Uber has teamed up with DigitalGlobe that will see the satellite imaging company supply high-resolution satellite images to the ride-sharing service in a multi-year global partnership.
In the blog post announcing the partnership, DigitalGlobe first praised Uber for revolutionizing the transportation industry by making the experience as simple as possible. The post quoted the recent TED Talk of Travis Kalanick, the CEO of Uber, who said that Uber can reduce pollution, traffic congestion and unnecessary parking space by using fewer vehicles to transport more people.
The post went on to quote figures stated by Kalanick that people waste a collective 7 billion hours per year while stuck in traffic, with $160 billion in lost productivity and one-fifth of the carbon footprint of the population released into the air by vehicles.
DigitalGlobe expressed support for the transportation revolution being pushed forward by Uber, with the company stating that the satellite images it will provide will be used to improve the ride-sharing experience for both drivers and riders around the world.
The terms of the agreement and financial figures were not disclosed.
Uber will use the satellite imaging company's technology to access location intelligence and images that will help in the identification and improvement of the pick-up and drop-off points riders will set for drivers to follow.
DigitalGlobe's technology is capable of scanning the world with high resolution and accuracy, in both visible and invisible wavelengths. The company believes Uber could benefit from its satellite imagery, as it would allow the ride-sharing company to better understand the environments which they operate in.
With the additional mapping capabilities the partnership will provide to Uber, the ride-sharing service will become more aware of the exact locations of its drivers and riders, as the technology will further improve Uber's God View.
God View is an internal feature that allows Uber to pinpoint the location of its drivers and customers whenever they are using the app. The policy on the potentially privacy-infringing feature has since been changed to prevent instances of abuse.
Uber has recently been making major improvements on its platform. Last month, the company added new safety features for its drivers, which include reminders to take a break, informative reports and speed checks. Also, Uber tucked away the surge pricing prompt and replaced it with a notification that tells riders the exact amount that they would pay for every Uber ride they take.
