LBS

NavVis IndoorViewer 2.6

NavVis has announced the release of NavVis IndoorViewer 2.6. It includes a new measurement tool that lets users take highly accurate measurements based on point clouds in realistic browser-based digital buildings. This release also makes additional features available to structured e57 point cloud files, including automatically generating highly detailed floor plans and routing.

The magnifying feature reveals the exact section of the point cloud behind the image and lets users pick the point cloud point as the basis for a measurement while benefiting from the intuitive interface of the fully immersive walkthrough. It also introduces new feature support for e57 point cloud files captured by static scanners. www.navvis.com

First autonomous building sustainability solution

Honeywell has announced the launch of Honeywell Forge Energy Optimization, a cloud-based, closed-loop, machine learning solution that continuously studies a building’s energy consumption patterns and automatically adjusts to optimal energy saving settings without compromising occupant comfort levels. It is the first autonomous building solution focused on decreasing energy consumption, may deliver double-digit energy savings, decrease a building’s carbon footprint, and can be implemented without significant upfront capital expenses or changes to a building’s current operational processes. www.honeywell.com

Juniper rolls out new Mist service for network, location analytics

Juniper Networks has launched Mist Premium Analytics, a new service that offers enterprises visibility into their networks, as well as location-based contextual information about customers and employees. The new service is designed to provide a comprehensive look into disparate systems — network, security and location domains – for information that can help drive both IT and business decisions. The rollout comes about a year after Juniper acquired Mist Systems to combine its wireless LAN platform with Juniper›s wired LAN, SD-WAN and security services. Juniper is also leveraging Mist›s AI capabilities to offer AI-driven operations.

The new analytics service can give customers insight into Wide Area Network (WAN) performance in branch or retail offices, as well as usage patterns of Wireless LANs to anticipate changing demands. It also lets customers compare Mist network data with data from third-party sources.

Technology for mass produced autonomous trucks

TuSimple has announced that it has established a comprehensive partnership with ZF, a leading automotive supplier, to develop and commercialize technology for autonomous trucks. TuSimple and ZF will co-develop production-quality technologies including cameras, LiDAR, radar, steering and ZF’s automotivegrade central computer ZF ProAI. Concurrently, ZF will support TuSimple’s pre-production driverless autonomous system, and will ultimately serve as the default supplier for their production-ready system for commercialized vehicles. As part of the partnership, ZF will contribute engineering support to validate and integrate TuSimple’s autonomous system into the vehicle. tusimple.com

Locix launches WiFi-based local positioning solution

Locix has launched its SmartLPS solution that digitizes, analyzes, and displays real-time and historical operations for workers, assets, and inventory in warehouses through its patented WiFibased local positioning system (LPS). It demonstrated the efficacy and accuracy of the solution through an extended trial with MITSUI-SOKO Supply Chain Solutions (MSCS) and Prologis in an operating distribution center in Ichikawa, Japan, proving sub-meter-accurate real-time positioning of workers and forklifts, integration with their warehouse management system (WMS), and comprehensive visibility into warehouse operations through historical analytics and report generation. https://locix.com

Android developers enticed by halfmeter accuracy from smartphone

A new GNSS-centric application programming interface (API) library for Android and IoT developers is on the verge of appearing, and is now accepting registrations for its software development kit. The Fulfilling Enhanced Location Accuracy in the Mass Market through Initial Galileo Services (FLAMINGO) reportedly achieves half-meter accuracy in a smartphone.

FLAMINGO targets new applications in the location service market, using, as per its moniker, Galileo’s Open Service. It is designed for the conventional developer and “leaves the accurate location servicing to the positioning experts.”

