the user to access features such as expressway ramps, complete and correct connectivity of all roadways, one-way streets, physical, logical, and legal turn restrictions, construction projects, as well as physical and painted lane dividers.

Posted: 9/15/2007

NN4D Technical Consultant Ejaz Iqbal details how batch geocoded POI databases and latitude and longitude data can be stored as part of a new record. Once a latitude-longitude coordinate is assigned, the address can be displayed on a map or used in a spatial search.

Posted: 9/3/2007

The Location Intelligence Conference 2006 in San Francisco provided a broad perspective of the market for geospatial technology. Attendees witnessed an expansive mix of product and service offerings, and were presented with many innovations. More importantly, the conference showed that the industry is rapidly evolving.

Posted: 8/20/2007

The Autodesk LocationLogic platform, along with NAVTEQ® content, provides Java developers with a well-designed Java ME SDK. This LBS-focused SDK enables developers to add location-based services to new or existing applications. The Java ME API was designed to simplify application development by hiding the details of optimized client-server communications so that developers can focus on their application logic.

Posted: 8/20/2007

NN4D Senior Technical Consultant Steven Si explains how encoding map data with Administrative Areas and Zones information enables developers to uniquely identify a destination, even when some regions have the same names or unique identities.

Posted: 8/20/2007

AtlastCT - a privately held company - was founded in 1987 in Israel. The company started out as a paper maps and guides producer but shifted focus in 1998 to the digital mapping field with the development of the AtlasNET™ map server. Atlas CT's reLive! solution allows you to take photos and write notes along your trip route and seamlessly attach them to their locations on the map (geo-tagging).

Posted: 8/15/2007

NAVTEQ Customer Marketing Specialist Nick Lefler highlights the differences between WiMax, a second-generation wireless digital communications system, and Wi-Fi, which uses an unlicensed spectrum to provide access to a network. With WiMax, WiFi-like data types are easily supported, but the issue of interference is lessened.

Posted: 8/15/2007

In this article, Doug Kolom, NAVTEQ Product Manager reflects on 'the who and the what' of the 2007 ESRI User Conference. Read about the latest industry insights, as well as NAVTEQ's presence at the conference.

Posted: 7/26/2007

June 2007 NN4D Developer Spotlight article is authored by 2007 LBS Challenge Semifinalist YDreams. YDreams is a privately funded Portuguese company at the forefront of interactive technologies and reality computing. They have partnered with organizations such as Nokia and Adidas and introduce their location-based mobile application Wall Street Fighter in this article.

Posted: 7/26/2007

NN4D Technical staff often receives questions from our community asking, "Which NAVTEQ map data extraction format should I choose for a location-aware application?". Frankly, there is no single or easy answer to this question. To determine the right extraction format that fits best to the application, we need to do some homework. Authored by NN4D Technical Consultant Steven Si.

Posted: 7/22/2007

Authored by deCarta, this article walks you through the fast and efficient development environment that leverages the deCarta Rich Map Engine.

Posted: 7/15/2007

Choosing the right geospatial engine is vital when developing a location-enhanced application. This article is intended to educate you on the tools and support deCarta and NAVTEQ have made freely available for application developers.

Posted: 7/15/2007

NAVTEQ's Satellite Imagery and Digital Terrain Model provide visual enhancements that further support NAVTEQ's Visual Content portfolio. As consumer adoption of location-based services increases, the need for visual content to differentiate systems and enhance consumer experience will increase. These two products support that need by offering additional visual content that allow consumers to have a visual sense of place on the map.

Posted: 7/5/2007

Efficiencies in location-based development for wireless devices is becoming more concrete. One of these efficiencies is the inclusion of location APIs and GPS-enablement in tools and SDKs. This whitepaper takes a look at the Motorola and Nokia GPS-enabled SDKs for wireless handsets.

Posted: 6/30/2007

The America's Semifinalist ParkWhiz presents a whitepaper discussing their innovative application and the contributions NAVTEQ and the Global LBS Challenge has had on their success.

Posted: 6/30/2007

Route calculation is the software component in a navigation system that determines the best route between two places according to the user's preferences, traffic conditions, etc. It is a computation-intensive process that processes large amounts of data in order to determine the best route. This introductory whitepaper provides an overview on route calculation algorithms, inputs, outputs, and other concepts.

Posted: 6/24/2007

SIF+ is a proprietary NAVTEQ data format which leverages 33 record types. This month's technical whitepaper focuses on defining these record types to aid you in your SIF+ development.

Posted: 6/20/2007

Positioning is the process of putting the user and their device on the map. More specifically, positioning (sometimes called 'Device Positioning' or 'Vehicle Positioning') is a software process that uses some sensor data or location signal and combines this with the map database to make the best effort to create a pair of coordinates that coincide with the map geometry. Positioning is a complicated and vital part of your location application development. NAVTEQ's Introduction to Positioning whitepaper provides you with definitions and best practices around Inputs, Outputs, and Sensors to name a few.

Posted: 6/20/2007

In the second installment of a series of Best Practices, deCarta explains the impact and importance of routing on your application. Understanding the efficiencies deCarta's Routing Engine can bring can save you valuable time and effort.

Posted: 6/20/2007

2007 LBS Challenge - The Americas - Grand Prize Winner ComVu presents a whitepaper discussing their winning application and the contributions NAVTEQ and the Global LBS Challenge has had on their success.

Posted: 6/15/2007

In the first of a series of Best Practice whitepapers, deCarta presents a whitepaper explaining the process and benefits of converting NAVTEQ data into their patented Rich Map Format (RMF).

Posted: 6/15/2007

A whitepaper contributed by N4D partner Autodesk discussing BREW development and the use of Autodesk LocationLogic. Autodesk provides a comprehensive look at using the BREW Geoservices Extensions.

Posted: 6/15/2007

A whitepaper written by NN4D Technical Support highlighting the key features of popular mobile platforms - Symbian, Windows Mobile, Linux, and J2ME - to help guide you in your decision making.

Posted: 6/15/2007

European LBS Challenge Grand Prize Winner Jentro presents a whitepaper discussing their winning application and the contributions NAVTEQ and the Global LBS Challenge has had on their success.

Posted: 6/6/2007

This presentation provides a description of NAVTEQ's Relational Data Format™ (RDF). Relational Database Format (RDF) is a delivery format enabling customers to directly load NAVTEQ data into a relational database environment. RDF publishes NAVTEQ data in an easy to understand and well-defined relational structure. RDF combines various NAVTEQ data sources into a single repository and presents it in a seamless relational format. This overview is specifically focused on working with NAVTEQ data in RDF and its relation to technology market trends, benefits and incentives, as well as target customers.

Posted: 6/6/2007

The presentation delivered during NAVTEQ's 2007 JavaOne Technical Session by Eric Dylewski, NAVTEQ Technical Customer Support and Geoff Hendrey, deCarta Software Architect.

Posted: 6/6/2007

The presentation delivered during the webinar on road attribution by the NAVTEQ Network for Developers Technical Consultants.

Posted: 6/6/2007