The future of Here is here.

European car makers Audi, BMW, and Daimler on Monday announced they have completed their acquisition of Here, Nokia's former mapping and location business, which will now operate as an independent company.

"It's the beginning of a new, independent chapter in our history, which began 30 years ago when we first brought driving-specific digital maps to the car," Here's Social Media Lead Pino Bonetti wrote in a blog post.

Today, Here powers its maps with data from more than 80,000 sources, including 3D-mapping cars. To kick its mapping and location technology plans into high gear, the Here team will now explore the possibility of incorporating anonymized data from millions of connected Audi, BMW, and Daimler vehicles and their on-board sensors, which generate information about the car's surroundings. The team also plans to talk with other auto makers "in the coming months" about incorporating their data as well.

The goal is to eventually provide "real-time maps" close to 1:1 scale that can be read by self-driving vehicles and other machines "capable of processing vast qualities of information."

"With its platform further enhanced by data from multiple new sources, Here would be able to accelerate the development of the next generation map needed for automated driving … as well as to enhance the quality of its maps, products, and services for customers in other industries," Bonetti wrote.

Basically, more data equals better maps, and better maps can lead to safer roads, less congestion, cleaner urban areas, and a more conformable ride, according to Audi, BMW, and Daimler.

"In future, maps will give vehicles the ability to effectively 'see around corners,' enabling them to anticipate road hazards and prepare and adjust driving strategies accordingly in a way that increases driver trust," the companies said.

At this point, four out of five new vehicles sold in Europe and North America with in-car navigation have digital maps from Here on board.

Tesla is also using data from its vehicle fleet to improve maps and self-driving features.