Apple is working on new Apple Maps for iOS 12

Apple is working on rebuilding Apple Maps from the ground, reports TechCrunch. The site spoke with Eddy Cue, a member of the Apple management team and responsible for Apple Maps. Cue said that Apple has the ambition to offer the best card application and independent navigation of data provided by third parties. This decision was made four years ago, two years after the unsuccessful launch of Apple Maps.

Shortly after the launch, it turned out in 2012 that the application was making too many mistakes. Since then, Apple is working to improve the database with data from other vendors, including TomTom and OpenStreetMap. The new Apple Maps will be available as a beta version in iOS 12, initially only for San Francico, later for all of Northern California / Silicon Valley.

The company now claims to want to take full control of the data and the speed of updating the maps. Apple has been driving in California since 2015 with his own cars to scan the area. It's in California, but also in some European cities. Apple also collects anonymized data from iPhones and other Apple devices to enhance Apple Maps. GPS iPhones are able to put new routes, walking routes and points of interest on the map much faster.

TechCrunch saw an Apple Maps car closely and reports that they are equipped with eight digital cameras, four lidar networks, as well as GPS sensors and wheels to accurately sample the position. Inside are a Mac Pro, a flash battery storage and an iPad for the operator sitting next to the driver. All data is then edited by Apple and combined with other data, such as aerial photographs and points of interest. The data is also edited by the editors, starting with confidentiality by design.

The 3D scan resulting from the environment is, according to TechCrunch, suitable for augmented reality navigation and autonomous driving systems. Apple does not want to discuss these applications and the continued deployment of new services. The improved Apple Maps is added city by city to the existing application.