Navteq, provider of digital map data for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions (LBS), announced the judges and semifinalists of the Americas edition of the Navteq Global LBS Challenge.

The Global LBS Challenge is a worldwide developer competition that invites developers to build and submit original, pre-commercialized mobile applications using dynamic positioning technology and Navteq maps.

Fourteen contestants have been selected to move on to final judging in the Americas region. The winners will be announced during an awards ceremony on April 2 during CTIA Wireless 2009 in Las Vegas.

The semifinalists, by category, for Navteq Global LBS Challenge – The Americas include:

Location category

• CellSoul: Azinfo by CellSoul is a mosque-locator and a location-based timings calculator for Muslim prayers.
• Loci Smart: Loci Smart provides localized and personalized content, ads, maps and directions to users based on profile preferences.
• Yojo Mobile: Yojo Mama finds parents what they need, when and where they need it most.

Enterprise category

• Duzine.com LLC: GR8USEDCAR’s mission is to help consumers identify, locate and negotiate the purchase of a used car.
• Lightpole: Trulia is a real estate search application that allows users to obtain real estate information.
• T+1 Solutions: Taxi4me is designed to get a taxi service.

Entertainment & Leisure

• Creativity Software: Rough Guides Mobile Travel Guide is a location-aware city guide with user-generated content and social networking features.
• Cutlass: Hollywood-USA is a GPS tour guide to nearest movie locations and includes RSS news feeds from The Hollywood Reporter and social networked Make-a-Scene.

Navigation

• Gowrabattini: Where is My Car helps find a parked car.
• TrafficZa: Traffic Share facilitates location of traffic events such as accidents among commuters.
• Urban Mapping: URBANWARE Parking provides drivers with parking information that can be incorporated into LBS applications.

Social Networking category

• Colombia Games: ToGetThere allows people who want to share a ride to create a community for traveling together.
• Dial Plus Inc: DialPlus enhances the standard phone call experience by automatically and simultaneously providing contextually relevant visual information about the called or calling party before, during and after the call is over.
• HS Latin America: Dimdix uses location social networking to track friends and meet people around you.