Portals vie to upgrade map services

By Yoon Ja-young

In the smartphone era, map services continue to be modified to better provide specific details. They can now show the inside of stores and even the location of the holes on golf courses.

Daum Communications, which operates the portal site Daum, recently launched an upgraded map service. Coupling aerial photographs with two dimensional (2D) maps, it shows the width of the road as well as facilities for pedestrians such as crosswalks. On hiking trails it shows the distance and time needed for completing each course, and provides the distance to the hole from each T shot spot or the location of the cups on golf courses.

“We plan to upgrade maps at least once a week for major locations, and regular monthly updates for other spots,” an official from Daum said.

The portal site also provides a “Store View” service, which shows the inside of the shops. Users can see the interior of a restaurant and access the menu and make reservations right away. Daum provides a panoramic map service for cultural heritages as well.

Naver, the country’s biggest portal, launched map services for cyclists in August. It shows traffic conditions in Seoul real-time. The map services, which were previously for drivers, are becoming more pedestrian focused.

“The local map service market wasn’t huge but the introduction of mobile devices accelerated location-based products. It made map services diversify. Previously, it was 2D maps, but now see the diverse map services we have,” the representative for Daum said. Users are using maps not only to reach their destination but also to look up places for shopping, eating and playing or while on the road. The map service is seeing a paradigm shift, from “how to get there” to “where to go.”

Internet companies are seeking to transform maps into platforms. They are adding blogs, phone numbers, road views, and coupons. “T Map,” by SK Planet, a platform business affiliated with SK Telecom, is seeking to turn itself into a lifestyle platform, providing diverse information such as menus and information on parking and public transportation. It saw the number of users surpass 10 million last week, and it has become a killer content for SK Telecom.

Internet companies expect maps to become their new income source. “We expect advertisements by local stores to increase on map services. We will start seeing meaningful gains from next year,” the representative for Daum said.