CHICAGO, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, announced today a significant expansion in its coverage for India. Already available in over forty cities, this high quality map expands coverage to eighty-four cities enabling NAVTEQ customers to provide navigation solutions in high density areas where Indians live and travel to work. NAVTEQ is the first map supplier to support the full set of attribution demanded by global navigation customers. It also supports the growth in navigation systems that address some of the challenges brought on by the high volume of vehicles on Indian city streets.

NAVTEQ research indicates that Indian travelers stop and ask for directions four times on average before completing their journey. This same research provides insights into how Indian travelers use the information they received.

"The most commonly provided response to a person in a vehicle who stops to ask for directions is turn-by-turn information," stated Aaron Dannenbring, vice president, Asia Pacific map and content products, NAVTEQ. "Using NAVTEQ(R) map data in a navigation experience can improve traffic congestion because it eliminates vehicles stopping to ask directions. We are proud to have the broadest coverage in India of the high quality map data needed for turn by turn navigation."

With the high volume of vehicles in India, there is also the challenge of high fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Earlier this year, NAVTEQ released a report on the impact of navigation on fuel consumption that indicated that drivers with a navigation system consume less fuel. There is a corresponding reduction in emissions which means navigation systems using a high quality NAVTEQ map have the potential to positively impact the environment in India.

NAVTEQ has also identified the type of information used by Indians providing turn-by-turn directions. The most commonly sought information was how to reach a named city. The most commonly provided cues were Points of Interest (POI) and landmarks such as banks, hospitals, movie theaters, and places of worship. Street names were also used in providing directions. The NAVTEQ map for India includes more than 1.4 million Points of Interest (POI) in categories Indians identified as relevant for navigation. NAVTEQ also delivers 3D landmarks of popular POIs to support easier direction references.

"NAVTEQ used research to develop a map database to meet the specific needs of Indian travelers," stated Tarun Harnathka, product manager India. "The NAVTEQ global data specification supports up to 260 attributes, including the most popular categories for directions in India. We used this insight to collect the attributes that are most valuable to Indian drivers including a 300% increase in POI and 3D landmarks, one of the more commonly used visual cues."

NAVTEQ's coverage in India includes eighty-four cities enabling full turn by turn navigation. Additional coverage now enables routing to tens of thousands of hamlets with comprehensive highway coverage that enables travelers to get to major population areas where NAVTEQ has more detailed coverage.

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 4,400 employees located in 192 offices and in 43 countries.

NAVTEQ is a trademark in the U.S. and other countries. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE NAVTEQ

Web site: http://www.navteq.com/