Uber has announced that it will be putting 25 mapping cars on the roads of British Columbia as part of an urban mapping program for the province. The vehicles will collect mapping imagery across Metro Vancouver to be put towards offering enhanced maps for British Columbians in the future.
Uber says this data will go towards improving mobile maps and GPS devices, which will help match riders with closest available drivers, navigate the most efficient path to destinations and provide accurate ETAs. The goal is to help riders get around their communities seamlessly.
“The ongoing need for maps tailored to the Uber experience is why we’re doubling down on our investment in mapping,” said Manik Gupta, Uber’s head of product, Maps. “Over the past decade mapping innovation has changed our daily life. That progress will only accelerate in the coming years especially with technologies like self-driving cars.”
“As we prepare to bring ridesharing to British Columbia, we are making this investment now to ensure that we can best serve the people that will rely on Uber to earn and get around their communities,” added Ramit Kar, general manager of Uber Western Canada.
The British Columbia mapping efforts follow similar initiatives across Canada that began in late 2016.
In other Uber Canada news, the ride hailing service has recently been implemented as a public transportation service in the small Ontario town of Innisfil.
Source: Uber
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