Corporate brand
UnclaimedA global mapping and location-technology company supplying digital maps, navigation, geospatial data and automotive location services.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
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.
History
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.
- 2020
Japanese investors complete 30% investment
[3]Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT completed their joint acquisition of a 30 percent ownership stake in HERE.
- 2018
Continental joins as investor and partner
[5]Continental agreed to acquire a five percent indirect stake and collaborate on accurate data and dynamically maintained high-definition maps.
- 2015
Automotive consortium acquires HERE
[2]Audi, BMW Group and Daimler acquired HERE from Nokia and established the basis for its independent automotive-backed structure.
- 2012
HERE brand introduced
[2]Nokia introduced HERE as the brand for its mapping and location-services activities.
- 2007
Nokia acquires Navteq
[2]Nokia acquired Navteq, one of the leading suppliers of automotive-grade digital map data.
- 1985
Navteq predecessor established
[2]Karlin & Collins, Inc. was established in the United States; the business later became Navigation Technologies Corporation and then Navteq.
Products and positioning
A neutral, enterprise-grade location platform and mapping technology provider, with particular strength in automotive-grade map data, connected mobility, logistics and developer services.
Digital map data
HERE Map
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.
Navigation and routing
HERE Navigation
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.
Developer platform
HERE SDK
Software development tools that allow developers and businesses to add maps, positioning, search, routing, navigation and other location functions to applications and connected products.
Location APIs
HERE Location Services
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.
Automotive high-definition mapping
HERE HD Live Map
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.
Brand decisions
2020
Expansion of the shareholder base through Japanese investmentM&ABackground
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.
Action taken
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.
2018
Continental investment and mapping collaborationM&ABackground
HERE was seeking strategic partners for accurate location data, transportation and high-definition mapping as automotive systems became more dependent on dynamic geographic information.
Action taken
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.
Recent events
Reported
Oxford Terrace Baptist Church development named Best House Aotearoa[6]
The Oxford Terrace Baptist Church development was named Best House Aotearoa for 2026 by architecture magazine Here.
Reported
Yojee and HERE Technologies team up on warehouse operations intelligence[7]
Yojee and HERE Technologies teamed up to create an operations intelligence solution intended to transform warehouse management for global companies.
Reported
HERE partners with APCOA and Propark to expand indoor parking maps[8]
HERE Technologies partnered with APCOA and Propark Mobility to add more than 400 indoor parking garages to its indoor map. Coverage expansion began in North America with Propark Mobility.
Reported
HERE launches Indoor Map as a service[9]
HERE announced the launch of Indoor Map as a service, a one-stop shop for indoor mapping that includes indoor map data, routing and positioning, available through the HERE SDK.
Reported
HERE and Digital Charging Solutions partner on EV charging[10]
HERE and Digital Charging Solutions announced a partnership to make electric-vehicle charging easier by showing charging points accessible through Digital Charging Solutions services on HERE maps.
Reported
HERE announces HERE Advanced Real-Time Traffic service[11]
HERE Technologies announced the launch of HERE Advanced Real-Time Traffic, a service that adds lane-level traffic information and expands inner-city coverage.
Reported
HERE appoints Jason Jameson to lead Asia Pacific[12]
HERE Technologies announced Jason Jameson’s appointment as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Asia Pacific, replacing Stanimira Koleva.
Reported
Lifesight joins HERE Marketplace[13]
HERE Technologies announced that Lifesight had joined the HERE Marketplace, where it would offer anonymous mobility data.
Reported
Unity announced a partnership with HERE Technologies[14]
Unity announced a partnership with HERE Technologies to jointly develop next-generation in-vehicle HMI using real-time 3D rendering technology, as well as next-generation positioning technology for autonomous driving, virtual simulation, urban planning, and digital twins.
Reported
HERE Technologies and Ramco Systems partner on logistics location intelligence[15]
HERE Technologies announced a partnership with Ramco Systems to embed HERE location intelligence in Ramco's Logistics ERP platform.
Sources24 sources
- 1HERE Technologies official websitehere.com
- 2HERE Technologiesen.wikipedia.org
- 3Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT complete acquisition of 30% stake in HERE Technologieshere.com
- 4HERE Technologies welcomes Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT as new investorshere.com
- 5Continental to Acquire 5 Percent Stake in HEREhere.com
- 6牛津台浸信会开发项目获评2026年新西兰最佳住宅newstalkzb.co.nz
- 7Yojee与HERE Technologies合作开发仓储运营智能解决方案business-standard.com
- 8HERE与APCOA及Propark合作扩展室内停车地图parking.net
- 9HERE 推出 Indoor Map as a servicebusinesstoday.in
- 10HERE与Digital Charging Solutions合作提升电动汽车充电体验finance.yahoo.com
- 11HERE 宣布推出 HERE Advanced Real-Time Traffic 服务finance.yahoo.com
- 12HERE任命Jason Jameson负责亚太地区technuter.com
- 13Lifesight加入HERE Marketplacefinance.yahoo.com
- 14Unity宣布与HERE Technologies达成合作finance.sina.com.cn
- 15HERE Technologies与Ramco Systems合作为物流平台提供位置智能equitybulls.com
- 16A1 Telekom Austria Group 加入 HERE Marketplacetelecomtv.com
- 17BMW 推出 Traffic Camera Information 服务carscoops.com
- 18HERE WeGo上架华为应用市场finance.sina.com.cn
- 19CSS Corp与HERE宣布开展位置分析合作aninews.in
- 20HERE发布HERE Geodata Modelsgeospatialworld.net
- 21HERE Technologies任命区域总经理benzinga.com
- 22HERE Technologies宣布任命Petra Marita Meiser为新任首席财务官finanznachrichten.de
- 23HERE Navigation On-Demand 开放集成techradar.com
- 24HERE Technologies Appoints Petra Marita Meiser as New CFOparking.net
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