HERE

HERE Technologies is a multinational location-technology company headquartered in the Netherlands. Its business centers on creating, maintaining and licensing digital representations of the physical world, including road networks, addresses, buildings, points of interest, traffic conditions, lane-level information and three-dimensional environments. It supplies this content through software platforms, application programming interfaces, cloud services and embedded automotive systems. The company’s roots reach back to 1985, when the United States-based business that became Navigation Technologies and later NAVTEQ began producing detailed digital road data for vehicle navigation. Nokia acquired NAVTEQ in 2007 and combined it with Nokia’s own mapping activities. Those activities had developed from the Smart2Go service and from Nokia’s 2006 acquisition of Berlin-based route-planning software company Gate5. Nokia subsequently operated mapping, navigation and location services under names including Nokia Maps and Ovi Maps before consolidating the offering under the HERE brand in 2012. Under Nokia, the business expanded beyond traditional automotive map databases. It developed consumer navigation applications, online maps, public-transit and walking directions, traffic information, indoor mapping, three-dimensional city visualization and location APIs. Nokia also acquired or developed businesses and technologies related to social location, local search, predictive analytics, street-level imagery and geospatial data collection. HERE’s data was licensed or integrated by companies including Garmin, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Meta, Yahoo and numerous vehicle manufacturers. Nokia sold HERE in 2015 to a consortium initially formed by Audi, BMW and Daimler, now Mercedes-Benz Group. The transaction repositioned HERE as an independent, industry-oriented location-data company with a particularly strong automotive focus. Later investment and strategic relationships brought in Intel, Bosch, Continental, Pioneer, Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT. The shareholder structure has supported HERE’s development of connected-vehicle services, high-definition maps, cloud-based fleet tools and data products for automated-driving research. The company’s commercial model is primarily business-to-business. It licenses map content and location services to automakers, navigation-device manufacturers, technology companies, logistics providers, telecommunications companies, public-sector organizations and developers. Its automotive portfolio includes embedded navigation, map-update services, connected-car tools, real-time traffic, electric-vehicle routing and high-definition mapping for advanced driver-assistance and automated-driving applications. HERE also sells location intelligence and platform services for logistics, supply-chain planning, asset tracking, retail analysis and geographic information systems. For consumers, HERE operates HERE WeGo, a mapping and navigation application available through mobile and web interfaces. The service provides driving, walking and public-transit directions, voice guidance, offline maps, traffic information and selected indoor and three-dimensional map features. Although the consumer application remains visible, licensing and enterprise services are central to the company’s identity and revenue model. HERE continues to maintain a large global map database and to develop technologies that incorporate vehicle sensors, traffic observations and other sources to improve map freshness and road-safety information.

HERE’s history is rooted in the development of specialized digital map data for vehicle navigation. The business began in the United States in 1985 as Karlin & Collins, Inc. It later operated under names including Navigation Technologies Corporation before adopting the Navteq name. Unlike a conventional consumer map publisher, Navteq concentrated on structured, automotive-grade road information: the geometry of road networks, turn restrictions, addresses, points of interest and other attributes needed by navigation equipment. This focus helped it become a major supplier to vehicle manufacturers and navigation-system makers. Nokia acquired Navteq in October 2007. The reported purchase price was approximately $8.1 billion, but that figure is not repeated here as a current financial measure. Nokia continued to operate Navteq alongside its own mapping activities, including Nokia Maps and later related consumer mapping products. The assets and teams were not immediately presented as a single simple consumer brand; rather, Nokia used a combination of mapping, location, navigation and data businesses as it developed a wider location platform. In 2012 Nokia introduced HERE as the name for its location-services proposition. The rebranding reflected an effort to make mapping and navigation relevant across smartphones, web services, automotive systems and other connected products. HERE consequently inherited both Navteq’s professional geographic-data heritage and Nokia’s consumer mapping experience. Its offerings expanded beyond static cartography into traffic, routing, search, public-transport information, developer tools and location-based application services. A decisive ownership change occurred in 2015, when a consortium led by Audi, BMW Group and Daimler acquired HERE from Nokia. The transaction placed a strategic mapping asset under the ownership of three major German automotive companies. Their interest was closely connected with the growing importance of precise, continuously updated map data for connected vehicles, advanced driver-assistance systems and automated driving. Under the new ownership, HERE was positioned as a technology platform intended to serve the wider mobility ecosystem, not merely the individual brands of its shareholders. The shareholder group later broadened. Intel became associated with the ownership structure, and Bosch, Continental and Pioneer also became shareholders or indirect shareholders. Continental’s 2018 agreement combined a five percent indirect investment with collaboration on location-data technologies and dynamically maintained high-definition maps. These developments reinforced HERE’s role in automotive and transportation technology while preserving its potential to sell services across the industry. In December 2019, HERE announced that Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT would jointly acquire a 30 percent stake through a newly established Dutch holding company. The transaction was completed in 2020 after regulatory approvals. HERE said that the new investors would support expansion into additional industries and markets, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The broadened structure also added representatives of the Japanese companies to HERE’s supervisory governance. The company’s business has continued to develop around a platform model. HERE provides map content, location services, routing and navigation APIs, software development kits and enterprise tools. Its customers and partners include automakers, transportation operators, logistics companies, technology developers and other organizations that need geographic data in operational systems. The platform approach allows HERE to support consumer-facing navigation as well as machine and business applications. Today, HERE presents itself as a global mapping and location technology company. Its strategic scope includes automotive navigation, connected vehicles, logistics, fleet management, location intelligence, indoor mapping, cloud services and high-definition mapping. The central continuity across its history is the conversion of geographic observations into structured, updateable data that can guide people, vehicles and enterprise decisions. The brand remains privately held and is backed by a consortium of industrial, automotive, telecommunications and technology shareholders.

