Nokia brings live traffic advice and geocoding to Bing

Published by Pino Bonetti on May 24, 2012

Bing Maps powered by Nokia

As you all know, our partnership with Microsoft goes beyond Windows Phone on our Nokia Lumia smartphones. We’re also teaming up with Bing to offer the best location-based services and apps.

One of the results of this partnership is available today: we’re pleased to announce that Bing Maps is now using our Nokia Maps traffic information and geocoding algorithms (taking latitude and longitude information and connecting that to a readable address).

This is one example of the power of Nokia’s Where Platform, which we outlined last month: as well as Nokia location-based apps built on this platform, we are also offering compelling, market-leading functionalities to third parties to help them quickly and easily create their own app experiences with location-based features.

Traffic comes to Bing

Thanks to Nokia’s Where Platform, Bing Maps can now offer traffic information in 24 countries (Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, UK and US).

Bing Maps powered by Nokia

People in nearly all these countries will also be able to find out about incidents that might disrupt their journeys. Also, the traffic information in the US that was already available on Bing Maps now includes side streets.

Although traffic information is the most visible feature that Nokia Maps is offering to Bing Maps at this stage, there are also other improvements.

Most notably, Bing Maps is now using Nokia Maps geocoding in several countries to offer better routes and directions for people around the globe.

Magic in the numbers

What does this mean exactly? Geocoding (and reverse-geocoding) is a series of algorithms that are the essence of digital maps. This is the magic behind Nokia Maps.

Back in the day, you had to browse an index of towns or streets to find their location on a paper map. Now you just perform a search and what you are looking for is one click or tap away.

It’s how we know that Seattle’s Space Needle is at the geocoordinates N47° 37′ 13.807″, W122° 20′ 57.088″ and vice versa. But in practical terms it means something simpler yet: you can find places and get to them faster than ever.

Watch this space for more ways that Nokia will become the engine powering Bing Maps on Windows Phone devices and applications.

Comments

  • Anonymous

    Awesome. As I expected.

  • Anonymous

    Awesome. As I expected.

  • Anonymous

    Awesome. As I expected.

  • Anonymous

    This is great help to the Windows ecosystem. Amazing job Nokia, now lets get more coverage and features.

  • Anonymous

    Great news guys, but I’m not getting the option to enable this in the UK. Do I have to wait a while for it to be rolled out or should it be available now?

    (Unlocked, unbranded HTC Titan)

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      In the context menu, you should be able to see show/hide traffic. If not, just wait a couple of days until the roll out has been completed.

      • Anonymous

         I’ll be patient then, thanks :)

      • theloz

        Hi Pino,

        I’ve waited 5 days and I still don’t have traffic in the UK. Are you sure this is coming? Last time I checked, Bing Maps (on the phone) did NOT support traffic. This is certainly backed up by my experience.

        • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

          Hi @theloz:disqus, still nothing? You should check this with Microsoft, I am also trying to get an answer from them. A quick fix would be to temporarily switch your phone locale to English US.

  • Anonymous

    as always you are the best smartphone partner for microsoft :)

  • http://twitter.com/Metromenguide Metromen.Net

     Awesome!

  • http://twitter.com/Hdrules Hradayesh Nimavat

    Nokia’s efforts are great in making 3rd ecosystem windows phone more competitive but why Nokia making Bing maps so feature rich that people would not upgrade their current non-nokia windows phone to new Nokia windows phone as Nokia maps being one of the main differentiation in Nokia’s unique offering in their windows phone line ups!

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      Hi @twitter-329186169:disqus, I think that the Nokia Lumia smartphones differentiate themselves enough. With location apps (Nokia Maps is not only about traffic info, Nokia Drive, Nokia City Lens, …), other exclusive apps and great design.
      But our partnership with Microsoft and our Location&Commerce business has other elements, like opening our platform to 3rd players. If you want to know more, you can read this other post http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/04/03/the-location-business-%E2%80%93-nokia%E2%80%99s-where-platform/

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      Hi @twitter-329186169:disqus, I think that the Nokia Lumia smartphones differentiate themselves enough. With location apps (Nokia Maps is not only about traffic info, Nokia Drive, Nokia City Lens, …), other exclusive apps and great design.
      But our partnership with Microsoft and our Location&Commerce business has other elements, like opening our platform to 3rd players. If you want to know more, you can read this other post http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/04/03/the-location-business-%E2%80%93-nokia%E2%80%99s-where-platform/

  • http://twitter.com/DylanG0D Давыдов Владимир

    Traffic info for the Ukraine is available too!!!

