Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana may soon leverage real-time transit information to provide helpful notifications about your commute.

 

That information would come from the urban mobility data and analytics company Moovit, which on Tuesday announced plans to integrate its public transit data into Azure Maps as part of a new collaboration with Microsoft to help developers build better apps for commuters. Moovit is best known for its popular app of the same name, which combine crowdsourced data with public transit schedules to help users find the best bus, train, subway, or metro route.

 

In a statement, Microsoft's Group Program Manager for Azure Maps and Connected Vehicles Tara Prakriya said developers and customers have been asking for a more comprehensive public transit mapping solution.

 

"By offering location awareness with public transit data on Microsoft Azure Maps, developers not only can create more sophisticated and smarter, real-time location-based apps, but our cloud customers across a variety of industries like automotive, public sector, manufacturing and healthcare will be able to leverage this data to continue to improve how people get around and get access to services globally," Prakriya said.

 

As part of the collaboration, Microsoft can also integrate Moovit's public transit data into its other apps and services, such as Cortana.

 

For Moovit, a company with less than 130 employees worldwide, the partnership is a huge win.

 

"We're delighted to work with a world class company like Microsoft and integrate our rich transit APIs into Azure Maps so developers can build greater apps for people who ride transit everywhere," Moovit Co-Founder and CEO Nir Erez said in a statement.

 

Launched in 2012, Moovit now has 300 million registered users across 85 countries, and a network of 450,000 local editors (aka "Mooviters") who help map and maintain local transit information.

 

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