Telstra's Sensis to offer Google-beating Aussie NearMaps

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 06 October 2010 15:01

IT Industry - Deals

Telstra subsidiary Sensis has struck a deal with Perth based Ipernica (ASX: IPR) under which it will use Ipernica's NearMap aerial imagery to improve its B2B mapping and navigation products.

The memorandum of understanding forms a basis where both Sensis and NearMap.com can on-sell either company's products to new or existing government or commercial clients in Australia and New Zealand. Sensis says the deal will add value to its existing range of B2B products, including in-car navigation and routing systems, by having all routing, tracking and mapping requirements available from one provider.

NearMap is an Australian company acquired by Ipernica in 2008 and whose mapping technology and map information Ipernica has positioned as being superior to Google Maps.

Unlike Google, which uses satellite imagery, NearMap's imagery is generated from aircraft-mounted cameras. It provides both a top down view and oblique views from all four cardinal compass points and a digital terrain map (heights of individual points).

A key advantage is claimed to be currency and frequency of updates - NearMap has been flying Australia's five largest cities monthly and says this regular updating both ensures currency of information and enables users to see changes over time, such as the construction of new roads, and erosion of coastal zones.

Significantly it claims to be able to carry out its surveys and to process and serve the results at much less cost and much quicker than competing aerial mapping technologies. At the time of its acquisition by Ipernica, it claimed to be able to fly and map the whole of Australia for about $100m compared to $1 billion with traditional aerial mapping technologies.

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