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MAY-JUNE 2022 » VOLUME 12 » ISSUE 03 | ISSN 2277–3134

BETTER LOCATION MAKES

EVERYTHING BETTER

Water supply to port traffic, healthcare to e-commerce, PNT, and location intelligence are at the heart of keeping businesses moving in today’s digital era. We are yet to realize their full power.

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VOLUME: 12 / ISSUE: 03

CONTENTS

Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Kumar Managing Editor Prof. Arup Dasgupta

PNT FOR BUSINESSES / 08

WHY PRECISE PNT MATTERS TO BUSINESSES? The Ultimate Guide to PNT-based Business Models

From tracking how long our food will take to be delivered to ensuring our e-hailing vehicle arrives at the right side of the road — these are some of the common services that we take for granted today. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) could be the most under-appreciated technology of our time, but it is gradually becoming the most valuable commodity for consumer businesses worldwide.

INTERVIEW

CASE STUDIES

06 / The Future is All

14 / Harnessing 5G Technology

Jason Jameson SVP and General Manager, APAC, HERE Technologies

16 / W ater Utility Uses Location

About Real-Time

LOCATION INTELLIGENCE

to Make Industrial and Port Traffic Safer Intelligence to Inform Spending Decisions

Editor-At-Large Americas Anusuya Datta Contributing Editor Geospatial Infrastructure John Kedar Contributing Editor Global Defense and Security Keith J. Masback Consulting Editor Spatial Analytics and Location Intelligence Nicolas Duggan Consulting Editor Nishi Malhotra Sr. Associate Editor India Jitendra Choubey Associate Editor Asia Pacific Sarah Hisham Associate Editor Europe Meenal Dhande

20 / The Value of 'Where' in Retail

Associate Editor GW Prime Aditya Chaturvedi

24 / I mproving Last-Mile Delivery Through Omnichannel Commerce

EO FOR RE/INSURANCE

Senior Sub Editor Snehil Manohar Singh Chief Designer Subhash Kumar

26 / E arth Observation in

Re/Insurance Business

Visualizer Pradeep Chauhan

SPECIAL FEATURE

Disclaimer

28 / E uropean Geospatial Industry: Today and Tomorrow

Chief Sub Editor Nibedita Mohanta

FEATURED

36 / S t. Louis is Defining its Niche

in the 4th Industrial Revolution

REGULAR FEATURE

04 / Editorial

Geospatial World does not necessarily subscribe to the views expressed in the publication. All views expressed in this issue are those of the contributors. Geospatial World is not responsible for any loss to anyone due to the information provided. Owner, Publisher & Printer: Sanjay Kumar Printed at Virtika Offset Printers, G-14 Sector 3, Noida - 201 301, G.B. Nagar (UP) India Publication Address A - 145, Sector - 63, Noida, India Geospatial World: The edition contains 40 pages including cover. Geospatial Media and Communications Pvt. Ltd. A - 145, Sector - 63, Noida, India Tel + 91-120-4612500, Fax +91-120-4612555/666 Price: INR 150/US$15

EDITORIAL

Location and Time: Two Extremely Important Variables the applications of location very timely. In fast changing scenarios like disasters, such data has immense value. New applications like driverless transportation need data in real time to be able to safely navigate their routes and react in time to sudden route blockages. Real time location services need an always connected communications environment, which, in turn, needs failsafe wireless communications networks and sensors. Further, real time applications of such high-velocity data streams also require AI-based software solutions.

Prof. Arup Dasgupta

arup@geospatialworld.net

ver since the war between Ukraine and Russia began, the media have bombarded viewers with images showing the various locations where the conflict has inflicted massive damage. High resolution imagery has been used to locate the bodies of civilians who have died in the conflict and verify their locatioan in the context of certain features of landscape and time. While this may be a grisly application, location and time in general are perhaps the two most important variables in any act of planning, implementing, and monitoring in the civilian space. The collection of high resolution data over a region on a daily basis and its availability make 4 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

Applications of location and business intelligence show that static digital maps, which replaced static paper maps, may also, over time, be replaced by real-time spatial information derived from a new generation of sensing devices. Navigation and routing will depend on real-time information from onboard sensors and sensor networks, and thus, may become map-less. Static digital maps may be relegated to serve the role of base maps. Position location using GNSS has also shown weaknesses, particularly in mission critical applications. Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist, Google, said that we need to think differently about geospatial data in terms of how it is collected, distributed and used. While this may sound old hat — it has been said ever since ERTS (Earth Resources Technology Satellite) was launched — what is

different is the technology changes and the resultant applications it has spawned. This requires a fresh look at what is called the geospatial value chain. Earlier, the value chain started with remotely sensed imagery, to which value was added through interpretation, which yielded information that was then used in decision-making. In the age of real-time data acquisition processing and modeling using advanced techniques and analytics, the concept of value chain takes on a different meaning. Now it is not only the data but also includes the mode of communications, analytic techniques using, say, edge computing, and instantaneous delivery of the results, which are often used in machine-based decision-making. Autonomy is the name of the game — from data acquisition, processing, and analytics to delivery and application. Human intervention is dominant in the design and realization of the systems, and perhaps in troubleshooting and fault location when things go wrong. Maybe this too will be automated. Will we end up in a dystopian Terminator world? Or maybe human ingenuity and sense of responsibility will ultimately triumph over mechanization of autonomy. The human hand on the steering wheel will be needed for some more time still in the geospatial value chain.

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INTERVIEW

The Future is All About Real-Time Location technology is at the heart of keeping us moving in today’s digital era, driving transformation in business processes and workflows. Jason Jameson, SVP and General Manager, APAC, at HERE Technologies, speaks about the latest trends and potential of Location Intelligence across various industries in this interview with Geospatial World.

Today, we can see location and geospatial technologies are at the core of digital transformation. How far will this trend go and how significant is it to our industry? This is definitely the macro trend. We’ve gone from location data, which tells us where things are, to spatial intelligence, which helps us make sense of how things are interacting with one another in the environment that they are in. The whole idea of digital transformation is really about being able to do things and react to things in real-time. It 6 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

sounds futuristic but we’re already in the early stage of that journey. One great example from Europe is Mercedes-Benz, which deploys our HD Live Map for DRIVE PILOT — their Level 3 automated driving system — designed to operate a vehicle under certain conditions in Germany. Examples like this demonstrate the importance of spatial intelligence, and how high-definition maps make everything much more granular, to understand exactly where you are and to react in real-time.

The future will be all about how we can ingest and process information in real-time. Artificial intelligence (AI) will become very important because there aren’t enough data scientists in the world to process all this data that's being generated; AI has to help us understand that data at scale.

How do you think location is transforming business processes and workflows? Speaking about transformation, one industry that has been completely transformed during the pandemic is the supply chain industry. We’ve seen serious constraints and bottlenecks as the system gets pushed. We’ve also found that end-to-end visibility is fairly weak in this industry. Companies are now looking to improve visibility of their supply chain across multi-modal transportation. This is where we will see ongoing transformation in the transportation and logistics business processes and workflows. To give an example, we’re working with Siemens Healthineers to track and monitor the location, condition and ETA (expected time of arrival) of their medical equipment shipments in real-time. Hospitals need to know where these devices are in the chain so they can plan medical procedures more efficiently. Real-time visibility allows better prediction around ETAs and that improves customer service. Businesses can predict when things are going to happen and more proactively notify customers in case of delays. This enables customers to make better decisions in real-time as well.

We’re also working with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to bring real-time location-based services and analytics to its IoT-enabled SaaS suite, TCS DigiFleet™. It brings together IoT, AI and machine learning to address global logistics, providing end-to-end supply chain visibility via up-to-date map visualization, along with historic and real-time route optimization. Moreover, robust geocoding allows end-to-end supply chain visibility, especially in last mile delivery. It simply optimizes everything.

What are the new trends in connected devices that can transform urban mobility? The car is a good example of a connected device these days. Many automotive companies are looking to commercialize vehicle-derived data, and to use it to provide value-added services back to customers. Take Electric Vehicles (EVs) as an example. Drivers need to be able to know where the nearest charging station is, and even its status in real-time — whether it's broken or occupied — and that allows for better route planning. VinFast, a car manufacturer in Vietnam, will deploy our one-stop navigation application in its first three smart electric cars. Since the EV infrastructure is not as fully built in Vietnam as it is in Europe, getting that visibility will help make the adoption of EV a reality. Connected devices are also very important for autonomous driving. For instance, having spatial intelligence through vehicle-to-vehicle

Companies are now looking to improve visibility of their supply chain across multi-modal transportation. This is where we will see ongoing transformation in the transportation and logistics business processes and workflows. communications can help avoid traffic hazards. Another key area of connected devices and urban mobility is ride sharing. Drivers’ mobile phones are used to connect, plan routes, accept bookings, etc. For instance, HERE works with Lyft in the United States, providing a search database for places and addresses with improved accuracy.

