How on-demand, mobility and logistics leaders make TomTom maps better

Every day, new roads are opened while others are closed, four-way intersections are converted to roundabouts and addresses are updated. In fact, it’s estimated that 10% of the global road network changes every year. So, how do you make sure that those changes are reflected on maps and they happen quickly?

TomTom partners with companies in logistics and on-demand industries to share the map editing process to ensure our maps mirror real-road conditions. Our Map Editing Partnership (MEP) program is a mutually beneficial collaboration with strategic partners that leads to an even better map for users everywhere. Through MEP, leading industry partners are adding new roads, turn restrictions, street closures and more, ensuring fresh, accurate location information.

The big mapping challenge

Roads don’t just move us – they’re in a constant state of movement themselves. As conditions on the ground keep changing, mapmakers must stay up to date to ensure their maps accurately reflect reality.

At TomTom, keeping our digital maps correct and current is something that we work on every day. To detect changes in the real world, we collect data from a host of sources: survey vehicles, government agencies, TomTom map users, vehicle sensors and more. We incorporate all changes into our transactional mapmaking platform, run quality checks and deliver the changed map to our users through incremental updates.

It’s a sophisticated process, and we’re always looking for ways to make it better. That’s what drove us to develop the latest addition to our map-updating arsenal: the Map Editing Partnership (MEP) program.

What is the MEP program?

The MEP program is creating a partner ecosystem to strengthen relationships and improve service levels. By collaborating to make a better map, we also discover new products or services that we can offer to users. It’s a paradigm shift in which everyone wins.

The MEP program brings together the power of our global map-making community with best-in-class tools and technologies. Through the program, TomTom has partnered with global leaders in the mobility, on-demand, logistics and automotive industries. These partnerships enrich the TomTom mapping ecosystem by adding experience, on-the-ground insights and data from around the globe.

How does the program work?

The process starts with listening to our partners and providing excellent customer service. MEP analysts and engineers collaborate with peers at partner companies to strengthen workflow management and prioritization of resources, so that the geography and features that partners value the most get worked on first.

Meanwhile, MEP trainers and subject matter experts teach how to best edit a map, supporting editors as they learn to make changes. Once a partner’s editors have been certified through our customized map editing curriculum, they are then able to make changes to the live map.

The MEP team has prioritized adding user-friendly and open source interfaces and tools to make editing easier for partners. At the same time, we follow a stringent process to ensure all changes are of high quality. All partner edits must pass the same quality checks that are required of TomTom editors. These real-time quality checks give editors a level of comfort when making edits and ensure the most accurate map possible.

A better map for everyone

The MEP program is positively changing the mapping game for TomTom, its partners and end-users. The program currently supports more than 3 million partner edits to the TomTom map every month in more than 70 countries around the world.

These millions of additional map edits benefit the entire global community by creating fresher, more accurate maps. Being able to refer to a correct and complete map is vital. That’s been especially true in recent months, as protests across the U.S. blocked streets, flash floods washed out roads in southern Europe and the coronavirus pandemic closed borders worldwide. In these fast-changing times, having maps that reflect real-road conditions is more important than ever. Thanks to the MEP program, we’re continually making our maps better together.

Continuously mapping the world

The Map Editing Partnership program opens TomTom’s map-making process to trusted partners, allowing us to work together to deliver precise and timely maps. These partnerships power not only the maps, but also the movement of industries, companies and people around the world. Read more about what makes our map technology the industry standard.