DoD Requests $1.5 Billion for PNT Resiliency Programs
U.S. government also taking a $17 million bite out of transportation PNT efforts…
Reacting to worldwide jamming incidents and other GPS interference, the U.S. Defense Department is asking $1.5 billion for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) resiliency programs as part of its fiscal year 2025 budget.
The PNT chunk of the budget is part of an overall $33.7 billion request for space programs in fiscal year 2025. A request for more resilient satellite communications will account for $4.2 billion more.
While the big number is for DoD programs, it comes at a cost. The government also said it would be cutting $17 million out of the U.S. Transportation Department’s Research and Technology department “for PNT/GNSS/GPS activities.”
Since nearly all of PNT users in the United States are non-military, it is essentially virtual to every technology and infrastructure, said Dana Goward, president of the Resilient Navigation & Timing Foundation, in a LinkedIn post.
“DOD seems to be putting all their PNT eggs in one basket,” he said. “Haven't we seen a lot in the press about anti-satellite weapons? Didn't Russia launch one just this week?”
Goward said that while non-military make up the majority of PNT uses, the office that overseas it is vastly understaffed.
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Comtech Signs NG911 Services Contract That Could Exceed $250 Million
Comtech CMTL 0.00%↑ has announced that it signed a contract, which could potentially be worth more than $250 million, with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for continued operation and maintenance of the state’s Next Generation 911 (NG911) system.
The new Massachusetts contract will have an initial five-year term from August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2029.
Among other NG911 technologies, Comtech uses its Guardian Map to manage calls with a 3D geolocation and mapping application. Guardian Map uses geographic information system (GIS) spatial and geographic data with locally hosted and base maps and Esri ArcGIS Online maps.
Comtech, which ousted its CEO Ken Peterman in March and has yet to replace him, has made significant inroads in NG911 markets. In February, the company signed a $48 million deal with the state of Washington for NG911 services. In April, the Arizona Department of Administrations transitioned to Comtech’s NG911 services.
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Geotab and Rivian Partner to Deliver Telematics Solution
Geotab has partnered with Rivian to deliver an integrated data solution for Rivian's commercial vehicles in North America. The solution, announced at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo, will use embedded telematics in Rivian's commercial vehicles that will enable integration of vehicle data into the MyGeotab platform, the company said.
Rapid advances, and access, in data analytics are advancing connected transportation, said Rob Minton, Geotab associate vice president of connected car development. "You hear a lot about the coming of the software defined vehicle. The combination of Rivian's sensor data capabilities accessed via the Geotab platform makes it a reality,” he said, in a statement.
The telematics device, which will be compatible with all commercial connected vehicles in the U.S., will have a unified dashboard. This allows fleet manager to view data and measure key insights for vehicle optimization and improve mobility functions, the company said.
Samsara Partners With Carahsoft
In other fleet telematics news, Samsara IOT 0.00%↑ has partnered with Carahsoft Technology to make Samsara’s technology solutions available to the public sector through Carahsoft’s reseller partners and National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint and OMNIA Partners contracts.
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Other Location News
News tip? Send them to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories. Location Business News is looking for your company’s product use cases to feature in each issue. Send us five paragraphs and an image/photo for consideration. Include a contact name, phone, email and web address.
Top News:
🌏 Global Navigation Jamming Will Only Get Worse. The U.S. Needs To Move Fast. “The three decade-old system is already outmatched by China’s nearly twice as large BeiDou and Europe’s more modern Galileo satnav systems. Both of these governments continue to invest heavily in their GPS alternatives, including anti-jamming/spoofing technology (such as Galileo’s OSNA protocol) and new forays into low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations to create stronger, more secure and resilient signals.”
😦 U.S. To Issue Rules on Chinese Connected Vehicles This Autumn. “U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Wednesday that her department plans to issue proposed rules on Chinese connected vehicles this autumn, citing national security risks to the data of Americans. Raimondo said last week the United States could take "extreme action" and ban Chinese connected vehicles or impose restrictions on them after the Biden administration in February launched a probe into whether Chinese vehicle imports pose national security risks.”
👍 Ericsson Finds Way To Make Inbuilding New Again With Location. “Ericsson ERIC 0.00%↑ is banking that network operators and enterprises will see value in adding precise location on top of their inbuilding deployments.”
✈ Air France KLM Martinair Cargo and Kuehne+Nagel Take the Lead in ULD Tracking Using Skycell Technology. “Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has chosen SkyCell as its preferred ULD tracking partner.”
