Nokia has acquired a mapping startup called Desti to expand HERE maps

It looks like Nokia is expanding its HERE Maps mapping business with its acquisition of the mapping startup Desti, a spinout from SRI International — the same group responsible for Apple’s Siri. This is the Finnish company’s first purchase since it sold its phone-making business to Microsoft last month. Desti uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to help travelers find what they’re looking for. For instance, if someone is looking for a low-cost place to stay on a business trip, Desti mines through hotel reviews and descriptions and weeds out the options that would appeal to partying college kids or lovers on a romantic getaway. The overall goal is to end the tedious process of clicking through search results, since the system uses the context around the search questions — or as Desti calls it, “a natural dialogue” — to give tailored and individualized results.