Navteq
American provider of digital map, geographic information, and traffic data that became part of Nokia’s HERE location business.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Navteq, styled by the company as NAVTEQ, was an American geographic-information and digital-mapping company headquartered in Chicago. Founded in 1985 by Barry Karlin and Galen Collins, it developed detailed electronic navigable maps for automotive navigation, portable GPS devices, online mapping services, broadcasting, transportation applications, and other location-based systems. Unlike map databases built principally from official government records, Navteq emphasized direct field observation. Survey teams drove roads and recorded attributes such as road geometry, turn restrictions, one-way systems, addresses, landmarks, and other information needed to produce reliable routing instructions. The company began as Karlin & Collins, Inc., initially concentrating on a detailed map of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its founders discovered that a navigation system could not simply display roads: it also needed structured information about restrictions and local driving conditions to avoid generating impossible routes. Early financing came from T. Russell Shields, who provided seed capital after being introduced through the president of Budget Rent A Car, followed by additional financing from Prudential Bache. The first commercial product, DriverGuide, appeared in 1987 as a kiosk that printed point-to-point driving directions for users at rental-car agencies, hotels, and other public locations. After changing its name to Navigation Technologies Corporation, and later adopting the NavTech and NAVTEQ identities, the business shifted away from operating its own kiosks. During the 1990s it increasingly licensed its map database to car manufacturers, navigation-equipment companies, and software providers. Philips Electronics acquired the company in the early 1990s and funded a major expansion of its mapping database. Navteq eventually became a major supplier of base maps for in-vehicle navigation and was reported as serving a very large share of the automotive navigation-map market. Its customers and partners included Garmin, Lowrance, NDrive, Nokia Maps, Yahoo! Maps, Bing Maps, satellite-radio providers, and automotive manufacturers. Its data was also used in Microsoft Flight Simulator X and in specialized tracking and broadcast applications. Navteq expanded from map data into traffic and media services. Its acquisition of Traffic.com added continuously updated traffic information distributed through websites, mobile devices, radio, television, and satellite radio. The company also acquired The Map Network, a supplier to tourism and convention organizations; Acuity Mobile, a mobile-marketing technology company; and Trapster, whose community-generated reports covered speed traps, red-light cameras, and road hazards. Navteq operated mapping and production centers across several countries and used tools such as Navteq Map Reporter to collect proposed corrections from users and device manufacturers. Navteq went public on the New York Stock Exchange in February 2004 under the symbol NVT. Nokia announced an agreement to acquire it in October 2007 for an estimated $8.1 billion; the transaction received shareholder approval in December 2007 and European regulatory clearance in 2008. Following completion, Navteq continued within Nokia for several years, but Nokia announced in 2011 that it would fully merge the company into a new Nokia Location & Commerce organization. The Navteq name consequently ceased to represent an independent operating company. Nokia later developed the combined mapping business under the HERE brand. In 2015, Nokia agreed to sell HERE to a consortium consisting of Audi, BMW, and Daimler. Thus, Navteq’s mapping assets and capabilities survived through HERE, even though Navteq itself is defunct as a standalone company.
History
Navteq originated in 1985 as Karlin & Collins, Inc., founded by Barry Karlin and Galen Collins. Karlin had become dissatisfied with the limitations of conventional paper maps and imagined a vehicle-navigation assistant that could provide directions dynamically. Collins built an early navigation prototype covering the San Francisco area. Testing revealed that a workable routing system required more than a road drawing: it needed information on one-way streets, turn prohibitions, road attributes, and other local conditions. This insight shaped Navteq’s later emphasis on structured, field-verified map data. The founders initially had difficulty obtaining venture financing. T. Russell Shields, a Chicago entrepreneur associated with order-fulfillment databases, supplied $500,000 in seed funding after a referral from the president of Budget Rent A Car. In 1985 the company began systematic mapping of the San Francisco Bay Area and later obtained $2.5 million from Prudential Bache. Its early production combined electronic Census TIGER map files with aerial imagery and extensive road surveys. Survey personnel drove roads while dictating geographic observations; before practical widespread GPS use, vehicle positions were tracked with a dead-reckoning system based on a gyrocompass. In 1987, the company introduced DriverGuide, a countertop kiosk installed in hotel lobbies and car-rental locations. It printed door-to-door driving instructions and was later adapted into a coin-operated format. Approximately 80 machines were installed in the San Francisco Bay Area, demonstrating demand for automated route guidance. Following further investment from Shields, the company was renamed Navigation Technologies Corporation. During this period it competed with emerging businesses such as Etak, whose in-car product displayed a vehicle’s