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MapQuest

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MapQuest
Screenshot
Screenshot of MapQuest in use on a web browser.
Type of site
Web mapping
Available inMultilingual
ParentAOL(2000–2015)
Verizon Media(2016–2019)
System1 (2019–present)
URLwww.mapquestEdit this at Wikidata
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedFebruary 6, 1996;28 years ago(1996-02-06)
Current statusActive

MapQuest(stylized asmapquest) is an American free onlineweb mappingservice. It was launched in 1996 as the first commercial web mapping service.[1]MapQuest vies for market share withcompetitorssuch asApple Maps,HereandGoogle Maps.[2][3]

History[edit]

The former MapQuest logo was phased out as part of a website redesign unveiled on July 14, 2010.

MapQuest's origins date to 1967 with the founding of Cartographic Services, a division ofR.R. Donnelley & SonsinChicago,which moved toLancaster, Pennsylvania,in 1969. In the mid-1980s, R.R. Donnelley & Sons began generating maps and routes for customers, with cooperation by Barry Glick, aUniversity at BuffaloPh.D.[4]In 1994, it was spun off as GeoSystems Global Corporation. Much of the code was adapted for use on theInternetto create the MapQuest web service in 1996. MapQuest's original services were mapping (referred to as "Interactive Atlas" ) and driving directions (called "TripQuest" ).[5]

Sensing the emerging demand for spatial applications on the Internet, and with crippling network latency in Lancaster, the executive team of Barry Glick and Perry Evans moved MapQuest to the up-and-comingLoDoarea ofDenver, Colorado.

The initial Denver team consisted of Evans, Simon Greenman, Chris Fanjoy and Harry Grout. To make MapQuest a serious contender in the online spatial application market, a robust set of geographical tools was developed under Greenman's direction. Grout, who had spent time atRand McNally,EtakandNavigation Technologies Corporationbuilding digital map data, was tasked with acquiring data and licensing arrangements. The initial team experienced rapid growth in the Denver office, and in a short time MapQuest was becoming a well-known brand.

On 25 February 1999, MapQuestwent public,trading onNasdaq.[6]In December 1999,America Online(AOL) announced it would acquire MapQuest for $1.1 billion. The deal closed in 2000.[1]Chief Operating Officer / Chief Financial OfficerJim Thomasmanaged these transactions.[7]

For a period (until 2004),[8]MapQuest includedsatellite imagesthrough a licensing deal withGlobeXplorer,but later removed them because of the unorthodox business mechanics[clarification needed]of the arrangement brokered by AOL. In September 2006, the website once again began serving satellite imagery in a new beta program.

In 2004, MapQuest,uLocate,Research in MotionandNextellaunched MapQuest Find Me, a buddy-finder service that worked onGPS-enabledmobile phones.MapQuest Find Me let users automatically find their location, access maps and directions and locate nearby points of interest, including airports, hotels, restaurants, banks and ATMs. Users also had the ability to set up alerts to be notified when network members arrive at or depart from a designated area. In 2005, the service became available onSprint(as a result of their merger with Nextel), and onBoost Mobilein 2006.

In July 2006, MapQuest created a beta version of a new feature with which users could build customized routes by adding additional stops, reordering stops along the way and avoiding any undesired turns or roads. Users could also write out the starting address.[9]

In October 2006, MapQuest sold its publishing division to concentrate on its online andmobile services.[10]

In April 2007, MapQuest announced a partnership withGeneral Motors'OnStarto allow OnStar subscribers to plan their driving routes on MapQuest and send their destination to OnStar'sturn-by-turn navigationservice. The OnStar Web Destination Entry pilot program began in the summer of 2007 with a select group of OnStar subscribers.[11]

Around 2008, the general public made a significant shift away from MapQuest to the much youngerGoogle Mapsservice.[12][13]

In July 2010, MapQuest announced[14][15]plans to become the first major mapping site to embraceopen-source mapping data,launching a new site[16]separate from its main site, entirely using data from theOpenStreetMapproject.[17]On July 14, 2010, MapQuest launched a simplified user interface and made the site more compact. MapQuest also introduced "My Maps" personalization, which enables the user topersonalizethe interface.

In July 2012, Brian McMahon became the CEO and GM of MapQuest.

