Google Maps Rolls Out Immersive View
Immersive View allows users to see a venue, with weather information, before they go...
Saying advances in 3D mapping have made it evolve, Google Maps has launched an Immersive View feature that allows users to explore neighborhoods and buildings. Other features, announced at the annual Google I/O developer’s conference, allow users to find the most fuel-efficient routes and use a live view feature.
The company said that while it first launched Google Maps to get people to their destinations, and then evolved into a travel guide for restaurants and other businesses, advances in computer vision and artificial intelligence allows it to integrate Street View and aerial images.
With information layering, Immersive View allows users to use a time slider to check out what an area looks like at different times of day--and in various weather conditions, the company said. It also allows visitors to see where the busy spots and times are for a business.
While the new features will be available on every phone and device, it is only being rolled out in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo later this year.
At Google I/O, the company also announced that its Android Auto will have a new split screen mode with navigation and communications modes always on.
Statista Names Google Maps Top Downloaded Map
In other company news, Statista reported this week that Google Maps was the most downloaded map in 2021, despite being a pre-installed app on Android smartphones. The company said Waze followed with 13.4 million downloads.
“Navigation apps generally offer the possibility for users to download maps to access when offline. Native iOS app Apple Maps, which does not offer this possibility, was by far the navigation app with the highest data consumption, while Google-owned Waze used only 0.23 MB per 20 minutes,” Statista said.
The company said that Google Maps was the fourth most popular smartphone application in Japan In China, the company said the Gaode Map app, operated by the Alibaba-owned AutoNavi, had more than 465 million monthly active users in 2021.
New NIST-FirstNet Facility Tests Indoor Location Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the First Responder Network Authority announced last week that it will launch a virtual-reality research facility that will focus on indoor location and other services for public safety professionals.
The facility, called the Public Safety Immersive Test Center and located at FirstNet’s Boulder, Colo., headquarters, will have 42 optical tracking cameras that will track every object in a test room down to a centimeter, according to an article in StateScoop. The center is approximately 100 square meters (1,076 square feet) of customized space equipped with a motion capture system, a variety of augmented and virtual reality headsets, and gear, FirstNet said.
NIST and FirstNet will offer the facility at no cost to public safety agencies and organizations that support them—including private sector and academic institutions. Organizers hope the facility will answer key research questions about the future of user interfaces and location services.
“This facility enables us to take our research to the next level by allowing natural interactions,” said Scott Ledgerwood, leader of NIST PSCR’s User Experience/User Interface Group, in a statement. “Traditional virtual reality simulations required controllers for interaction, which didn’t translate well to real-life scenarios. In this new facility, users can walk or crawl throughout the space, physically touch walls and furniture, and pick up props like fire nozzles or dummies. This approach will improve measures and build confidence in the test results for translations of technologies to the real world.”
Contact: Candice Appiakorang, FirstNet, (202) 510-7505, Candice.Appiakorang@FirstNet.gov.
Ericsson Changes Company Structure, Three Execs Depart
Reacting to a tough year where its share price has tanked, Ericsson [ERIC] said it will created a Business Area Enterprise Wireless Solutions group and Business Area Cloud Software and Services organization.
The company, one of the earliest adopters, creators and users of location technology, said three execs will depart: Arun Bansal, Jan Karlsson and Peter Laurin.
The Business Area Enterprise Wireless Solutions group, which will be comprised of the current Cradlepoint business and Dedicated Networks, will focus on 5G coverage increases in the U.S. C-band and the launch of Ericsson Private 5G (EP5G) in several markets, the company said.
George Mulhern, Cradlepoint CEO, will be appointed senior vice president and will head the Business Area Enterprise Wireless Solutions group.
Get your company’s products and services in the 2022 Location Industry Yearbook!
Other Location News:
News tip? Send them to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
😐 Analyst: Trimble Could Unlock $3 Billion in Value by Selling Its Agriculture Business. “The sale would also sharpen management's focus on construction tech and it would allow Trimble it to profitably exit an end market in which it will operate at a greater competitive disadvantage as times goes on.”
😧 What Happens If GPS Goes Dark? The Pentagon Is Working on It, Space Force General Says. “As space has become more crowded and more contested, the Space Force has advocated for proliferated, resilient satellite architectures.”
