U.S. tech giant Apple is set to deploy its vehicles throughout Vietnam, tasked with traversing local streets and roads to gather data in support of enhancing the Look Around feature.
Look Around, a key feature within Apple Maps, offers users immersive 360° street-level imagery with seamless navigation transitions.
In addition to the Apple cars, Vietnam will also host numerous individuals equipped with backpacks containing state-of-the-art sensors, all aimed at bolstering data collection efforts to refine Apple Maps.
The sight of Apple cars and pedestrians sporting backpack systems for data collection purposes is becoming increasingly familiar in various countries worldwide.
Apple’s announcement to introduce specialized vehicles equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors in Vietnam signifies a substantial stride forward in its digital mapping endeavors within the country.
Google Maps continues to maintain its dominance as the leading web mapping platform globally.
According to financial news and literacy website TheStreet, Google Maps retains a commanding 70-percent market share in the digital mapping arena.
While Apple Maps trails in second place, its market share remains modest at 10 percent.
Apple Maps significantly lags behind Google Maps, primarily due to its limited universality and the scarcity of detailed information in certain regions like Vietnam.
Despite its widespread use elsewhere, Look Around has yet to debut in Vietnam, where residents have long relied on Google Street View, offering a similar experience, for several years.