We built a Google-compatible Directions endpoint: your existing code, SDK calls and response parsing keep working, the answer just arrives faster, with live-traffic re-routing, at a fraction of the cost. Tested in 1 500 cities, from the southernmost tip to the North Pole.
Live on production today. Same parameters, same JSON shape, status · routes · legs · steps · overview_polyline, including duration_in_traffic, which maps to our live-traffic ETA.
Before. Google
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json?origin=-26.2041,28.0473 &destination=-26.1076,28.0567 &mode=driving&key=YOUR_GOOGLE_KEY
After. Elara (try it now)
https://route.elara-cortex.com/v1/compat/google/directions/json ?origin=-26.2041,28.0473 &destination=-26.1076,28.0567 &mode=driving
{ "status": "OK",
"routes": [{ "summary": "…", "overview_polyline": { "points": "…" },
"legs": [{ "distance": { "value": 13160, "text": "13.2 km" },
"duration": { "value": 792, "text": "13 mins" },
"duration_in_traffic": { "value": 792, "text": "13 mins" }, // live traffic, our headline strength
"steps": [ … ] }] }] }
Addresses work too, ?origin=Sandton&destination=Mall of Africa resolves through our geocoder.
Like-for-like. Your integration points and where they land on Elara.
| You use today | Their endpoint | On Elara | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Directions (legacy) | maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json | /v1/compat/google/directions/json | Drop-in: same params & response shape |
| Google Routes API v2 | routes.googleapis.com …computeRoutes | /v1/route (POST) | Simpler body: {from:[lat,lng], to:[lat,lng]}, no field masks needed |
| Google Distance Matrix | …/distancematrix/json | /v1/matrix (POST) | Many-to-many distances & times |
| Google Geocoding | …/geocode/json | /v1/geocode?q= | Forward geocoding + landmark resolution |
| Google Route Optimization | routeoptimization.googleapis.com | /v1/optimize (POST) | Multi-stop order optimisation |
| Mapbox Directions | api.mapbox.com/directions/v5/mapbox/driving | /v1/route | Profile driving-traffic ≙ our default (live traffic built in) |
| HERE Routing v8 | router.hereapi.com/v8/routes | /v1/route | origin/destination lat,lng pairs map 1:1 |
| TomTom Routing | api.tomtom.com/routing/1/calculateRoute | /v1/route | computeTravelTimeFor=all ≙ our eta_min + free_flow_min |
| Drone / sea / AV routing | - (not offered) | /v1/drone/route · /v1/maritime/route · /v1/av/route | One engine, every modality |
Provider formats per their public docs: Mapbox · HERE v8 · TomTom
Routing answers "which way". Operations need "where is everything, right now, against plan". That backend is built in, not a separate product, not per-vehicle hardware pricing.
POST /v1/assets · POST /v1/assets/{id}/positionPOST /v1/assets/{id}/route · GET /v1/assets/{id}/live| Tracking stack | Typical cost, 100 vehicles | Hardware lock-in |
|---|---|---|
| Samsara | ~$2,700–3,300 / month (+$99–148 hardware per vehicle, 3-year contract) | Yes |
| Geotab (bundled) | ~$3,000–4,000 / month | Yes |
| Elara. Asset Tracking API | Included from Starter ($19/mo) · scale on Pro ($99/mo) | None, any GPS source |
Tracking-market prices per public 2026 comparisons: Spytec fleet-pricing comparison · Airpinpoint Samsara breakdown. Telematics platforms bundle cameras, compliance and hardware we do not, the comparison is the tracking backend itself.
Bring your most recent Google Maps (or Mapbox / HERE / TomTom) invoice. Your first-year Elara price is a quarter of it, not a race to free, a fair quarter, with an SLA, dedicated regional capacity and migration engineering included. If Google charges you R40 000 a month, you pay R10 000. sales@elara-cortex.com →
/v1/compat/google/directions/json; matrix and geocoding move to /v1/matrix and /v1/geocode.