The API will use specially supporting server and deployed infrastructure in smart cities to enable better location precision and accuracy than the existing Android location service. www.flamimgognss.com

JV for autonomous transportation service

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Tier IV, Inc.has announced the launch of eve autonomy, Inc., a joint-venture company based in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, that will develop an autonomous transportation service to help Yamaha Motor and other companies address chronic labor shortages and growing needs for high-mix low-volume production.

eve autonomy will begin offering easily implemented solutions that combine Tier IV’s Autoware, an open-source operating system for autonomous driving, and Yamaha Motor’s renowned vehicle-body development technologies. Envisioned subscription-type services and aftersales support will enable customer factories to respond nimbly to demand fluctuations and reduce their initial costs of implementation. https://eveautonomy.com

Rural cloud initiative by Trilogy Networks and Chat Mobility

Trilogy Networks and Chat Mobility have announced plans for a strategic alliance to accelerate the digital transformation of the most fertile agricultural lands in America. The relationship will pair Trilogy’s distributed cloud platform with Chat Mobility’s wealth of network assets in Southwest Iowa. This alliance allows Trilogy to extend its expertise in Edge Cloud Computing and low latency networking to family farms and multinational corporations focused on precision agriculture across rural America. Edge Computing optimizes the interaction of IoT sensors & devices with Cloud applications by bringing compute and storage closer to the sources of data. This dramatically reduces latency and bandwidth requirements, enabling automation of the agricultural ecosystem. Farmers will have access to accurate data captured in real time from connected devices throughout their farm during the entire crop. www.chatmobility.com

Propeller announces new machine tracking system, DirtMate

Propeller has announced that they are starting the beta phase for their new product, DirtMate, an innovative machine tracking system that delivers survey-grade progress and productivity data as often as users need it.

DirtMate sensors fill in the blind spots that occur between surveys with real-time data. After a quick, wireless installation, they get to work collecting RTK GPS and IMU information that is available for immediate access. And, the simplicity doesn’t stop there—the sensors can run on solar power, or can be wired into the machine.

The data stream feeds directly into the Propeller Platform, which converts the data into live 3D surfaces. Worksites can use this information to generate cut and fill heatmaps, utilization graphs, and progress-to-design measurements. www.propelleraero.com

Toyota extends partnership with Carmera

Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development, Inc. and leading road intelligence company CARMERA Inc. have announced new results from their ongoing partnership. A follow-up to the companies’ successful camera-based mapping work in Tokyo, this latest phase used commercially available dashboard-mounted cameras to detect key road features with the relative accuracy performance necessary for automated driving. Specifically, CARMERA’s machine learning, computer vision and geospatial technologies were used to detect and place key road features— such as lane markings, traffic signals and signs—along Michigan roadways in central Detroit and Ann Arbor.

These results validate TRI-AD and CARMERA’s vision to use street-level cameras from production vehicles, as well as aftermarket telematics systems, to produce comprehensive, accurate mapping data for both horizontal and vertically positioned roadway features. This shared objective stems from both companies’ mission to achieve significant reduction in costs and massive expansion in geographic scope of autonomy, allowing it to scale to more people in more places.

HERE signs MOU with Telangana Academy for skill and knowledge

HERE Technologies has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK), a state government entity formed to converge efforts of Telangana government, academia and industry players to train and upskill the youth. As per the agreement, HERE will support the training of technology graduates on mapping and location technology.

Under this initiative, HERE will work with the state government as one of the top 20 companies to create short-term and long- term skilling modules across technology verticals. The company will help diverse and young communities to build, expand and strengthen their understanding of mapping and location technologies through a range of initiatives such as curriculum, collaboration, mapathons, hackathons and eventually enabling the larger eco-system to leverage spatial insights in a business setting.

Singapore-based UNL raises $2m to create smart addresses

UNL, a Singapore-based startup that wants to create a universal addressing system, has raised US$2 million in earlystage funding co-led by location tech firm Here Technologies and VC fund Elev8.

According to UNL co-founder and CEO Xander van der Heijden, ecommerce is taking over global retail, but street names and postal codes today were never designed for the digital economy. Moreover, there’s an estimated 4 billion people without an address.

Its technology divides the world into a 3D grid of microcells and assigns every cell a location ID (similar to domain names). It then adds a smart contract layer to make locations programmable and transactional, turning a location into a point of sale, point of delivery, or point of payment.

In the internet of places, real-life locations are coupled with UNL IDs, powering location-based services in industries such as ecommerce, delivery, mobility, smart-city solutions, and autonomous vehicles.