Location data and platform services provider Here Technologies has formed a strategic partnership with USA-based telecommunications multinational Verizon to develop 5G-enabled technologies that will offer enhanced road safety and precise localization for navigation.
The partners will explore cutting-edge applications of Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband network and multi-access low-latency Mobile Edge Compute (MEC) platform, coupled with Here’s location, data technology and autonomous vehicle expertise. The partnership focuses on co-innovation for a wide range of enterprise, industrial and consumer-facing use cases. The two companies are starting their collaboration by working on vehicle and pedestrian safety such as collision avoidance, and better location identification and navigation for ridesharing pick-up/drop-off and delivery services. Here will be providing Verizon with access to a range of location data, SDKs (Software Development Kits), and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) from the its platform.
Verizon and Here are also planning to develop new connected services to benefit a range of industries, from automotive to smart cities, to transport and logistics. The collaboration will initially focus on two proofs of concept:
- Collision Avoidance is intended to increase pedestrian and driver safety by combining Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband capabilities with Here’s HD Live Map and Live Sense computer vision technology to create a vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication system. Here’s Live Sense SDK identifies vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, and barriers from a vehicle-mounted mobile phone. This data will then be sent to Verizon’s 5G Edge, where the Collision Avoidance AI (Artificial Intelligence) predicts likely travel paths and warns vehicles of impending potential collisions;
- Visual Positioning Service (VPS) is designed to enable near-instantaneous identification of a specific location with sub-metre accuracy using image capture. Proprietary 3D positioning algorithms from Here analyse images or videos for accurate positioning, which occurs in near real-time via Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband network and 5G Edge. VPS is a complementary solution to signal-based location technologies, such as GPS, because it does not rely on a remote server and is less hindered by tall buildings or signal deserts, with the technology also adaptable for indoor use.
“5G will be a game changer for many use cases in every industry. The scale of the Verizon 5G Ultra-Wideband network is designed to enable higher-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity necessary for more precise positioning,” said Edzard Overbeek, Here’s CEO. “Our partnership with Verizon not only allows us to tap into the innovation potential of 5G, but also highlights what is possible when this technology is location intelligence enabled: connected services that are designed to make our world safer, more efficient and environmentally sustainable.”
Verizon’s senior product manager for advanced mapping, Ashley Vogt, commented, “This collaboration with Here further proves our commitment to innovating around and improving location services and pedestrian and intersection safety. By harnessing the power of our 5G Ultra-Wideband and 5G Edge, along with Here’s proprietary 3D positioning algorithms, we are driving together toward a safer and more precise future.”
