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October 2000
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It's Magic... Nine companies come together as the MAGIC Services Initiative
Nine companies actively involved in location-based services, such as mobile and automotive navigation, telematics and geographic information, have come together as the MAGIC Services Initiative to develop and release a universal, open standard. Adopting this standard will provide users with compatibility across software systems and information delivery networks, opening the way for even more rapid growth in geographic-based products and services. Typical users for this set of application programming interfaces (APIs) and protocols are developers of automotive and personal navigation, telematics and other geographic information services.
The MAGIC Services APIs and protocols also provide for graphical rendering of maps and 3-D 'bird's eye' views and for instant access positioning and routing systems. Demand for these systems is predicted to grow very rapidly with increasing numbers of portable devices (e.g. PDAs and 3rd generation mobile phones) and computers seeking information via wireless services. There will be more mobile devices than PCs connected to the Internet by the end of 2003/2004.
The MAGIC Services Initiative objectives include compatibility with existing standards such as XML, use on both wired and wireless networks and with existing Internet and web standards. First commercial products conforming to MAGIC Services Specifications, Version 1, are expected early next year with a high volume coming through within 12 months.
The nine companies are all industry leaders: Alpine Electronics, Increment-P Corporation (Pioneer), Panasonic, Microsoft, MobileGIS, Telcontar, Tele Atlas, VDO Car Communication and Xanavi. Other relevant companies active in these technologies - providers of content, services and communications networks and application developers - are invited to join the MAGIC Services Initiative Forum. This has been established for continuing enhancement of MAGIC Services specifications.
Further information is
available at the MAGIC Services Forum web site www.MAGICServicesForum.org
and www.teleatlas.com
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