📌 Actility to "Overhaul" IoT in Italy, Boost IoT in Global Agriculture. “Actility, operating and selling LoRaWAN infrastructure, is working with Italian IoT provider Urbana Smart Solutions to “overhaul” and extend Italy’s IoT infrastructure. The deal will see Urbana manage the rollout of LoRaWAN infrastructure “throughout Italy”, and the integration of combined IoT services and development of tailored IoT solutions on top, the pair said.”
Maps:
🗺 The Unification of Bing Maps for Enterprise With Azure Maps.
📱 Highly Anticipated Waze Feature Starts Rolling Out. “The company confirmed in April that it'd launch speed bump warnings in Waze for users worldwide, promising to kick off the rollout by the end of the same month.”
😒 Some Bay Area Businesses Can't Be Found on Google Maps, Creating Trouble for Their Bottom Line. “The lesson here may just be a reminder to be less dependent on our phones.”
👌 Mobileye: Revolutionizing HD Map Creation for Autonomous Vehicles With Spark on Amazon EKS.
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Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
🏛 Tesla's Full Self-Driving Tech Isn't 'Just Around the Corner' and Now Owners Can Sue Over It. “A judge has just rejected the Austin, Texas-based automaker’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit that the company misled owners – tricking them into believing their vehicles would soon have self-driving capabilities.”
🚘 Peugeot Is Trialing Driverless Tech — With a Twist — For Amazon-Style Deliveries. “French car giant Peugeot told CNBC it has partnered with German startup Vay to test the use of teledriving technology. Unlike self-driving cars — which can drive themselves without a human controlling the vehicle — teledriven cars are driven remotely by human operators.”
💰 Autonomous Shipping Startup Orca AI Tops up With $23M Led by OCV Partners and MizMaa Ventures. “The autonomous navigation market — where ships steer themselves guided by AI, resulting in fuel and time savings — is projected to grow from $4.46 billion in 2023 to $5.33 billion in 2024 alone. Orca AI is a London-based startup that claims to have powered the world’s first autonomous commercial ship voyage in congested waters. It’s now added $23 million in fresh funding, led by OCV Partners and MizMaa Ventures. The funding, which we’re told is between a Series A and Series B, takes its total raised to nearly $40 million.”
🤷♂️ On Self-Driving, Waymo Is Playing Chess While Tesla Plays Checkers. “We'll know Tesla is serious about robotaxis when it starts hiring remote operators.”
🤔 Baidu Considers Using Tesla's Robotaxi Tech In China. “The Google-esque tech company has been creating HD mapping of major Chinese cities, which means it can provide this mapping tech to companies to roll out their own self-driving products. That (among other things) is precisely why Tesla has partnered with Baidu for more advanced mapping needs as it seeks approval to launch its Full Self-Driving product in China.”
🚛 Volvo Teams up With Aurora To Reveal an Autonomous Semi Truck. “The truck is ‘purpose-designed and purpose-built’ to eventually enable mass production.”
🤞 Xpeng Rolls Out Ai-Powered OS With 2K Pure Vision ADAS, CEO Promises L4 Autonomous Driving by 2025. “XPeng says its new system enables autonomous driving with capabilities comparable to lidar but uses pure vision to create a granular 3D naked-eye experience.”
😮 Viral Video Shows Waymo Driverless Car in Phoenix Struggling To Stay In Its Lane:
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Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Overland AI Secures $10 Million in Funding
Overland AI has secured $10 million in seed funding, led by Point72 Ventures with participation from Shasta Ventures, Ascend VC, Pioneer Square Labs, Voyager Capital, and Cubit Capital. Overland AI’s plans to increase its workforce and increase development and testing of the company’s OverDrive software.
OverDrive enables autonomous navigation of off-road terrain in any environmental conditions at speeds up to 45 mph, the company said. The U.S. Army and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) recently awarded a $18.6 million ceiling prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreement to Overland AI to adapt its OverDrive technology to drive autonomous vehicles in contested areas/rough terrain, the company said.
Contact: Kristen Hoff, for Overland AI, (888) 317-4687, ext. 702, kristen@firecrackerpr.com.
HERE Named HIFLD Data Provider
HERE Technologies has been named the data provider for the Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data (HIFLD) program. HIFLD supports more than 5,000 U.S. government credentialed participating partners and three lead federal agencies with geospatial data to support community preparedness, resilience, research and more, the company said.
HERE has provided the map data for the HIFLD program for nearly 15 years. After a two-year evolution of the program, the U.S. government again selected HERE to provide the foundational map data for emergency responders and partners across federal, state, tribal and local agencies, the company said.
Contact: Reed Findlay, HERE Technologies, (703) 966-6284, reed.findlay@here.com www.here.com.
