Skip to main content

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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Here Technologies to map Dubai with HD technology for driverless technology
    February 12, 2018
    The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai and Here Technologies (Here) have signed a memorandum of understanding to map the city with high definition (HD) technology as part of a strategy to make 25% of public transport self-driving by 2030. Both companies will deploy location technologies in the development of a data infrastructure to help support safe, sustainable and efficient autonomous transportation. The partners intend to utilise Here’s map for autonomous cars, HD Live Map, for public
  • Here and Cerence ‘personalise’ in-car experience
    March 23, 2020
    Here Technologies has integrated its location intelligence with Cerence's Drive portfolio to bring advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mobility assistant offerings to drivers.
  • New markets for travel information apps
    November 26, 2013
    Purpose-designed travel information apps are emerging to support the real estate market in the US – and potentially more widely – in a major diversification away from the conventional automotive and navigation device sectors. In July 2013, Washington State-based Imprev, which develops web-based marketing support aids for realtors, announced its App Generator. Claimed as an industry first, this enables property businesses to create their own branded mobile apps to give away as marketing tools to potential
  • Authorities look to MaaS for new solutions and cost savings
    July 18, 2017
    The structure of society and the way in which our cities work will be completely transformed by Mobility as a Service (MaaS), Finland’s minister of transport and communications Anne Berner, told ITS International’s recent MaaS Market conference 2017 in London. In her keynote address, Berner told a packed audience of more than 200 ITS professionals that MaaS has the potential to help governments around the world meet their big city targets such as the rate of employment, the environment, the efficient use of