Paris is buzzing with excitement for the 2024 Olympic Games, bringing with it a wave of visitors and an influx of cars and traffic. While the energy of this global event is thrilling, it also poses a daunting challenge: navigating through one of the world's busiest cities during peak congestion, amplified by the flurry of the Olympic Games and the millions of spectators expected to flock to the city. This is where TomTom comes in.

Following months of research, consulting and business analysis firm Frost and Sullivan recently awarded TomTom its 2024 Customer Value Leadership Award for the automotive mapping segment, recognizing the company for its innovative yet authentic approach to automotive map products, which are part of TomTom Orbis Maps. We sat down with Frost and Sullivan Associate Director and Head of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Research Kamalesh Mohanarangam to learn more.

Close your eyes and think of a map... What’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it an unwieldy paper map that unfolds to lay bare the truths of a certain area? Maybe you think of a hand-drawn map of a fantasy universe constructed to tell a story? Or do you picture a modern digital map with points of interest, zoom functions and colored lines pointing out a clear route for you to follow? The word map means different things to different people, and as mapping technology evolves so does the definition of what a map is.

Maps are a special technology. For centuries they’ve helped us understand our changing world and solve ever-evolving challenges such as how to get from a to b, how to design cities and how to manage traffic, among others. Recently, we interviewed Johan Land, TomTom’s Chief Product Officer, to learn more about maps’ unique ability to positively contribute to road safety.

When someone says electric vehicles (EVs), you probably don’t think of TomTom — but you should. As the world goes electric, we must find ways to make living with EVs and using them in businesses as simple and effortless as possible. We need to rethink the experience and create something new, something that solves the problems of anyone or any business that uses electric vehicles, we need an excellent EV experience. Going electric is complicated for everyone, but it doesn’t have to be — and TomTom thinks its maps have the answer.

“We’re so confident in the quality and the strategy of our new map, we know that if you come and try it out, you’ll be sold on it as well,” Michael Harrell, TomTom SVP of Maps Engineering. “The quality trajectory is going faster than we’ve ever seen.”

Recently, millions of people traveled to and across North America to view the total solar eclipse in all its glory. To keep traffic flowing smoothly and ensure eclipse seekers knew what to expect on the roads, TomTom’s regional sourcing specialists started preparing months in advance. By the end, they’d mapped over 100 road closures in the U.S., and close to 50 in Mexico and Canada each.

In the race for cutting-edge location technology, TomTom has firmly secured pole position, coming out as the frontrunner in location applications and services in Counterpoint Research's latest analysis. For TomTom, it’s more than a win, it’s validation of its commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the road.

“In today's digital sphere, maps are becoming richer and more dynamic. As maps constantly evolve, their style is critical to serve the vast variety of use cases that rely on maps,” Manuela Locarno Ajayi, TomTom’s SVP of Product Engineering says.

"The automotive industry is going through a digital transformation... Software is becoming central to deliver the user experience," TomTom's VP of Design, Gianluca Brugnoli, says.

Standards are everything in business. They’re the rules that help our world work efficiently and cooperatively. Without them, individual countries could have tens of time zones, plug-and-play computer hardware wouldn’t exist and all our phones would have different charging connectors. So, it’s surprising to learn that some industries still lack crucial standardization to make everything work well together and promote interoperability and innovation. The commercial mapmaking and location tech industry is one such industry.

The past year is one for TomTom’s history books. Delivering several firsts, the company is releasing new products, pushing its technology forward with the latest innovations. And it’s playing a central role in shaping the commercial mapping and location tech industry for good. With the year ending, let’s take a look at some of the milestones and trends from the past year and consider what’s on the horizon before TomTom returns with a bang at CES2024 in January.

Collaboration is the guiding principle behind the twenty-year success of OpenStreetMap. It’s this fundamental concept that allows OSM’s communities to simultaneously use and make maps. This approach to modern mapmaking was a core theme at ‘State of the Map’ 2023 conference, in Antwerp, Belgium.

Transport infrastructure is a central feature of any map. So, it’s no surprise the Overture Foundation, with the exclusive help of TomTom, is developing its own data set of the world’s roads – what it calls its transportation layer. We looked at what TomTom is doing to create the Overture transportation layer and what it means for the project.

Maybe you’ve seen it yourself. Maybe it drove past you one day. Maybe you followed it on the highway during your commute. Whether you’ve seen it or not, it’s almost certainly driven on the same roads you drive on every day. The TomTom Cars, or more specifically, its mobile mapping (MoMa) vehicles have been nearly everywhere and have long been an important tool in TomTom’s mapmaking. But with mapmaking evolving and map data available from more sources, will we continue to see MoMa vehicles on our roads?

Today, most drivers no longer worry if their electric vehicle (EV) will go the distance. But when they do need to charge, they still face some pressing questions: Will there be available chargers at the next charging point? How long will it take to charge? How much will it cost, and how can I pay?