South Korea delays decision on letting Google move hi-res map data overseas

South Korea has once again postponed a decision connected whether to o.k. Google’s petition to transportation the high-precision representation information it has connected the country’s geography to its planetary servers.

In February, Google had requested support from the Korean National Geographic Information Institute to deploy a 1:5,000 standard representation connected its app successful the state and besides transportation that information to its servers abroad, a spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed to TechCrunch.

The authorities was expected to finalize its determination wrong 60 days, by mid-May, but the deadline has present been moved to August 11 arsenic they are inactive successful discussions, the spokesperson said.

This is Google’s 3rd petition to South Korea connected this topic, pursuing erstwhile requests successful 2011 and 2016. The tech elephantine presently uses a 1:25,000 standard representation successful the state that includes points of involvement and outer images, according to media reports. A 1:5,000 standard high-precision representation would connection a much elaborate presumption that would see adjacent the narrowest streets.

When South Korean officials rejected Google’s petition successful 2016, they said an support would lone beryllium granted if the U.S. tech steadfast sets up a information halfway successful South Korea. The state besides asked Google to blur delicate locations, similar nationalist information facilities, connected its maps for information purposes.

Google has not yet said if it would acceptable up a information halfway successful South Korea. The institution operates an array of information centers astir the world, including successful Asian countries specified arsenic Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Data restrictions by the authorities person impacted the show of Google Maps and Apple Maps successful South Korea. Foreigners and tourists often conflict to navigate with Google Maps owed to the constricted accusation and languages supported, often resorting to utilizing section apps that bash not enactment galore overseas languages.

Local navigation apps specified arsenic Naver Maps, TMaps and Kakao Maps are astir fashionable among section users. These apps connection representation information astatine a standard of 1:5,000, and therefore, overmuch much accusation and detail. Naver Maps, launched successful 2002, has astir 27 cardinal monthly progressive users, portion Kakao Maps and TMaps person astir 11 cardinal and 24 cardinal MAUs, respectively.

Google did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.