position on a digital map but did not provide the same form of turn-by-turn directions. During the 1990s, Navteq changed from a kiosk operator into a data supplier. Rather than manufacture and deploy navigation terminals itself, it licensed its database to equipment makers and other technology companies. Philips Electronics acquired the company in the early 1990s and invested heavily in expanding the underlying map database for automotive applications. The founders departed after the takeover, while Shields remained involved and became chief executive officer in 1996. The database grew through direct surveys, editorial work, and the addition of routing attributes required by vehicle-navigation systems. Philips considered a public offering several times before Navteq finally listed on the New York Stock Exchange in February 2004 under the ticker NVT. By then, the company had become a significant international supplier of base electronic navigable maps. Its customers and partners included automotive manufacturers, portable-navigation companies, web-map providers, satellite-radio operators, broadcasters, and specialized public-sector or safety applications. It supplied data to brands and services including Garmin, Lowrance, NDrive, Yahoo! Maps, Bing Maps, and Nokia Maps. Navteq also supported traffic information, broadcast graphics, and other location services. Its Map Reporter platform allowed users and device makers to submit proposed corrections, creating a feedback channel for map maintenance. Navteq pursued acquisitions to broaden its coverage and services. It agreed to acquire Traffic.com in 2006 and completed the purchase in 2007. Traffic.com supplied hourly traffic information through the web, mobile phones, radio, television, and satellite radio. Navteq also acquired The Map Network, a major provider to tourism and convention agencies, Acuity Mobile in 2009, and Trapster in 2010. Trapster added community-generated alerts concerning speed traps, red-light cameras, and road hazards. These moves complemented Navteq’s core map database with real-time information and user-contributed location content. Nokia announced its acquisition of Navteq on October 1, 2007. Shareholders approved the transaction in December, and the European Commission cleared it in 2008. Nokia paid an estimated $8.1 billion, and Navteq operated within Nokia before being fully integrated in 2011. Nokia created Nokia Location & Commerce from Nokia and former Navteq personnel, with Michael Halbherr heading the combined organization and Larry Kaplan assisting through the end of the integration year. Nokia also closed offices in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Bonn, Germany, affecting more than 300 employees. From 2012 onward, Nokia reorganized its mapping operations and introduced HERE as the public-facing identity for the combined location business. Traffic.com’s web identity was eventually replaced by Here.com, while traffic operations were consolidated. Navteq therefore disappeared as an independent corporate and consumer brand, although its datasets, mapping expertise, and personnel continued within HERE. In 2015 Nokia agreed to sell HERE to Audi, BMW, and Daimler. The transaction transferred the successor mapping business to an automotive consortium while allowing HERE to continue serving customers beyond its owners. Navteq’s corporate history consequently ends with its absorption into Nokia and the continuation of its core assets under HERE.
- 2015
HERE sale announced
[1]Nokia agrees to sell the successor HERE business to Audi, BMW, and Daimler.
- 2012
HERE identity introduced
[1]Nokia begins presenting the combined mapping and location operation under the HERE brand.
- 2011
Full merger into Nokia Location & Commerce
[1]Nokia completes the organizational integration of Navteq into its location business.
- 2010
Trapster acquisition
[1]Navteq adds community-sourced road hazard and enforcement-location reports.
- 2009
Acuity Mobile acquisition
[1]Navteq adds mobile marketing technology capabilities.
- 2008
Nokia acquisition closes
[1]After shareholder and European regulatory approvals, Navteq becomes part of Nokia.
- 2007
Traffic.com and The Map Network acquisitions
[1]Navteq expands into traffic data and tourism-oriented mapping through two acquisitions.
- 2004
Navteq lists on the NYSE
[1]Navteq completes its public offering and begins trading under NVT.
- 1996
T. Russell Shields becomes chief executive officer
[1]Shields, an early investor and operator, rises to the company’s chief executive role.
- 1990
Philips acquires the company
[1]Philips Electronics acquires the mapping company and funds substantial expansion of its database.
Products and positioning
A high-coverage, field-verified provider of base map and traffic data for automotive navigation, GPS hardware, online maps, broadcasting, and other location-based applications.
Digital mapping data · 1985
NAVTEQ digital map database
Navteq’s core product was a structured geographic database designed for electronic navigation and routing. It combined road geometry with attributes such as turn restrictions, one-way roads, addresses, landmarks, and other local details. The data was built and maintained through field surveys, editorial processing, imagery, and correction submissions, and was licensed to automotive, portable-navigation, online-map, and other technology customers.
Navigation kiosk · 1987
DriverGuide
DriverGuide was Navteq’s first publicly demonstrated commercial navigation product. Installed in places such as car-rental agencies and hotel lobbies, the kiosk generated and printed door-to-door driving directions. It helped validate consumer demand for computerized route guidance before the company shifted toward licensing map data to third-party hardware and software providers.
