DENVER—OnTerra Systems, a software company that specializes in web mapping products, introduced a new version of its “RouteSavvy” route planning software. The “RouteSavvy 2.0” software will include a mapping platform from Here Technologies, a mapping technology and location data company.
The current version of the route software was built using Bing Maps technology. The company said the RouteSavvy 2.0 will use a Here Technologies platform, which aims to enhance the product and utilize new mapping features and data.
“OnTerra Systems developed RouteSavvy 2.0 based on the Here Technologies platform for many good reasons,” said Steve Milroy, president of OnTerra Systems. “First and foremost, Here Technologies is, by far, the best mapping platform on the market for quality of mapping, performance and cost effectiveness. It’s a strategic move for OnTerra Systems to partner with Here Technologies. It’s also a good move for customers, who will have access to comprehensive web maps at a cost-effective price point.”
The new version of RouteSavvy aims to offer improvements in functionality, data quality and performance, including:
- Web Mapping Data: Here Technologies generates and owns their map data, which aims to provide comprehensive and accurate coverage. The company’s mapping data includes new addresses, new streets and routing data that are frequently updated.
- Geo-Coding: Here Technologies seeks to offer accurate geo-coding (the process of converting a location description, address or place name into geographic coordinates, such as latitude and longitude). This service aims to allow RouteSavvy users to accurately upload their address data into the RouteSavvy platform.
- Visualization of Maps. The map format provided by Here Technologies is intends to be easy to read and view by users.
- Vector-Based Maps. Here Technologies offers vector-based maps that are compatible with modern web browsers. This seeks to allow better map performance in the user’s web browser, as well as more ease of use for actions like zooming in on a map.
- Traffic Data Availability. Here Technologies’ platform includes live traffic data, which can be useful for RouteSavvy users who want to see a current traffic flow—which is color-coded to show speeds and traffic incident data—when planning routes.
The company said existing RouteSavvy users will be able to continue their use of the original RouteSavvy software for a limited time and will be able to switch to the 2.0 version when they choose to do so, as it has an identical user interface to the existing version.
