_ Wireless carriers and their partners will be able to improve location-based services by adding spatial searches based on shortest journey-time, maps and door-to-door directions.
_ Internet access to Webraska's Global Navigation Server to be opened via an
Application Programming Interface (API) to be launched in June 2000.
Webraska Mobile Technologies, the world's first
provider of traffic maps and navigation services on Internet mobile phones,
announced today at the Mobile Commerce 2000 conference, that it is opening
access to its Global Navigation Server to wireless carriers, their partners and
wireless location platform providers.
Seamless access via the Internet to Webraska's Global Navigation Server will be provided via a "Personal Navigation" Application Programming Interface (API) that will offer:
- Alphanumeric address entry and qualification using the telephone keypad
- Zoomable street-level maps to all screen sizes and formats
- Multimodal door-to-door directions that take into account one-way streets, traffic conditions and public transportation networks
- Enhanced spatial searching (ESS) based on shortest journey-time rather than
shortest distance o Geocoding and reverse geocoding (converting addresses to
latitude/ longitude co-ordinates and vice-versa)
The Webraska Global Navigation Server is a world wide
database initiative aiming to cover all street-level maps, public transportation
networks and real-time traffic information. From launch in June 2000, the
Webraska Global Navigation Server and the Personal Navigation API will support
14 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the
United Kingdom). Rollout to Asia-Pacific and North America is planned for the
second half of 2000.
"Opening access to our servers allows us to respond to the tremendous demand of wireless carriers and wireless location solution providers to embed mapping and intelligent spatial searching in all their applications. In Europe, Wireless Location Services and mobile e-commerce is expected to represent a $30 billion dollar market by 2003. Webraska continues to help its customers address these markets with innovative solutions aimed at better serving the mobile subscriber", commented Jean-Michel Durocher, CEO of Webraska.
Possible applications for Webraska's Personal Navigation API include yellow pages, games, tourist guides, mobile e-commerce, city guides, fleet management and mobile extranets.
For example, a restaurant guide will be able to offer far more than a list of restaurant details in the mobile subscriber's current area. It will be able to inform the subscriber which restaurants are within 10 minutes on foot or subway, display their locations on a map and then guide the subscriber by car, foot or public transport to the restaurant. On a larger scale, operators and application providers will be able to guarantee continuity of service to tourists and business travellers in their own language as they travel from country to country.
"The Webraska Personal Navigation API has been proven in our existing cutting-edge mapping, traffic and personal navigation WAP services and patented Internet-based Distributed Navigation applications", added Jonathan Klinger, Marketing Director of Webraska. "By making the API available to our customers and partners, we are enabling them to immediately improve the quality and coverage of their location-based services. This is a significant advantage in an industry where time to market, brand awareness and building loyalty are key to success."
"Webraska's enhanced spatial searching (ESS) will rank nearest information based on the shortest time to destination rather than absolute distance", explains Thierry Dumort, Webraska's CTO. "For example, when looking for a gas station, finding the nearest one may not be very useful if it is on the other side of the highway and reaching it takes an hour and a half. Sending your sales force or delivery trucks right into a traffic jam could be avoided. Finding a post office 5 stations away by London's tube could save an expensive taxi ride to a more classical `nearest one'".
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