South Korea has once again postponed a decision on whether or not to approve Google’s request to switch the high-precision map knowledge it has on the nation’s geography to its worldwide servers.
In February, Google had requested approval from the Korean National Geographic Information Institute to deploy a 1:5,000 scale map on its app within the nation and in addition switch that knowledge to its servers overseas, a spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed to TechCrunch.
The federal government was speculated to finalize its resolution inside 60 days, by mid-Might, however the deadline has now been moved to August 11 as they’re nonetheless in discussions, the spokesperson mentioned.
That is Google’s third request to South Korea on this subject, following earlier requests in 2011 and 2016. The tech big at the moment makes use of a 1:25,000 scale map within the nation that features factors of curiosity and satellite tv for pc photographs, in keeping with media reports. A 1:5,000 scale high-precision map would supply a extra detailed view that would come with even the narrowest streets.
When South Korean officers rejected Google’s request in 2016, they mentioned an approval would solely be granted if the U.S. tech agency units up an information heart in South Korea. The nation additionally requested Google to blur delicate places, like nationwide safety amenities, on its maps for safety functions.
Google has not but mentioned if it could arrange an information heart in South Korea. The corporate operates an array of data centers world wide, together with in Asian international locations similar to Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.
Data restrictions by the federal government have impacted the efficiency of Google Maps and Apple Maps in South Korea. Foreigners and vacationers usually wrestle to navigate with Google Maps because of the restricted data and languages supported, usually resorting to utilizing native apps that don’t assist many international languages.
Native navigation apps similar to Naver Maps, TMaps and Kakao Maps are hottest amongst native customers. These apps supply map knowledge at a scale of 1:5,000, and due to this fact, far more data and element. Naver Maps, launched in 2002, has about 27 million month-to-month energetic customers, whereas Kakao Maps and TMaps have round 11 million and 24 million MAUs, respectively.
Google didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.