How do you see autonomous driving progressing in APAC? In APAC, there are different levels of maturity and readiness. According to the KPMG 2020 Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index, Singapore is ranked number one in terms of autonomous vehicle readiness. It had a lot to do with acceptance by the public, and policy and legislative efforts to encourage its use. South Korea is also quite advanced, where they have improved their regulations around self-driving cars. Australia, Japan and China are also going a long way down this path as well. India, on the other hand, is a huge market for automotive and has huge potential for ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) but there are issues with infrastructure and there’s no legal framework yet. Autonomous

driving has dependencies on other infrastructure such as high-speed internet connectivity and complete mapping across the country down to the smallest classes of roads, which is not yet available in India.

Tell us more about HERE’s convergence of content, software, and services as a business model. On top of the map content, HERE provides additional value-added services such as tracking, content like EV charging locations, and more. We provide over 800 attributes on our maps, which is industry leading. The idea is to have our content, software, services and all the foundational elements in an open, secure platform with products by design. Having all the tools and the ability to ingest all the data one needs in one place allows our customers to build applications, innovate and create value. As such, location technology is the common thread that ties together data and insights across various industries to drive digital transformation. By adding a location element to the data that we have, we will be able to create a digital representation of reality and leverage deeper insights to improve the movement of goods and people. Interviewed by: Sarah Hisham May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 7

PNT FOR BUSINESSES

WHY PRECISE PNT MATTERS TO BUSINESSES?

The Ultimate Guide to PNT-based Business Models

8 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

By combining multiple GNSS networks and other complementary positioning technologies, positional errors can be significantly reduced, offering businesses precise positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) information. PNT information is generally free, ubiquitous, reliable, and accurate, making it an excellent base for innovation.

Why precise PNT matters to businesses For today’s businesses, connecting is no longer about linking two things. It is about offering safer, future-ready, and reliable solutions to customers. With the number of connected objects forecasted to grow to 14.4 billion globally in 2022, the requirement to track, locate and position devices is becoming ever more critical. Adding precise positioning capability to their services is the next step for businesses to remain competitive.

Image source: Qualcomm

Whether we are talking about ride-hailing, food delivery, lastmile, or even the stock market, all these services require a high degree of positioning and timing accuracy to ensure maximum operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) transmits position and time information from satellites to Earth, providing accurate positioning for navigation and geolocation.

Complementary technologies for precise PNT

either as a critical component of their operations, or as part of their innovative business advantage.

Online food delivery platforms The time element in food delivery operations is vital. Precise PNT enables food delivery platforms to utilize their network of delivery riders effectively, while providing customers with accurate wait time. With precise PNT, the food

delivery platforms can assign delivery riders who will reach the restaurants at approximately the same time as the food is ready. This reduces the wait time for delivery riders, ensuring convenient delivery for both the riders and customers. By understanding the precise positioning of its various entities, the system can even assign Precise PNT allows food delivery platforms will be able to offer customers the most accurate waiting time as well as food tracking capability.

Image source: foodpanda

he future of services in the ever-evolving digital and connected world revolves around one word: precision.

Here’s a list of 10 major business sectors that utilize precise PNT, May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 9

PNT FOR BUSINESSES

For today’s businesses, connecting is no longer about linking two things. It is about offering safer, future-ready, and reliable solutions to customers. multiple deliveries for one rider in a single run if the time and location fit. Such hyper-local real-time operations require an intensive PNT capability, especially to determine the most optimum assignment within microseconds.

major cities as an alternative to traditional modes of transportation. Such eMobility services require precise PNT to meet consumer demand, reduce maintenance operating costs, and comply with local regulations.

By combining historical data of the average food preparation time of a restaurant with a delivery rider’s precise real-time position, food delivery platforms will be able to offer customers the most accurate waiting time as well as food tracking capability.

Tracking the exact position of a bike or scooter in real-time will not only help in locating the micro-mobility device on demand quickly, but will also affect the pick-up and return cost to customers. Service teams should be able to locate broken or out-of-battery devices immediately to avoid service disruptions.

Ride-hailing platforms Meeting drivers at the right location in the shortest interval is at the heart of every ride-hailing experience. Precise positioning enables precise pick-up and drop-off services. It also helps calculate the best way to get to places with accurate estimated times of arrival based on real-time traffic conditions and disruptions information. Many platforms utilize PNT to promote safety features for both drivers and passengers. On top of turn-by-turn navigation and realtime traffic notifications, drivers are provided with speed limit alerts and hazard warnings. Meanwhile, passengers are able to virtually share their rides with loved ones through real-time location tracking.

eMobility services On-demand eBike and eScooter rentals are gaining traction in 10 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

Besides locating devices for riding, replacing batteries and servicing, parking compliance also requires precise positioning. Micro-mobility companies need to ensure their bikes and scooters are properly parked in the right spot as per city regulations to avoid fines.

Logistics With various telematics and internet-of-things (IoT) devices making use of precise positioning technologies, logistics companies can ensure asset visibility at every stage between point of origin and final destination. Such visibility allows for improved vehicle fleet management, as well as increasing operational efficiency, by generating significant reductions in fuel costs, maintenance costs and downtimes.

Furthermore, quick response can be arranged for any incidents with precise positioning of vehicles in real-time. In many cases, drivers spend undue waiting time navigating to loading docks due to congestion at the yards/warehouses. Precise positioning also helps regulate warehouse traffic for smooth inflow and outflow of trucks at any given time.

Last-mile delivery The last leg of the delivery process, which starts from the distribution center to customer doorstep, is the most crucial. Having the accurate location of pickup and drop-off points can save up to 20-30 minutes of delivery time. Precise positioning technologies calculate the best routes and assist dispatchers in adjusting to unpredictable field conditions in real-time, so that deliveries can be completed without delay. PNT also allows real-time delivery tracking with accurate estimated delivery time so that customers can plan their time better, hence creating more positive transactions. Courier companies can track the exact location and status of dispatchers on the ground in realtime for better resource and time management.

Power & utilities Electricity grids depend on PNT information to monitor and control generation, transmission, and distribution assets. Any disruptions in the positioning satellite signals can cause widespread outages. Power companies place GNSSbased time synchronization devices in their power plants and

substations for wide-area monitoring and control. By analyzing the precise timing of an electrical anomaly as it propagates through a grid, engineers can trace back the exact location of a power line break.

Popular location-based apps

Healthcare App-based wearable devices for health monitoring have been trending for the past many years. Many of the wearables are embedded with GNSS chips for precise positioning capabilities. Heart rate and blood pressure indicators from wearable devices can depend on altitude. Having such precise positioning information will help users better understand their health-related data. Having precise positioning capability in healthcare wearables also allows location tracking. A healthcare professional can take action and quickly send paramedics to the patient’s location in case of any health emergency situation.

Telecom & internet providers The GNSS chips in smartphones provide location-based services such as navigation, weather forecasting, social networking, games, and

tracking services. In case of a GNSS outage, these services would have to rely on wireless hotspots and cell towers, which are less precise.

actions, providing a consistent and accurate way to maintain records and ensure their traceability.

Wireless telephone and data networks also use satellite positioning time to keep all of their base stations in perfect synchronization. This allows mobile phones to share limited radio spectrums more efficiently. The incoming 5G networks require even more stringent precision timing to coordinate a larger number of small base stations.

The automated systems require accurate timing information in order to track, update, and manage multiple transactions made by global networks of customers. With the help of PNT, banks, payment service providers and other financial institutions can capture accurate location data and detect location spoofing attempts. Every transaction can be analyzed for suspicious activities.

Financial services Major financial institutions need PNT to time-stamp financial trans-

By combining real-time and historical data, patterns of location fraud can be detected and flagged.

TEN MAJOR BUSINESS SECTORS UTILIZING PRECISE PNT

Heavy PNT reliance

Critical timing precision

PNT for competitive advantage

Food delivery

Power & utility

Logistics

Ride-hailing

Telecommunications

Last-mile delivery

Micro-mobility sharing

Financial services

Healthcare

Stock exchange

May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 11

PNT FOR BUSINESSES

As PNT is gradually becoming a commodity for businesses and consumers alike, its value also translates into elevated user experiences and business benefits.

