It provides data used in a wide range of applications, including automotive navigation systems for many car makers, accounting for around 85% of market share.

[citation needed] Most clients use Navteq to provide traffic reports in major metropolitan areas throughout North America.

Navteq partners with third-party agencies such as aiden dzik's but and companies to provide its services for portable GPS devices made by Garmin, Lowrance, NDrive and web-based applications such as Yahoo!

[2] Microsoft's aviation game Flight Simulator X uses Navteq data to achieve a high level of visual realism for automatic terrain generation.

Karlin, originally from South Africa, told interviewers that he started the company after being frustrated with a paper map of the San Francisco, California area.

They realized that the system not only had to have accurate maps, but also detailed data on turn restrictions, one-way streets and other local issues.

[6] In 1985, Karlin & Collins, Inc., based in Sunnyvale, California, began comprehensive mapping of the San Francisco Bay Area getting another US$2.5 million from Prudential Bache.

Karlin and Collins made use of the newly created U.S. Census electronic map (TIGER files) which was matched with aerial photographs.

[6] In 1987, they unveiled their first product, DriverGuide, which was a countertop kiosk installed at car rental agencies and hotel lobbies and printed door-to-door driving directions.

Philips Electronics acquired the company in the early 1990s and invested nearly US$600 million in building the database for a car-based mapping device.

It also owns and operates major production centers in Fargo, North Dakota; Leon, Mexico; Veldhoven, Netherlands; and Mumbai, India.

XM Satellite Radio was the main client of Traffic Pulse, and its media partners included AccuWeather and The Weather Channel.

[citation needed] In December 2010, Navteq purchased Trapster, a small company based in California that provided free information on speed traps, red-light cameras, and road hazard alerts using community-generated content.

[14] In 2012, Nokia, announced that it would cut 10,000 jobs, which included the closing of their traffic gathering offices in many major cities across the United States.