HERE Technologies

Overview

HERE Technologies provides a set of location-based services, geospatial data, and a platform designed for developers to integrate mapping, routing, and location intelligence into their applications. The platform supports a range of use cases, from consumer-facing navigation to complex enterprise logistics and autonomous driving systems. HERE's offerings include detailed global map data, real-time traffic information, advanced routing algorithms, and location search capabilities. The HERE Platform aggregates and processes location data to enable various services, such as predictive routing and asset tracking.

The company's core products include Location Services, which encompass APIs for geocoding, routing, and traffic. Map Data provides access to vector and raster map tiles, 3D building data, and street-level imagery. The HERE Platform offers tools and services for data ingestion, processing, and management. For advanced automotive applications, HERE provides HD Live Map, which delivers high-definition map data crucial for automated driving systems, including lane-level precision and localization services.

HERE Technologies primarily serves industries that require precise and reliable location intelligence. This includes the automotive sector, where its technology powers in-car navigation and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and logistics and fleet management, which utilize HERE's routing and tracking solutions for optimizing delivery routes and monitoring assets. Developers can integrate HERE's capabilities using various SDKs and APIs, including JavaScript, Android, and iOS, supported by extensive documentation and examples. The platform's modular architecture allows developers to select specific services needed for their applications, from basic map display to complex geospatial analysis.

While HERE Technologies offers a comprehensive set of services, it competes with other established mapping providers. For example, the Google Maps Platform also provides extensive mapping and location services for web and mobile applications, often catering to consumer-facing applications with high-volume usage. HERE's focus on enterprise and automotive solutions, particularly with its HD Live Map, differentiates its offerings in certain specialized markets.

Key features

• Mapping APIs and SDKs: Provides APIs for displaying maps, rendering custom map layers, and managing map interactions across web, Android, and iOS platforms.
• Geocoding and Geosearching: Converts addresses to geographic coordinates (geocoding) and vice-versa (reverse geocoding), and enables searching for points of interest (POIs) and addresses.
• Routing and Navigation: Offers advanced routing algorithms that consider real-time traffic, vehicle type (e.g., trucks, electric vehicles), and road conditions to generate optimal routes and turn-by-turn instructions.
• Traffic Information: Delivers real-time and historical traffic data, including incident reporting and predictive traffic flows, to enhance routing accuracy and provide estimated travel times.
• Location Services: Includes APIs for geofencing, location tracking, and gathering location context for various applications.
• Map Data Access: Provides access to HERE's global map data, including street networks, administrative boundaries, buildings, and natural features, available through various formats and APIs.
• HERE Platform Tools: Offers tools for managing and processing geospatial data, enabling developers to build custom location services and applications on top of HERE's infrastructure.
• HD Live Map: Provides highly precise map data with lane-level accuracy, crucial for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles.

Pricing

HERE Technologies offers a free tier for developers with usage-based pricing for most services once the free limits are exceeded. Enterprise-level solutions and high-volume usage may involve custom pricing agreements. The pricing model generally scales with the number of transactions or data consumed.

Pricing as of 2026-04-26. For detailed and up-to-date pricing information, refer to the official HERE Technologies pricing page.

Common integrations

• Web Applications: Integrate mapping and location services using the HERE JavaScript API for interactive maps, routing, and search functionalities.
• Android Applications: Utilize the HERE Android SDK to embed maps, implement navigation, and integrate location-aware features directly into native Android apps.
• iOS Applications: Develop location-based features for iOS devices using the HERE iOS SDK, providing capabilities like map display, routing, and POI search.
• Backend Services: Integrate HERE Location Services directly into server-side applications using REST APIs for geocoding, routing, and traffic data processing.
• Fleet Management Systems: Combine HERE's routing, traffic, and geocoding APIs with existing fleet management software for route optimization, asset tracking, and delivery planning.

Alternatives

• Google Maps Platform: Provides extensive mapping, routing, and location services with a strong focus on consumer applications and web integration.
• Mapbox: Offers customizable maps and location services, often favored for its design flexibility and developer-friendly tools.
• TomTom: Specializes in navigation, traffic, and mapping technologies, with a strong presence in the automotive and enterprise sectors.

Getting started

To begin using HERE Location Services, developers typically obtain an API key and integrate one of the available SDKs or directly call the REST APIs. The following JavaScript example demonstrates how to initialize a basic map using the HERE JavaScript API:

/**
 * Initializes a HERE map on a specified DOM element.
 *
 * This example demonstrates a basic map display with default settings.
 * Replace 'YOUR_API_KEY' with your actual HERE API key.
 */
function initializeHEREMap() {
  // 1. Get an API Key from developer.here.com
  const platform = new H.service.Platform({
    apikey: 'YOUR_API_KEY'
  });

  // 2. Obtain the default map types from the platform object:
  const defaultLayers = platform.createDefaultLayers();

  // 3. Instantiate (and display) a map object:
  const map = new H.Map(
    document.getElementById('mapContainer'),
    defaultLayers.vector.normal.map,
    {
      zoom: 10,
      center: { lat: 52.5, lng: 13.4 }
    }
  );

  // 4. Add a resize listener to make sure that the map occupies the whole container
  window.addEventListener('resize', () => map.getViewPort().resize());

  // 5. Make the map interactive by adding the default behavior
  // (Zooming, panning, and adding to the map as needed)
  new H.mapevents.Behavior(new H.mapevents.MapEvents(map));

  // Optional: Add a UI for zoom, pan, and other map interactions
  H.ui.UI.createDefault(map, defaultLayers);

  console.log('HERE Map initialized successfully.');
}

// Ensure the DOM is fully loaded before initializing the map
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', initializeHEREMap);

This code snippet assumes a <div id="mapContainer"></div> exists in your HTML and that the HERE JavaScript API library has been loaded. Developers must replace 'YOUR_API_KEY' with their valid API key obtained from the HERE developer portal. Further guides and examples for more advanced features like routing, geocoding, and custom overlays are available in the HERE developer documentation.