Tele Atlas van

Silicon.com's Tim Ferguson went on a trip with mapping company Tele Atlas last Friday in Reading, just west of London, as it gathered images and data that eventually end up on numerous navigation devices.

The Dutch company is one of two major European mapping organizations--the other is Navteq--that provide maps to satellite navigation manufacturers.

Tele Atlas customers include Google, Mercedes Benz, Navman, Nokia, Tom Tom and Via Michelin.

As part of the mapping process, the company uses a fleet of 22 vans, like the one shown here, to map individual streets and landmarks across Europe.

All captions are by Silicon.com.