Earlier this week Navteq announced their new partnership with Microsoft. The new partnership will see Navteq supplying three dimensional map data for Microsoft’s expanding online mapping services. Microsoft last week began the process of building 3D imagery into the online mapping website Bing Maps. They took data from around 100 cities worldwide to begin with and added it to the ‘streetside’ feature on the website which gives users a driver’s eye view of the environment. It will obviously take some time before the entire world is visible in street level 3D as gathering data from every street across the entire globe is a very long and tedious process. Navteq already has a huge data collection operation and supply their data to many companies, however Navteq are now upgrading their technology in cooperation with Microsoft to find the most efficient and effective way to gather information. Google street view was introduced awhile back now and has had a big head start over Streetside, but Googles mapping system lacks a fluid 3D interface that Streetside will be offering its viewers. A Navteq company spokesperson said that;  ”With this new relationship, Navteq elevates its alliance with a trusted collaborator to help advance important 3D collection technologies which, when integrated into Navteq’s broader proprietary data-collection process, will support the capture of a range of advanced navigable map features at an exceptional level of accuracy and scale. Navteq will be integrating these new technologies into its field collection vehicles, and the company’s full roster of customers will be able to benefit from this technology deployment.” Source: news.cnet.com