In recent years, the NDS community has seen remarkable growth thanks to joint efforts from leading stakeholders, automakers, application developers, and technology companies in shaping the mapping data landscape. Intellias is an active member of the NDS association, constantly contributing to NDS map development within community projects and, together with partners, establishing map data standards for in-demand NDS.Live maps. With the long-term goal of further enhancing the NDS community’s capabilities and fostering development of next-generation mapping technologies, Intellias has embarked on a pioneering initiative by establishing IntelliMapLab.
IntelliMapLab serves as an educational hub where Intellias experts with practical experience in both NDS.Classic and NDS.Live projects share their knowledge and provide training to students who want to explore modern mapping technologies with a particular focus on the NDS.Live format.
Supporting educational initiatives and developing engineering communities are an important part of Intellias’ mission as a global company with a people-focused business culture. That was the main reason why Intellias created the innovative IntelliMapLab, an educational space with modern equipment for comfortable learning.
Intellias has established IntelliMapLab in partnership with the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Informatics at Lviv National University (LNU). Located in an LNU classroom, the lab provides 25 workplaces for students and mentors. Participants in the joint LNU–Intellias educational program will be able to visit the space as part of their additional facultative curriculum. Under guidance from Intellias experts, students gain theoretical knowledge and practical experience creating maps in NDS format for vehicle navigation systems.
At the heart of IntelliMapLab lies a comprehensive curriculum designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills required to navigate the dynamic realm of mapping technologies. Under the guidance of Intellias professionals, students delve into the nuances of compiling maps in NDS.Live format using modern equipment and in-demand programming languages.
The IntelliMapLab educational program consists of two parts.
1. Training Lab with two months of theoretical lectures by Intellias mentors, along with practical assignments
Scope:
Programming:
Infrastructure:
NDS:
OSM basics:
2. Product Lab where students complete technical tasks and realistic projects, working in Agile teams under the mentorship of Intellias experts
Working routine:
In the scope of IntelliMapLab, Intellias experts give students true-to-life experience working with NDS maps. The educational process is built in such a way that students gradually move from basic theory to building a real mini compiler from OpenStreetMap (OSM) to NDS.Live format.
Final project: mini compiler from OSM to NDS.Live
The educational and practical programs take six months, after which students present a mapping compiler as the final project. After completing the program, students who demonstrate the skills and aspiration to work in the IT industry get the opportunity to start an internship at Intellias. After gaining real office experience, interns might apply their skills to commercial NDS mapping-related projects after completing full onboarding and obtaining client approval.
Internship opportunity and project allocation
IntelliMapLab program timeline
Andrii Dziuba explains what the lab teaches students
IntelliMapLab teaches students knowledge and skills that are not available in universities. Students learn by investigating new fields, and often neither students nor mentors have ready answers to questions that appear, so a lot of research and practice is required.
One of the IntelliMapLab mentors and a contributor to the lab’s creation, Andrii Dziuba, Senior Java Engineer at Intellias, has this to say about the technical side of IntelliMapLab:
“We show students how to work with the NDS.Live map format, which introduces a new method of map compilation compared to NDS.Classic. NDS.Live map data is stored and processed in the cloud with a connected API for map compilation. Students learn to work with cloud technology based on Spark, solve geospatial tasks, create advanced algorithms, relate and connect APIs, and define solution architectures. It is challenging to put so much information in a few lessons, but we tried our best — the pool of data seems endless, from basic to more focused.”
Olena Slieptsova, Technical Product Manager at Intellias and an IntelliMapLab mentor, explains why she joined the program and the delighting experience she has had mentoring students:
“I started my path in a similar educational hub. It was a huge boost to my professional growth and aspiration for automotive technology. I wanted to create something similar with the belief that such labs are essential for young people starting their careers. It is an exceptional experience to have experts from the field as mentors and lecturers. I’m delighted to be part of such an amazing project that moves forward young people and the NDS mapping community. Students learn how to apply cutting-edge technologies, and we get to share our experience with students, preparing them for future IT careers. I notice that light in the eyes of the students. They are very smart, passionate, and open to communication and technology. For me, it is a great opportunity to develop my own soft skills and presentation skills and grow as a leader and mentor. This is an amazing journey for all of us.”
Another mentor and Senior Data Engineer at Intellias, Volodymyr Lotos, gives his view on the lab’s importance for students and, potentially, for the mapping industry itself:
“The IntelliMapLab prepares students with a wider scope of recent tech. I started my career path with a lab also and can say it was a great choice. We share with students our practical experience in the automotive and mapping fields, and students are very proactive. There was a lot of competition in applying to the lab. Students gain experience working in realistic project environments and can use this experience to build their plans to work in IT and further grow their mapping expertise. During the program, students work on internal projects provided by Intellias, not on commercial projects, but their experience is as close as possible to real-world work. They learn how to work in an office environment, access Jira boards, assign tickets, apply Agile processes, and finally build their first product — a map compiler for the NDS.Live format.”
Future prospects, expansion plans, and NDS community growth
Looking ahead, IntelliMapLab is poised for further growth and expansion. Alongside plans to make IntelliMapLab a yearly or even a twice a year program at LNU, Intellias aims to establish similar labs in other universities and institutions to cultivate a robust ecosystem of mapping enthusiasts and industry professionals.
IntelliMapLab is important not only for students but also for universities. Programming languages that Intellias experts teach students are demanded on the market, so universities can benefit from an extension to their standard curriculum. At the same time, the whole NDS community benefits from a growing number of motivated young talents who learn niche expertise based on specific projects, are ready to onboard in a few weeks on real projects, and can expand mapping expertise in a wide range of businesses.
The impact of IntelliMapLab extends far beyond the walls of Lviv National University. By nurturing the next generation of mapping professionals, the lab plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the NDS community. Through educational initiatives and practical training programs, Intellias empowers students to make meaningful contributions to the field of mapping technology.
In the NDS.Live Developer Portal you can find out more about the possibilities and functions of NDS.Live.
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