Apple buys mapping company Poly9?

Apple has acquired Poly9, a Canadian online mapping, according to a report published in a French-Canadian news portal cyberpresse.ca. The website reports that majority of Poly9 staffs left Quebec to settle in the Apple’s office located in California. However, official confirmation has not been given. It was said that the Cupertino, California, company asked Poly9 employees to not discuss the matter.

If the report is true, it would be second acquisition by Apple. Last summer, the company quietly purchased PlaceBase, a company that produced the kind of digital maps that are similar to Google Maps, used by many for street directions.

Poly9 also makes 3-D mapping software that produces a programme akin to Google Earth, which uses satellite imagery, aerial photography and geographic information systems to create a life-like virtual atlas. Poly9, based in Canada, has worked with Apple in the past, as well as Yahoo, NORAD, Microsoft and MSNBC.