Facebook has acquired Mapillary AB, a Swedish startup that takes street-level imagery for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2013, Mapillary pitches itself as a sort of Google Maps competitor in that it offers street-level imagery such as Google Maps does but with a twist in that its imagery comes from “any camera, anywhere.” The company claims to solve a problem with mapping by keeping maps updated with street-level data about signs, addresses and other information that can be observed from the road
As, Facebook is building tools and technology to improve maps through a combination of machine learning, satellite imagery and partnerships with mapping communities. These maps power products like Facebook Marketplace can drive transactions for millions of small businesses, and supply vital data to humanitarian organizations around the world.
Until now, all the imagery on Mapillary has been free to use for anyone for non-commercial purposes, but starting today, it will be free for commercial users as well, which gives us a clue as to how Facebook could include the service on its platform you can probably expect street shots of businesses on their Facebook pages soon. The acquisition helps to push forward Facebook’s general map-based ambitions, too.
As mentioned, Mapillary is Google Street View’s biggest competitor and has attracted the attention of other major tech companies in its time Amazon showed keen interest a few years back. Alternatives such as Apple Maps and Bing Maps have tried to contend with Google’s offering, but with Facebook at the helm Mapillary could well be the one to take it on seriously.
