Navigation Technologies Corporation, a provider of digital map information and enabling technology used in road-based navigation products, systems, and services, announced Feb. 28 it has become a sponsor member of the Mobile and Automotive Geographic Informatino Core, or MAGIC, Services Initiative. The MAGIC Services(TM) Initiative is an industry consortium established to develop and promote an open industry specification for delivering navigation, telematics and related location-based services across multiple networks, platforms and devices via standard Internet transports and service access protocols. Navigation Technologies' NAVTECH(R) map information is used in every vehicle equipped with global positioning satellite (GPS) route guidance technology in North America and the majority of those in Europe, as well as being at the heart of almost every off-board telematics solution in those markets, according to M. Salahuddin Khan, vice president of corporate marketing and strategy. "As the leading provider of digital mapping data, we're proud to contribute our experience and expertise to the MAGIC Services Initiative and the development of an industry standard for this space," Khan said. According to Khan, the MAGIC Initiative will enable the high performance and low-cost delivery of geographic data services to both wireless and wired network computers, laptops, handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile handsets, in-vehicle positioning systems and other mobile devices. The delivery of this data will be accomplished via standard protocols and application programming interfaces (APIs). Participation in this effort by key companies in the location-based services value chain, like Navigation Technologies, will make the development and markiet acceptance of these standards more timely, according to Lawrence Dunn, vice president of Navigation Technologies' Connected Map Service (CMS). "Membership in MAGIC affirms our commitment to expanding the markets we are pioneering with our products and services," Dunn said. "This is particularly important considering that MAGIC's objectives strongly relate to the product development and positioning of our Connected Map Service." CMS, a server-based solution that provides dynamic route and guidance information allowing service providers to offer high-value location-based services with the most current map information available, will soon be launched by Navigation Technologies. With CMS, service providers can avoid the complexities and significant development, operational and maintenance costs associated with managing such information, according to Dunn. Most of today's navigation, telematics, and other location-sensitive services are based on proprietary and incompatible protocls with each protocol functioning with a certain amount of data types and systems. About MAGIC The MAGIC Services Initiative seeks to establish a uniform industry specification for these products, permitting interoperability between location data, devices and systems. MAGIC is open to a wide range of industries and partners, including navigation data content vendors, navigation and telematics system developers, telematics service providers, wireless carriers and application developers. For more information on the consortium and its membership, visit www.MAGICServicesForum.org. About Navigation Technologies Navigation Technologies Corporation is a provider of digital map information and enabling technology used in a wide range of smart navigation products, including automotive navigation systems, GIS and fleet applications, hand held products, Internet mapping, PC-based applications and call center-based navigation services. Navigation Technologies is privately held, and is headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Ill., with major business operations in Fargo, N.D.; Sunnyvale, Calif.; Best, The Netherlands; and Yokohoma, Japan. Founded in 1985, the company has about 1,200 employees and maintains field operations in almost 100 offices in 16 countries. For more information, visit www.navtech.com.