Apple is no stranger to acquiring companies to bolster its Apple Maps offering and now it appears that the company has acquired yet another company to do just that. According to a report out of Re/code, Apple today has acquired Mapsense, a San Francisco-based startup that focused on building software that analyzed and visualized location data.
Mapsense was founded in 2013 by a former engineer for Palantir Technologies, Erez Cohen. The company’s cloud-based service allows users to divide up graphical models of maps that store large amounts of data for easier digestion. Mapsense launched its developer platform in May and opened its doors to financial, advertising, government, and Fortune 500 institutions. Mapsense has raised $2.5 million in seed funding from a variety of backers.
Apple reportedly paid between $25 million and $30 million for Mapsense’s 12-person staff. Apple, however, has yet to specifically confirm the acquisition. In a statement, rather, a spokesperson for the Apple said, “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
Since the launch of Apple Maps, Apple has acquired a variety of startups to bolster its own offering. In 2013, Apple acquired transit mapping startup HopStop. iOS 9, of course, adds transit mapping into the default Maps app and it was revealed earlier this week that HopStop will be shut down next month. Other mapping acquisitions Apple has made over the years include BroadMap, Catch, Coherent, C3 Technologies, and Metaio.
