Despite not occupying the same smartphone lane they used to, Microsoft and HERE maps are still a thing.
Leveraging their location-based data HERE will now provide its Location Platform Services to developers using Microsoft Azure tools.
According to a press release from HERE, “HERE Maps & Location Services allows developers to fast-track the development of location-centric applications, by leveraging HERE’s global map data and curated location content in combination with the readily available location services including rendering, search, routing, transit, and positioning.”
More specifically, Azure-based developers in 193 countries around the world will have the chance to play around with:
- Geocoding – High-precision mapping of geo-coordinates and addresses
- Positioning – Device tracking and positioning for indoors and outdoors, online or offline
- Fleet Telematics – Advanced algorithms for optimal truck routing and planning with a deep set of data including truck attributes (maximum height and weight clearance), toll costs, and environmental zones
- Routing – Precise instructions to a destination using various transport modes (car, truck, public transit, bicycle) and leveraging matrix and isoline algorithms
- Places – Extensive set of Points of Interest with rich attribution for 400+ categories providing real-world context and relevance for a variety of use cases
- Map Tiles – Pre-rendered map tiles with different display types, such as regular map, satellite imagery, and terrain
- Map Image – Pre-rendered map images already optimized for both desktop & mobile devices
For developers looking to build more precise and engaging data experiences while reducing their server cost overhead, the addition of HERE Map’s Location Platform Services is a great tool to onboard.
In addition to utilizing HERE Maps & Location Platform Services, developers will also get a free start of 250,000 location transactions as they manage WebApp backends, real-time data streams, fleet management, and location search to name a few.
