Nokia today presented the next step in its social location journey with the announcement of the latest version of Ovi Maps, fast becoming a unique, dynamic and personalized canvas – sychronized and shared between the mobile and the web – upon which people will be able to add personal location-based content.  

This also marks a shift from the one-size-fits-all static bitmap maps commonly found on the web, to using Nokia’s dynamic vector-graphic maps as a browser for all your personal map experiences – whether on the web or on your compatible mobile device.

 
Nokia also announced the release of the Ovi Maps Player API, a simple way to embed the rich and dynamic Ovi Maps experience into any compatible website using basic JavaScript. This opens the Ovi Maps service and technology for third parties wishing to add greater contextual innovation to their websites for a deeper level of integration, sharing and collaboration with their audiences. Now websites like lonelyplanet.com or social networking sites can include Ovi Maps which can be personalized with their users’ collections of content and then synchronized onto their compatible mobile device.
 
“Ovi Maps is evolving from a consumer service to a live and dynamic platform for location-based services and content shared between the mobile device and the web. By adding this richer dimension to Ovi Maps we are both creating new experiences for consumers and new opportunities for developers,” says Michael Halbherr, vice president, Social Location services at Nokia. “The Ovi Maps Player API offers an open and easy-to-use map browser based on simple web technologies that can be embedded into any website. This is the first step toward an ecosystem where developers can access Nokia’s unique contextual assets, such as location, to create mobile applications that will redefine how we use our mobile device. “