Who are we?


  
  ViaMichelin designs, develops and markets digital travel assistance products and services.
Set up at the end of 2000, ViaMichelin shares the desire of its sole shareholder, the Michelin Group, to contribute to improving mobility by becoming a major European supplier of innovative services in the field of travel.
It combines Michelin's unique and renowned know-how in the publication of maps and guides with constantly changing technological expertise.


 
A complete range of services  
 
With the its range of services, ViaMichelin is targeting European road users (for leisure or business) and companies.
The services offered include: displaying maps and locating places on them, route planning, finding hotels and restaurants, tourist sights, traffic and weather information, etc..
In order to become the 'travel companion' of British and European motorists, ViaMichelin makes itself available everywhere and at any time by offering its services on a range of media : the Internet, mobile phones, in-car navigation systems and software for personal digital assistants (PDAs)...

 
Unique content with a European dimension  
 
ViaMichelin uses exclusive mapping covering over 40 European countries, from road maps to detailed town plans.
The regularly updated European database contains 7 million kilometres (4,3 million miles) of roads and streets as well as 170,000 places, which include 30,000 towns or cities with street level maps.
Furthermore, ViaMichelin records and describes some 20,000 tourist locations and 70,000 hotels and restaurants tested and selected by The Michelin Red Guide inspectors.
Finally, ViaMichelin offers information on the weather, traffic, service stations, etc..

 
Know-how  
 
To develop its services and to guarantee the quality of these services to its customers, ViaMichelin has unique skills:
  • digital mapping expertise reinforced by a great deal of experience and built on mapping and IT skills
  • proven know-how in geographical information processing and geo-locating
  • a capacity for innovation shown by the filing of patents

Anxious to use the latest techniques to deploy its range of services efficiently on a variety of media, the company has set up:
  • a multi-channel broadcasting platform, based on Websphere, supporting all of the on-line services available on the Internet, connected mobile phones ("Web services") or Minitel (France only)
  • a framework offering a mutualization of 'profession' components (route computer, image server, etc.) for the rapid extension to all the services of each new function developed.

The continuous availability of services to customers is another key advantage. For ViaMichelin, it is the duty of new technologies to meet the same quality requirements as a brick'n'mortar business. Considerable resources have therefore been committed:
  • a hosting centre, for the production of services, properly equipped with about a hundred servers
  • 24 hour a day supervision

The accessibility rates and availability of ViaMichelin's services are measured continuously by an independent body which rates them amongst the best in the Internet world. 		 
 

ViaMichelin UK
33 Saint James's Square
London SW1Y 4JS
United Kingdom