Facet Launches a New Street Centerline Database—How Does It Compare?

As location-based services and navigation systems demand ever-greater precision, new players are emerging to challenge long-established digital map providers. Facet Technology Corporation has entered this space with SightMap, a newly built street centerline database designed to deliver high spatial accuracy, full routing connectivity, and rich attribution across the United States.

To understand how this new dataset compares with established offerings from providers like NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas, geospatial journalist Joe Francica spoke with Andy Munyon, Vice President of Business Development at Facet Technology Corporation. Their discussion sheds light on how SightMap was created, how it is maintained, and where Facet believes the future of digital street data is headed.

Building a Street Database from the Ground Up

Unlike many mapping products that evolve from existing public datasets, SightMap was not derived from legacy sources such as TIGER. Instead, Facet built the database entirely from original data collected by its own vehicle fleet. These vehicles systematically drove road networks to capture geometry and attributes directly, rather than refining or correcting preexisting digital maps.

Facet’s data collection strategy is comprehensive. Within designated coverage areas, every street is physically driven. According to Munyon, by the end of 2008 the company expects to have covered all roads in the continental United States and Canada.

Why Accuracy Alone Isn’t Enough

While SightMap offers higher spatial accuracy than many current street datasets, Facet does not see geometry alone as its primary differentiator. Instead, the company believes the real demand in navigation and location-based services lies in richer and more precise attribution.

Routing, navigation, and LBS applications increasingly depend on detailed contextual information—far beyond road centerlines. Attributes such as signage, signals, ramps, and road assets are becoming just as important as positional accuracy, particularly as systems evolve toward automation and real-time decision-making.

Keeping Street Data Current

Maintaining accuracy over time is a major challenge for any street database. Facet addresses this through a multi-layered update strategy. Its data collection vehicles operate continuously, capturing new roads and changes to existing infrastructure.

In addition, Facet incorporates feedback from customers as well as data from both public and private third-party sources to identify areas that may require updates. Once a potential issue is flagged, collection vehicles are dispatched to gather new imagery and measurements, which are then integrated into the SightMap database.

Setting a New Accuracy Benchmark

Facet positions SightMap as a new standard for spatial accuracy in navigation and LBS datasets. Munyon notes that the company’s accuracy specifications have been independently validated by multiple customers.

For advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), SightMap introduces two critical advantages: sub-meter positional accuracy and elevation (z-axis) data. Facet argues that current industry accuracy standards will be insufficient for future vehicle systems that rely on map-to-machine communication. As vehicles increasingly depend on digital maps to interpret their surroundings, higher precision becomes essential.

Facet also emphasizes that its production methodology allows for competitive pricing. By using new data capture and processing techniques, the company expects to offer lower licensing costs compared to traditional street data providers.

From Street Data to 3D and Autonomous Systems

Facet holds several patents related to automated 3D object generation. While the company does not sell a finished 3D mapping product, its imagery and patented processes enable customers to generate their own 3D models.

Additional patents focused on multi-image analysis play a key role in Facet’s internal workflows. These technologies are also foundational for vehicle safety systems and autonomous driving applications. SightMap’s ADAS datasets include detailed attribution for road features such as signs, signals, barriers, and crosswalks.

In vehicle-based systems, sensors capture environmental data that must be interpreted instantly to issue warnings or adjust vehicle behavior. Facet’s patented approaches support this process by linking sensor inputs with highly detailed digital maps, enabling more reliable map-to-machine interfaces.

Licensing Strategy and Market Focus

Facet plans to license its technology broadly to users of digital map data, including developers of navigation and LBS applications. While interest has been strong, Munyon notes that all current engagements are covered by non-disclosure agreements, preventing the company from naming specific customers or partners.

Rather than limiting distribution to carriers or device manufacturers, Facet intends to support a wide range of mapping and mobility use cases through flexible licensing.

Expanding the Image Library

SightMap integrates extensive imagery into its street database. Facet’s image library includes 360-degree imagery from all roads driven, not just major highways. The collection extends to intersections, points of interest, addresses, parcels, ramps, and road assets.

Anything visible from a collection vehicle is captured. With data acquisition occurring year-round, the image library continues to grow and now exceeds two billion images.

What Comes Next for SightMap

Facet’s roadmap includes geographic expansion and technical refinement. For navigation and LBS markets, the company plans to extend coverage into Europe and Canada. In the ADAS space, efforts will focus on pushing positional accuracy toward the decimeter level while expanding the breadth and depth of attributed road features.

A New Contender in Digital Street Data

SightMap represents a fundamentally different approach to street centerline data—one built entirely from original collection, designed for modern navigation, and engineered for the future of automated driving. As demands for accuracy, attribution, and real-time integration continue to rise, Facet Technology Corporation is positioning itself as a serious alternative to long-established digital map providers.