In May 2015, with the purchase of AOL byVerizon Communications,MapQuest came under the ownership of Verizon.[18]

On 11 July 2016, MapQuest discontinued its open tile API,[19][20]and users such asGNOME Mapswere switched to a temporarily free tier of theMapboxtileserver,[21]while considering alternatives.[22]

In 2019, Verizon Media sold Mapquest toSystem1.[23][24]

Services and programs[edit]

From 2014, MapQuest uses some ofTomTom's services for its mapping system.[25]

MapQuest provides some extent of street-level detail or driving directions for a variety of countries. Users can check if their country is available using a dropdown menu on the MapQuest home page.

The company offers a freemobile appfor Android and iOS that featuresPOIsearch, voice-guided navigation,real-time trafficand other features. MapQuest also offers a mobile-friendly website.

MapQuest has several travel products and also includes a feature to let users compare nearby gas prices, similar to the service offered byGasBuddy.However, this feature is only available in the United States.

MapQuest'sPOIdata helps the service differentiate itself from other wayfinding software by guiding users directly to the entrances of businesses and destinations, rather than to general street addresses.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abBoulton, Jim (28 June 2016)."Plotting the past".Digital Archaeology.Retrieved15 February2023.
  2. ^Harlan, Chico (5 May 2015)."'Does MapQuest still exist?' Yes, it does, and it's a profitable business ".The Washington Post.Retrieved19 April2016.
  3. ^"Top 12 Digital Map Companies in the World".IMARC.7 June 2024.
  4. ^"Alumni Around the World".University at Buffalo.Retrieved15 February2023.
  5. ^"Welcome To MapQuest!".11 December 1997. Archived fromthe originalon 11 December 1997.Retrieved18 May2012.
  6. ^"MapQuest Starts IPO Journey".InternetNews.25 February 1999.
  7. ^Howard, Mark R. (31 October 2011),"Economic Engine?".Florida Trend.Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  8. ^Schutzberg, Adena (April 10, 2005)."Google Integrates Keyhole into Google Maps".Directions mag.Retrieved2024-04-29.
  9. ^Kissiah, Michael (8 June 2022)."Maps and Geography Research Tools".eInvestigator.Retrieved15 February2023.
  10. ^Vuong, Andy (19 September 2006)."MapQuest selling publishing arm".The Denver Post.Retrieved15 February2023.
  11. ^Thomas, David (26 April 2007)."GM's OnStar Joins MapQuest for Desktop Route Planning".Cars.Retrieved15 February2023.
  12. ^McKinley, John (15 February 2009)."MapQuest: A Symbol Of Everything That's Gone Wrong".Business Insider.Retrieved16 August2016.
  13. ^Sterling, Greg (2008-01-10)."Google Maps Gaining On Market Leader Mapquest".Search Engine Land.Retrieved2024-04-29.
  14. ^Tankersley, Deb (9 July 2010)."MapQuest Opens Up (MapQuest Blog)".MapQuest Blog.Archived fromthe originalon 12 July 2010.Retrieved20 December2011.
  15. ^Ant (2010-07-09)."MapQuest Opens Up – in the UK (MapQuest DevBlog)".MapQuest Devblog.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-01-03.Retrieved2011-12-20.
  16. ^"MapQuest Open – Beta".Open MapQuest.co.uk.Retrieved2011-12-20.
  17. ^"MapQuest - OpenStreetMap Wiki".
  18. ^Chuang, Tamara (19 October 2015)."MapQuest gets a new look after Verizon takes over".The Denver Post.
  19. ^Willis, Nathan (27 July 2016)."GNOME Maps and the tile problem".LWN.net.Retrieved15 February2023.
  20. ^"Modernization of MapQuest results in changes to direct tile access".15 June 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 19 August 2016.Retrieved30 July2016.
  21. ^Bengtsson, Mattias (20 July 2016)."Tiles and Mapbox".GNOME Project.
  22. ^"Bug 764841 – Stop Using MapQuest Tile Server".GNOME Project.10 April 2016.
  23. ^Doctrow, Cory (10 October 2019)."Verizon dumps another Oath property for peanuts: RIP, Mapquest".Boing Boing.Retrieved15 February2023.
  24. ^Sterling, Greg (2019-10-04)."A eulogy for Mapquest".Search Engine Land.Retrieved2024-04-29.
  25. ^TomTom Corporate (19 June 2014)."TomTom Powers MapQuest's Core Map Data with New Partnership"(pdf).Retrieved29 April2024.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MapQuest&oldid=1233806057"