Parkopedia and Irdeto Announce Plug and Charge Partnership
Parkopedia has partnered with Irdeto to introduce a multi-contract solution designed to simplify the EV charging process, the companies say. The partnership leverages Parkopedia’s EV Charging service and Irdeto’s CrossCharge technologies to offer a Plug and Charge experience, the companies say.
The joint solution allows EV drivers to locate, pay for parking and charge their vehicles directly from their in-car media systems, eliminating the need for multiple apps or RFID cards, the companies say.
Contact: Adam Calland, Parkopedia, 44(0)7838219129, adam.calland@parkopedia.com, www.parkopedia.com; Sabrina Orlov, Ireto, media@irdeto.com.
TomTom Supports Traffic & More To Deliver Optimized Traffic Management
TomTom [TOM2] has partnered with Traffic & More, which focuses on road and roadwork safety, on optimization of temporary traffic management in the Netherlands.
Traffic & More uses TomTom’s Traffic and API services to provide guidance to local traffic authorities and project organizations, the company said.
Contact: TomTom, www.tomtom.com.
Motive Brings AI-powered Safety, Security and Fleet Management Solution to Mexico
Motive has announced its expansion into Mexico. Businesses across the country now have access to Motive’s suite of driver safety, fleet management, theft prevention and equipment monitoring solutions, the company said. Motive, among other features, offers fleet management services that allows customers to track vehicle location, utilization and vehicle health, the company said.
Contact: Motive, press@gomotive.com, www.motive.com.
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MapUp Launches Partner Program
GPS-based toll solution company MapUp has launched its MapUp Partner Program. The program allows partners to integrate MapUp's products into their existing fleet management offerings. MapUp's customers will benefit from the program through automated third-party integrations with a network of certified telematics providers, TMS providers, fuel payment processors, and connected vehicle payment providers, the company said.
Contact: Lisa Warner, MapUp, (510) 766-0570, media@mapup.ai, www.mapup.ai/partners.
Microchip Launches TimeProvider 4100 Grandmaster Version 2.4 Firmware
Microchip Technology MCHP 0.00%↑ has announced the release of version 2.4 of the TimeProvider 4100 grandmaster firmware with an embedded BlueSky firewall function to detect potential threats and validate GNSS before using the signal as a time reference. TimeProvider 4100 series version 2.4 also implements IEEE 1588 power profiles, which enables gateway capabilities between PTP telecom and power profiles, the company said.
Private networks can now be synchronized with the TimeProvider 4100 series version 2.4 equipped with the Time Sensitive Network (TSN) profile 802.1.AS, the company said. This functionality provides private networks with a more accurate and autonomous time system to coordinate private network IoT devices, the company said.
Contact: Kim Dutton, Microchip Technology, (480) 792-4386, kim.dutton@microchip.com, www.microchip.com.
Aislelabs Integrates Gimbal Location and Proximity-Based Mobile Engagement Platform
Aislelabs has announced the integration of Gimbal location and proximity-based mobile engagement platform into its secure location analytics and marketing platform. This integration enables Aislelabs' clients to use Gimbal's geofencing, secure proximity beacons, location-based messaging, analytics and consumer privacy controls. Aislelabs Flow provides macro insights on customer behavior in physical venues and stores using WiFi and Bluetooth technology, the company said.
Contact: Gimbal, www.gimbal.com.
Clarience Technologies and ZF Partner
Clarience Technologies and ZF have announced an alliance to enable both companies to leverage each other's telematics data from their respective solutions and access component-level data for fleet operators, the company said. Under this alliance, fleet customers of Clarience Technologies will gain access to information on ZF brands’ data, which will be integrated into Clarience Technologies’ Fus1on platform. The software powers the company’s Road Ready telematics business
Contact: Mark Johnson, Clarience Technologies, (312) 375-4964, mjohnson@clariencetechnologies.com, www.clariencetechnologies.com.
People
Norwegian telco Telenor has announced the appointment of Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer as president and CEO. Fasmer will head the company on Dec. 1, when current CEO Sigve Brekke steps down.
TrustPoint has appointed Charles Beames as executive chairman of the company’s board of directors.
Shrishail Mathapati has been named technical lead at InfoTrack Telematics.
Motive has named Omar Camacho as general manager for Mexico and head of the company’s new Mexico City office.
Jobs
Director, Revenue Operations. Drivewyze.
Partner Account Manager. Geotab.
Developer. MapLibre.
LEO PNT Test Engineer. Xona Space Systems.
Manager, Sales Development. Motive.
Training and Content Lead. Trimble.
Regional Vice President, Enterprise Sales, Ohio Valley/Great Lakes. Motive.
Program Officer. Transportation Research Board.
Research Highway Engineer. Federal Highway Administration.
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