what3words added to HARMAN connected car platform to deliver seamless in-car navigation experience

According to foreign media reports, what3words, a positioning technology company, recently announced that what3words has been added to Harman's connected car platform Harman Ignite Store. The platform allows automakers to develop, manage and operate their own in-vehicle application stores. This cooperation allows automakers to offer what3words as an in-vehicle navigation function, allowing millions of drivers to find an accurate three-meter location using only three words.

 (Image source: Harman)

What3words divides the Earth into 57 trillion 10-foot x 10-foot squares, each with a unique combination of three words. What3words provides a very simple way for people to communicate locations in places where street addresses often fail, such as specific building entrances, parking spaces, electric vehicle charging stations, and unmarked roads.

The HARMAN Ignite Store connects consumers to their favorite content, helping to create a rich and intuitive driving and navigation experience. With voice accuracy, what3words addresses can be entered directly into a vehicle head unit or connected car driver’s app via text or voice. However, unlike common street addresses that are often repeated, each what3words address is unique, helping to minimize errors and get drivers to their destination accurately.

The HARMAN Ignite Store optimizes the driving experience by accessing a comprehensive ecosystem of cloud-based applications and services. This enables automakers, dealers and service providers to introduce and easily deploy and manage new cloud applications and services to meet the safety, convenience, information and entertainment needs of customers around the world. The marketplace includes media content, point-of-interest solutions, messaging applications, and voice assistants designed for vehicles, all available on the HARMAN Ignite cloud platform.

“Typically, it’s been difficult for third-party app developers to deliver compelling automotive apps. It’s an arduous process as every OEM has different requirements. The HARMAN Ignite Store is changing that by allowing innovative app vendors like what3words to focus on their content and functionality,” said Albert Jordan, Vice President of Business Unit, HARMAN Ignite Store. “By taking care of it on the backend, the HARMAN Ignite Store makes it easy for app vendors to launch apps seamlessly and update them over time. We’re excited about this collaboration, not only with what3words providing drivers with a new level of navigation capabilities, but also with the what3words team helping app developers succeed in the automotive space.”

“This collaboration will help meet the growing demand from automakers and the mobility services sector to provide drivers with a better and more seamless navigation experience,” said Chris Sheldrick, CEO and co-founder of what3words. “what3words on the HARMAN Ignite cloud platform enables our location technology to be easily and effectively deployed in millions of cars around the world.”