A combination of indoor positioning technologies will significantly increase PNT accuracy to the highest level. This offers massive innovation opportunity to businesses.

Retail With the help of accurate indoor positioning, retailers can benefit from real-time consumer behavior data, while improving space and store personnel management.

By placing positioning devices on walls, shopping carts or on personnel badges, real-time customer flow can be tracked. This allows for better queue management as well as prioritization of tasks for frontline personnel. Understanding in-store customer flows also helps in optimizing product placement and ensures efficient use of store space.

Stock exchange In high-frequency trading, the faster deals close, the thinner the slice of time needed to accurately price the transaction. Trading intervals of thousandths, millionths and even billionths of a second are commonly measured. This requires a very high degree of timing precision. The stock exchange markets use PNT to measure these tiny fractions of a second while trading, as well as to track the time when trading closes.

Since GNSS only works outdoors, indoor positioning relies on technologies such as WiFi signals, Bluetooth iBeacons, Ultra-wideband, inertial sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, barometer), magnetic fields, smartphone cameras, and others. 12 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

Image source: Leap

The rise of indoor PNT Indoor positioning technologies are gaining popularity in spaces such as airports, hospitals, shopping malls, convention centers, and warehouses. On top of improving visitor experience, indoor precise positioning also helps in optimizing resources and work processes.

Big retailers operating hypermarkets or department stores are creating omnichannel shopping experience for customers by combining smartphone apps with in-store navigation. With precise positioning capability, a customer simply searches for an item on his/ her mobile; the store app will drop a pin showing the item’s location inside the physical store, down to the exact aisle and shelf area.

Mobile advertising Tracking visitors’ movements inside malls, airports or any multi-purpose buildings can generate great insights into their behaviors and interests. Positioning devices placed on shopping carts, for example, can communicate with the Bluetooth

identifiers of visitors’ phones; hence targeted advertising can be sent based on the insights collected. Inside a big shopping mall, indoor positioning allows brands to attract visitors to enter their stores by sending out personalized messages or in-app banners with special offers whenever visitors are within their store proximity.

Smart parking services Smart car parking platforms utilize precise positioning to assist drivers in navigating through big and multi-level parking lots. Positioning technology keeps track of a parking lot’s occupancy and availability, notifying drivers

of the nearest available space, along with the navigation route. The technology also helps drivers locate their cars upon leaving. Real-time business insights are helping organizations enhance operational efficiencies while providing the best services to consumers. As PNT is gradually becoming a commodity for businesses and consumers alike, its value also translates into elevated user experiences and business benefits. The future remains an exciting landscape.

Sarah Hisham

Director, Product Management & Associate Editor, Asia Pacific Sarah@geospatialworld.net

Leaders Look to Leaders to Help Map the Future Forrester Names Esri a Leader in Location Intelligence

Learn more at go.esri.com/ReadTheReport

CASE STUDY: 5G TECH

Harnessing 5G Technology to Make Industrial and Port Traffic Safer Telefónica has teamed up with APM Terminals and Mobile World Capital on a project to improve port traffic safety by linking cranes, vehicles and staff. Key to the success of this venture is a fusion of advanced communication and localization technologies, all powered by 5G technology and edge computing. By Leticia Lopez Domingo

elefónica, together with APM Terminals and Mobile World Capital, has developed a pilot project to improve safety in ports with the use of 5G networks. The aim of the project is to coordinate the terminal’s port traffic by being able to anticipate and notify potential accidents. This use case, which is based on C-V2X connected car technology, the low latency of 5G communications, the processing capacity of edge computing servers and precise location technology, aims to make APM Terminals Barcelona a safer place for workers. Real-time communication with 5G The development of the project involves the deployment of Telefónica’s 5G coverage at APM Terminals in the port of Barcelona, the provision of 5G connectivity to Straddle Carrier cranes, trucks and terminal personnel, as well as an acoustic warning system for possible collisions.

Figure 1: Technological pillars deployed at APM Terminals 14 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

The Straddle Carrier cranes will be equipped with an on-board unit capable of communicating via 5G and through C-V2X technology, between them and with the rest of the actors. Trucks, truckers and terminal personnel will have 5G smartphones, on which a C-V2X application will be installed. In this way, the smartphone becomes another piece of the V2X environment, as well as the lever for an easy transition towards a fleet of natively connected vehicles and direct inclusion of people in the ecosystem. Fixed elements, such as streetlights, will also be signaled with C-V2X communications, thus communicating with the rest of the mobile actors in real time.

Location intelligence All the information communicated by the cranes, trucks and pedestrian personnel is sent securely to an application located geographically very close (Edge) to their place of consumption, in order to offer immediate responses. This application, hosted on the Edge, has the intelligence to be able to coordinate this cooperative driving between the different actors — called intelligent cooperative transport system (C-ITS) — and also offers a dashboard to APM Terminals to visualize on a map the positions of each of the actors participating in the project. This intelligent cooperative transport system is housed in the edge computing node of Telefónica’s

Virtual Data Centre (VDC) service located in Barcelona, which consolidates the company’s ability to offer very low latency services, along with the possibility of processing large amounts of information in real time to be able to extract high value data.

HIGHLIGHTS KEY BACKGROUND C-V2X technology is emerging as a powerful element against accidents. It allows everyone involved to communicate their exact location in real time, so that traffic can be managed safely and efficiently. As data is processed on the edge of the network, latency is kept to a minimum. Precise location is key in these types of use cases because it requires ultra-accurate and ultra-reliable location data. OBJECTIVES To adapt networked vehicle technology to industrial settings. To integrate ambulatory staff, providing them with a smartphone app connected to the V2X ecosystem. To achieve localization accuracy down to a few centimeters.

Figure 2: Intelligent cooperative transport system (C-ITS)

Precise positioning Another strategic and vital pillar of this pilot is to have precise location. For this reason, a system to obtain precise locations as close as centimeters — using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Real Time Kinematic (RTK) technology — has been deployed. All GNSS devices receive signals with ionospheric, tropospheric, and satellite clock errors. The RTK technique can eliminate these errors and provide high-accuracy solutions. Two receivers are used in RTK: a base and a rover. The base, mounted on a precisely known location, measures errors and sends corrections to the moving rover. Using the correction data from the base station, the rover can provide centimeter accuracy in real-time. RTK corrections are the information sent by the ‘bBase station’ to the ‘Rover’, so the ‘Rover’ can calculate its position with centimeter level. GALILEO

GPS

GLONASS

BEIDOU

BENEFITS Improved traffic safety inside the port, reducing the rate of collisions between vehicles and with fixed objects such as floodlights. APM Terminals can now monitor on-site traffic in real time, allowing staff to be more responsive and efficient in their decision-making. SUMMARY 5G, C-V2X, Edge Computing and high-precision localization are a potent combination for improving port safety, helping operators achieve ‘vision 0’ (0 accidents, 0 fatalities).

Collaboration to achieve vision zero To sum it all up, 5G, C-V2X, edge computing and high-precision localization are a potent combination for improving port safety, helping operators achieve ‘vision 0’ (0 accidents, 0 fatalities). The three promoters of the project are Telefónica, APM Terminals and Mobile World Capital Barcelona, with the collaboration of FICOSA for the integration of the onboard unit C-V2X in the cranes, the development of the intelligent cooperative transport system that resides in the MEC, and the implementation of the solution that allows offering precise locations. HARMAN also participates for the development of the C-V2X application on smartphones.

Leticia Lopez Domingo Figure 3: Relying on ultra-precise positioning

Expert in Innovation and Vehicular Communications at Telefónica Spain May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 15

CASE STUDY: LI

Water Utility Uses Location Intelligence to Inform Spending Decisions Central Arkansas Water (CAW) needed an efficient solution to minimize operational expenses and spend capital dollars effectively to remain viable at affordable rates. The solution was likely to be complex, requiring finding ways to maximize the use of siloed data to increase knowledge and understanding of CAW’s current and future needs in a reliable and repeatable manner. Surprisingly, the solution was found in a most unassuming locale — the GIS department. By Alex Harper and Tad Bohannon

entral Arkansas Water (CAW), a water utility company located in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the United States, provides potable water services to approximately 500,000 people in 23 communities, utilizing two supply lakes, three treatment plants, and over 2,600 miles of water mains within a 720 square mile service territory. Its GIS department consists of only seven of CAW’s 323 employees, who work hand-in-hand with Pulaski Area Geographic Information System (PAgis) — an independent government agency ‘housed’ within CAW’s administration building, in immediate proximity to CAW’s GIS department. Both units provide overlapping map and location services under a single manager to maintain base map data for area utilities

16 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

and governments; the data is used to provide the location for public improvements and related information, including water lines, property boundaries, streets, stormwater facilities, property ownership, etc. When combined with the information from CAW’s many department databases and customer accounts, as well as other public databases, the location data takes on a whole new level of usefulness. CAW’s GIS department reorganizes all that data into easily interpreted charts, maps, and dashboards, which help the organization to quickly make informed decisions.

