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 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 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.

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.

Interviewed by: Sarah Hisham

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. By Sarah Hisham

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

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.

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.

Here’s a list of 10 major business sectors that utilize precise PNT,

Figure 1: 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

Foodpanda App

Image source: Qualcomm

Image source: foodpanda

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Popular location-based apps

Financial services Major financial institutions need PNT to time-stamp financial transactions, providing a consistent and accurate way to maintain records and ensure their traceability.

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.

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 Ride-hailing Micro-mobility sharing Power & utility Telecommunications Financial services Stock exchange Logistics Last-mile delivery Healthcare

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Image source: Leap

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

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