CHICAGO, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, today announced a new technology agreement which will allow NAVTEQ to more rapidly deploy innovative collection capabilities and accelerate the collection, creation and storage of 3D map data and visuals. NAVTEQ and Microsoft have agreed to work together to support technological advancements in this area, through which NAVTEQ will also provide Microsoft Corp. with 3D map data and visuals to power new mapping features.

NAVTEQ has consistently invested resources in bringing technological innovation to the development of capabilities which deliver the highest quality digital map data and enable the collection of advanced attributes, such as road curvature and Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) geometry. The company has also been a long-time provider of map data to Microsoft, having enjoyed a strong global business relationship for the past ten years. With this new relationship NAVTEQ elevates its alliance with a trusted collaborator to help advance important 3D collection technologies which, when integrated into NAVTEQ's broader proprietary data collection process, will support the capture of a range of advanced navigable map features at an exceptional level of accuracy and scale.

NAVTEQ will be integrating these new technologies into its field collection vehicles and the company's full roster of customers will be able to benefit from this technology deployment. This will accelerate not only the efficient integration of 3D visuals into the NAVTEQ(R) map, but also new product development which will reap benefits across the full range of NAVTEQ's product portfolio. Microsoft will be able to deploy the visuals generated through these efforts to their consumers via Bing Maps.

"Microsoft is extremely enthusiastic about this new chapter in its relationship with NAVTEQ and is focused on bringing the mapping experience alive for our consumers, using street level visuals powered by NAVTEQ," said Erik Jorgensen, corporate vice president of MSN at Microsoft. "The opportunity to work more closely with NAVTEQ and leverage our respective technological strengths for the overall advancement of this type of data collection is a true 'win- win' for both companies, and for consumers."

"NAVTEQ continues to believe that the quality of data collection, which provides the building blocks for the underlying digital map in any navigation or location-enabled device, is paramount to a superior user experience. Microsoft shares this view, and openly welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with NAVTEQ in new ways to accelerate the development of technologies which we believe are crucial to the growing expectations of consumers using NAVTEQ maps," stated Cliff Fox, executive vice president, NAVTEQ Maps.

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 195 offices and in 44 countries.

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

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