Here uses Alexa to offer drivers voice-first navigation

Here Technologies is to integrate its navigation and location services with Amazon’s Alexa to offer drivers voice-first navigation. At CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Here announced that it would utilise Alexa Auto tools to keep drivers focused on the road while offering personalised guidance. Alexa will come pre-integrated with Here Navigation On-Demand, the company’s new navigation-as-a-service model which allows drivers to search for points of interest and access live traffic information. Additionally,
January 8, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

7643 Here Technologies is to integrate its navigation and location services with Amazon’s Alexa to offer drivers voice-first navigation.

At CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Here announced that it would utilise Alexa Auto tools to keep drivers focused on the road while offering personalised guidance.

Alexa will come pre-integrated with Here Navigation On-Demand, the company’s new navigation-as-a-service model which allows drivers to search for points of interest and access live traffic information.

Additionally, Here is bringing its location services platform to the Alexa service to allow users to search and locate points of interest, access live traffic information and conduct route planning. Users can ask Alexa to set a reminder to pick up shopping from a store after work from inside their home, for example. While driving, the in-vehicle navigation system finds the optimal route the shop based on real-time traffic information and issues a reminder as the vehicle approaches the store location.

Christoff Hellmis, vice president, strategic management at Here, says this shows that integrating another service like Alexa to voice interface can easily be done.

Alexa utilises Here’s location services to help users estimate their journey time.

Looking ahead, the partnership will explore opportunities to provide additional functionality to automakers and their customers. Here’s Open Location Platform (OLP) - which ingests live car sensor data pooled from multiple car brands - would allow Alexa to answer questions more contextually, for instance with a response that tells drivers to turn directly after a designated building.

Location Based Systems

Related Content

  • August 29, 2019
    Don’t drive drunk – or use a hands-free phone
    Despite law changes, drivers’ bad habits have been creeping back in. TRL’s Dr Shaun Helman tells Adam Hill why using a phone at the wheel is just as distracting as driving after a few drinks esearch from as far back as 2002 (see box) suggests that driving while making a phone call – either hands-free or holding a handset to your ear – creates the same amount of distraction as being drunk behind the wheel. While it is notoriously hard to predict how alcohol will affect an individual (due to the speed of
    Read More
  • January 21, 2020
    Here unveils 3D road models for ADAS and driver safety
    Here Technologies has launched Here Lanes with the aim of increasing driver awareness and road safety through advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
    Read More
  • January 13, 2021
    CES 2021: Here to aid EV navigation
    EV drivers have to consider 'something completely different' from those in ICE vehicles
    Read More
  • December 4, 2012
    ITS initiatives provide travel information for disabled passengers
    David Crawford investigates initiatives and issues in travel information for disabled passengers. World Health Organisation estimates suggest that 10% of the global population live with a disability. This can impact directly on their mobility, with implications for their independence; keeping active; and travelling to work, education and social activities; as well as the accessibility of information necessary to aid mobility. The EU-supported ‘CARDIAC’ project (Coordination Action in R&D in Accessible & Ass
    Read More

Highlighted Content