Stadia Maps provides developers with location-based services, leveraging open-source technologies and partnerships to enhance performance. In this episode, two executives from Stadia Maps: Co-Founder and President Ian Wagner  and Co-Founder and CEO Luke Seelenbinder, discuss their location services platform, the industry’s shift toward open data, and emerging use cases in the market. Seelenbinder says, “We created Stadia Maps to be an affordable, supported and really usable platform for developers to create products that needed something with location.”

Introduction to Stadia Maps and the industry’s shift toward open data

• Stadia Maps were designed as a practical tool for developers needing location services. Seelenbinder highlights the growing demand for maps and location data due to advancements like self-driving cars, emphasizing the increasing importance of open data.
• Wagner notes the industry’s shift towards open data, with contributions from Meta, AWS, Microsoft, and TomTom. He highlights the growing focus on sustainable, low-speed electric vehicles, an underserved routing market.

Open data and open source’s increasing relevance in the market

• Wagner talks about the split in the market, with companies like Tesla creating their own maps and open data being adopted in niche areas like golf cart routing and low-speed vehicles.
• Open data and open source are increasingly used across industries, with major companies like Microsoft and Meta sharing data to improve mapping accuracy, highlighting open data’s growing relevance for large corporations.
• Seelenbinder explains that companies do collaborate on basic map data but keep detailed data like street-level imagery proprietary due to its high value.
• Seelenbinder discusses the open-source aspect of Stadia Maps, telling us they focus on selling APIs to developers, built primarily on polished open-source code. He tells us how they create open-source projects to fill the gaps in the market.
• Wagner describes their latest project, Ferrostar, an open-source navigation Software Development Kit (SDK) for turn-by-turn guidance. The project has garnered significant interest, with almost 100 stars on GitHub currently.
• Stadia Maps partners with city governments to deploy their mapping solutions, notably for a golf cart routing use case with 60,000 active users, showcasing widespread community adoption.

Rise of open-source mapping and Stadia Maps’ role in updating OpenStreetMap 

• Some non-traditional uses of Stadia Maps include fitness apps and Bitcoin ATM networks. Local communities contribute to open data, improving the maps, and demonstrating the effectiveness of user-driven, open-source mapping.
• Seelenbinder talks about how Stadia Maps manages changing map data with developments like construction, explaining their role in updating OpenStreetMap through global community contributions.
• Wagner foresees AI tools, including those already being explored by Facebook, improving data contributions and enhancing image recognition for updates like restaurant openings, marking a significant stride in open data management.

Leveraging Akamai to minimize latency and simplify operations

• Seelenbinder explains their focus on minimizing latency and ensuring high reliability. He talks about the custom CDN they have built on Linode and Akamai platforms for map data for enhanced performance.
• Seelenbinder discusses their recent improvements including transitioning to Kubernetes and Object Storage, further reducing latency to less than 20-50 milliseconds per request.
• Akamai’s global data centers simplify operations for Stadia Maps. Terraform automation eases DevOps tasks, while cloud-native formats and object storage ensure low-latency data access.

What are the new features in Stadia Maps and emerging use cases?

• Seelenbinder explains how Stadia Maps uses AI for tasks like writing press releases. Although they are not leading in AI research, they benefit from advancements by companies like Microsoft and Meta in mapping-related AI.
• Wagner highlights new features in Stadia Maps, including satellite imagery, geocoding for location search, and static map images. He discusses how their recent improvements enhance performance and enable broader applications.
• Some of the new use cases for Stadia Maps are video games and broadcast and film. Wagner explains how these applications show growing interest in leveraging maps for diverse media purposes.
• Seelenbinder discusses emerging use cases for Stadia Maps, especially in the micro-mobility sector. He anticipates increased complexity and usage of electric vehicles for delivery and logistics in the future.
• Wagner discusses Stadia Maps’ future plans, focusing on expanding their navigation Software Development Kit (SDK) and developing APIs centered around data rather than just maps.

Guests: Ian Wagner (LinkedIn) | Luke Seelenbinder (LinkedIn)
Company: Stadia Maps (Twitter)
Show: Let’s Talk

This summary was written by Emily Nicholls.