Apple today launched a new app called Surveyor, designed to allow users to collect data such as road sign images and roadside details to improve Apple Maps. The app is not available to the public and appears to be used by Apple's partner companies to distribute map tasks.
After downloading and opening the app, the user will be directed to the "Open Partner App" selection task. Clicking on this option will launch another application called "Premise".
Premise is a company that lets people earn rewards for completing simple tasks. According to reports, the Premise app is a marketplace for tasks that provide funds for participating in surveys, sharing local information such as construction zones or grocery prices, or taking photos of city locations.
Strings found in the Surveyor app indicate that once the Premise app assigns a mapping task, Premise users will be instructed to mount their iPhone on a stand, rotate the iPhone to landscape orientation, and use the Surveyor app to capture images along the way while driving.
The Surveyor app says users can capture images of items along the way, such as road signs and traffic lights, and send the location and data about the physical features to Apple to "precisely place objects on the map."
Premise is not listed as a partner of Apple Maps in Apple's map data information, but the app indicates that Apple is using data collected by Premise users to update small details in Apple Maps in a timely manner.