Press Release

QSTP has awarded a grant to Qatar Navigator, a local start-up company, to develop and commercialise an automated map of the country. The company will survey and digitise Qatar's roads and points of interests, with the eventual aim of licensing the map to companies and local drivers.

Hamad Al Kuwari, General Manager of Qatar Navigator, said "As Doha residents know it can be difficult to specify where a site is located and then find your way there. Another issue is the roads and buildings in Qatar change very quickly. By using the latest automated mapping technology, we think we can produce maps more accurately and more quickly."

Qatar Navigator will drive around the country with a special video camera that simultaneously captures images and GPS coordinates, automatically generating a detailed map of roads and landmarks. Students from Qatar University will join the project, assisting with the surveying, digitising and uploading of information. The project is expected to take five months.

The maps will be usable by common in-car navigation systems, as well as almost any other mobile device equipped with GPS. Qatar Navigator already makes its own software for such devices, called Gulf Way. The company aims to licence its maps to satellite navigation companies and also directly to Qatar motorists.

The grant was made under QSTP's Proof of Concept Fund. Paul Field, manager of the fund, said "The POCF aims to help innovators to develop and demonstrate their technology. Qatar Navigator's project has the potential to quite literally put Qatar on the map. It marks another tangible step in the growth of Qatar's knowledge economy."

QSTP's Proof of Concept Fund provides grants for universities and small-to-medium companies in Qatar to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of their innovations. Grants range from $100,000 to $500,000, and can be used to develop prototypes, undertake market research and manage intellectual property.