LBS

Fujitsu and HERE partnership

Fujitsu and HERE Technologies have announced a plan to link their respective technologies into powerful integrated solutions for customers developing advanced mobility services and autonomous cars. The two companies have signed an agreement with a view to commencing a long-term strategic partnership that would benefit both companies’ customers. www.fujitsu.com

Navya puts its self-driving shuttle tech in an autonomous taxi

Navya has announced its Autonom Cab vehicle, which is built to haul up to six people around cities without a driver. The Autonom Cab is essentially a smaller, higher-speed version of Navya’s self-driving shuttles that have been roaming around the University of Michigan and will start plying Las Vegas’ roads soon. While those drive at around 15 miles per hour, the Autonom Cab will zip around city streets at an average of 30 mph, carting people to and from their destinations. And just like the shuttles, the Cab doesn’t have a driving wheel or pedals, meaning it’s built to be level 4 ADS-DV autonomous and require no human input to move. www.engadget.com

17 million wireless IoT devices in agriculture in 2016

According to a research report from Berg Insight, the installed base of wireless IoT devices in agricultural production worldwide reached 17.0 million connections in 2016. The number of wireless connections is forecasted to grow at compound annual growth rate of 10.0 percent to reach 27.4 million in 2021. There is a broad range of wireless technologies used in agricultural production with different characteristics and use cases. 802.15.4-based standards comprise the most employed wireless technology due to its wide adoption in dairy cow monitoring applications. The main application areas for cellular communication are machine telematics and remote monitoring via in-field sensor systems. Cellular connections amounted to 0.8 million at the end of 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30.2 percent to reach 3.1 million in 2021.

Microsoft launches Azure LBS for geospatial needs across industries

Azure LBS customers are guaranteed trusted location data through TomTom’s unique feedback loop ecosystem – a global community of users continually providing map and traffic data resulting in richer content and more trustworthy data. As part of Azure LBS, customers can now build with a wide array of TomTom API services under the Microsoft Azure brand including Search and Geocoding, Routing, Traffic and Maps.

It also offers many options for customization and opportunities beyond connected cars to power smart cities, IoT and industrial applications in sectors ranging from manufacturing to retail to automotive.