Making location data accessible to all At the most basic level, high-quality near-real-time data is available to every distribution crew in the field on utility-provided iPads. This information is priceless to the field personnel who may need to quickly locate the right valve at 2 am in the pouring rain before making repairs to the hospital losing water pressure or the school needing to open its doors to students in just a few hours. How can CAW and local fire departments efficiently inspect and exercise all 13,000+ fire hydrants twice a year and each of the 40,000+ valves on a regular schedule? Using the GIS located hydrants and valves, combined with the relevant identifying information such as make, model, and left or right turn, CAW’s GIS department has developed an interactive map (see Figure 1) that enables crews to locate each appurtenance, know whether it has been inspected and exercised, indicate when it has been inspected and exercised, and, when necessary, create work orders in an efficient manner. A pilot study demonstrated that GIS’ solution saved the utility over USD 1,000,000 each year, by enabling CAW distribution crews to efficiently perform the work without assistance from any third party.

Figure 1: Fire hydrant and value inspection

Tracking crews on the ground CAW also uses MarshallGIS LiGO GPS trackers on utility vehicles. By displaying each vehicle’s location on ArcMap (see Figure 2), supervisors can quickly locate crews and efficiently route trucks to respond to emergencies.

Figure 3: Pipe age by decade

Figure 4: Asset management matrix

Figure 2: Vehicle GPS and routing

Critical vs aged infrastructure Sometimes information can be misleading. Using installation date data, CAW created an ‘aged infrastructure’ map (see Figure 3), thinking replacement efforts would need to be focused on CAW’s oldest underground infrastructure. However, when combined with other data like asset work history from CAW’s work management system Cityworks, the GIS department was able to develop an asset management matrix correctly — refocusing efforts on critical infrastructure (see Figure 4) and CAW’s newest, but galvanized, pipe with a significantly higher failure rate than the older pipe (see Figures 5, 6, & 7). Ensuring water safety Almost every utility is concerned about lead services lines and the galvanized pipe downstream from a lead service line. Combining multiple pieces of

Figure 5: Exactly where are the breaks occurring

Figure 6: Galvanized pipe may not be the oldest but it has the highest break rate per mile of pipe installed May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 17

CASE STUDY: LI

Preserving water quality With over 115,000 acres of watershed surrounding CAW’s two source water lakes, the water quality specialists need accurate land use and ownership records, as well as detailed data from CAW’s water quality monitoring program, to guide the utility’s source-water protection efforts. CAW’s GIS team has been able to provide a multitude of different maps to effectively inform decision-making critical to preserving outstanding water quality (see Figure 10).

Figure 7: Galvanized pipe replacement progress

information from various sources, GIS was able to efficiently plot the location of every potential lead service line or galvanized service line downstream from a lead service line (see Figure 8). Distribution and water quality staff were then able to investigate each line, establish a reliable inventory, and determine the appropriate action required under the new lead service line (LSL) rules. In addition, CAW staff is developing a dashboard to display near real-time information about the presence or absence of lead service lines, or the lack thereof, promoting efficient operations and supporting public outreach with accurate information to calm concerned ratepayers (see Figure 9).

Figure 10: Watershed land classification and management layers

Protecting public health When the pandemic hit central Arkansas in March 2020, recognizing that water was crucial for the protection of public health, CAW’s GIS team quickly generated a map identifying the location of all service locations that had been turned off in the previous six months, enabling crews to restore service to every ‘shut-off’ services within 48 hours (see Figure 11).

Figure 8: Where might the lead service lines be and what has been confirmed?

Figure 9: LSL dashboard 18 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

Figure 11: Interactive map for field personnel to rapidly deploy and record ‘turn-ons’

Utilizing maps prepared by GIS, CAW is able to plan expansion into unserved areas, reaching the areas with the highest density first (see Figure 12).

1996 – 2008 • Paper Map Books Printed in house • Sporadic Updates

2008 – 2018

Figure 12: Service location heat map density for future system expansion to unserved areas

Managing water outage Looking to the future, outage maps have been made available to field crews beginning in early June 2022. CAW is working to implement a solution that combines meter locations and customer contact information into Esri’s Water Outage Solution and GeoDecisions Notify application for outage management and notifications (see Figure 13). The time consuming task of going door to door is no longer required as field crews can generate an outage map and send a text notification to every impacted customer in a matter of minutes.

• Laptops Running ArcMap • Pulling map data locally • Weekly Batch Scripts for GIS Updates • Work Orders Downloaded Locally

2018 – Present • iPads • Work Orders Live • Cityworks using ArcGIS Services • ArcGIS Explorer • ArcGIS Online Web Applications Figure 14: Transition from paper to apps – improving operations and customer service

Location and other data are combined every day at CAW to maximize efforts, inform the public, and protect public health in an efficient and effective manner. This would not be possible without GIS information and the automated use of data (see Figure 14).

Alex Harper

GIS Manager, Central Arkansas Water and Manager of the Pulaski County Geographic Information System

Figure 13: Outage map for accurate identification of services impacted and text notification to customers

C. Tad Bohannon

Chief Executive Officer of Central Arkansas Water May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 19

LOCATION INTELLIGENCE

Location analytics gives retailers a competitive edge, enabling them to assess consumer metrics, cater to demand-supply dynamics, make better decisions, anticipate footfall, and get more in sync with market shifts. By Nibedita Mohanta

he retail sector is undergoing a massive shift, with data and technology as major growth drivers. Today's business leaders are more open to adopting technology to make data-driven decisions, strengthen their businesses, and enhance analytics capabilities. Location technology empowers brick and mortar store owners as well as e-commerce retailers to get a complete understanding of the consumer journey, connecting both online and offline touchpoints for optimization and budget allocations. Closed loop attribution enables marketers to gain a holistic, full-funnel understanding of the impact of their media, based 20 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

on all the key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter to them, irrespective of whether they are related to in-store conversion. For example, this technology enables retailers to measure behaviors like click-and-collect and BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store), or make an online purchase on being exposed to the billboard. Retailers and restaurant owners use location intelligence (LI) extensively to stay on top of their game. In a recent study by 451 Research, one data science executive working for a retailer stated: “LI means everything for the company. It's very important to keep the doors open for our

business.” In fact, 74% of commercial real estate executives view location technology as a highly strategic investment that drives competitive differentiation, and 77% agree that using LI for site selection is highly important to maintain their competitive advantage.

Location technology for site selection LI can help retail businesses in multiple ways (See Figure. 1). It provides demographic information and ensures store location is accessible to/by a certain target demographic. Through the idea of routing, it can calculate how far most customers are willing to travel to visit a store and the impact this has on store performance, which, in turn, impacts the

investment decisions on where to target and advertise. “Location technology has a huge benefit for all businesses with physical touchpoints to their target audience. We see a lot of value in particular with retailers, restaurateurs, gyms, and health and beauty service providers, as well as shared mobility operators and delivery services,” says Henning Hollburg, Founder and CEO of Targomo. Hollburg points out three ways how restaurateurs use LI: first, by checking whether a location is suitable for a particular restaurant concept when opening a new restaurant or planning an expansion; second, by checking which restaurant concept is suitable for a particular location; and third by predicting relevant KPIs such as sales or number of visitors. “For restaurants and their offerings, for example, the surroundings are

very important. Is it a classic shopping street, a nightlife district or an office area? Here we draw many insights from points of interest and competitors,” he adds. Movement data, which provides up-to date insights about where the most foot traffic is traced, is very insightful for estimating demand at a particular location. For other businesses, which attract visitors themselves, good accessibility by car and/or public transport can be decisive. “We offer our customers individual success driver analyses, in which we determine exactly which location factors are decisive for their particular business model,” Hollburg adds. For delivery services — especially those with a fast delivery promise — it is important to combine the analyses with travel time calculations. This makes it possible to find out exactly what kind of people one would reach

Location technology has a huge benefit for all businesses with physical touchpoints to their target audience. We see a lot of value in particular with retailers, restaurateurs, gyms, and health and beauty service providers, as well as shared mobility operators and delivery services Henning Hollburg Founder and CEO, Targomo

LI provides retail businesses with a competitive advantage in a number of ways:

Site selection, identifying optimal locations for new establishments

Segmentation and targeting, reaching customers based on offline behaviors

Trade area analysis, determining the variables that define and impact a trade area such as the average distance travelled to a store

Measuring ad effectiveness, obtaining a holistic view of the customer journey across both online and offline touchpoints

Consumer insights to more effectively understand your customers and enrich CRM data

Competitive intelligence based on foot traffic to stores

Figure 1: Hollburg points out six ways how LI helps in the growth of retail

LI provides visibility into what is taking place outside of a retailer’s four walls, showing where customers go before and after visiting a store, where else they shop, how far they travel to reach a store, and so much more. Ariel Eck, Director - B2B Marketing, Foursquare May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 21

LOCATION INTELLIGENCE

from a warehouse in 15 minutes by e-bike, for example.

