Nvidia Launches Drive Map Platform
Company Says 300,000 Miles of Roads To Be Mapped by 2024
At its GTC conference last week, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang launched Drive Map, a mapping platform tailored for self-driving cars that will map more than 300,000 miles of roads in North America, Europe and Asia by 2024.
Drive Map is built with a “ground truth” survey map engine and a crowdsourced map, the company said in a blog. By combining the two engines, the company hopes to achieve centimeter-level accuracy with dedicated survey vehicles, which include “millions of passenger vehicles continuously updating and expanding the map.”
Drive Map comes from technology created by DeepMap, the survey map engine company Nvidia acquired last year.
Nvidia said the AI-based crowdsource engine gathers map updates from millions of cars, which are the uploaded to the cloud as the vehicles drive. After that, the data is aggregated at in Nvidia Omniverse and used to update maps within hours, the company said.
The company said that Drive Map provides a data interface, Drive MapStream, which allows any car that meets requirements to continuously update the map using camera, radar and lidar data.
Verizon Connect Reveal Migrates to AWS
Verizon Connect has announced it recently migrated its entire Verizon Connect Reveal offering to Amazon Web Services (AWS). Verizon Connect, a fleet management software platform, now uses the AWS multiple Availability Zone (AZ) architecture.
Verizon, which is using AWS for data analytics and machine learning services, believes the migration allows the company to get its fleet offerings to market quickly. “With Verizon Connect Reveal on AWS, we will be able to accelerate development, which will enable us to transform our platform,” said Nick Power, Verizon Connect CTO, in a statement.”
In addition to asset tracking, Verizon Connect Reveal has an interesting “what happened here?” feature that allows users to view video clips of “harsh driving events” within minutes of the incident. “Know how severe and event was with harsh driving classifications to help you coach your drivers,” the company says on its website.
Other Verizon Connect Reveal features include a trend analysis feature that stockpiles historical reports for up to two years, integrated video and a smart dispatching capability that allows a dispatcher to located and send the nearest mobile worker to a job.
Contact: Krys Card Grondorf, Verizon, krys.grondorf@verizon.com, verizonconnect.com.
PreAct Technologies and ESPROS Photonics Partner on Sensing Solutions
Portland, Ore.-based PreAct Technologies has partnered with ESPROS Photonics, a Swiss company that makes time-of flight chips and 3D cameras, to develop flash Lidar technologies for automotive, trucking, industrial automation and robotics.
The collaboration combines PreAct’s flash Lidar and the versatile and time-of-flight technology from ESPROS to create next-generation near-field sensing solutions, the company said.
With the recent NHTSA announcement that requires for human controls in fully automated vehicles, the companies see a need for automotive and trucking industries continue to rapidly integrate ADAS and self-driving capabilities into vehicles. The companies believe that their sensor solutions will address ADAS and self-driving features such as traffic sign recognition, curb detection, night vision and pedestrian detection with the high frame rates.
“Lidar, especially flash Lidar, is absolutely critical as a cost effective sensing modality as no single sensor can handle every corner case and traditional Lidars are too expensive for mass adoption,” said Paul Drysch, PreAct Technologies’ CEO and co-founder. “This applies to everything from robots to self-driving vehicles. They all need a level of redundancy when it comes to sensing their environment in a safe manner.”
Drysch believes that, in the future, vehicles across all industries will be software-defined—and will need flash lidar to support that infrastructure. He believes that the sensor will have traction in future industrial robotics markets, particularly in QR code scanning, obstacle avoidance and gesture recognition.
Contact: Paul Drysch, PreAct Technologies, sales@preact-tech.com, www.preact-tech.com.
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✔ Qualcomm Closes $4.5 Billion Deal, Will Acquire Autonomous Driving Assets. “In a statement, Veoneer announced that all parties to the agreement had settled on a closing date for the sale of April 1, barring regulatory objections, and announced a new post-merger CEO for the company, Jacob Svanberg, Veoneer's senior vice president of the lidar product.”
😮 Mercedes To Accept Liability When Autonomous Drive Pilot Is Engaged. “While there are many vehicles on the road today with similar technology, Mercedes' tech is more robust, and it seems the automaker trusts its system enough to take full legal responsibility while it's engaged. Road & Track specifically states that once a driver turns on Drive Pilot, they are ‘no longer legally liable for the car's operation until it disengages.’”
👍 Apple Maps Expands Detailed 3d Buildings and Enhanced Navigation to Canada. “One of the new features is the addition of detailed 3D buildings, which brings detailed landmarks of major cities in three dimensions. Important Canadian landmarks such as Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal and Robson Square in Vancouver are now available in 3D on Apple Maps.”
🚘 Ford Creates Unit to Develop Autonomous Vehicles and New Technology. “[Ford Next] contains Ford’s stake in autonomous-auto startup Argo AI and will develop startups in mobility services and other businesses.”
