Mapmaker Here is going to collect live information about traffic jams, slipperiness and fog

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Mapmaker Here, formerly a division of Nokia, will provide live traffic information, fed by data from cars from BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen. The mapmaker also wants to work with other companies in the future. The system will be released in the first half of 2017.

In addition to providing information about traffic jams, the service will alert motorists to risky situations on the route, such as fog, slipperiness, temporary road signs and dangerously parked cars, Reuters writes. The service will draw its data from information from brakes, wipers, headlights, location services, cameras and other sensors on modern cars with an internet connection and a system to collect information from sensors. It is unknown whether and, if so, in what way the car manufacturers anonymize the information to guarantee the privacy of motorists.

It is the first project in which German automakers BMW, Daimler and Audi have collaborated since they bought Nokia’s Here division last year for 2.8 billion euros. Here is a company that focuses on collecting map information and selling it to various agencies, such as Jaguar, Ford and Volvo in addition to the German car manufacturers.

The company has indicated that it expects other automakers to join the project at a later date. Presumably, the live information will also be for sale to other companies. It is not known whether the information will also be in the Here WeGo smartphone app.

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