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Navteq models European cities

Navteq announces the availability of 3D rendered maps of European cities.

Wayne Cunningham Managing Editor / Roadshow
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham

3D Munich
This 3D version of Munich will appear in some Navteq-powered GPS devices. Navteq


Munich photo
The real Munich looks eerily similar to the Navteq version. Navteq

We've seen downtown San Francisco in virtual 3D glory on the navigation systems in cars from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Navteq, which provides the maps for many of the worlds GPS navigation devices, is extending this technology to Europe. The company announced 3D maps for European cities, complete with texturing for landmark buildings.

Currently, these 3D maps are available for Western European cities. Navteq is expanding coverage to Eastern Europe.

In a navigation device, Navteq's technology allows for building models to become transparent when they would get in the way of route guidance or destination searches.

Navteq's maps are used by most major automakers, along with both Magellan and Garmin.