Apple has purchased a small mapping company that offers mass transit information, another in a long line of mapping-related acquisitions aimed at improving the Maps app it released for the iPhone last year to universal disdain.
The company has confirmed to various news sites that it has purchased San Francisco startup Embark, which was founded in 2011 and lists BMW, Y Combinator and Yuri Milner’s Start Fund among its investors. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Since releasing a faulty Maps app in September 2012 (for which Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized) to replace Google Maps in its iOS software for the iPhone, Apple has been investing in mapping technology. Last month, it bought Locationary, which handles points of interest in mapping databases, and HopStop, which provides access to transit information. Embark also provides access to mass transit info for selected cities in the U.S. and Europe. Apple’s Maps app currently doesn’t offer that data.
The acquisition was first reported on JessicaLessin.com.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
Apple is also looking to hire more than 80 mapping experts, according to job postings on the company’s website spotted earlier this month by AppleInsider. “Among these are a series of Maps Ground Truth Local Experts for various cities, in listings that state that “the Maps team is looking for people with a passion for mapping, great testing skills, and deep regional knowledge to help us build better and better maps…In this position, you will be responsible for the quality assessment of Apple Maps for your region, including both data and map services. You will monitor changes to our maps, provide feedback on unique local map requirements, collect ground truth information, and evaluate competing products.”
That’s not the only maps help Apple is looking for. It’s also asking iOS users to opt in and help “improve maps” by letting the company use data from Frequent Locations, a list of the places they’ve been. While Apple says it will “correlate the street address associated with your Apple ID with the GPS coordinates obtained through the Frequent Locations feature,” it also says it will keep that data in an anonymous form.
Apple plans to release the latest version of iOS — iOS 7 — this fall.