Customer records appended with location attribution can produce greater insights into targeting, acquisition, and retention and improve profitability. Andy Peloe Product Management Director Precisely

Store location data gets more granular, focusing on geospatial information, which may include neighborhood traffic, retail foot traffic, point of interest (POI) visitation data/store visit tracking, competitor visit tracking, and customer catchment areas. Thomas Walle CEO and Co-founder Unacast 22 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

Analyze customer behavior By using conventional methods, retailers only understand half of a customer’s journey. With location data, they can see the full picture. “LI provides visibility into what is taking place outside of a retailer’s four walls, showing where customers go before and after visiting a store, where else they shop, how far they travel to reach a store, and so much more,” says Ariel Eck, Director of B2B Marketing, Foursquare. Retailers can enrich their customer profiles with this information, combining location data with other datasets, such as transaction data and online behaviors, in order to power personalization at scale. Retailers don’t have to rely only on hardware installed in stores, such as beacons or cameras, in order to understand consumer behaviors. As the use of mobile devices has become universal (with 84% of the world’s population now owning smartphones), the volume of data from mobile devices has skyrocketed (45% of consumers use their phones for in-store price comparisons, and 65% of consumers have retailer applications on their phones). A survey conducted by a group of experts for BCG study in 2021, found that respondents use mapping and geospatial data across eight categories (See Figure 2). “One type of mobile data in particular presents unprecedented opportunities for retailers —

location data. Location data from mobile devices empowers retailers to answer key questions, uncover hidden insights, improve customer experiences, and achieve better business outcomes. In fact, 95% of executives say that geospatial data is important to getting business results today, and 92% say it will become ever more essential in the next three to five years, according to a recent BCG study,” says Eck. Indoor Location Marketing report shows that the demand for real-time location services — indoor positioning — will only increase in the future, and will become a USD 19.7 billion industry by 2026. “Customer records appended with location attribution can produce greater insights into targeting, acquisition, and retention and improve profitability. Analytics help to understand who your customers are in terms of location demographic profile and buying habits, behaviors and lifestyle, where one lives and shops, etc. Analytics also help evaluate whether you are targeting the right customers and the right locations in marketing activities,” says Andy Peloe, Product Management Director at Precisely.

Support in strategizing and planning Location data can help businesses make strategic decisions that improve margins. For example, location data helps organizations analyze footfall data, in combination with location and socio-economic information, to optimize the mix of physical and online locations or to identify new store locations and plan franchise territories.

Figure 2: Executives in multiple industries use LI in a wide array of use cases

“Location data helps balance physical and digital presence, helps better understand market opportunity and untapped potential, helps to improve customer experience through tailored marketing, and helps to uncover growth and operational efficiency opportunities,” points out Peloe. There are numerous types of retail data that can add meaningful insights to a cycle of analysis and application. For location-based data, two of the most relevant types of data are

collected about the store and about the customer. “Store location data gets more granular, focusing on geospatial information, which may include neighborhood traffic, retail foot traffic, point of interest (POI) visitation data/store visit tracking, competitor visit tracking, and customer catchment areas,” says Thomas Walle, CEO and Co-founder, Unacast. “Predict relevant KPIs such as sales or number of visitors.

Our analytics have shown that with geo-referenced data, we can predict 80-90% of a branch’s success, be it a store, gym or restaurant. This is preceded by a deeper, AI-based analysis that identifies success drivers. However, as these analyses require an extensive data base, this is only possible for businesses with multiple branches,” adds Hollburg.

Nibedita Mohanta Chief Sub Editor

nibedita@geospatialworld.net May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 23

CASE STUDY: LI

Improving Last-Mile Delivery Through Omnichannel Commerce Since e-commerce has become an important element of business strategy today, the rise of instant omnichannel shopping is a major challenge for the retail industry. Businesses are now utilizing existing stores as the entrance point to last-mile delivery as one of the go-to solutions. By Anthi Boukouvala

n the last two years, coronavirus has reshaped the e-commerce and retail industry at an unprecedented scale and pace. The way in which products will reach their destination now, for example, is expected to be completely different from before. Convenience seems to be driving e-commerce growth and affecting customer decisions. More than ever today, companies are creating new services or improving existing ones to meet customer expectations.

transformed its business by designing and implementing a new service, called ‘NOBACCO Speedy’, in which the online shopping experience evolved from “now and then” to “here and now”. The aim was to provide a service with added value to customers, so as to boost brand loyalty and increase retention of online orders. Furthermore, this would help strengthen the company’s brand and give it an edge over the competition. The new service was launched in August 2020; it is currently avail-

NOBACCO, a Greek e-cigarette company founded in 2008, is a leader in the country’s tobacco-harm reduction market. The company has a network of 70 owned and franchise stores and a strong wholesale presence covering a network of more than 320 points-of-sale. NOBACCO covers the market territories of Greece.

Business transformation Taking into consideration the new retail landscape, NOBACCO 24 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

Figure 1: NOBACCO Speedy omnichannel service

able in the three biggest cities in Greece — Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras, operating through 20 NOBACCO shops/hubs.

Location-based real-time connectivity As far as the challenge of integrating physical and online channels is concerned, a new business model supported by appropriate technology was created, enabling real-time connection between the e-shop, headquarters and physical stores of the company.

The technical infrastructure that supports the whole process was designed and implemented in a way that orders could be placed at the company’s e-shop, received on the Speedy platform, and automatically assigned to the store in closest proximity to the customer, in less than one minute. The platform is complemented by a Reporting Page, which is used for real-time monitoring of online orders executed by each physical store, and for supporting two-way communication between the stores and headquarters. The platform has been built in such a way that any actions made by the physical stores or in the company's headquarters inform both involved members in real time. In this way, the platform:  Provides accurate and instant access to reliable information to the relevant participants;  Shares the necessary information inside the organization;  Helps the company improve its business operations; and  Supports business processes and decision-making.

Increased business performance With the implementation of this new service, orders delivered through the NOBACCO Speedy service have already exceeded 40% of total online orders, while many other business Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have increased significantly. It is therefore clear

Figure 2: Real-time reporting

Figure 3: Increasing customer satisfaction and retention, and boosting business efficiency

that instant omnichannel shopping has yielded many benefits for the business, by enhancing customer service, increasing customer retention, and boosting business efficiency. Looking ahead, the primary target of the company now is to extend the operating hours and the geographical coverage of the service, in order to offer a unique

The aim was to provide a service with added value to customers, so as to boost brand loyalty and increase retention of online orders.

omnichannel experience to more customers across the country. In addition, the company plans to reap more benefits from the model and take further advantage of the NOBACCO Speedy platform, utilizing its physical stores as hubs for other merchandise, by collaborating with companies operating in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry.

