In the years 2003 – 2010, NAVTEQ was organizing the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge, an annual event.

The Global LBS Challenge was challenging developers of applications from around the globe to develop innovative LBS (location-based services) apps that were working with mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices and that used NAVTEQ map data and dynamic positioning technology. Take also a look at the following video.

To give you an example, developers from all across the world entered numerous LBS applications that were working on portable devices and mobile phones. These applications used NAVTEQ maps and wireless technology and the developers were competing for a huge global prize pool that was valued at around $2 million.

In the semifinals of the competition, 16 selected companies advanced to the finals where they were evaluated by an expert industry panel, and all the entries were judged on these aspectS: unique features, functionality, ease of use, and commercial viability.

At the Awards Ceremony of the Global LBS Challenge, a Grand Prize winner and 3 Category winners were named across the following categories: Enterprise Solutions (Business), Entertainment & Leisure, Navigation, Social Networking, and Content.

ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS

Field Services
Asset Tracking
Advertising
Buying
Billing

ENTERTAINMENT & LEISURE

Location-based imaging
Gaming
Athletics Travel

NAVIGATION

Traffic
POI Look-up

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Personal Security
Find Me
Peer-to-Peer

CONTENT

POI data location
dynamic data
relevant data

All through the years, the parent company, Nokia, continued to sponsor this great event, together with some other interested companies.

The NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge was highly successful in creating an interesting outlet for the global developer community that, through this initiative, gained unique access to the industry and had the chance for worldwide exposure and recognition. The Challenge’s success is visible in today’s prevalence of readily available wireless navigation and location services.

Since 2003, when NAVTEQ launched the Global LBS Challenge, more than thirty percent of all the Challenge’s semifinalists succeeded in securing venture capital funding and some have even launched their own commercially distributed applications featured on major wireless carriers.

In 2010, NAVTEQ acquired Trapster, a relatively small California-based company, that had succeeded in reaching the finals of the 2008 NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge.