Reborn since 1993

Chapter 892: The first to get the moon is near the water and the tower.

The saying "whoever is close to the water gets the moon first" is not an empty saying. As the birthplace of satellite positioning, America was also the first country to expand GPS from the military field to the civilian field. America is also the fastest-moving country in the commercialization of GPS.

A number of GPS-based navigation equipment companies were born, including Magellan, Trimble Navigation, and Garmin.

However, the navigation equipment of Magellan and other companies is still mainly used in professional surveying and mapping companies, cargo ship ocean navigation and other industries.

Xiao Kecheng was also engaged in the research and development of navigation equipment at Magellan, and he could be said to be the earliest technical engineer in China to be involved in navigation research and development.

By recruiting Xiao Kecheng and taking advantage of his R&D experience, Amap can save a lot of detours.

Sometimes, having experience studying abroad or doing research and development can also be useful.

If Xiao Kecheng had been in China before, there would be no room for research and development in the field of navigation. He would have no funds or space to do research and development. During these years at Magellan, he was just getting a lot of experience...

Just like Professor Gao who has devoted himself to the industry, he has been in America for 30 years and, with the help of America's huge funding and scientific research equipment, has trained a large number of top talents in the industry for the country.

Then when the timing was right and the domestic industry had a foundation, he brought his trained apprentices directly back to China and developed the domestic industry.

Compared with Professor Gao, Xiao Kecheng is definitely not as good as him, but Dongling Hi-Tech also needs to make use of the navigation technology that Xiao Kecheng has honed over the years at Magellan!
"Dr. Xiao, please come back and take charge of Amap. I'm sure you know what we need you to do!
I hope that AutoNavi Maps can become the best in-car navigation system in China!" Li Dongling said to Xiao Kecheng.

When it comes to professional fields, Xiao Kecheng obviously becomes more talkative. "Now, the most important things for Amap are three things!"

"The first thing is to obtain map surveying qualifications, and then dispatch map surveying personnel to collect all the domestic roads!"

"The second thing is to develop a qualified in-car navigation system!"

"The third thing is to develop a navigation system that can receive GPS signals and use the in-vehicle system software developed by AutoNavi!"

Today's navigation maps are different from those in later generations. In later generations, the Internet is everywhere, and all devices need to be connected to the Internet. Even maps are online maps connected to the Internet.

But it is different now. There is no Internet available, so the electronic map is also an offline map. The location is obtained through GPS, and then matched with the map database in the offline map to determine the user's location.

The navigation system plans routes for drivers and provides navigation, etc., but don't expect accuracy. In addition, you cannot avoid road jams, road construction, etc.

There are disadvantages, but it is better than buying a map and studying it yourself for half a day, still taking the wrong road, and finally spending the night in the wilderness, where you might be targeted by thieves or even get robbed in the middle of the night.
“For map surveying and mapping qualifications, Dongling Hi-Tech has helped AutoNavi Maps apply to the Land and Resources Bureau and other departments!
I believe that it won’t be long before news comes back!”

Li Dongling looked at Xiao Kecheng and said that he felt it should not be a problem to obtain the national map surveying and mapping qualification.

If it is a newly emerged company and wants to obtain this qualification, it is unknown how long it will take.

However, Amap is backed by Dongling Hi-Tech, and given Dongling Hi-Tech's current status in the domestic technology industry, its endorsement is sufficient to provide Amap with good quality.

In addition, after donating tens of millions of dollars to cover the cost of manufacturing and launching a satellite, it would be a bit unreasonable if we still cannot obtain the qualification for map surveying and mapping.

"When it comes to technical matters, I trust Dr. Xiao!"

"As for funding and benefits, Dr. Xiao must have known that my only requirement for AutoNavi is that it must be the best and most accurate in-vehicle navigation system in China!

Amap will charge a fee in the early stage, and the estimated fee is 15 yuan per month. The car owners who use it must feel that it is worth the money! "

Although the purpose of establishing Amap is to provide support for Dongling Hi-Tech's automotive department.

To ensure that Land Rover owners who bought the Dongling Hi-Tech Automotive Division will not get lost when going off-road or traveling in the wild, all this is just for that sentence: Distinguished Land Rover owners, Amap will continue to navigate for you. I just want to ask if the status has been established...

But in fact, I am afraid that after the launch of Amap's navigation device, it will be used more by long-distance truck owners who need a navigation device for their daily life and travel.

Hearing Li Dongling's words, Xiao Kecheng's face was stern. He had heard about the style of Dongling Hi-Tech for a long time. Even abroad, he had heard some colleagues mention Dongling Hi-Tech's style. They provided sufficient funds for R&D personnel, and did not dictate to them. There would be no laymen leading the experts. This kind of R&D atmosphere was rare even abroad.

