Hema Maps, Australia’s leading producer of remote and offroad mapping, officially unveiled its latest GPS and navigation product, the HX-2 following an extensive research and development program.
The all new navigator will revolutionise the way GPS devices are used for offroad travel by integrating the very best digital mapping and data of remote areas with moderated community sourced data and innovative social networking capabilities.
“The concept of a fully integrated ecosystem of maps, data and community engagement has been a vision of the Hema Maps business for a number of years.” Hema Maps general manager, Matt O’Meara said.
“For this vision to be realised with the launch of the HX-2, we couldn’t be prouder and the response from the market has been fantastic with record number of pre-orders received for the new units.”
The HX-2 is the first Hema Maps navigator to use vector high-performance mapping, which provides a highly detailed, seamless digital map of Australia delivered in the unique Hema Maps cartographic style. The Hema Map is iconic in its styling, tailored specifically for remote areas, while the new vector map provides faster rendering, more dynamic map views and the highest zoom level delivered in Hema GPS device.
To complement the new digital map, the HX-2 also comes with access to the Hema Maps cloud, which enables users to download Hema’s owned featured tracks and gives access to a complete set of Hema printed maps installed on the device in digital format (with a traditional retail value of over $1,000).
“The HX-2 will supercharge the volume of map updates for users with quarterly updates from the Map Patrol field work and by leveraging the power of the community as they record and track their remote journeys. The more our users upload reviews and photos, the more powerful the system becomes.” Emprise Group CEO, Rob Gallagher added.
“The concepts of user-generated content or social communities are not new, but when you overlay the power of the community with rich GIS data analytics, the opportunity for the offroad databases to be effectively self healing is realised. This evolution is just beginning and partnering with the likes of HERE Technologies and HemaX Digital to supercharge offroad and remote navigation is truly exciting.”
The HX-2’s hardware is the fastest of any Hema GPS and the operating platform has been built by Hema Maps’ technology business, HemaX Digital, which also built the Hema Maps Cloud and the 4x4 Explorer app. The HemaX Digital team also developed the bespoke turn-by-turn navigation for the unit which will enable far deeper connections between the On-Road and Off-Road journeys.
The HX-2 is the seventh generation of the Hema GPS system and is the most powerful offroad navigator yet, building on the legacy of the market leading Off-Road GPS devices the HN-7 and, most recently, the HX-1.
The first map update of the HX-2 units will be available in early October, which will include a range of new tracks from our field team all over Australia plus that generated from our Map Patrol’s recent trip to Central Australia commemorating the 21st anniversary of our Great Desert Tracks expedition.
The HX-2 is available from major outdoor & automotive retailers and the hemamaps.com website. The HX-2 RRP is $749.