🛰 Space Force Using Spire Data To Detect Satellite Jamming. “A constellation of about 40 geolocation satellites operated by Spire Global is collecting data used by the U.S. Space Force to detect GPS jamming, an issue now gaining worldwide attention due to Russia’s use of electronic warfare tactics in the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine.”
😦 Automakers Should Just Stop Trying With In-Car Navigation. “There's no way to sugarcoat it: Factory in-car navigation is almost always awful. Terrible user interfaces, illogical workflows, and sub-par voice commands leave much to be desired in brand-new vehicles.”
🙁 Google Confirms Major Google Maps Bug, Update on Its Way. “Users, however, noticed that the voice navigation in Google Maps has been very buggy, up to a point when enabling it in any other language than English becomes impossible.”
🛩 US Drone Company Assisting Ukraine Army With Search and Rescue Missions. “GPS signals are getting jammed left and right right now in Ukraine, so being able to rely on laser [guidance technology] is absolutely critical."
🙂 NewSat Awarded Contract to Provide Support for the US Navy. “NewSat awarded multi-million dollar contract to provide cybersecurity, engineering, and technical support to the Navy's Communications and GPS Navigation program office.”
👌 Digital Twins Power Autonomous Navigation with Precision3D. “Maxar’s patented 3D technology, formerly known as Vricon, has been rebranded as Precision3D.”
📱 Global Science Project Links Android Phones With Satellites To Improve Weather Forecasts. “Creating better ionospheric forecasts could be relevant in tracking space weather and could eventually make Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) more accurate by accounting for events like geomagnetic storms.”
💰 Terra Drone Raises $70 Million in Series B Funding.
👏 Trimble Opens New R&D Center in Chennai. “With a capacity of 2,000 employees, is a part of Trimble’s long-term strategic growth plan in the region.”
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Bridgestone Mobility Solutions Partners With STARTUP AUTOBAHN
Bridgestone Mobility Solutions has partnered with Stuttgart, Germany-based STARTUP AUTOBAHN, a mobility-focused innovation network moderated by Silicon Valley global open innovation platform, Plug and Play Tech Center. STARTUP AUTOBAHN brings companies and startups together to identify new ideas and technologies in the mobility sector.
With a network of more than 30,000 startups and around 30 corporate partners, the platform is accelerating innovation by providing workshops, events, business development and investment opportunities. The Bridgestone EMIA business unit offers a wide range of the digital mobility solutions’ portfolio of the company, including fleet management solution WEBFLEET.
Contact: Bridgestone, press.bridgestone-emia.com, bridgestone-emia.com.
China FAW Group Using HERE Location Content and Services
HERE Technologies said automaker China FAW Group is using its location content and services for its Honggi car brand’s in-vehicle navigation systems in Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The HERE location content and services include mapping, speed limits, traffic information, route planning and guidance information (electric vehicle charging points, weather updates), the company said.
Contact: Camy Cheng, HERE Technologies, 65 9088 4127, Camy.cheng@here.com.
Rand McNally Offers Upgraded Navigation on Tablet
Rand McNally rolled out an in-cab tablet with enhanced navigation and advanced features for professional drivers. The TND Tablet 1050 features upgraded Rand Navigation with 33 percent more truck-specific road data than other GPS providers, high-definition 10-inch screen and upgraded camera, the company said.
Compared with other market-leading products, Rand McNally's navigation includes thousands more low bridges, 28,000 more miles of weight-restricted roads, and 15,000 more miles of truck-prohibited roads, the company said.
Contact: Rand McNally, www.randmcnally.com/connected-vehicle/truck.
Septentrio Launches GNSS Products Supporting CLAS
Septentrio has launched three new products: mosaic-CLAS, AsteRx-m3 CLAS and AsteRx SB3 CLAS, which support Japan’s high-accuracy Centimeter Level Augmentation Service (CLAS), the company said. These multi-frequency GNSS receivers, developed with integrator CORE, support CLAS on a single device as they receive the L6 signal, which transmits high-accuracy corrections from Japan’s QZSS constellation, the company said.
The mosaic-CLAS receiver is a GNSS module with a very small form-factor ideal for high volume industrial applications. Septentrio is offering various receiver types to the Japanese market including robotics, precision agriculture, construction, machine control as well as UAV.
Contact: Septentrio, www.septentrio.com.
Digita and Digital Matter Introduce IoT Position Sensor
Digita and Digital Matter have announced a new industrial IoT position sensor, the Industrial Guppy, for LoRaWAN to support utility network infrastructure management and smart grid operations. Developed by Digital Matter, Industrial Guppy is installed on overhead power lines to monitor the line’s angle and surrounding temperature, the company said.
