Winner will be picked by expert judging panel from European Satellite Navigation Competition

CHICAGO, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, today announced that it will conclude the 2009 NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge(R) by holding a separate evaluation round to select an overall global winner for the first time. The Grand Prize Winners from the three regions (EMEA, Americas and APAC) will compete against each other for the title of "Global LBS Challenge CHAMPION" and a $10,000 (US) cash prize, to be awarded in addition to the previously received Grand Prize winnings from the regional competitions.

This additional competition element will be held in London on September 23-24, 2009 in conjunction with the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) International Evaluation Meeting. The regional Grand Prize Winners will demonstrate their mobile applications, which use dynamic positioning technology and NAVTEQ(R) maps, to a panel of judges gathered by the ESNC. This panel of judges will include 25 experts - one from each of the 18 ESNC regions and the different ESNC special topic prize sponsoring partners (NAVTEQ excluded).

"Feedback from developers tells us that industry exposure to decision-makers and match-making opportunities are extremely valuable," said Marc Naddell, vice president, partner and developer programs, NAVTEQ. "By introducing a grand finale element in this year's competition, we will not only be able to award a global winner but also give the regional winners of the annual NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge an opportunity to present their applications to additional decision-makers from across the satellite navigation industry responsible for business incubation initiatives."

The ESNC expert judges will be individually tasked with reviewing and scoring the three applications based on the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge final judging criteria, grading the level of commercial appeal, indispensability, innovativeness and aesthetic appeal of the demonstrated application as well as how effectively it uses NAVTEQ maps and content. The NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge CHAMPION will be announced during an awards dinner in conjunction with the ESNC International Evaluation Meeting.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to help crown an overall global CHAMPION for the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge and I know that the ESNC experts will take their judging task very seriously. They represent a cross-section of well-networked influencers in the satellite navigation industry with a wealth of knowledge in helping smaller companies grow their business," commented Thorsten Rudolph, CEO of ESNC organizer Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen.

The three regional Grand Prize Winners from the 2009 Global LBS Challenge whom will be competing at the ESNC International Evaluation Meeting are:

    --  skobbler GmbH, Germany - Grand Prize Winner EMEA: skobbler is a mobile
        application that allows young, urban consumers to share information,
        personal comments, useful tips and recommendations on places and
        activities around a city in realtime. The application combines, for
        example, local search of NAVTEQ dynamic content, such as events or
        movies, with sponsored advertising links and a full-fledged GPS
        navigation.
    --  T+1 Solutions, Estonia - Grand Prize Winner Americas: Taxi4me is a
        mobile taxi ordering service that helps consumers anywhere in the world
        connect with trusted taxi companies. The desired time and destination is
        sent from a user's mobile phone to a taxi brokering server. Local taxi
        companies then submit competitive bids and proposed routes back to the
        consumer.
    --  NAVITIME Japan Co., Ltd. - Grand Prize Winner APAC: NAVITIME is a
        point-to-point route search and multi-modal navigation service allowing
        users to get to their destination by any major transportation method -
        walking, driving, trains and subway, buses, taxis and airlines - and to
        explore cities visited through NAVTEQ Discover Cities(TM).

Now in its seventh year, the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge is the premier event in the location-based services (LBS) industry. It is a world-wide competition conducted by NAVTEQ Network for Developers(TM) (NN4D), NAVTEQ's global community and support program for LBS developers and business partners.

More information about the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge can be found at www.LBSChallenge.com. Information on the European Satellite Navigation Competition is available at http://www.galileo-masters.eu/.

About the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge

First launched in 2003, the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge is focused on driving the development and visibility of innovative navigation solutions for wireless devices. From wireless business applications to sports, travel and security, integrating the accuracy and richness of NAVTEQ digital map data facilitates the timely evolution of the next wave of LBS. Over 32% of past semifinalists have gone on to receive venture capital funding or launch commercially-distributed applications. For more information on this year's competition, go to www.LBSChallenge.com.

About NAVTEQ Network for Developers

NAVTEQ Network for Developers (NN4D) is a dynamic online web portal and global community that provides developers and business partners with the technical and business support needed to build, showcase and launch the most innovative location-enabled solutions. Connect with the people, tools and resources you need to grow your business by visiting www.NN4D.com.

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 4,000 employees located in 190 offices and in 39 countries.

NAVTEQ, NAVTEQ Network for Developers and Global LBS Challenge are trademarks of NAVTEQ in the U.S. and other countries. All rights reserved.

About the European Satellite Navigation Competition

The European Satellite Navigation Competition is an international innovation contest that awards the best ideas for applications in satellite navigation. Having begun with three partner regions, this year's ESNC will be held in 18 high-tech regions all over the world. The competition has been organized by Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen since 2004 with the intention to further strengthen international collaboration among these regions, particularly with regard to the development of applications and services made possible by the European satellite navigation system Galileo. The main winners of the ESNC - the GALILEO Master, the special topic prize winners, and the 18 regional winners - will be recognized at a state reception to be held at the Munich Residence on October 21, 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.galileo-masters.eu/.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060313/NAVTEQLOGO)

SOURCE NAVTEQ

Web site: http://www.navteq.com/
http://www.galileo-masters.eu/
http://www.LBSChallenge.com/