Uber mapping cars hit the road in Edmonton

MetroNews.ca
Aug. 5, 2016

A new kind of Uber car is rolling out in Edmonton: ones designed not to ferry passengers, but make maps.

The new Uber mapping cars are equipped with rooftop cameras that will help the ride sharing company create their own digital maps of the city.

“Existing maps are a good starting point, but some information isn’t that relevant to Uber,” said Manik Gupta, head of the Map program, in a release.

“There are other things we need to know a lot more about, like traffic patterns and precise pickup and dropoff locations.”

Mapping cars are already on the road in Mexico and the United States, but Edmonton is the first move into Canada.