Nokia's HERE unveils new Connected Driving solution

HERE, Nokia's location services business, has unveiled a Connected Driving solution, facilitating car makers and in-vehicle technology suppliers to connect the car and the driver to the cloud, bringing them online.

The offering comprises of HERE Auto, HERE Auto Cloud, and HERE Auto Companion. In addition to the new offerings, HERE also claims to have improved its Traffic product, HERE Traffic, by building a new system to process data even faster and more accurately than previously.

According to the company, HERE Auto is the first embedded in-car navigation experience that delivers the right map at the right moment and works with and without a data connection. The product offers drivers turn-by-turn voice guided navigation in 95 countries and 2D, 3D and satellite map views including street level imagery. Car makers will be able to extend the HERE Auto experience using a software development kit (SDK) to create entertainment and other applications, related to music and social networking as well.

HERE Auto is already integrated in automotive product company, Continental's next generation Open Infotainment Platform. HERE says it is also working with partners such as Magneti Marelli and others to bring HERE Auto to the market in the coming months.

The HERE Auto Cloud offers drivers always-on access to several dynamic services such as real-time traffic updates, helping drivers avoid congested areas, road closures or blockages that occur en route. Drivers can also get recommendations on places to eat, parking spots, information on where to charge an electric vehicle or where to find the most inexpensive fuel.

Meanwhile, HERE Auto Companion, is a customisable mobile and Web application, that keeps drivers connected outside of the car allowing them to synchronise their favourite places and routes across their devices so that they won't need to re-enter their route when they get in the driver's seat.

Car makers can tap assets from the existing HERE suite such as walking navigation, public transit routes and even indoor venue maps to build custom mobile applications, according to the company. Drivers could use the app to remotely find their car with their device using LiveSight augmented reality technology and check the car's vital stats such as fuel levels and tyre pressure.

HERE Traffic has been radically improved by "Halo," HERE's new engine that processes data quickly and accurately. The company claims to be collecting greater numbers of high-quality data, such as probe points and sensor information to deliver real-time information such as weather, traffic congestion, road construction and other factors that affect a drive. It says that its improved Traffic product offers improved travel time estimates.

HERE will demonstrate the Connected Driving offering at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany starting September 10.