Of course, correspondingly, Dongling Hi-Tech's technical requirements and R&D intensity are also well-known in the industry, and overtime work is not uncommon.

However, although overtime is overtime, the overtime pay will never be reduced by a penny, and the salary and benefits are also full. The status of technical personnel in Dongling Hi-Tech is also on the same level as that of management personnel, at least on the surface!
Dongling Hi-Tech spent a lot of money to recruit Xiao Kecheng to work as the general manager of AutoNavi Maps, including paying him the penalty for breach of the non-compete agreement and providing him with an annual salary of more than $30, not including bonuses.
In addition, if AutoNavi Map is successfully developed, Xiao may also be able to get an equity reward of about 3%. AutoNavi Map will also have the opportunity to go public in the future. At least the pie is very attractive.

"I promise to develop a top-notch navigation system for AutoNavi Maps!" Xiao Kecheng said to Li Dongling.

"I believe Dr. Xiao!" Li Dongling said with a smile.

But thinking back to what Li Dongling had said just now, that Amap charged a fee in the early stages, Xiao Kecheng asked Li Dongling tentatively, "Mr. Li, will Amap no longer charge a fee in the future?"

Today, navigation equipment companies all over the world, including Magellan and other companies where Xiao Kecheng worked overseas, rely on paid navigation systems to survive. Otherwise, how can they make a living?
“The future is the era of the Internet, and map navigation will also change from offline maps to online maps!

By that day, no matter how much market share Amap has, it will need to keep pace with the times and make changes. It will never wait to stand still and be left behind in the Internet age!"

Li Dongling looked at Xiao Kecheng, giving him a heads-up in advance, "In the future, those who need electronic map navigation will not be limited to car users, but even more people who travel or go on trips may also need map navigation!
In the future, Amap will also work with Shenzhou Mobile to develop a mobile version!
The functions of Amap are not just car navigation, it can also provide real-time vehicle speed, walking navigation, cycling, and bus route planning.

Amap's revenue should also shift from software fees to advertising and membership revenue, and advertise for some hotels, restaurants, gas stations, scenic spots, etc.!"

In the past, Carlife, the leader of the domestic in-vehicle navigation system, was defeated by a number of competitors using free navigation after entering the Internet era. Li Dongling would not allow the same thing to happen to AutoNavi Maps, which belongs to the Dongling Hi-Tech camp.

At that time, Carlife had so many good cards in its hand, but it played them badly. It was reluctant to charge 15 yuan per month, and as a result, the market was snatched away. When its competitors were acquired by giant companies, they were sold for more than 10 billion yuan.

As for whether Amap will lose money after becoming free in the future, the verdict is that it will not be a big deal. Even if it does lose money, it can make it back from other areas. Industries such as taxi-hailing, food delivery, and logistics may have to turn to Amap to drive traffic and advertise for them!
When Xiao Kecheng heard this, he was confused by the theory that the wool comes from the pig. He was good at technology, but this kind of showy operation was not his strong point.

However, Xiao Kecheng knew that the most important thing for him now was to develop a sufficiently qualified in-vehicle system for AutoNavi.

If he can't help AutoNavi Map develop a system now, then it's hard to say whether he can stay in AutoNavi until the Internet era, let alone AutoNavi Map's transformation!

……

Three cars in front and behind were driving fast on the road section from Hanxi provincial capital to Pingyang. This road section from Hanxi provincial capital to Pingyang is currently the best section of the entire Hanxi intercity highway.

After all, the two cities with the best economy in Hanxi Province are the provincial capital and Pingyang. The city governments are rich, so the roads are naturally repaired and maintained much better than those in other areas.

Passing vehicles would see that there were many foreign faces in these cars, including an old foreign man in his sixties who was lowering his head and constantly modifying the drawings in his hand.

If you are someone in the construction industry, you will probably be surprised when you see this old man. This old man is Norman Foster, a representative of the "high-tech school" in the global construction industry.

The HSBC Bank in Hong Kong, the Bank of Frankfurt, the London City Hall, the German New Reichstag and many other landmark buildings around the world were designed by this little old man.

If you are not familiar with these, DJI’s Sky City headquarters, Yanjing International Airport, and Apple’s spaceship headquarters were also designed by him.

Norman Foster is also one of the highest-paid architects in the global architectural industry. Foster + Partners is named after him, and he was also knighted by the Queen of England.

But it would still surprise people in the global construction industry to know that Norman Foster appeared in Hansey.

Wherever Norman Foster appears, it means that a big project or a landmark building is about to appear.

And now, in Hanxi, the most famous project in the construction industry is just one, the new headquarters building of Dongling Hi-Tech!

(End of this chapter)