Anthi Boukouvala

Project Manager, NOBACCO. She has been involved in various projects supporting business expansion in European countries, streamlining operations procedures and leading the last-mile strategy. May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 25

EO FOR RE/INSURANCE

Earth Observation in Re/Insurance Business

The re/insurance industry has evolved into one where it is at the forefront in quantifying risks, especially with the increasing needs and pressure to disclose climate-related finances, Environment Social and Governance (ESG) ratings, and moving to a net zero economy. The need to understand disasters and the impact of climate change has never been greater. By Tina Thomson BSc PhD CCRA FRSPSoc CGeog

he use of Earth Observation (EO) in the re/insurance industry, and particularly catastrophe modelling, is not new. The need for analytical tools and datasets became quickly evident in the aftermath of natural catastrophe events in the late 80s and early 90s, which hit re/insurers hard and resulted in some companies failing. It was clear that the infrequent nature of these types of perils, which are challenging to capture through statistical modeling alone due to lack of sufficient historical claims data, meant that insurers underestimated costs. Disciplines such as hydrology, atmospheric physics, seismology, Geographical Information Science (GIS), and engineering entered the industry to quantify the frequency and severity of loss from natural hazards. EO and emerging spatial data handling technologies played an important role in the analyses of different perils, and became fundamental to creating better diversified insurance portfolios. For example, accumulations of insured exposure at risk could be quickly identified and related to potential sources of natural hazard, be it a flood plain or fault line. Over time, natural catastrophe models have become increasingly sophisticated, by incorporating a set of artificial events simulated over tens of thousands of years to represent the full spectrum of possible events beyond those observed in history. Supported by increased computational power and highly detailed and quality data, it is now possible to model perils at national or even international scale, capturing correlations and peril interdependencies, such as flooding across catchments or hurricane-induced rainfall. 26 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

Figure 1: Realistic Disaster Scenario under climate change conditions derived from NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) data, digital elevation models, CORINE land cover data, and hydraulic modelling to derive flood extents and depths for the town of Cannes on the French Riviera

From exposure to loss Understanding the exposures is the starting point and includes the assessment of geospatial asset and exposure data, their availability, and the quality requirements for modeling. In re/insurance, data consists typically of policyholder information, sums insured, location information and, to some degree, additional attributes describing the types of assets. The level of granularity in location information is important to increase the accuracy of modeled results with respect to the associated hazard intensity. Additional risk attributes, such as type of occupancy, year built, height, etc., are important for applying the right damage ratios between the exposure and the hazard. Exposure information can be enriched or distributed to finer granularity through a variety of sources

— from governmental and international authoritative datasets (such as mapping agencies, national statistical agencies or key infrastructure ministries); ‘crowd sourced’ data, such as OpenStreetMap; EO and other remotely captured data (for example, CORINE land use land cover data, population density, nightlight imagery, etc.); to geodemographic and buildings datasets, such as the Global Exposure Database (GED), as well as agricultural/environmental and ecological data providers. EO datasets and derivative products are also essential in the production of hazard, whether it is creating hazard maps and scenarios (Figure 1), stochastic catalogues of simulated extreme events, or for model validation. For example, for precipitation modeling EO data from Realtime TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission); for rainfall-runoff modelling soil data such as MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer); and for hydraulic modelling terrain data such as SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) are important. From a loss perspective, once an event occurs the need for real-time data has been reliant on a variety of sources of information. This could include gauge observations, but also a combination of EO-derived data from a variety of sensors (for example, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) combined with high resolution imagery swathes at low altitude), as well as digital mapping, mobile and drone technology to get information remotely about an emergency situation. In re/insurance this information is essential for many time-sensitive activities: to support the allocation of reserves, triage loss adjustment and accelerate and validate claims payments; to enable exposure reporting during event monitoring; to provide policyholder support and preparedness; and to mitigate losses with pre-emptive plans and procedures, as well as pre-event predictions and monitoring.

Integration is the new frontier With the host of applications and growing demands for more data, the ability to interpret and integrate such data sources into existing workflows and to have the ability to scale this to nationwide insurance portfolios, is crucial. Some insurance companies are already very sophisticated in their

In re/insurance, data consists typically of policyholder information, sums insured, location information and, to some degree, additional attributes describing the types of assets. tools, enabling underwriters, exposure managers and modelers to interrogate and model data, to inform the pricing of policies, to monitor accumulations and measure against the company’s risk appetite. The ability to integrate seamlessly and consume data easily is a priority. However, in other cases, third party providers are still needed to provide the required services. Overall, it boils down to data. The need to have information at your fingertips, to deliver business insights, provide added value and drive decision-making. That need is only growing by the day, especially for high resolution and real-time access to data, with increasing coverage and frequency and the ability to pinpoint remote sensors to geographical areas as and when needed. However, challenges remain around prohibitive costs, data processing capabilities and accessibility. Whilst the adoption of the latest satellite technology in the re/insurance market has been slow due to lack of expertise and prohibitive costs and license terms, long EO records since the 1970s, albeit with varying levels of resolution, combined with technological advancements, have enabled the sophisticated modeling solutions we see today. For the future, key requirements will be the provision of high quality global datasets and input files to support global, correlated modeling of perils. We will also need to focus on simpler products, which can be easily integrated and customized to end-user needs.

Tina Thomson

Global Head of Research at Gallagher Re and leads the analytical service offering to a wide range of re/insurance clients across the West and South regions of Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Tina holds a PhD in Geomatic Engineering from University College London and retains close links with the academic community in the UK through her involvement as a Fellow at the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society (RSPSoc) and the Royal Geographical Society (RGS-IBG) May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 27

SPECIAL FEATURE

European Geospatial Industry:

Today and Tomorrow The European geospatial market is moving forward and evolving, starting from single data asset capture to integrated workflows to Cloud platforms. It's been quite a journey and the momentum is not going to get any slower. The private industry, government, and academia — the three pillars of the geospatial ecosystem — need to prepare themselves because there will be much to do. By Meenal Dhande

n recent times, despite the havoc wreaked on people and businesses by the COVID- 19 pandemic, the geospatial industry has witnessed a surge in demand for geospatial-based value-added services, technology innovation, and digitalization of systems and processes. As the power of location moves into the hands of people, the global geospatial market is estimated

to reach USD 1.44 trillion by 2030. Europe is one of the major players in this trillion dollar economy. It is a region where geospatial tools are indispensable in governance, environmental management, society, and businesses. According to the European Geospatial Business Outlook Dossier published by Geospatial World, the European geospatial industry is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of

11.61% between 2021 and 2025, and touch USD 155 billion. This growth is attributed to the evolving role of national geospatial agencies, enhanced workflow integration in the economic sectors, changing business models, and an evolving legislative environment. These points were reiterated by European geospatial experts at the recently held GeoBuiz Europe Summit (pre-conference of Geospatial World Forum 2022) — the experts discussed directions and dimensions, technology trends, and business models of the European geospatial market. Here are some excerpts from the panellists at the Summit.

Drones/UAVs are rapidly becoming the tool of choice for surveying and collecting high quality real-time data in Europe. Christoph Strecha, CEO, Pix4D, spoke about the strategic importance of drones in the geospatial arena: “In order to make digital transformation faster, the data acquisition devices need to be easy and accessible not only to the professionals but to almost every worker.” Geospatial technologies are now ubiquitous across different sectors. For example, the use of GEO-BIM and digital twins is increasing in the infrastructure

and construction industries. “Digital twins can mean a single asset, critical infrastructure, or entire cities… the task starts at the design phase but goes further in the full management of the project and this is where the value of geospatial lies,” said Antonello Giuliani, EMEA Sales Director, Trimble. Jaime Sanchez, Head of Solutions, CARTO, highlighted that GIS was now being used more and more outside of traditional and siloed GIS departments and tools: “Geography is changing faster than ever before. We have a new set of requirements for

Leading Technology Drivers of European Geospatial Industry

Note: Percentages are % of respondents who ranked the given option indicating the low, medium, and high impact of strategic factors on the geospatial industry growth; includes n = 400 survey responses; n*leader interviews = 150

May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 29

Source: GeoBuiz 22 Report; GW Consulting Analysis, Survey – July 2021-Jan 2022

Technology drivers of European geospatial industry In Europe, the digital infrastructure (sensors and IT) is going to be the major technology driver for the geospatial industry, followed by artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL). These technologies are being swiftly adopted by organizations for the purpose of data processing and analytics, as Europe has one of the biggest Earth Observation (EO) programs. According to Elly Perets, CEO, Asterra, “What people are looking for is not just data but analytics and what action can be derived from it. EO is changing the way data is going to drive our lives.”

SPECIAL FEATURE

Leading market drivers According to the European Geospatial Business Outlook Dossier, amongst the leading market drivers of the European geospatial industry is the evolving role of national geospatial institutions, as they tranform from providing just data to providing knowledge. For instance, national geospatial agencies, in collaboration with other government departments, are encouraging the development of National Digital Twins in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden. A second driver is enhanced workflow integration across new vertical domains — the idea now is not to use products or technologies in silos but as complete solutions to provide end-to-end services. This further drives a lot of collaboration and agreements between geospatial

industry, non-geospatial industry, and governments. For example, different utility companies work together and partner to help create digital twins of the underground or utility infrastructure. During the GeoBuiz Europe Summit, Mark Haaksman, Senior Manager Business Development Digital Cities, Royal HaskoningDHV, observed that the role of government is to create standard ways for people to work together, so they can provide data that supports resilient utility infrastructure. “The city of Amsterdam is a good example. The Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute) tries to bring all the stakeholders together not just for science or education but also for city operations and to create open strategic alliances,” he said. Another example is Belgium — in order to build the underground network here, the government is making it obligatory for companies to divulge where they will be working in the coming six to nine months. As the utility owners

share their locations, this gives an opportunity for others to do the same as well. Luc De Heyn, Chief Commercial Officer, Merkator, explains: “The goal is to have the street opened only once so that the telecom company can put new fiber and the electricity company can renew its cable, and so on.” The government’s role is also crucial in making spatial data available to businesses and civil society to use for sustainable infrastructure. TerraNova, the European Landscape Learning Initiative based in The Netherlands, has been creating a reference architecture for a Digital Twin for the physical surroundings. “The government is standardizing the use of data for digital twins,” added Haaksman.

