Yet another story on road data collection by Navteq and/or TeleAtlas. Interestingly, according to hte story, Navteq got its start “in 1985 with the idea of producing map kiosks in hotel lobbies and convenience stores where travelers would insert a dollar and get written directions.” It is also interesting to note that “in a typical day in the field, the modern-day cartographer will drive up to 250 miles on San Diego County streets in a Ford Escape equipped with a digital camera inside the windshield and a cone-shaped satellite roof antenna. He electronically charts nearly everything flitting by but the manhole covers.” Is this cartography or data collection?

See also previous postings on the topic: February 22,2006 and October 3, 2005. Why does this seem to be such a popular news story?