For people challenged by directions, finding a destination with street names and principal directions can be aggravating. However, with the latest 3-D landmark technology from Tele Atlas, the Amsterdam-based digital map and dynamic content provider, a user only needs to know a few major landmarks. Tele Atlas recently added over 450 noteworthy U.S. and Canadian landmarks for use in navigation devices and location-based applications in the North American market. Tele Atlas uses over 50,000 sources, including 50 'mobile mapping vans' that travel to compile data from cameras and GPS sensors to create a high-quality 3-D map interface. The 3-D technology is created to better orient drivers and pedestrians in their surroundings; viewers can even see a building's exterior down to small details. The company is constantly adding to its database of buildings and expects to have over 1400 landmarks by the end of 2008. This technology can be used with both portable and in-car navigation systems, computers, and mobile phones, depending on which vendors partner with Tele Atlas. For now, Hewlett-Packard's iPAQ 300 Series will be the first to feature the content. Jay Benson, vice president of global strategic planning for Tele Atlas, explained that the evolution of consumer mapping has been fast in the last few years, from MapQuest's route maps to Google Maps' addition of imagery that provides users a bird's-eye view. Now Tele Atlas is taking this model one step further by providing 3-D landmarks with its Tele Atlas Elevation Model, which is already available in Europe and is now being introduced in the U.S. By showing users very realistic landscapes with contours at scales up to 1:50,000, Tele Atlas wants to offer a more realistic model of reality. Benson added that the goal for Tele Atlas remains the creation of a more realistic map.