  • http://twitter.com/StefEBear Stefan

    Australia of course misses out yet again :(

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      I’m sorry @twitter-159018419:disqus, but as a personal Australia fan, I’m also looking forward to extend these services to OZ too. We just have to be a bit patient sometimes.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      I’m sorry @twitter-159018419:disqus, but as a personal Australia fan, I’m also looking forward to extend these services to OZ too. We just have to be a bit patient sometimes.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      I’m sorry @twitter-159018419:disqus, but as a personal Australia fan, I’m also looking forward to extend these services to OZ too. We just have to be a bit patient sometimes.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      I’m sorry @twitter-159018419:disqus, but as a personal Australia fan, I’m also looking forward to extend these services to OZ too. We just have to be a bit patient sometimes.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      I’m sorry @twitter-159018419:disqus, but as a personal Australia fan, I’m also looking forward to extend these services to OZ too. We just have to be a bit patient sometimes.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      I’m sorry @twitter-159018419:disqus, but as a personal Australia fan, I’m also looking forward to extend these services to OZ too. We just have to be a bit patient sometimes.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      I’m sorry @twitter-159018419:disqus, but as a personal Australia fan, I’m also looking forward to extend these services to OZ too. We just have to be a bit patient sometimes.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      I’m sorry @twitter-159018419:disqus, but as a personal Australia fan, I’m also looking forward to extend these services to OZ too. We just have to be a bit patient sometimes.

  • Jack Wang

    Nokia Maps doesn’t have Japan anymore. You made Maps useless for many of us who travel to that and other countries. (Although with 5MB of map data for all of Japan, it wasn’t useful to begin with… but you decided zero is a closer goal than to 100, so you gave up entirely)

    Perhaps it’s a good time to abandon Nokia, too, now that NavDroyd OpenStreetMap db beats Nokia’s zero coverage in countries like Japan, Samsung’s 8MP sensors (in the HTC One X) approaching N8 quality (noisier and poor algorithms, yes, but lots software and UI optimization headroom), and Microsoft showing a bleak, locked down, and clueless future in the sorry state of WinRT “App Previews”.

    And while you’re in the process of throwing away 3 Symbian features for every one of Lumia’s you add, leaving them to rot, you might as well shutter the disgraceful Nokia Store. Tiny screenshots, useless reviews (no helpful/unhelpful votes), haphazard regional availability, and dying developer interest. I have no idea how new an app is, because of a lack of basic stats such as release history. I don’t even know if I’m buying an app the developer abandoned long ago.

    I guess I was spoiled by the old Betalabs, where free goodies like camera UI enhancements would be added for the N8. Now it’s become another Ovi Store… Lumia advertising platform with S40 on the side. Nothing interesting or useful for months for dedicated users.

    It’s a waste of time now to invest in any more attention to Symbian or Nokia.

    Why not get a Lenovo A1 tablet with a Nokia N9-class TI processor for well under
    USD$150, and move with the times?

    Goodbye Nokia, your dual SIM 101 shall last me until WP9 (firesale) arrives, and I sincerely hope you last that long. Because that will mean you finally snapped out of your incompetence, ignorance, and actually did something about customer needs and user feedback.

  • Jack Wang

    Nokia Maps doesn’t have Japan anymore. You made Maps useless for many of us who travel to that and other countries. (Although with 5MB of map data for all of Japan, it wasn’t useful to begin with… but you decided zero is a closer goal than to 100, so you gave up entirely)

    Perhaps it’s a good time to abandon Nokia, too, now that NavDroyd OpenStreetMap db beats Nokia’s zero coverage in countries like Japan, Samsung’s 8MP sensors (in the HTC One X) approaching N8 quality (noisier and poor algorithms, yes, but lots software and UI optimization headroom), and Microsoft showing a bleak, locked down, and clueless future in the sorry state of WinRT “App Previews”.

