Global mapping and location company Here announced a series of new partnerships and technology applications at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2018) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Having revealed in early January that German automotive technology suppliers Bosch and Continental are due to each become 5% shareholders in 2018, joining the company’s current owners Audi, BMW, Daimler, Intel and Pioneer, Here unveiled several new partnerships at CES. These include:
• Korea’s largest telecommunications company, SK Telecom, and Here Technologies announced plans for a broad technology and commercial partnership in the automotive and Internet of Things (IoT) sectors. The collaboration will see the two companies combine their complementary capabilities in connectivity, mapping and location data to deliver new services to Korean consumers and businesses. A key area of focus will be on high definition (HD) mapping and location services for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs).
• Global payment technology company Mastercard and Here have agreed to create better connected car experiences for consumers, including the development of technologies that will allow consumers to make purchases through their car’s dashboard and interact with destinations in real time, using data analytics capabilities to provide the most relevant, live information across a multitude of sectors.
• The world’s only company to build a full-scale hyperloop system, Virgin Hyperloop One (above), has demonstrated the first-ever hyperloop passenger application, powered by Here’s location platform, to simplify and personalize trip planning across multiple modes of transportation, including the new sealed-tube transport system concept.
• German transportation and logistics software developer SAP and Here have agreed to integrate location-enhanced advanced tracking, transportation management, fleet routing, trip analytics, and connected parking systems into each other’s mobility platforms (above).
• Telecommunications company Vodafone Germany and Here have formed a strategic partnership focused on services for autonomous vehicles and smart cities. The collaborative initiatives will take advantage of increased vehicle connectivity, low latency cellular networks, and real-time, highly-accurate location services, including the operation of Here’s HD Live Map (top and below) on 5G networks.
• Cloud-based supply chain technology company FreightVerify and Here will collaborate on methods to radically transform how the automotive industry optimizes their logistics and supply chain. The companies intend to deliver for auto makers a comprehensive solution for real-time tracking and logistics optimization, and the opportunity to successfully participate in new logistics sharing models.
Speaking at the event, Edzard Overbeek, CEO, Here Technologies, said, “Maps for autonomous cars are the beginning as we look toward an ‘autonomous world’. As we build the data infrastructure required, collaboration across industries is mandatory. With our HD Live Map living on an open location platform that is accessible to everyone, we