Map correction platform
NAVTEQ Map Reporter
Map Reporter was a community-oriented tool for reporting suspected errors or changes in the Navteq map database. Its API also enabled manufacturers of navigation devices to incorporate map-error reporting into their own products. The service reflected Navteq’s effort to supplement professional surveying and editorial maintenance with feedback from users and downstream partners.
Traffic information service · 1998
Traffic.com
Traffic.com provided frequently updated traffic information through online services, mobile phones, radio, television, and satellite radio. Navteq acquired the business in 2007, integrating traffic reporting with its map and location-data portfolio. The service was later reorganized within Nokia’s location business and its standalone identity was eventually retired.
Broadcast information and graphics
NAVTEQ Media Services
NAVTEQ Media Services supplied graphics systems, information services, and personnel for television and radio broadcasters. It extended the company’s geographic and traffic-data capabilities into broadcast presentation and real-time information products.
Brand decisions
2015
Nokia agrees to sell HEREM&ABackground
Nokia decided to divest the HERE mapping operation after the Navteq assets had been incorporated into it.
Action taken
Nokia announced an agreement to sell HERE to Audi, BMW, and Daimler at an enterprise value of €2.8 billion.
Aftermath
HERE continued as a separate mapping business owned by the German automotive consortium and serving customers beyond its owners.
Enterprise value. €2.8 billion (2015 announced sale)
2012
Rebrand the mapping business as HEREStrategyBackground
Nokia sought a unified identity for its combined mapping, navigation, and location-services activities after absorbing Navteq.
Action taken
Nokia introduced HERE as the public brand for Nokia Location & Commerce and later used Here.com in place of the Traffic.com web identity.
Aftermath
Navteq ceased to be the principal public-facing brand, while its technology and data continued within HERE.
2011
Integrate Navteq into Nokia Location & CommerceStrategyBackground
Nokia decided that maintaining Navteq as a separate operating company was less suitable than combining its mapping assets and staff with Nokia’s location activities.
Action taken
Nokia fully merged Navteq into a new Nokia Location & Commerce organization and announced office closures in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Bonn, Germany.
Aftermath
The Navteq corporate identity was progressively replaced by Nokia’s location organization and then by the HERE brand.
2007
Nokia agrees to acquire NavteqM&ABackground
Nokia sought to strengthen its mapping, navigation, and location-services position by acquiring a major supplier of digital map data.
Action taken
Nokia announced an agreement valued at an estimated $8.1 billion. Shareholders approved the transaction in December 2007, and European regulators cleared it in 2008.
Aftermath
Navteq operated within Nokia and was fully integrated in 2011 into Nokia Location & Commerce. Its mapping capabilities later became part of HERE.
Estimated transaction value. US$8.1 billion (2007 announcement)
- TomTom — TomTom acquired Navteq’s principal rival Tele Atlas in 2008, reinforcing competition in digital map databases.
Recent events
- 2015
Nokia agrees to sell HERE to German automakers[1]
M&A
Nokia announced an agreement to sell HERE to Audi, BMW, and Daimler, preserving the mapping business as a separate company.
- 2012
Nokia introduces HERE branding for its mapping business[1]
Other
Nokia developed the combined location and mapping operation under the HERE identity, replacing the former Navteq-centered branding.
- 2011
Navteq is integrated into Nokia Location & Commerce[1]
Leadership change
Nokia announced the full merger of Navteq into Nokia and the formation of Nokia Location & Commerce.
- 2010
Navteq purchases Trapster[1]
M&A
Navteq acquired the community-driven road hazard and speed-camera reporting service Trapster.
- 2009
Navteq acquires Acuity Mobile[1]
M&A
The acquisition expanded Navteq’s capabilities in mobile marketing technology.
- 2008
Nokia receives clearance for Navteq acquisition[1]
M&A · Regulation
European regulators cleared the acquisition after reviewing its competition implications.
- 2007
Navteq acquires Traffic.com[1]
M&A
The Traffic.com transaction formally closed, adding traffic reporting and media-distribution capabilities.
- 2007
Nokia announces acquisition of Navteq[1]
M&A
Nokia announced a transaction valued at approximately $8.1 billion to acquire Navteq.
- 2007
Navteq acquires The Map Network[1]
M&A
Navteq purchased a major United States supplier of maps and mapping services for tourism and convention organizations.
- 2006
Navteq agrees to acquire Traffic.com[1]
M&A
The company announced an agreement to purchase the United States traffic-information provider Traffic.com.
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