Facebook buys start-up in latest push to take on Apple and Google at street-level mapping

guest · Jun 19, 2020

Facebook buys start-up in latest push to take on Apple and Google at street-level mapping
Mapillary is a Swedish start-up that uses software to tell what is in photos taken at ground level
June 19, 2020
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/19/facebook-buys-mapillary.html

Facebook has acquired Swedish mapping start-up Mapillary as part of an effort to take on Apple and Google at mapping the world at ground level.

Founded in Malmo in 2013, Mapillary has built a street-level imagery platform that uses photos which have been uploaded by members of the public.
Ultimately, Mapillary’s street-level data could help Facebook to bolster the maps it offers through its platforms by making them more accurate.

The acquisition was announced on Mapillary’s blog on Thursday by cofounder and CEO Jan Erik Solem, although the terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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While the acquisition price was not disclosed, Mapillary has raised $24.5 million from investors over the last seven years, according to start-up tracker Crunchbase. Venture capital backers include Sequoia Capital, Atomico, and BMW iVentures.

Apple and Google have invested heavily in street-level mapping over the last decade but Facebook isn’t known for its mapping efforts.
However, Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant relies on maps to power products like Facebook Marketplace, which allows people to buy and sell things from people in their area.
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Mapillary: Mapillary Joins Facebook on the Journey of Improving Maps Everywhere

Today, we’re excited to share that Mapillary has joined Facebook to be part of their open mapping efforts.
What happens to Mapillary
Our plan is to continue being a global platform for imagery, map data, and improving all maps. You will still be able to upload imagery and use the map data from all the images on the platform.

Historically, all of the imagery available on our platform has been open and free for anyone to use for non-commercial purposes. Moving forward, that will continue to be true, except that starting today, it will also be free to use for commercial users as well.
Our commitment to OpenStreetMap stays.
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Facebook buys start-up in latest push to take on Apple and Google at street-level mapping

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