Apple Launches 'Surveyor' App for Apple Maps Data Collection

[MacRumors]

Apple today launched a new app called Surveyor, which is designed to allow users to collect data like images of street signs and roadside details to improve Apple Maps.

The app is not public facing and appears to be for use with companies that Apple partners with to assign mapping tasks. Downloading the app and opening it up directs users to "Open Partner App" to choose a task. Tapping on the option launches another app called Premise.

Premise is a company that lets people earn rewards by "completing simple tasks." The Premise app is described as a task marketplace that provides money for taking surveys, sharing local information like construction zones or grocery pricing, or taking pictures of city locations.

Strings in Apple's Surveyor app found by MacRumors suggest that once assigned a mapping task by the Premise app, Premise users will be instructed to attach an iPhone to a mount, rotate the iPhone to landscape orientation, and capture images along a route while driving using the Surveyor app.

The Surveyor app says that images are being captured of items along the road like signs and traffic lights, location and data about physical features sent to Apple to "precisely place objects on the map."

Premise is not listed as an Apple Maps partner in Apple's mapping data information, but the app suggests that Apple is using data collected by Premise users for the purpose of keeping small details in Apple Maps up to date.

Article Link: Apple Launches 'Surveyor' App for Apple Maps Data Collection

 

[minhrom]

I'm not using Maps until Apple stop relying on Yelp for information!

 

[JonathanParker]

This looks cool, I hope Apple Maps improves and becomes more accurate and up to date with the finer details. Apple maps is mostly great, but the small inaccuracies such as opening times or other details being wrong overall degrades the whole experience. The small details are important, which will make or break Apple Maps (and currently breaks it, for me). The delay between the time when a business shuts down and being marked as being shut down on Apple Maps, even being a few weeks, is not good.

 

[mansplains]

Seems like a logical sibling to the Indoor Survey app. I’ve always appreciated malls who leverage this tool, as the app reviews indicate it becoming more difficult!

 

[darkslide29]

I'm not using Maps until Apple stop relying on Yelp for information!

I don’t mind the integration as a quick way to check reviews. But yes, way too many times I relied on Maps for business hours and went only to find the place closed. I usually check google afterward and see google was accurate.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Hopefully they can capture some "no left turn" signs with this. There's one location where it's always trying to get me to make a left right in front of a no left turn sign. I've reported it a few times, but the maps interface doesn't make it easy to explain signage.

 

[Astuces iOS]

Another iPhone exclusive app DAMN

 

[Parowdy]

Why they never bought Open Street Maps is way beyond me. Maybe they couldn’t, but maps.me was superior to Apple Maps years ago thanks to offline maps and accurate GPS tracking, as well as much much more info and actually accurate information and locations.
This is just admitting defeat.
Also it’s a slap in the face of everyone that isn’t in the US, again.
Apple, do you know where your maps fall flat the most? Exactly.

 

[tennisproha]

I'm not using Maps until Apple stop relying on Yelp for information!

Apple Maps has the best UI/UX. Google Maps has the best data and reviews. They really should merge

 

[MrRom92]

Apple should Partner with the Saudis who just bought Pokemon Go. Niantic was already crowdsourcing map and 3D data from players

 

[Parowdy]

Another iPhone exclusive app DAMN

Isn’t Apple Maps iOS only too? What’s your problem this time around?

Edit: I meant AppleOS only. May bad.
But like @LeLeon pointed out, this kind of app makes the most sense on a smartphone, which would be an iPhone in this case.

 

[LeLeon]

Isn’t Apple Maps iOS only too? What’s your problem this time around?

Apple Maps isnt iOS only? Its in on every Apple Device with a screen plus the web. But this App only makes sense for an iphone because if Lidar and the form factor. I mean doesnt really make sense to take an iPad outside and take 360 degrees images with it

 

[Plerf]

Dang no tasks in my area.

 

[cateye]

Why they never bought Open Street Maps is way beyond me. Maybe they couldn’t, but maps.me was superior to Apple Maps years ago thanks to offline maps and accurate GPS tracking, as well as much much more info and actually accurate information and locations.
This is just admitting defeat.
Also it’s a slap in the face of everyone that isn’t in the US, again.
Apple, do you know where your maps fall flat the most? Exactly.