    And while you’re in the process of throwing away 3 Symbian features for every one of Lumia’s you add, leaving them to rot, you might as well shutter the disgraceful Nokia Store. Tiny screenshots, useless reviews (no helpful/unhelpful votes), haphazard regional availability, and dying developer interest. I have no idea how new an app is, because of a lack of basic stats such as release history. I don’t even know if I’m buying an app the developer abandoned long ago.

    I guess I was spoiled by the old Betalabs, where free goodies like camera UI enhancements would be added for the N8. Now it’s become another Ovi Store… Lumia advertising platform with S40 on the side. Nothing interesting or useful for months for dedicated users.

    It’s a waste of time now to invest in any more attention to Symbian or Nokia.

    Why not get a Lenovo A1 tablet with a Nokia N9-class TI processor for well under
    USD$150, and move with the times?

    Goodbye Nokia, your dual SIM 101 shall last me until WP9 (firesale) arrives, and I sincerely hope you last that long. Because that will mean you finally snapped out of your incompetence, ignorance, and actually did something about customer needs and user feedback.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      Thank you @google-ccc63f658d67dd24c1c97ca59ed38e20:disqus for your extensive feedback and I’m sorry to see you go.
      Nevertheless, I would like to answer some of your questions.
      We don’t have maps in Japan because currently the quality of the data we have collected there is not enough to match the local expectation. This doesn’t mean that we have given up.
      We are also not throwing away any Symbian feature, we are porting them over to Nokia Lumia together with new ones and I must say the development teams are doing a great job.
      And on Nokia Beta Labs there are so many apps available to be tested (and for free), that I basically don’t really see your point there.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Go-Seki/547248257 Go Seki

        maybe this is one of the few small good things to come out of the Microsoft / Nokia collaboration.

        Bing maps has pretty reasonable Japan maps ..
        Time to integrate them into Nokia Maps and fill this disturbing black hole.

        I always use Google maps when travelling in Japan.
        The reason that Nokia doesn’t have decent Japan maps is that Nokia devices are not sold in Japan.

        I would just like to add that I will never buy a Nokia Windows Phone.

      • Anonymous

        He was speaking about features, not apps which are getting ported over to Windows Phone.

        • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

          Hi @Kadusch:disqus, my answer is valid for both cases. Nokia’s experience in mobile isn’t getting lost just because we are using Windows Phone as main smartphone platform.

          • Anonymous

            The problem is, they are losing the experience in their main smartphone platform. 

            Nokia should brand their Windows Phone simply Lumia and remove the Nokia logo from it to avoid more damage to the brand!

          • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

            I don’t understand this one. Our main smartphone platform is Windows Phone and we have plenty of learning to bring in.

      • Anonymous

        He was speaking about features, not apps which are getting ported over to Windows Phone.

  • http://twitter.com/sgergely Gergely Schmidt

    Bing is a crapware. Sorry for saying that but I’ve tried to search several times in Europe and I never ever found anything with it.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      Have you ever used Nokia Maps, @twitter-16025085:disqus ? I would love to know what you think about it.

  • NMo9

    Is Bing using only Navteq’s traffic data & geocoding algorithms or they are using Navteq data in the maps?

    The Nokia-MS deal did mention that Bing will use Navteq maps but I haven’t heard any news regarding that.

    Also, wonder if MS will pay Nokia for using the traffic data & algorithm.

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      Hi @NMo9:disqus, as you might know, a mapping service has different components: the map data, the services and then the apps built on top.
      Think of Bing Maps as an app built on top of two layers provided by Nokia: the Navteq maps (now part of Nokia offering) and services like those mentioned in this post.

      • NMo9

        I understand the Mapping service consist of different parts. And my question is based on that. As far as I know, Bing Maps (not just the app on WP but the maps across all MS products) still isn’t using Nokia map data but  the Nokia-MS deal states they’ll. I want to know if they are using Nokia mapdata or not.

        • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

          Hi @NMo9:disqus, does this screenshot from Bing Maps answer your question?

          • NMo9

            Thank you for the clarification.

          • NMo9

            Thank you for the clarification.

          • NMo9

            Thank you for the clarification.

          • NMo9

            Thank you for the clarification.

          • NMo9

            Thank you for the clarification.

          • NMo9

            Thank you for the clarification.

        • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

          Hi @NMo9:disqus, does this screenshot from Bing Maps answer your question?

        • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

          Hi @NMo9:disqus, does this screenshot from Bing Maps answer your question?

      • NMo9

        I understand the Mapping service consist of different parts. And my question is based on that. As far as I know, Bing Maps (not just the app on WP but the maps across all MS products) still isn’t using Nokia map data but  the Nokia-MS deal states they’ll. I want to know if they are using Nokia mapdata or not.

      • NMo9

        I understand the Mapping service consist of different parts. And my question is based on that. As far as I know, Bing Maps (not just the app on WP but the maps across all MS products) still isn’t using Nokia map data but  the Nokia-MS deal states they’ll. I want to know if they are using Nokia mapdata or not.

      • NMo9

        I understand the Mapping service consist of different parts. And my question is based on that. As far as I know, Bing Maps (not just the app on WP but the maps across all MS products) still isn’t using Nokia map data but  the Nokia-MS deal states they’ll. I want to know if they are using Nokia mapdata or not.

  • NMo9

    Is Bing using only Navteq’s traffic data & geocoding algorithms or they are using Navteq data in the maps?

    The Nokia-MS deal did mention that Bing will use Navteq maps but I haven’t heard any news regarding that.

    Also, wonder if MS will pay Nokia for using the traffic data & algorithm.

  • NMo9

    Is Bing using only Navteq’s traffic data & geocoding algorithms or they are using Navteq data in the maps?

    The Nokia-MS deal did mention that Bing will use Navteq maps but I haven’t heard any news regarding that.

    Also, wonder if MS will pay Nokia for using the traffic data & algorithm.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/2CKURNTALNKLQLWXAQKAOPZR3I SkyLark Pilot

    “Bing Maps is now using Nokia Maps geocoding in several countries to offer better routes and directions”

    Is their a list of which countries are now using Nokia geocoding and which countries are still using Bing?

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      The is no such a list because the coverage is in constant expansion.

  • Pingback: 2011 Coolest Gadgets: Waiting to be Tamed! - Nokia delivers live traffic advice and geocoding to Bing platform

  • Pingback: - Cambridgeshire Web Design - Affordable Website Design in Cambridgeshire

  • Pingback: » Remains of the Day: LimeWire’s $72 Trillion "Fine" [For What It's Worth] / UniBlogg

  • Pingback: » Nokia has its wicked way with Bing Maps, stork delivers traffic advice and geocoding Gamez Menu

  • Pingback: » Bing começa a usar dados de trânsito em tempo real da Nokia

  • Reinout Verslyppe

    Does that mean we can someday expect to have Local Scout in the non-supported countries, based on Nokia data? Would be awesome!
     

    • http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

      Hi @google-2e4001ccba8e935cabaabbc42ed64440:disqus, Local Scout is an app developed by Bing so you should redirect this question to them. If you have a Nokia Lumia consider using Nokia Maps which has a similar feature to Local Scout.

  • Pingback: - Loja do Telemóvel

  • Pingback: Geospatial Redux: Free GIS eBook, Crowdsourcing Maps with USAID, Listen to Your Maps, 2012 National Geographic Bee Winner | GIS Lounge

  • Pingback: Nokia irá fornecer dados sobre o trânsito para o Bing Maps | Web Developer IT

  • Pingback: Experience the best of Europe and Africa with Malaysian Harmony … | Your Travel Advisor - Holidays

  • Pingback: Nokia has its wicked way with Bing Maps, stork delivers traffic advice and geocoding | Family Vacation Ideas Kids

  • Pingback: Nokia ja Microsoft valtaavat pian olohuoneesi | Sulava

  • Pingback: Nokia Maps for Lumia Windows Phones updated to version 2.0 – ZDNet (blog) « «

  • Pingback: Nokia Maps potrebbe diventare l’applicazione di default per le mappe dei Nokia Windows Phone | Windowsteca - Windows Phone Blog

  • Pingback: Nokia has its wicked way with Bing Maps, stork delivers traffic advice and geocoding : iGeeky

  • Martin Leopold

    Hi,
    How about Nokia maps and devices? I’m looking at my location (Copenhagen) which is included in the list and available on Bing, but not on maps.nokia.com. That seems a bit strange. And what about on the devices? My C7 doesn’t show traffic info for my location either.

    Br,
    Martin