The way we navigate in Nepal is markedly different from countries in the west. Due to the lack of a standard addressing system, our navigation is largely guided by landmarks like temples, trees, schools, etc. When collecting a delivery, spending a couple of minutes explaining our whereabouts to riders has become a part of our everyday experience.
In addition, unlike many western countries, navigation algorithms also have to account for road conditions and street grades, and in many cases, the shortest route may not be the most feasible. Seasonal variability in road conditions is part of the norm. Given all these factors, it is no surprise why big companies like Google shy away from investing in initiatives to regularly update and maintain map data for cities in developing countries.
Realizing this gap, Baato was built by a team of Nepali social entrepreneurs working to make map related services more contextual, and responsive to Nepal’s needs. Our team comprises a passionate group of civic technologists who have been developing the local mapping ecosystem for the last decade.
Maps and location data as a service
Baato is Nepal’s first cloud based location services provider. Through our pay-as-you-go REST API service, we provide the building blocks to add location features to your websites and mobile apps.
Our core services include:
- Vector maps, using the Map Styles API
- Search suggestions, using the Search API
- Address generation, using the Reverse Search API
- Geographic location information, using the Places API
- Navigation and routing, using the Directions API
Beyond APIs, we’re also continuously working on our support ecosystem, having already released libraries for JavaScript and Java.
Want to integrate turn by turn navigation into your Android apps? Our Navigation SDK is designed with this use case in mind.
Power your next app using Baato
Thinking of using Baato for your next commercial project? Our pay-by-volume pricing scheme is designed so that you only pay for what you use. We have special offers and discounts for developers and newly-formed businesses. Just reach out to our sales team to learn more.