Evolution of business models The evolution of business models is on the rise in the European geospatial industry. Many geospatial companies are exploring new business models, transitioning, notably, from traditional license/subscription-based models to the X-as-aService business models. The X in

Note: Percentages are % of respondents who ranked the given option indicating the low, medium and high impact of strategic factors on the geospatial industry growth; includes n= 400 survey responses; n*leader interviews= 150

Leading Market Drivers of European Geospatial Industry

30 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

Source: GeoBuiz 22 Report; GW Consulting Analysis, Survey – July 2021-Jan 2022

spatial analysis.” He also added that the governments in Europe are looking to the commercial geospatial sector for innovative ideas to solve problems like climate change, building sustainable infrastructure, and so on.

Companies foresee various benefits of adopting X-as-a-Service in creating and providing integrated solutions, adding features, innovating, faster product development, and reducing risks of R&D. Andreas Gerster, Vice President Software Technology Solutions, Hexagon, said, “In the end, success is more than just a collection of tangible items. It’s the knowledge and the wisdom and how to combine them, how to use them in a meaningful way.” Acknowledges Philip Mott, General Manager, Esri Europe, “Technology is moving fast, it’s difficult to keep up with it. And we are all desperate to try and deliver optimum value to our customers. X-as-a-Service is typically connected online — they stay fresh, bug-free, with the latest versions of the software to do your best work, that’s what everybody wants.” The European geospatial industry is also driven by intra- and inter-industry collaborations and partnerships that offer wholesome solutions to users, expand market

Preferred Business Models by European Geospatial Industry

outreach, derive benefits of economies of scale, and save resources on independent development of digital technology strengths. In this context, as per the Dossier, the European geospatial industry is still looking at the subscription/

recurring business model as its second most preferred method to capture new business segments. When it comes to subscription models, Phoebe ParryCrooke, Partnerships Manager,

GeoBuiz Europe: Session on Technology Innovations and Platforms: Driving X As A Service May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 31

Source: GeoBuiz 22 Report; GW Consulting Analysis, Survey – July 2021-Jan 2022

this model continues to grow with innovations and new technology directions, and will contribute to the scalability and application of geospatial information and technologies in the long run. Sean Wiid, CEO, UP42, elaborates: “When we talk about data, infrastructure, and analytics-as-a-service, we are providing access to commercial algorithms from a range of companies; I think this is a really important mechanism that we have built to push the technology from the industry into the hands of developers, ultimately providing a complete solution to the users.”

SPECIAL FEATURE

Europe’s public policies provide a conducive environment for driving geospatial industry growth. The European Union (EU) supports SMEs, start-ups, entrepreneurs by establishing innovation hubs/clusters. what3words, believes they give great flexibility to the end-users: “We are thinking how to give a customized and simple experience to the users.” But this doesn’t mean that it is a silver bullet for all the problems. “Procurement is a massive headache; people are not

Luc De Heyn, Chief Commercial Officer, Merkator

Pier Francesco Cardillo, Information Technology and Digital Transformation, e-GEOS 32 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

going through that on a monthly basis. We speak to clients on a one-to-one basis to see what works best for them,” she explained.

Public policies and accelerator programs Europe’s public policies provide a conducive environment for driving geospatial industry growth. The European Union (EU) supports SMEs, start-ups, entrepreneurs by establishing innovation hubs/ clusters. The EU has developed geospatial policy frameworks, viz. INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC), and EU Space Strategy and Space Policy, and allied policy frameworks to support the innovations happening in the industry and the economy of the region. The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) provides safe and secure European satellite navigation services while promoting the commercialization of Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus data and services. Reinhard Blasi, Acting Head of Communications, EUSPA, elaborated on the various initiatives of the organization: “We sense the need to have a more specialized funding instrument, for example, innovative receivers, chipsets, and devices that take advantage of Galileo. We are also in charge of the European Commission’s Cassini program, where we take care of the space segment, that is, covering the start-ups gaps.” Massimo Comparini, Deputy CEO, ESVP Observation

Exploration Navigation, Thales Alenia Space, spoke about the upstream and downstream space infrastructure and applications, “We are looking at more commercially-driven constellations. We’re talking about an information-driven business — how to combine geospatial data with the huge layers of other information.” He also said that the open data policy is extremely important to grow a number of innovative companies working on the downstream: “We don’t create competition for the European companies based on the fact that someone can simply catch data and come to Europe to sell. What we have done in the last 20 years is based on a really balanced and good mix of public policies and private investments.” The space start-ups, acceleration programs, and investment scenarios are critical to the growth of the European geospatial industry. The region mainly attracts higher investments in the space ecosystem. The space start-ups in 2022 had already raised more than USD 350 million by Feb 2022, which is almost half of the total fundraising in 2021. With the increasing number of downstream applications in the space ecosystem, and the increasing number of innovative and vertical-based applications, the geospatial industry will expand significantly. Rainer Horn, Managing Partner, SpaceTec Partners, said, “The funding

sources and the ecosystem have gotten a whole lot smarter and much more complete in Europe. We have engagement programs, hackathons, idea competitions and so forth from the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA). Then, there’s a whole lot of private and increasingly public accelerators who are helping to inspire new talent.” On the other hand, the United Kingdom released its space strategy last year. The first step by the UK was to state clearly what they were trying to achieve and ensure their public sector bodies had a clear mission so people. “It’s important to have clear strategies because otherwise the industry doesn’t know where the public interest is going to lie and you could end up with one of those data custodians accidentally treading on an area of expansion for the commercial industry. So we have got UK’s geospatial strategy which was initiated in 2020 being refreshed every year,” said Nigel Clifford, Deputy Chairman, UK Geospatial Commission. Lea Bodossian, Secretary General & Executive Director, EuroGeographics, quoted the Dossier, saying Europe’s Open Data Directive and the European Data Strategy is a pioneer with an innovative approach towards building an attractive, secure, and dynamic European data economy that will benefit the overall economy and society. In Europe, everyone has access to the data from the NMAs (national mapping agencies) as they have embraced the public policy of open data. “The NMAs are also strongly encouraging the ecosystem inside the EU. Each EU

GeoBuiz Europe: Session on Public Policies and Commercialization of Geospatial and Space Industry

country has 30 to 50 companies and they are all trying out the open data and to create value for the European economy,” she highlighted. The Netherlands has a spatial planning policy and it’s also planning to have a Digital Twin strategy. “The idea is to have a Digital Twin of the physical environment of the Netherlands. There are a lot of policies around energy transition, climate adaptation and we also need one million houses in the country and that is only possible when we have good spatial data infrastructure,” explained Noud Hooyman, Chief Geoinformation Officer, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, The Netherlands.