Open Street Maps is a not-for-profit foundation that coordinates volunteer mapping and GIS processing to produce a fully open and redistributable set of data. The data is held under open-source licenses and free for anyone to use with proper attribution. As a result, it would not be possible for Apple to "buy" them. There's nothing to buy when the core product is open source.

Apple has used OSM data in specific regions where there either wasn't complete commercial data or the commercial provider was unwilling to license it to them, but their long term goal has likely always been to generate and control their own data, much as Google does (and hence why this app and the partnership with Premise exists).

 

[turbineseaplane]

Filed under “good news that should have been from 2015”

 

[Parowdy]

Apple should Partner with the Saudis who just bought Pokemon Go. Niantic was already crowdsourcing map and 3D data from players

„the Saudis who just bought Pokémon Go“ is a wild thing to say.
And before people jump me, let me translate this comment:
„This company should work with this group of people“. Sounds wrong to me.
I don’t know if you have access to AI but asking (AI) Siri who bought Pokémon Go it gave me an answer without any political incorrectness, maybe try that next time?

 

[contacos]

I'm not using Maps until Apple stop relying on Yelp for information!

Main reason I had to go back to Google Maps. If I need another app to check reviews or to see if the business even exists anymore, I might as well use the same app to navigate

 

[Mity]

A multi trillion dollar company asking its customers for help in making their crappy product better. Here’s a thought: hire people to canvas the US like Google did instead of worrying about beating Wall Street’s earnings estimates!

 

[Astuces iOS]

Isn’t Apple Maps iOS only too? What’s your problem this time around?

Edit: I meant AppleOS only. May bad.
But like @LeLeon pointed out, this kind of app makes the most sense on a smartphone, which would be an iPhone in this case.

Bro it's available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac, web... but this is only on iPhone... it could be on the iPad.

 

[toto75]

A multi trillion dollar company asking its customers for help in making their crappy product better. Here’s a thought: hire people to canvas the US like Google did instead of worrying about beating Wall Street’s earnings estimates!

Lol calm down buddy

 

[sw1tcher]

Apple Launches 'Surveyor' App for Apple Maps Data Collection

The app is not public facing and appears to be for use with companies that Apple partners with to assign mapping tasks. Downloading the app and opening it up directs users to "Open Partner App" to choose a task. Tapping on the option launches another app called Premise.

Premise is a company that lets people earn rewards by "completing simple tasks." The Premise app is described as a task marketplace that provides money for taking surveys, sharing local information like construction zones or grocery pricing, or taking pictures of city locations.

No thanks.

Post title should be "Apple Launches 'Surveyor' App for Apple Maps To Help Premise Gather Data on Users"

 

[Astuces iOS]

No thanks.

View attachment 2492153

That's not the new app...

 

[Havoc035]

A multi trillion dollar company asking its customers for help in making their crappy product better. Here’s a thought: hire people to canvas the US like Google did instead of worrying about beating Wall Street’s earnings estimates!

You do realise that Google also asks users to contribute right?

 

[Parowdy]

Open Street Maps is a not-for-profit foundation that coordinates volunteer mapping and GIS processing to produce a fully open and redistributable set of data. The data is held under open-source licenses and free for anyone to use with proper attribution. As a result, it would not be possible for Apple to "buy" them. There's nothing to buy when the core product is open source.

Apple has used OSM data in specific regions where there either wasn't complete commercial data or the commercial provider was unwilling to license it to them, but their long term goal has likely always been to generate and control their own data, much as Google does (and hence why this app and the partnership with Premise exists).

Yeah I figured that. But thanks for the clarification. I didn’t know they used some of their data. Makes me even more mad they didn’t use it in more locations or just switched to it entirely. Because outside of the US Apple Maps can be miserable.

 

[sw1tcher]

That's not the new app...

That's the Premise app... unless there's another Premise app I didn't see.

The app is not public facing and appears to be for use with companies that Apple partners with to assign mapping tasks. Downloading the app and opening it up directs users to "Open Partner App" to choose a task. Tapping on the option launches another app called Premise.