Apple Maps Vehicles Begin Surveying England, Coming to New Orleans Next Month

[MacRumors]

Apple's fleet of vehicles collecting street-level mapping data has arrived in the United Kingdom as planned, with the first verified sighting in Solihull, England, approximately two hours northwest of London. While camera-equipped fifth-generation Dodge Caravans have been used to collect mapping data in the United States, Apple appears to be using Mercedes-Benz Vito vans marked with "Apple Maps" in Europe.

Apple Maps van driving in Solihull, England in June 2015​

Apple confirmed earlier this month that it is driving vehicles around the world to collect data to improve Apple Maps, and the mapping imagery is almost certainly being used to create a Google Maps "Street View" competitor. Apple Maps vehicles are also taking photos of businesses and storefronts in major metropolitan areas to replace current imagery provided by third-party sources such as Yelp.

The cities and regions where Apple Maps vehicles will be driving in England through July:

East of England
Essex (Brentwood, Epping Forest), Hertfordshire (Broxbourne, Dacorum, Hertsmere, St Albans, Three Rivers, Watford, Welwyn Hatfield)

Greater London
Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, City of London, City of Westminster, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth

South East
Kent (Dartford, Sevenoaks), Surrey (Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Spelthorne)

West Midlands
Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield, Perry Barr, Erdington, Ladywood, Hodge Hill, Yardley, Edgbaston, Hall Green, Selly Oak, Northfield), Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Staffordshire, Walsall, Warwickshire, Worcestershire

Apple has also updated its Apple Maps vehicles website with a new list of locations where it will be collecting data between July 1 to July 14, with notable additions including New Orleans and unmapped areas in Santa Clara County. Apple may also be at least temporarily finished collecting data in multiple states it has canvassed over the past several months, including Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Hawaii.

(Thanks, Stephen!)

Article Link: Apple Maps Vehicles Begin Surveying England, Coming to New Orleans Next Month

 

[arggg14]

Theres a heck of a lot of catch up work to do..

 

[AngerDanger]

I wonder how long it is before the keys to one get left in a bar…

 

[thekeyring]

Might hang a banner from my window saying "Hello Apple Maps!" or "Android < iOS" and see if I can spot it whenever Apple's version of street view goes live.

 

[MonkeySee....]

Guy's mapping Liverpool

Pops into Greggs for a Sausage roll

Comes out and his Van is on bricks

 

[japanime]

Is it also new that the vans are marked with the words "Apple Maps" and website URL? I remember seeing earlier pictures in which the vans were unmarked. Or were those the mysterious vehicles many think/thought were related to the self-driving car tests?

 

[RichTF]

While camera-equipped fifth-generation Dodge Caravans have been used to collect mapping data in the United States, Apple appears to be using second-generation Mercedes-Benz Vito vans in Europe.

Ooh, we get Mercedes. Classy.

 

[Gasu E.]

There's a Map vehicle tracking app in the App Store called "Flash Your Groodies."

 

[KdParker]

Good for iOS users in UK. Now they can have the same good experiences that I've had with Apple Maps in the states.

 

[Planey28]

Is it also new that the vans are marked with the words "Apple Maps" and website URL? I remember seeing earlier pictures in which the vans were unmarked. Or were those the mysterious vehicles many think/thought were related to the self-driving car tests?

Probably some weird UK law that requires it, idk. Those vehicles in the US would have been doing the same thing though.

 

[Mercifull]

A lot of catching up to do but an aggressive rollout it would seem. Google Streetview cars are back in the South West again this month, I wonder when the Apple cars venture down this way...

 

[TheRainKing]

Ugly van. Steve would never have allowed this.

 

[WardC]

I haven't seen an Apple Maps van here in the Texas Kingdom of Fortworthshire yet...

 

[pat500000]

couldn't they just use satellites?

 

[2457282]

I haven't seen an Apple Maps van here in the Texas Kingdom of Fortworthshire yet...

yes, and nothing in Camaguey, Cuba either.

 

[HenryDJP]

Ugly van. Steve would never have allowed this.

Theres a heck of a lot of catch up work to do..

I wonder how long it is before the keys to one get left in a bar…

Guy's mapping Liverpool

Pops into Greggs for a Sausage roll

Comes out and his Van is on bricks

Thanks guys! Great way to start off a discussion about Apple Maps. Snarky remarks. How about celebrating the fact that Apple is making strides to work on the mapping issues people so humbly complain about here often?

 

[AngerDanger]

Thanks guys! Great way to start off a discussion about Apple Maps. Snarky remarks. How about celebrating the fact that Apple is making strides to work on the mapping issues people so humbly complain about here often?

Did you just respond to our 'snarky remarks' with a… snarky remark? Although one of those directly mentioned Apple needing to catch up, the others were vaguely humorous and could be considered celebration—but I'm not sure what kind of celebration you're looking for.

 

[MalakasCrew]

Ugly van. Steve would never have allowed this.

Mercedes Vans are much nicer than those Dodge things.
Although this is the old version of the Mercedes Van Apple is using, the new one is much nicer.

compared to American car Dodge:

 

[HenryDJP]

Did you just respond to our 'snarky remarks' with a… snarky remark? Although one of those directly mentioned Apple needing to catch up, the others were vaguely humorous and could be considered celebration—but I'm not sure what kind of celebration you're looking for.

Oh my remark wasn't snarky. I was making a point. But it would be nice for once to start off a discussion on MR without jabs at Apple. It seems like you people are looking for reasons to come here just to do it. Don't deny it. Happens everyday here. It really brings down the curve. But by all means, continue to amuse yourself. I'm out.

 

[rishiomedia]

It's fine that the van is aluminum, but it should be unibody and in three different colors: silver, space grey, and gold.

 

[jonnyb]

It's fine that the van is aluminum, but it should be unibody and in three different colors: silver, space grey, and gold.

The UK vans are made of aluminium.

 

[AngerDanger]

Oh my remark wasn't snarky. I was making a point. But it would be nice for once to start off a discussion on MR without jabs at Apple. It seems like you people are looking for reasons to come here just to do it. Don't deny it. Happens everyday here. It really brings down the curve. But by all means, continue to amuse yourself. I'm out.

So remarks aren't snarky if you're making a point? Righto. Aside from the post about needing to catch up, I don't think anything you quoted was a jab at Apple. I'm doing to deny that you know why I come here unless you can actually substantiate a claim.

 

[darkknight14]

Is it also new that the vans are marked with the words "Apple Maps" and website URL? I remember seeing earlier pictures in which the vans were unmarked. Or were those the mysterious vehicles many think/thought were related to the self-driving car tests?

Apple is releasing a car?

 

[The Phazer]

Thanks guys! Great way to start off a discussion about Apple Maps. Snarky remarks. How about celebrating the fact that Apple is making strides to work on the mapping issues people so humbly complain about here often?

No. When Apple scraps it's terrible mapping initiative that will never catch up and gives users control of mapping API providers that will be a cause for celebration. That they're going to make a 10% working solution 12% working is a cause for abject misery because it means they're throwing away more resource on a failed project.

 

[L-U-R-C-H]

Pure innovation.