Data-rich helmets are here for delivery motorbikes
Food and other delivery motorbikes in Bangkok and other big cities can expect help from smart data-rich helmets soon as HERE Technologies, a provider of location data and services, gears up its business in the region.
These smart helmets, equipped with a built-in communication system and small video screen, will provide real-time traffic and location data to riders to make deliveries faster and more efficient, according to HERE’s executives.
They have been developed by one of HERE’s partners in Taiwan and will be available to logistic companies with large fleets of two-wheelers in Thailand and other Asean countries.
In addition, Stanimira Koleva, HERE’s senior vice president for Asia Pacific, said the firm will increase its efforts to tap the regional markets for other data and location-based services, especially those used in automotive navigation, infotainment, smart cities, agriculture, and advertising, among other sectors.
For example, Phuket, the world-renowned southern Thai resort island, can use location data and other services for a wide range of autonomous smart tourist services.
In agriculture, location data and related services will help create smart farming with features such as autonomous fertilizer application, soil-condition monitoring and weather forecasts consistent with the government’s Thailand 4.0 initiative.
According to Koleva, HERE’s Open Location Platform (OLP) promotes worldwide collaboration so that data can be shared among developers and participating organisations to unlock value for all stakeholders.
With access to the mapping infrastructure and related technology, partnerships can create new and differentiating location-centric products for their own use, with
AI-driven and machine-learning capability for predictive analytics such as those used in healthcare devices, transportation drones, targeted advertising, telecom, city planning and traffic management.
These features can also be used in supply-chain management for multi-mode transport or in food safety management using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and other devices for product traceability.
The cloud-based location datasets are also used by Toyota, BMW and Volkswagen for auto navigation systems as well as in fleet-management solutions for better transport routing and more efficiency with predicted arrival time capability.
According to HERE’s executives, location data and related services are also crucial to assisted driving features in new models of cars and trucks, while auto insurance companies also use sensors and dashboard camera to monitor driving behaviour for insurance premium calculation.
In the booming e-commerce sector, HERE aims to tap the vast two-wheeler delivery fleets in Thailand, Vietnam, India and Indonesia with smart helmets equipped with built-in speakers and small video screens for both communication and navigation purposes.
With large fleets of motorbikes on congested streets of these markets’ big cities, delivery of food and other products purchased or ordered online will be faster with predicted arrival time capability.
For advertising, the location data and related services will improve marketing and customer relationship management such as with features of customer mobility tracking and consumption-pattern analytics to allow advertisers to target potential customers more precisely with e-vouchers and other promotional campaigns.
Worldwide, Here’s Open Location Platform has about 800,000 developers as the firm expands its database to include 3D mapping and live traffic from across the road and transport networks as well as data on millions of places. All these datapoints are updated regularly with AI and machine-learning capability to provide a comprehensive digital geospatial model for vehicles, drones, on-demand mobility services, and precise indoor and outdoor goods tracking, among others.
