Data Services

deCarta has formed extensive technology and licensing partnerships with the industry's leading content providers, giving you access to a comprehensive selection of map data and map-related data throughout the world.

Map Data

Map data forms the geometric framework and attribution required for the core functionality of advanced mapping applications built on deCarta technology. The functionality includes:

• Map display
• Geocoding and reverse geocoding
• Positioning
• Route planning
• Route guidance
• POI access & local search

 

deCarta software products work seamlessly with map data from three of the world's leading providers.

NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. NAVTEQ creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services solutions around the world. Its maps span over 72 countries and territories on six continents. Concentrated heavily in Europe and North America, the NAVTEQ map database continues its expansion into numerous markets around the world.

Tele Atlas is a leading worldwide provider of digital maps and location content for a variety of wireless, navigation, internet, location-based and geospatial applications. Tele Atlas' database is a highly accurate and current representation of the street network, enabling turn-by-turn route guidance on a majority of North American and European roads as well as selected countries in the Asia Pacific, Latin America and Africa regions. The Tele Atlas change detection processes, couple data compiled from thousands of authoritative sources with supplemental information compiled by a robust and experienced Tele Atlas field collection and validation force, thereby offering the location-aware mobile marketplace and developer community highly accurate data quickly and efficiently.

AND Automotive Navigation Data is a leading provider of digital mapping data used for location-based services around the world. AND Automotive Navigation Data focuses on the development of digital maps in Europe, North-Africa, Central and South America and Australia. The digital maps are used in personal and 'in-car' navigation, Internet-based mapping, fleet management and more.

POIs

POIs are searchable and routable locations that provide information about landmarks & services. There are two major types of POIs

1. Non-commercial POIs
   Static, non-volatile: collected and verified by map data vendors
   - Airports, museums, public buildings, stadiums, historical landmarks, etc.


2. Commercial Listings
   Static, volatile: Collected and geocoded mostly from 3rd party vendors
   - Hotels, restaurants, travel services, etc.

A core set of POIs is provided as part of the map database vendors' products. More extensive listings are available from NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas as premium add-ons. Contact your deCarta Account Manager for details about POI categories in the core and extended listings.

Satellite Imagery

Application developers can create "hybrid maps" consisting of vector-oriented map data with satellite imagery from Digital Globe. Hybrid maps provide additional visual background context that is especially useful for consumer internet, asset tracking, and real estate applications.

One of the world's leading providers of high resolution commercial imagery, Digital Globe is the only company that operates a constellation of satellites capable of producing images at sub-meter accuracy. The company's technical superiority, customer service, business partner network, and open systems philosophy make Digital Globe a preferred supplier of imagery to government and commercial markets.

deCarta and Digital Globe have collaborated on a seamless interface between deCarta's Web services API and Digital Globe's Image Server within the deCarta AJAX framework. This enables easy generation of "hybrid" maps.

Real-Time Traffic Data

Real-time traffic data helps determine the true expected travel time and optimal routes based on current or predicted traffic conditions. Traffic data suppliers aggregate traffic data from commercial, governmental, and other sources. Traffic data coverage is generally related to the type of road:

• Real-time incident and flow data on freeways
• Historical/predictive data for arterials
• GPS-equipped vehicle probes extend coverage on minor roads.

deCarta's Traffic Manager^™ extension manages real-time traffic and incident data feeds , providing enhanced routing and more accurate travel times, which can be used for:

• Connected navigation services
• Fleet-tracking and routing applications
• Wireless location and navigation systems
• Internet - Portal, real estate and travel web sites

Traffic Manager is compatible with feeds from the leading traffic data suppliers for the United States and parts of Canada.

Fuel Prices

Historically-high gasoline have given rise to interest in access to current fuel prices as a feature of connected navigation services, Asset Tracking & Routing applications, and Consumer Internet applications. Through an Agreement with GasBuddy.com, application developers can search and display fuel prices along a route or in the general vicinity of a user's location.

Data Formats

Rich Map Format (RMF)
RMF is deCarta's proprietary and patented data format intended for server-based applications using DDS. It is a highly compact, binary format optimized for spatial query processing and lies at the heart of deCarta technology. In fact, some of deCarta's advantages derive directly from exclusive utilization of RMF.

RMF is partly a compaction (not compression) scheme. RMF reduces the "white noise" present in other data formats by a clever and efficient encoding of the data. Fixed-width fields clearly demonstrate the concept of "white noise". A fixed-width field of 25 characters is always 25 characters long regardless of whether any information is present. In the RMF, only useable information makes it in; "white noise" disappears.

RMF further reduces the file size by eliminating redundancies that can add many megabytes of redundant information in some formats. For example, a stretch of road may have the same name for nine segments. Instead of assigning the same name to each of those nine segments, RMF assigns the name once for a designated origin and destination.

RMF reduces the file size one more time by converting the data into a binary format. This compaction methodology results in file sizes that typically range from 1/10th to 1/15th the file size of the original source data.

The primary advantage of RMF is that it is spatially organized. A spatial format organizes data in a multi-dimensional fashion such that features near each other in reality get stored close together in the database. For example two gas stations located on opposite corners of an intersection, as illustrated in the following figure.

Sample Points of Interest
In a sequential file sorted by name, address, or street name, these points of interest (POIs) would be located at opposite ends of the data set with thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of records in between. In a spatially organized format, the items are located adjacent to each other, just like they are in the real world. This means that once you find a location in a spatially formatted dataset, you can quickly find other close by POIs, addresses, features, etc.

Rich Map Navigational (RMN)
RMN leverages the same performance and data footprint advantages of RMF for applications on embedded devices. It features a highly specialized format and file structures specifically designed and packaged for use with the NavSDK and White Label Navigation Application. In addition to map data and POIs, RMN features:

• 5 layers for optimized zoom views
• Indexes for supported languages and phonemes (voice-enabling data)
• Accessory files that support non-Text To Speech voice for all supported languages, icons for highway shields and POIs, etc.

Data Services

Standard Map Data Compilation
deCarta offers data compilation for users requiring standard data conversion from our vendors' formats to RMF and RMN. Compiled data is generally delivered with the same frequency that map data is released by vendors (e.g., quarterly, semi-annually, etc). This service allows you to focus internal engineering resources on your core competencies, rather than on processing data.

As an authorized data reseller, deCarta can also offer you data directly. This allows you "one-stop shopping" for both software and content.

Data Conversion From Other Vendors and Formats
deCarta Professional Services offers consulting and compilation services for conversion of non-standard map data from other vendors. These services extend the coverage and content availability beyond the already

deCarta's Data Consulting Staff will review your data requirements and determine your current and future data needs. Issues such as available space, required attributes, and quality needs are discussed in detail. Once the data requirements are complete, deCarta staff will gather information from the marketplace and determine a set of viable data sources for the application. Finally, deCarta will assist you through the acquisition process

Contact your deCarta Account Manager for the range of services provided by deCarta Professional Services.