Towards a green future Throughout the daylong panel discussions at the GeoBuiz Europe Summit, the words sustainability, net zero emission, climate change, and global warming were echoed. All trends and dimensions were eventually pointing towards these concern areas and the European Green Deal. The European Commission, in December 2019,

Mark Haaksman, Senior Manager Business Development Digital Cities, Royal HaskoningDHV

Pooja Mahapatra, Solution Owner - Geospatial, Fugro May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 33

SPECIAL FEATURE

unveiled its flagship action plan to tackle climate change, the European Green Deal. The EU aims to become the first resource-efficient and competitive economy without net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. The Green Deal covers ten policy areas and there is a call for private sector involvement and fostering innovation and digitalization. With this focus the implementation of geospatial data and technology is only going to expand. Anthony Baker, CEO, Satellite Vu, highlighted the value of open and commercial EO data: “As an industry we are making great progress and supporting the Green Deal. The radar satellites are identifying

Christoph Strecha, CEO, Pix4D

Hugo De Groof, Policy Officer, DG Environment – European Commission 34 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

floods, whereas ESA is measuring climate change through microscopic details. The question is how to do this all at greater scale with both the scientific and commercial satellites? That’s the balance we need to find.” Various space agencies give open and free data but for agile and effective response, commercial EO data makes sense. Echoing the same thoughts, Pacome Revillon, CEO, Euroconsult, said that the industry has been supportive of the Green Deal: “It’s a transformative time for the industry but the challenge is also how can the Green Deal policy turn into actual national policy and regulation, and create an ecosystem where everyone can offer services.” Arnout Desmet, Vice-President – Maps, TomTom, shared an interesting case study on GNSS data and AI/ML. “We have access to 600 million connected devices that provide us on a day-to-day real-time with GPS trace data, which, with the help of AI/ML, is converted into congestion or traffic index. Every year we publish this for 400+ cities; it is useful for the road authorities to understand the nature and the evolution of congestion and its impact on liveability of cities. This year, as a pilot for four cities — Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, and London, we also connected this data with carbon emissions. London had the highest emission levels. Imagine the impact you can have as authorities in tackling the climate crisis?” he asked. What kind of space infrastructure and geospatial knowledge would be adequate to achieve the Green Deal? Hugo De Groof, Policy Officer, DG Environment –

European Commission, said, “The challenge lies in implementing the Green Deal and this is where geospatial technologies are going to play a big role. We have the ambition in Europe to create a Digital Twin of the Earth that will exist at all scales. Imagine the amount of data that will be collected and shared. That’s the reason we need strong public-private partnerships.” Though there’s ‘humongous’ geospatial data coming from different sources, a serious data gap in the global fight against climate change still persists. Carles Franquesa, Founder & CEO, Aistech Space, shared an interesting outlook: “The complicated thing is not to cover the data gap but how we can generate future business with this amount of data. Initially, governments will push and will lead the utilization but at the end we need to create a business. We need to provide a specific value for the companies and the society as well.” The European geospatial market is moving forward and evolving, starting from single data asset capture to integrated workflows to Cloud platforms. It’s been quite a journey and the momentum is not going to get any slower. The private industry, government, and academia — the three pillars of the geospatial ecosystem — need to prepare themselves because there will be much to do. Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation and opportunities and challenges in today’s demanding environment will need to be faced together.

Meenal Dhande Associate Editor, Europe

meenal@geospatialworld.net

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St. Louis is Defining th its Niche in the 4 Industrial Revolution

orld Economic Forum Founder and Chairman Klaus Schwab observed in a 2016 article, The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What is Means, How to Respond, “We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before.” Schwab suggested, unlike the First, Second, and Third Industrial Revolutions, there are unique aspects to this Fourth Industrial Revolution: its velocity; scope, systems impact, evolution at an exponential pace, and the fact that this Fourth Industrial Revolution is disrupting almost every industry in every country. “The breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production, management, and governance.” While he did not explicitly call this Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) “geospatial technology,” I believe it is fair to say that, in the ensuing six years, this clearly has revolved around the disciplines and capacities of geospatial and geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). 36 | www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2022

US Senator Roy Blunt, joined Westway President Jack Pryor, Plum Run Managing Partner Keith Masback, and Dick Fleming at SCIF Groundbreaking

The next big opportunity Fast forward to 2022, Geospatial World CEO and Founder Sanjay Kumar documented the scale and scope of the 4IR, observing in the GeoBuiz 22: Global Industry Outlook Report that the “geospatial industry is the next ‘big opportunity’ for technology companies both as an ‘advancing market in itself’ and ‘augmenting business processes’ of mainstream IT, Engineering, and Autonomous industries.”

federal government to build the 3,100-job, 100-acre, USD 1.75 billion new western headquarters of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) at the heart of the 1,500-acre NorthSide Regeneration Mixed-Use Development, several blocks north of St. Louis’ downtown, the community has assessed the potential of the city to become a global hub for geospatial intelligence — both defense and commercial applications.

“This will result in geospatial getting by default embedded in Digital Twin and Metaverse, which will inturn impact how humans interact with [the] digital and physical world in near real time,” says the report.

St. Louis has identified five overall business and civic initiatives in the GeoFutures Plan to fulfill its potential to become a global geospatial hub:

The global geospatial economy is projected to be USD 681 billion by 2025, and to geometrically grow by 2030 to USD 1.44 trillion. As was the case with the IT sector in the latter half of the 20th Century, and the focus by communities on economic development in the biotech sector in the past two decades, today, cities and regions are beginning to focus on their economic development and quality of life by emphasizing on the geospatial sector.

So it is with St. Louis Since the 2016 decision by the

 Scale up talent/workforce development;  Raise innovation capacity;  Accelerate entrepreneurship;  Support the advancement of public/private partnership development in GEOINT-related innovation districts and surrounding neighborhoods; and,  Brand and position St. Louis as a national & international GEOINT thought leader. St. Louis is focusing on geospatial in four industry sectors — national security; digital/precision agriculture; logistics; and healthcare delivery. With regard to the key public/

private partnerships for St. Louis to fulfill its potential, two nearterm initiatives and one longerterm development are essential: Development of multi-tenant Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) space is critical to both major GEOINT firms, as well as startups in this sector, to perform classified work for the federal intel community. Creation of a business and civic tech ecosystem in Downtown North, proximate to the new NGA/ West 100-acre campus and the NorthSide Regeneration Development; and, longer term, as the now under construction NGA/ West campus nears completion in 2026, the surrounding mixed-use development of NorthSide Regeneration (including its Innovation District, GEOINT Village and HealthWorks Village at the 34-acre former Pruitt-Igoe Site) will be a critical additional ecosystem for the new NGA/West HQ. St. Louis reached a major milestone recently as US Senator Roy Blunt officiated groundbreaking for a 75,000 square foot multi-

1,500-acre NorthSide Regeneration Mixed-Use Development, several blocks north of downtown with NGA/West at the center

tenant SCIF, now under construction and scheduled to open this Fall in The Globe Building. “The SCIF at The Globe Building is the first of its kind outside the national capital region and underscores the importance of the emergence of St. Louis as the national geospatial intelligence hub,” Sanjay Kumar wrote in Geospatial World December edition: The other near-term partnership enhancing the GEOINT ecosystem is the recently created Downtown North Insight District. This new innovation district is a collaborative civic venture of:  Square Co-Founder Jim McKelvey and his development partner, John Berglund, who have built a new home for 1,400 employees of Square and Cash App in the stunning adaptive reuse of the 226,000 square foot former HQ of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper;  Steve Stone and his colleagues, who have made the 720,000 square foot Globe Building a ‘location of choice’ for firms such as MAXAR, T-Kartor, Ball Aerospace, General Dynamics, Geospatial World, and most recently, Westway Service Group and their new SCIF; and,  Dr. Patty Hagen, CEO of the T-Rex incubator, home of NGA’s Moon Shot Labs, of the nation’s first Geospatial Innovation Center, and partnership intermediary agreements with federal GEOINT agencies. The long-term project involving multiple public/private partnerships is the 1,500-acre NorthSide

Regeneration (NSR) Mixed-Use Development, at the heart of which NGA’s new HQ 100-acre is located. The fully built-out NSR development will include 3 million square feet of office, 2 million square feet of retail, 1 million square feet of advanced manufacturing and tech space, and up to 2,500 residential units. GEOINT Village in the Innovation District will include several hundred thousand square feet of office space, a hotel, an incubator/ accelerator, and a large SCIF immediately across the street from the new NGA HQ campus.

The initiatives in St. Louis to becoming a global geospatial intelligence hub also have spawned a tandem statewide Missouri effort by rural businesses, civic, and elected officials called Missouri Geo4IR (Missouri Geo 4th Industrial Revolution). Missouri GEO4IR intends to parallel St. Louis regional economic and entrepreneurial development efforts to develop, foster, and grow geospatial, AI, workforce training, educational, and internship programs throughout the state. So, as St. Louis and Missouri proactively positions themselves for fulfilling their potential in the 4th Industrial Revolution through these innovation districts and related GEOINT efforts, they aspire to get their share of this rapidly developing USD 1.44 trillion global geospatial market. Richard C.D. Fleming CEO, Community Development Ventures, Inc., St. Louis regionalstrategy@me.com May-June 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 37

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Improving Last-Mile Delivery Through Omnichannel Commerce

European Geospatial Industry Today and Tomorrow

Harnessing 5G Technology to Make Industrial and Port Traffic Safer

St. Louis is Defining its Niche in the 4th Industrial Revolution

The Future is All About Real-Time

Water Utility Uses Location Intelligence to Inform Spending Decisions

Editorial

Earth Observation in Re/Insurance Business