HERE Technologies Provides Global Mapping and Location Intelligence Services

HERE Technologies: A Global Leader in Mapping and Location Intelligence

HERE Technologies is a Netherlands-based multinational organization that provides mapping, location data, and related automotive services to both individual users and corporate clients. As a central player in the geospatial industry, the company’s core business model focuses on capturing, selling, and licensing high-precision location content, including road networks, building footprints, park data, and traffic patterns.

Corporate Structure and Industry Presence

The firm is majority-owned by a consortium of major German automotive manufacturers—specifically Audi, BMW, and the Mercedes-Benz Group—alongside the American semiconductor company Intel. Several other undisclosed companies hold minority stakes in the organization. The company’s roots extend back to 1985 with the founding of the U.S.-based company Karlin & Collins, Inc., which later became Navigation Technologies Corporation and eventually Navteq. At the time of its acquisition by Nokia in 2007 for $8.1 billion, Navteq was recognized as the largest manufacturer of automotive-grade map data for vehicle navigation systems. Following the acquisition, Nokia integrated these assets with its own mapping initiatives, eventually rebranding the unified service as “HERE” in 2012 to consolidate its satellite navigation and location-based offerings under a single identity.

Core Services and Technical Capabilities

HERE Technologies provides a suite of location-based services that support a wide range of industries. Its primary offerings include: * Automated and Assisted Driving: The company develops systems intended to improve the reliability and safety of automated driving at all levels of automation. * Fleet Management: HERE provides intelligent planning tools designed to assist in complex fleet routing, aiming to boost delivery performance and reduce operational costs. * Agentic AI: The platform equips AI agents with “spatial intelligence,” allowing them to interpret real-world location context to provide consistent, accurate decision-making. * Platform Services: Through the Here WeGo application, the company provides navigation services to computers and smartphones. The company’s technical infrastructure is extensive. As of 2013, its database included maps covering approximately 200 countries, voice-guided navigation, and indoor maps for 49,000 unique buildings across 45 countries.

For more on this story, see HERE Technologies Provides Global Mapping Data for Automotive and AI Industries.

Third-Party Licensing and Partnerships

A significant portion of the company’s revenue is derived from licensing its mapping content and location services to other major corporations. Business partners and clients have included Garmin, Oracle Corporation, Amazon.com, and Alpine Electronics. Historically, the company has provided location services for various GIS and government clients, as well as major technology platforms. For instance, the company provided mapping data for Microsoft Bing from 2012 through 2020. It has also supported Meta Platforms, Yahoo! Maps, and early iterations of the Samsung Gear S2 mapping application. According to the company, over 8,000 leading OEM brands rely on its location-based solutions, and its services have been integrated into more than 800 million vehicles shipped globally.

Strategic Development and Acquisitions

The company’s current capabilities are the result of years of strategic acquisitions and internal development. Under the ownership of Nokia, the firm acquired several key technology companies to bolster its location intelligence: * EarthMine (2012): Specialized in street-level 3D image capture. * MetaCarta (2010): A leader in enterprise local search, widely used by military and security sectors. * Medio (2014): A Seattle-based startup focused on predictive analytics. * Gate 5 (2006): A Berlin-based route-planning software company that served as a cornerstone for the development of Nokia Maps. Today, the company continues to focus on “Location Reasoning,” an effort to redefine geospatial grounding for AI-driven decision-making. By providing real-time map updates and predictive routing, HERE aims to optimize mobility performance while offering its clients control over data privacy and security. The company recently noted that its platforms have been ranked at the top of the Omdia Location Platform Index.

This follows our earlier report, HERE Technologies: Mapping and Location Services.

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