Q: In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Posted by Brian McClendon 
  
 Behind every successful Uber ride is a technology many of us take for granted: maps. Mobile maps and GPS allow us to match you with the closest available driver, navigate the fastest path to your destination, and give you an accurate ETA. Accurate maps are at the heart of our service and the backbone of our business. 
  
 In fact, Uber wouldn’t exist if comprehensive interactive digital maps hadn’t been created first. For over a decade, I helped lead that effort as the head of Google Maps. Today I lead Uber’s mapping efforts to ensure we can provide a safe, reliable ride — no matter where you are. To do that, Uber uses a mix of mapping technologies (including our own) to provide the underlying infrastructure for our apps. 
  
 Existing maps are a good starting point, but some information isn’t that relevant to Uber, like ocean topography. There are other things we need to know a lot more about, like traffic patterns and precise pickup and dropoff locations. Moreover, we need to be able to provide a seamless experience in parts of the world where there aren’t detailed maps — or street signs. 
  
 The ongoing need for maps tailored to the Uber experience is why we’re doubling down on our investment in mapping. Last year we put mapping cars on the road in the United States. This summer they hit the road in Mexico. Our efforts are similar to what other companies including Apple and TomTom are already doing around the world. 
  
 The street imagery captured by our mapping cars will help us improve core elements of the Uber experience, like ideal pick-up and drop-off points and the best routes for riders and drivers. Although our imagery collection efforts are focused now in Mexico, we plan to expand these efforts to other countries soon. 
  
 Over the past decade mapping innovation has disrupted industries and changed daily life in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I started. That progress will only accelerate in the coming years especially with technologies like self-driving cars. I remain excited by the prospect of how maps can put the world at our fingertips, improve everyday life, impact billions of people and enable innovations we can’t even imagine today. ||||| Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 journalists in 50+ countries covering politics, business, innovation, trends and more. |||||
A:
In an apparent effort to lessen its reliance on Google Maps, rideshare company Uber will be "doubling down on our investment in mapping." That amounts to pumping $500 million into an "ambitious global mapping project," the Financial Times reports. Uber has already unleashed mapping vehicles in the US and Mexico, and the effort will expand to other countries in the future. Heading up the project is Brian McClendon, who once ran Google Maps. "Accurate maps are at the heart of our service and the backbone of our business," McClendon says in a blog post. Existing maps contain information irrelevant to Uber, such as oceans, he says, and Uber wants to know more about traffic patterns and pick-up and drop-off locations. "Moreover," McClendon adds, "we need to be able to provide a seamless experience in parts of the world where there aren’t detailed maps—or street signs." In developing countries, Uber drivers often have to call passengers to get a pickup location, per the Times. Google invested in Uber early on. But, PC Magazine notes, the companies "[seem] headed for a great business clash," as they both explore driverless car technology. Also, Google is reportedly started to charge more to Use Google Maps. According to PC, Uber has started a partnership with DigitalGlobe, which owns satellites so powerful they can discern an object that is just one foot by one foot in size.