Industrial Guppy is currently being deployed by Finnish electricity network distributors Caruna. Industrial Guppy can also be used for position monitoring and tilt detection across other assets such as cellular towers, poles, highway signage, and more, and can be integrated into any IoT platform, ERP, or SAP, the company said.
Contact: Shay Kettner, Digital Matter, 61 8 6280 1217, shay@digitalmatter.com, www.digitalmatter.com.
Mojio Partners with Housecall Pro to Launch Integrated Fleet Management Solution
Mojio has announced a partnership with Housecall Pro to combine Force by Mojio telematics data with Housecall Pro’s software platform to allow home service businesses to track vehicles, improve operations and modernize customer experience.
The new product, Vehicle GPS Tracking service, includes a 4G LTE OBD-II device that activates a map view of the live vehicle location inside of Housecall Pro’s software. The new service also enhances Housecall Pro’s automated On-My-Way messages with Uber-style vehicle tracking links, the company said. Housecall Pro customers that add the Vehicle GPS Tracking service to their account also get full access to the Force by Mojio fleet management service.
Contact: Kyle MacDonald, Mojio, (408) 594-5438, kyle@moj.io.
ProStar Completes Trimble GPS/GNSS Receiver Integration
ProStar Holdings Inc. [MAPS] has announced that it completed a Trimble [TRMB] GPS/GNSS receiver integration of its flagship product PointMan for Apple iOS. Trimble Catalyst delivers positioning-as-a-service to Android and iOS devices.
With the addition of a Trimble DA2 GNSS receiver and an on-demand accuracy-based subscription, PointMan’s integration provides a data collection solution to capture, record, and display the precise location of underground infrastructure, the company said. With a recent Trimble SDK release, PointMan now supports Trimble receivers for mobile devices running Google Android operating system and Apple iOS, the company said.
Contact: Joel Sutherland, ProStar, (970) 822-4792, investorrelations@prostarcorp.com, www.prostarcorp.com.
Comtech Donates COMET Systems to Ukraine
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. [CMTL] has donated COMET troposcatter systems at the request of the Ukrainian government. The COMET over-the-horizon transportable terminals provide Beyond-Line-of-Sight (“BLOS”) communications for governmental disaster recovery and commercial industrial applications. Since 2017, Comtech has supported multiple communications upgrade and modernization initiatives for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
Contact: Comtech Investor Relations, (631) 962-7005, investors@comtech.com.
New Device Shares GPS and Maps Securely
Roper’s PATCH integrates with equipment and pairs with smartphones to securely text and share GPS and maps with end-to-end encryption without cell service, Wi-Fi or satellite, the company said. The $399 PATCH, designed by a retired U.S. Navy SEAL and DoD engineer, automatically monitors the activity and location of personnel, even if they are unable to send a message.
Styled as a US flag patch, the waterproof device is made in the USA and uses the same wireless charging as a smartphone, the company said. PATCH uses 256-bit AES type 1 cryptography, the same encryption used by elite government agencies.
Contact: Roper, hello@ropertag.com, www.patchconnects.com.
Satelles Signs Agreement With NIST for Infrastructure Deal
Satelles has signed a cooperative agreement with the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology that connects STL's operational infrastructure to the source of UTC (NIST), the national standard for time and frequency produced in coordination with the United States Naval Observatory. The agreement includes the introduction of a connection between an STL Ground Monitoring Station (GMS) provided by Satelles to the NIST collection of accurate atomic clocks that maintains the official time scale for UTC (NIST), the company said. STL from Satelles is an alternative PNT service from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
Contact: Kirk Vespestad, Satelles, (703) 282-1800, kvespestad@satelles.com, www.satelles.com.
Garmin Named Associate Member of the Year
Garmin International [GRMN] was named the 2022 Associate Member of the Year by members of the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) at its annual international convention and trade show in New Orleans. The Associate Member of the Year award is given to a manufacturer, distributor or service provider for its outstanding dealer support and contributions in the general aviation industry, the company said.
Contact: Carly Hysell, Garmin, (913) 397-8200, media.relations@garmin.com.
Fleet Complete Introduces Integrated Suite
Fleet Complete has introduced its Insights Solution Suite, which allows SMB fleet operators real-time insights for managing remote operations, improving driver safety, lowering business risks, and optimizing asset utilization, the company said.
The Fleet Complete Insights Solution Suite integrates the company’s AI-enabled video telematics system, intuitive dashboards, ELD compliance tools, and fleet and asset tracking technology, the company said.
Contact: Fleet Complete, www.fleetcomplete.com.
People
Pointr has named Jeff Kay as a Strategic Account Manager. Kay will head Pointr’s U.S. Healthcare division.
Jobs
Account Manager. Leica Geosystems part of Hexagon.
Marketing Operations Manager. HERE Technologies.
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Directeur / Directrice de comptes. Korem.
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