🚘 Ok, GNSS Is a Backbone of Car Localization. How Does It Impact the Automotive Value Chain? “The proprietary GNSS technology is the best response to the challenges OEMs and Tier 1s face in car localization.”
👍 Mercedes Drive Pilot Level 3 Autonomous Tech Officially On Sale In Germany. “Germany is the first country where Level 3 self-driving tech is legal.”
🚀 Spire Global to Launch Five Satellites on SpaceX Transporter-5 Mission. “These satellites are equipped with GNSS sensors to collect radio occultation and other weather product data.”
🚗 Ford-Backed Argo Starts Testing Self-Driving Cars in Miami and Austin. “No backup driver will be at the wheel to navigate traffic. Company in talks for deals with ride-hailing, delivery firms.”
🛰 After Completing In-orbit Tests, Galileo Nikolina Satellite Enters Service. “Nikolina (GSAT0223) was launched in December 2021 on the Galileo eleventh mission (L11) with Shriya (GSAT0224) satellite, which is completing its in-orbit validation.”
✔ Cyngn Reports First Quarter 2022 Results. Company launched GPS tracker in early May.
✔ Inpixon Reports First Quarter 2022 Financial Results and Provides Business Update.
✔ SuperCom Reports First Quarter 2022 Financial Results.
✔ Intermap Announces 135% Quarterly Revenue Growth.
✔ NextNav Inc. Reports First Quarter 2022 Results.
Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Good and Bad Drivers Highlight HERE-Zoomcar Map
HERE Technologies and Zoomcar rolled out a city-based map of India that shows the percentage of good, average and bad drivers in 22 cities across the country. The “good” drivers Indore (35.4%), Lucknow (33.2%), and Hyderabad (33.1%). The “bad” drivers were in Mysore (18.5%), Ahmedabad (14.8%), followed by Bangalore (14%).
The map was created based on data from Zoomcar’s driver scoring system, between November 2020 and November 2021, the company said. Zoomcar uses nearly 200 million data points – vehicle speed, engine speed, acceleration, brake, battery and tire life, and more for its driver scoring, the company said.
Contact: Camy Cheng, HERE Technologies, 65 9088 4127, Camy.cheng@here.com.
Semtech Integrates LoRa Into Antenna
Semtech Corp. [SMTC] said REYAX Technology has launched an antenna transceiver module, REYAX RYLR998, which features the company’s LoRa with a 868/915MHz frequency range. The solution can be deployed in smart homes, smart agriculture and asset tracking by leveraging LoRa, the company said.
In addition, the device can communicate with thousands of GPS trackers to transmit location data all without a cellular network, the company said. The LoRa in the RYLR998 enables low-power consumption that extends battery life for IoT use cases such as smart homes and asset tracking, the company said.
Contact: Ronda Grech, Semtech, (805) 250-1263, rgrech@semtech.com, www.semtech.com.
Taoglas Joins Nordic Partner Program
Taoglas has joined Nordic Semiconductor’s growing Nordic Partner Program (NPP) as a design and solution partner. Taoglas’ inclusion in the NPP will allow Nordic customers with access to the company’s portfolio of antenna designs as well as engineering expertise to help OEMs optimize RF and antenna performance for their wireless design, the company said.
In other company news, Taoglas Waste Technologies partnered with TELUS [TU] to combine TELUS Smart City solutions with the Taoglas Waste InsightsTM software platform.
Contact: Taoglas, mediarelations@taoglas.com.
MICHELIN Connected Fleet Launches in the UK
Michelin recently launched its MICHELIN Connected Fleet in the United Kingdom. The move follows its roll outs in Spain in 2000 and France in 2001. The company hopes to deploy its fleet management solutions to Germany and South Africa later this year.
MICHELIN Connected Fleet brings all Michelin Group fleet management services and solutions under the same banner. Associated companies include Masternaut in Europe, NexTraq in North America, and Sascar in South America. MICHELIN Connected Fleet is currently used by 70,000 customers, on 600,000 vehicles--and in 48 countries.
Contact: Michelin, www.michelin.com.
