BigTinCan adds NearMap's aerial photos to Aussie maps on BlackBerry

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 03 March 2010 12:14

Your IT - Mobility

Australian mobile applications developer, BigTinCan, has integrated aerial photography from Australian company NearMap into its mapping application for the BlackBerry, along with other new features such a cell-site based location and search and routing services and plans to add turn by turn navigation in Q2 of 2010.

BlackBerry developer Research in Motion provides its own map application for BlackBerries but does not yet have maps available for Australia. BlackBerry users can download Google Maps, but these do not integrate with the BlackBerries' GPS navigation.

BigTinCan's mapper uses the OpenStreetMap, a free editable map of the world that allows users to view, edit and use geographical data in a collaborative way from anywhere on Earth. It is billed as "the Wikipedia of maps" in that individual users can submit information to update the maps.

BigTinCan CEO, David Keane, said: "The big news in BigTinCan Mapper for BlackBerry is that the OSM map data is being used to render maps for all of South East Asia - including adding the search and route to options. These are areas that have traditionally been difficult to map for the existing commercial mapping players...We expect to get hundreds of thousands of new users contributing to OSM with in the next 12 months."

He said the cell site navigation option - that enables users to determine their approximate position in relation to nearby cellular network towers - was a useful feature in built up areas or indoors when GPS satellite signals are difficult to receive.

Mapper 2.0 for the BlackBerrry also includes an updated version of BigTinCan's TidyMyStreet service that lets users update a global database of "street bugs" that are then viewable on the www.tidymystreet.com portal. The idea is that local government and community groups can then get immediate access to new points and can make changes and update the points as the 'street bugs' are fixed.

Perth-based NearMap's areal photography covers many Australian cities and is claimed to be far superior to Google Earth and Microsoft Bing because the photography is taken from low flying aircraft, not satellites. The company was acquired by Ipernica (ASX: IPX) in 2008.

CONTINUED