Nokia teams up with T2T to map Africa POIs

Nokia is partnering with the Tsitsikamma to Tataouine Expedition (T2T) to build HERE map content for the African continent.

The expedition, which headed off from Tsitsikamma in South Africa on 5 October, sees three explorers travel across 24 countries in Africa over 165 days, covering a distance of more than 30,000km.

As part of their vehicle equipment, the team will be carrying a HERE powered GPS device to collect the geometry and Points of Interest (POI’s) they pass on route, primarily for the towns and tourist attractions they visit. The data collected will then be emailed back to the Nokia Sub Sahara HERE team in Johannesburg to be added to the database every two weeks, improving map content within Africa.

‚”We are incredibly excited to be working closely with the T2T expedition team,‚” says Yoganathan Naidoo from HERE. ‚”They will be able to collect valuable information such as road names, speed restrictions, road quality and geometry. They will also be able to accurately capture new POI’s including petrol stations, accommodation, shops, schools, places to eat, border posts, and more‚”.

HERE already provides automotive grade maps for many countries in Africa, including South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Morocco, Egypt and Reunion. Here data is field collected and verified, ensuring that HERE maps are the most accurate and up to date available. By working with T2T, the data collected will be used to update the Here map content.

Nokia has also provided the team – Matt and Tracy Angus-Hammond and Ishtar Lakhani with Nokia Lumia smartphones for the journey. These will be used to stay in touch, capture incredible images along the route and provide regular updates through their social media channels, all directly from their phones.

The aim of the expedition is to showcase the African continent and help others to see it differently, to leave a lasting impression by establishing 44 school food gardens along the route and to highlight the realities of living on US$1.25 a day, which the group will do in certain countries. It is about building understanding and community involvement. To this end, Nokia is also encouraging T2T followers and communities on route to support the team by using the Map Creator tool available on www.here.com to map roads and POIs to help them plan and navigate their way through Africa. To be part of this exciting community mapping project, please send an email toT2TAfrica@here.com.

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