1. 2020Japanese investors complete 30% investment

   Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT completed their joint acquisition of a 30 percent ownership stake in HERE.

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2. 2018Continental joins as investor and partner

   Continental agreed to acquire a five percent indirect stake and collaborate on accurate data and dynamically maintained high-definition maps.

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3. 2015Automotive consortium acquires HERE

   Audi, BMW Group and Daimler acquired HERE from Nokia and established the basis for its independent automotive-backed structure.

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4. 2012HERE brand introduced

   Nokia introduced HERE as the brand for its mapping and location-services activities.

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5. 2007Nokia acquires Navteq

   Nokia acquired Navteq, one of the leading suppliers of automotive-grade digital map data.

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6. 1985Navteq predecessor established

   Karlin & Collins, Inc. was established in the United States; the business later became Navigation Technologies Corporation and then Navteq.

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A neutral, enterprise-grade location platform and mapping technology provider, with particular strength in automotive-grade map data, connected mobility, logistics and developer services.

• HERE MapDigital map data

  A global digital map and location-data foundation covering road networks, addresses, places and other geographic attributes. HERE map content is used in navigation, automotive systems, logistics workflows, enterprise applications and developer products.

• HERE NavigationNavigation and routing

  Navigation and routing capabilities for calculating journeys and presenting location-based guidance. The offering supports automotive, mobility, logistics and application-development use cases, with routing services designed for different transport and operational requirements.

• HERE SDKDeveloper platform

  Software development tools that allow developers and businesses to add maps, positioning, search, routing, navigation and other location functions to applications and connected products.

• HERE Location ServicesLocation APIs

  Cloud-based services and APIs for geocoding, search, positioning, routing, map display and related location functions. They are intended for enterprise and developer applications that need location intelligence without building a global geographic database themselves.

• HERE HD Live MapAutomotive high-definition mapping

  High-definition mapping capabilities designed for advanced automotive functions. The concept centers on detailed, continuously updated road information that can support driver-assistance and automated-driving applications.

• 2020Expansion of the shareholder base through Japanese investmentM&A

  HERE aimed to accelerate growth in new industries and regions while strengthening its ability to address mobility, logistics and location-data opportunities in Asia-Pacific.

  What changed. Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT completed a joint acquisition of a 30 percent stake through COCO Tech Holding B.V.

  Aftermath. The ownership structure expanded to nine direct and indirect shareholders, and representatives of the two Japanese investors joined HERE’s supervisory board.

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• 2018Continental investment and mapping collaborationM&A

  HERE was seeking strategic partners for accurate location data, transportation and high-definition mapping as automotive systems became more dependent on dynamic geographic information.

  What changed. Continental agreed to acquire a five percent indirect stake and entered a collaboration agreement with HERE.

  Aftermath. The arrangement added a major automotive-systems company to HERE’s strategic shareholder and partner network; financial terms were not disclosed.

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• 2023BMW identifies HERE HD Live Map in its Personal Pilot system

  BMW announced the use of HERE’s high-definition mapping technology in its Personal Pilot automated-driving program.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 2021HERE HD Live Map supports automated-driving programs

  Mercedes-Benz identified HERE HD Live Map as a component of its Drive Pilot automated-driving system.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 2020Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT complete acquisition of a 30% stake

  The two Japanese companies completed their jointly announced investment after receiving regulatory approvals, expanding HERE’s shareholder base and its strategic presence in Asia-Pacific.

  M&A
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• 2019HERE Technologies welcomes Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT as investors

  Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT announced a planned joint acquisition of a 30 percent ownership stake in HERE through COCO Tech Holding B.V.

  M&A
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• 2019HERE expands shareholder base with Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT

  Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT agreed to acquire a combined 30 percent stake, adding Japanese industrial and communications groups to HERE’s ownership structure.

  M&A
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• 2018Continental to acquire a 5 percent stake in HERE

  Continental agreed to acquire a five percent indirect ownership stake and entered into a collaboration focused on accurate location data and dynamically maintained high-definition maps.

  M&A
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• 2017Intel takes a strategic stake in HERE

  Intel was reported to have acquired a 15 percent interest, strengthening the connection between HERE’s mapping activities and vehicle-computing technology.

  M&A
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• 2017HERE and Pioneer establish a cross-shareholding arrangement

  HERE and Pioneer agreed to acquire minority interests in one another as part of a strategic relationship involving automotive data and navigation technology.

  M&A
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• 2015HERE is sold to Audi, BMW and Daimler

  Nokia agreed to sell its HERE mapping business to a German automotive consortium, which completed the acquisition later that year.

  M&A
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• 2012Nokia announces the HERE brand for its mapping and location business

  Nokia introduced HERE as the umbrella brand for its maps, navigation and location-services activities.

  Other
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• 2007Nokia acquires Navteq

  Nokia acquired Navteq, bringing a major automotive map-data supplier into its mapping and location-services business.

  M&A
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1. HERE Technologies official website
2. HERE Technologies
3. Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT complete acquisition of 30% stake in HERE Technologies
4. HERE Technologies welcomes Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT as new investors
5. Continental to Acquire 5 Percent Stake in HERE