Any developer will find building an app with location data for the physical world — whether for the internet of things (IoT), a self-driving car, augmented reality, location intelligence, and so on — to be a daunting task. Today's closed stacks and DIY data strategies mean that only the most advanced (or motivated) digital leaders will bother. To unlock the potential of hundreds of thousands of real-world apps, most developers need a better option. We've identified the new requirements for a mapping industry built on software, with a layered data architecture and open platforms.