Industry

Google Maps prices slashed by 70% for developers after Ola Maps offered for free

Google has announced a 70% reduction in Google Maps’ API prices for Indian developers, which comes one week after Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal gave one-year free access to Ola Maps for all developers. This announcement was made by the tech giant at Google I/O Connect, its developer event recently.

How will Google Maps prices in India change and when?

Google has also said that it will give a 90% discount to developers working with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), the state-owned company of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade for developing open e-commerce.

The new prices will come into effect from August 1. Google has also introduced pricing specific for India, and will start accepting Google Maps subscription payments in rupees. It accepts payments only in US dollars currently.

What did Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal announce?

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal announced that Ola cabs will be using its own inhouse Ola Maps instead of Google maps, in a post on X (Formerly Twitter). He also urged developers to use Ola Maps instead of Google Maps, giving them free access for one year.

He also announced that Ola Maps would get many new features soon, such as street view, NERFs, indoor images, 3D maps, and drone maps, and that it would be available on Krutrim cloud. Krutrim is Ola’s in-house AI that was established in December last year.

After Google reduced its prices, the CEO responded with another post on X saying its “too little too late,” and adding that he would be announcing major updates on Ola Maps in a blog post on Krutrim.

3Dsurvey launches 3Dsurvey 3.0

3Dsurvey 3.0 is an all-in-one photogrammetric software solution.It is a hardware-agnostic solution designed to unify diverse data sources such as lidar sensors, cameras UAVs and various ground control points. The platform allows users to transition between orthophotos, point clouds and textured meshes, streamlining workflows without exporting files. This integration can benefit survey professionals, enhancing data accuracy and overall efficiency.

Version 3.0 features upgraded coordinate system functionalities to obtain georeferenced spatial data without the drawbacks of complex local transformations, which can reduce accuracy. These enhancements eliminate the need for third-party software. 3dsurvey.si

Taoglas launches “patchin-a-patch” antenna

Taoglas has unveiled Inception, a new GNSS L1/L5 ultra-low-profile “patch-ina-patch” antenna. The HP5354.A offers dual-band stacked patch performance in a single 35 x 35 x 4mm form factor. This design integrates the second antenna within the first, eliminating the need for stacking parts and reducing the antenna height by 50%. It features a passive, dual-feed surface mount design (SMD) designed to decrease weight and conserve horizontal space. www.taoglas.com

Tualcom releases TRNAV

Tualcom has released TRNAV, a terrestrial navigation solution designed to operate with or without GNSS signals. It establishes a mesh network of ground stations capable of operating independently from GNSS by using precise pre-established locations or connecting to GNSS when available. The system maintains location accuracy comparable to GNSS by connecting to at least three ground stations. Its highly synchronized timing system ensures a minimal drift of 10ns over a week without GNSS.

The system features a re-synchronization capability that allows the entire network to be updated instantly when just one station reconnects to a GNSS satellite, maintaining high precision across all platforms. Users can integrate mobile stations to enhance network flexibility and range, with the potential to cover distances up to 250km under ideal conditions.

It also offers a high-bandwidth communication channel for various data types, which offers extensive communication capabilities within the established network. The system employs AES-256 encryption and advanced waveform technologies, including DSSS/FHSS for robust and secure operations even in challenging environments. www.tualcom.com

Nicholas Cumins Takes Charge as CEO of Bentley Systems

Following the CEO transition plan previously announced by Bentley Systems, Incorporated Nicholas Cumins has taken charge as CEO. Cumins succeeds Greg Bentley, the eldest of the five brothers who founded Bentley Systems, who becomes Executive Chair of its Board of Directors.

Cumins is the first CEO in the company’s 40-year history who is not a Bentley family member, marking a significant milestone in the company’s development. The Bentley brothers redefined what was then computer-aided design (CAD) software when they developed MicroStation as a groundbreaking engineering application platform.

Hexagon acquires Voyansi

Hexagon announced the acquisition of Voyansi, an AECO (architecture, engineering, construction and operations) focused provider of BIM (Building Information Modelling) and VDC (Virtual Design and Construction) solutions, reality capture services and BIM workflow software development.

Voyansi’s services are used to digitise all asset types, including data centres, hospitals, industrial facilities and shopping centres, across the design, build and operate phases of their lifecycles. Their solutions complement Hexagon’s leadership in reality capture and AECO solutions, by adding BIM support to enable advanced 3D modelling and improve data accuracy.

“To the moon” and back with Riegl USA, Allen & Company and the NASA Lunabotics challenge

RIEGL USA in collaboration with Allen & Company recently participated in the 2024 NASA Lunabotics Qualification Challenge hosted by the University of Central Florida that took place from May 10th-15th at the Exolith® Lab. The NASA Lunabotics Challenge is a cutting-edge event that brings together over 40 talented university teams from across the country to develop and deploy fully autonomous robots capable of utilizing lunar regolith, which is a loose layer of rock and dust sediment, in a simulated lunar environment. The RIEGL VZ-600i terrestrial laser scanner was utilized by both RIEGLUSA and Allen & Company to scan piles of this fabricated “moon dirt” to showcase the success or failure of student robotics to transport the matter.

The goal in this project is for student contestant vehicles/lunabots to transport the moon dust/dirt particles to the square flagged off area. The RIEGL VZ-600i is collecting data to measure the quantity of moon particles successfully transported to the designated area. Judges from NASA are taking RIEGL data into account when qualifying the 10 teams that will advance to the final round at Kennedy Space Center at the end of the qualifying rounds. https://newsroom.riegl.international

Developing a space-based air traffic surveillance service

Thales, Spire Global, and European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the goal of introducing a range of innovative global satellite-based surveillance services to the air traffic management (ATM) industry and broader aviation market. These services will be powered by a specialized constellation of over 100 satellites collecting Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) messages broadcast from aircraft and transmitting the data back to Earth in real time.

Spire will develop the space segment, including system design, building the satellites and payloads, ground control and data collection. Thales will provision the ground air traffic management system and the service supervision infrastructure. ESSP will manage the certification and the delivery of the service for air traffic surveillance purposes and perform H24 operation and supervision, ensuring the compliance with real-time, safety-critical requirements imposed to ATC. The partners will also rely on the Space Alliance* formed by Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, to identify and implement possible synergies bringing further added value in terms of key-enabling technologies, secured network optimization and sustainable operations and services. The partners plan to certify, commercialize and start the operation of the service by 2027. www.essp-sas.eu/

HERE Technologies launches fleet optimization package

HERE Technologies has launched of its Fleet Optimization software package.

It addresses the critical demands of the transportation and logistics industry. It offers the location-based capabilities needed to improve delivery times and decrease operational costs, by leveraging novel, HERE built artificial intelligence (AI) that helps solve the problem of complex routing operations for commercial fleets. www.here.com

Trimble and Esri elevate long-standing partnership

Trimble announced the extension of their long-standing strategic partnership with Esri to enhance collaboration in GIS software, location intelligence and mapping. The ongoing effort advances methods to optimize processes, support decision making and automate workflows that enable greener infrastructure planning, construction and operations for mutual customers. esri.com