Senet Partners With Ready Wireless
Senet has partnered with Ready Wireless to deliver enterprise and municipal IoT solutions that combine Ready Wireless’ IoT application management and data visualization platform and Senet’s LoRaWAN network. Ready Wireless’ IoT use cases include those in the smart building, smart city, and transportation segments, including asset tracking, environmental monitoring, and fleet management. Ready Wireless has completed interoperability testing on the Senet network and will be selling, deploying, and supporting solutions with Senet connectivity plans, the company said.
Contact: Ben Muhlenbruch, Ready Wireless, (319) 325-4487, ben@readywireless.com, www.readywireless.com.
MachineQ for Asset Management Launched
MachineQ, a Comcast company, has announced MachineQ for Asset Management, an IoT solution that provides companies with real-time view into the location of indoor inventory, equipment, and moveable assets. The product uses LoRaWAN and BLE wireless technologies, for scalable indoor asset tracking capability, the company said.
MachineQ for Asset Management features real-time location and sub-room level accuracy, long tag battery life, and is separate from the corporate Wi-Fi network for quicker deployment, the company said. Some applications include tracking of high-value indoor and portable assets, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, and others.
Contact: Jennifer Khoury, Comcast, jennifer_khoury@comcast.com.
Geotab Named One of Canada's Best Managed Companies
Geotab, for the fifth consecutive year, was named one of Canada’s best-managed companies through an award that goes to companies with more than $50 million in revenue. Canada's Best Managed Companies recognizes Canadian-owned and managed companies for innovative, world-class business practices, the company said. Geotab was recognized for its role as an enabler of low-carbon fleets, the company said.
Contact: Taylor Barker, Geotab, pr@geotab.com, www.geotab.com.
Mix Telematics Announces Contract Expansion
MiX Telematics [MIXT] has announced the contract expansion for two customers in South America, whose identities were not disclosed. The first company specializes will increase their fleet telematics subscriptions to 250 in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina. The second customer, based in Brazil, will expand fleet coverage to 200 subscribers.
Contact: Melanie Esterhuizen, MiX Telematics, melanie.esterhuizen@mixtelematics.com, www.mixtelematics.com.
CalAmp Subsidiary Offers Tracking Solution
CalAmp [CAMP] said its subsidiary, Tracker Network, is offering its Supply Chain Visibility solution to pan-European transportation and logistics operators for shipment tracking. The solution is tailored to such industries as pharmaceutical, electronics, biotech, food and consumer goods.
CalAmp’s Supply Chain Visibility solution features wireless sensors and other reusable and single-use devices that can be affixed to assets to track and collect critical data, such as temperature, light, shock, vibration and location, the company said.
Contact: Edward Lin, for Tracker Network, 44 (0)208 977 9132, tracker@harrisonsadler.com.
LAS Thwarts Porch Pirate
GPS tracking company LandAirSea said its devices have thwarted “porch pirate” attacks, when thieves steal packages off of the porches of their rightful owners. LAS repeat customer “John” ordered a company device to be delivered to his home in the Bay Area, the company said. When he noticed the package was missing, John looked at LAS app to get a location after it was connected to the alleged thief’s vehicle, the company said. He called the San Jose Police, who confronted the alleged thief and arrested him.
Contact: Jared Zientz, for LAS, jared.zientz@landairsea.com.
People
The U.S. Army has appointed Michael Monteleone as the Director for the Assured Position, Navigation and Timing/Space (APNT/Space) Cross-Functional Team. He is responsible for synchronizing PNT efforts across the Army to build a resilient capability, enabling the Army to compete and operate globally in PNT-contested environments, the service said.
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. [CMTL] has announced that Timothy Jenkins will become President of its Safety and Security Technologies product group. Jenkins joining the company through its 2019 acquisition of General Dynamics Information Technology. Kent Hellebust, the current President of Comtech’s Safety and Security Technologies product group, will retire May 31.
CalAmp [CAMP] has announced the election of Henry Maier as Independent Chair of the CalAmp Board of Directors. Most recently, Maier served as President and CEO of FedEx Ground.
Iridium Communications Inc. [IRDM] has announced that Kay Sears has been elected to the Iridium Board of Directors. Sears currently serves as Vice President and General Manager of Autonomous Systems for the Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS) unit of The Boeing Company [BA].
