14 DAY TRIAL // HERE is no longer a part of Nokia, but that doesn't mean the company won't continue to provide customers with some of the best location-based services. Under the new umbrella of a German cars consortium, HERE signed new deals with major companies that need its services.
The most recent one is Microsoft, which is certainly not a new customer. The partnership between HERE and Microsoft is well known among users of location-based services, so the new agreement announced today shouldn't be a surprise for anyone.
So, Microsoft and HERE have just announced they have signed a new multi-year strategic commercial agreement, which will allow the former to continue to use HERE map data and platform services in the development of its products.
Basically, Microsoft can now integrate HERE services and data into some of its own apps and services, including Bing Maps, which powers Cortana, as well as other Microsoft services.
On top of that, the agreement allows Microsoft to implement HERE services and data into Bing Maps API, which is provided to developers via the Azure Marketplace.
But there's more, as HERE announced that the agreement also allows Microsoft's expanded use of its data and services in connection with in-vehicle productivity scenarios.
“Bringing the highest quality maps and geographical services to our consumers and developers is of paramount importance to Microsoft,” said Jordi Ribas, Corporate Vice President, Bing Program Management, Microsoft.
Thanks to the new agreement, Microsoft customers can now rest easy, as their favorite company will have access to some of the most up-to-date, accurate maps available on the market.
In addition, the Redmond-based company will benefit from various HERE services, including real-time road traffic flow and live public transit data.
The multi-year agreement signed recently is effective immediately, so if you're already using some of HERE's services with your Microsoft device, you won't notice any change.