Map Shack

Augmented Reality (AR) can add value, solve problems, and enhance user experience in nearly every industry. Businesses are increasing investments to drive the growth of AR, which makes it a crucial part of the tech economy. At MapsPeople, we’re keeping a close eye on developments in the field of AR and working with multiple partners to explore its indoor mapping possibilities.

For this MapShack outing I chat with Senior Software Developer at MapsPeople, Michael Hansen, about the journey AR has been on over the past decade or so, and where it could be heading in the future. 

Design, psychology, and anthropology maybe don’t spring to mind when thinking about maps. However, spatial design is an emerging holistic field that brings together these and other architectural and design concepts - and maps form the core on which spatial design works. In Maps Shack episode 7, Miriam Sode sheds some light on how maps can help organize and make sense of spatial and social information.  

As 2019 draws to a close, we sit down with MapsPeople Google Maps Platform Sales Manager, Jesper Holdensen, and take a look at some of the most consumer-friendly updates of the year in terms of commuting, user experience, and lifestyle. Jesper picks out  different use cases for our favorites.

Did you know that the oldest map of the world fits in the palm of your hand? The Babylonian Map of the World is the oldest map we know of and it’s believed to be from around 600 BC. Since then, mankind has been working on mapping the world, but three millennia later we still haven’t finished the job. In a career spanning almost 40 years, MapsPeople CEO and Founder, Michael Gram has spent the last 20 of these at the forefront of making the switch from printed maps to maps as a service. 

In today’s world, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is frequently misunderstood. This could largely be due to the significant leaps AI technology is experiencing and the powerful misconceptions surrounding it. In this episode, Jakob Kirkegaard explains his role as a computer vision specialist using AI as a problem solving tool rather than an actual comparison to human intelligence, while MapsPeople CIO, Rasmus Andersen offers his expertise and knowledge from an indoor mapping perspective. We cover the importance of human annotated data, image analysis, open source tools, and the potential of deep learning algorithms.  

In our latest episode, The Good Company owner, Uffe Koch, speaks to Map Shack about his involvement in the exciting Polaris Robot project (a collaboration between The Good Company, Combine, MapsPeople, Aalborg University and the Technological Institute to develop a service robot platform which will enable the general public and employees in large venues to get a helping hand from self-propelled robots) and his passion for empowering app developers.

Our Solutions Designer here at MapsPeople, Matti Jensen gets technical and explains what's going on in the world of Indoor Positioning Systems. Matti reveals some of the newest trends and looks at just how far the positioning industry has come in the last few years.

Scott chats to MapsPeople Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Partner, Jonas Berntsen, about relocating and adjusting to life in Austin, Texas. Jonas shares some of the differences between running a business in the US compared to Denmark and offers advice to companies thinking of relocating.