SAP integrates Nokia Here mapping data with HANA platform

Partnership will help developers create business intelligence apps fuelled by geographical data

SAP plans to bundle maps and content from Nokia's Here mapping service into its HANA platform, aiming to provide customers with access to geographical data and aid in the development of geo-spatial applications.

Here is a Nokia-owned company that provides location intelligence for enterprises, helping companies to track mobile and fixed assets and make decisions based on real-time geographical data.

SAP plans to make use of these capabilities by integrating Here into the latest HANA SPS09 release of the platform, which is due at the end of November.

The addition of Here follows several other new features and improvements to the HANA platform, announced at SAP's TechEd event in Berlin.

SAP hopes that the in-memory and spatial-processing capabilities of HANA can be combined with Here to allow developers to create applications that use geographical data to fuel business intelligence and big data analytics.

Jacques-Etienne Grandjean, vice president of enterprise sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Nokia Here, said that the combination will help businesses make better, more cost-effective decisions based on mapping data and intelligence.

"Digital maps are playing an increasingly important role across industries, giving businesses the insight they need to respond to fast-changing circumstances," he said.

"Location services have become crucial for enhancing business analytics and enterprise applications."

SAP appears to have a keen interest in adding geo-spatial data and mapping functionality to the HANA platform, having recently entered into a partnership with mapping specialist Esri to integrate a mapping framework and analytics into HANA.