MSoft & NAVTEQ team up
Via a seekrit submittor, news that Microsoft Flight Sim and Navteq are teaming up for the next in the series of Flight Simulator. This is beyond awesome:
Microsoft is using data from NAVTEQ to create much of the world in "Flight Simulator X". NAVTEQ data such as road network information, ferry landings, railroads, detailed water information (e.g. oceans, rivers, lakes, harbors, etc.), parks, golf courses, and recreational areas, enhances the "Flight Simulator X" user experience.
NAVTEQ is used by Google Earth, Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and a whole ton of GPS navigation systems. (Our NAVTEQ onboard GPS in the Australian hire car we had tried to dump us down a ravine in the bush, but that's a whole other story entitled My NAVTEQ Thinks I'm Dead.)
Mixed reactions over at those GameDev forums, ranging from NAVTEQ-data-is-8-years-old, to wahay-more-terrorists, to debates on whether a simulation is a game or not...
Either way, this is a welcome step further towards being able to play with real world data, and play in 3D on digitally-rendered real world terrain. Completely delightful.
(Thanks, Friend!)
Navteq data was used in previous versions also.
Posted by: Steve Lacey | July 27, 2006 at 06:58
I thougth Navteq data was only available in previous version from some of the higher priced add-ons. How do you know that it was included in previous versions? Proof?
Posted by: Frank | July 31, 2006 at 22:50
About time some company made something like this. Someone created something VERY simple for Google maps though here: http://www.isoma.net/games/goggles.html
Posted by: Mark | August 05, 2006 at 00:47