Snippet: Nokia’s Maps Use FedEx and UPS Data ☇

Alexis Madrigal for The Atlantic:

“We get over 12 billion probe data points per month coming into the organization,” [Nokia’s VP of Location Content, Cliff] Fox said from his office in Chicago. “We get probe data not only from commercial vehicles like FedEx and UPS trucks, but we also get it from consumers through navigation applications.”*

Depending on the device type, the data that streams into Nokia can have slight variations.

“The system that they have for tracking the UPS trucks is different from the way the maps application works on the Nokia device. You’ll have differences on the amount of times per minute they ping their location, though typically it’s every 5 to 15 seconds,” Fox said. “It’ll give you a location, a direction, and a speed as well.”

Tip of the hat to Nokia for figuring out a creative way to make their maps more reliable. Also, does anyone think Apple needs a VP of Location Content?