Tag: technology

The Geography Division of the U.S. Census Bureau has released two sets of Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing products: the 2013 TIGER/Line shapefiles and the TIGER geodatabases. Both are extracts of the Master Address File/TIGER database and can be used with Geographic Information System software to map census geographic areas and features such as roads and rivers.

The TIGER/Line shapefiles are updated yearly, and this version includes a new coastline feature. The TIGER geodatabases include national- and state-based files often requested by customers and provide the ability to download multiple layers in a single file. Both the 2013 TIGER/Line shapefiles and the TIGER geodatabases can be downloaded from the website.

• Shapefiles are released in one of three types of coverages:
  • Nation-based
  • State-based
  • County-based
• The table below lists each type of geography and the coverage(s) at which each is available.

New findings from leading hi-tech analysts, Juniper Research, has revealed that the Smartphone OS market will see new emerging players, such as Asha, Sailfish and emerging HTML 5 based OS players begin to gain ground in niche areas. The market globally however is expected to continue to be dominated by Android and iOS.

The report argues that these new contenders will take away important niches – focusing on cost innovation and utilising local knowledge – in synergy with the next generation of consumers. This may begin the slow decline of the current global OS elite.

Global Smartphone Dichotomy

In terms of smartphone shipments, Apple and Samsung will continue to dominate the global market, shipping 17% more smartphones in 2018 than were shipped globally by all vendors in 2012. The new Juniper report found that Apple and Samsung’s global smartphone shipments will hit nearly 800 million by the end of 2018, compared with 677 million last year.

Apple’s New Horizons

Juniper’s latest report, ‘Smartphone Futures: Differentiation Strategies & Emerging Opportunities 2013-2018’ forecasts sustained growth for Apple in the emerging markets over the forecast period, with Apple expected to announce a diversification in its product portfolio shortly. It notes that this brings Apple closer to the Samsung model of catering to diverse set of markets utilising different models which will maintain the current global dichotomy.

New Region New Rules

The new report noted that significant growth is expected across emerging markets such as the Indian Subcontinent and China. These areas will see particular growth in the Ultra-Economy and Economy sectors, with heavily localised handsets. Slower growth is forecast for the Ultra-Premium and Premium smartphone sectors, but only if they can offer clear differentiation within a crowded market.

Other Key Findings Include:

•         There will continue to be a lack of short and medium term diversity within the OS market.
•         The Average Selling Price of a smartphone will fall as new lower income demographics are exploited.

MarketsandMarkets announced they recently conducted a study on the Fleet Management Market, which analyzed and studied the major market drivers, restraints, and opportunities in North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. The study observes that the fleet management market is expected to grow from $10.91 billion in 2013 to $30.45 billion by 2018, at an Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 22.8% from 2013 to 2018.

According to the announcement, intelligent fleet management solutions based on technologies such as Global Positioning system (GPS)-based telematics are helping fleet operators to enhance operational efficiencies in terms of improving vehicle performance and mileage, enhancing operational reliability and safety, maintenance planning, driver control, and optimizing navigation and routes. The growing competitiveness among the transportation service providers, CO2 emission control norms, and rising fuel prices are making the Fleet Management System (FMS) an essential component for the business operation of the fleet vehicle operators.

The number of vehicles is increasing globally with a major boom in the emerging economies; this has a positive impact on the fleet management industry. Asia-Pacific is expected to exhibit the highest growth rate in the fleet management market revenue out of the various regional markets. There are also government endeavors to mandate the incorporation of GPS tracking features in all the new vehicles to be sold and operated in their specific regions, which clearly shows the opportunities for fleet management business growth. Organizations from public transport, service sectors, logistics, and retail industries are expected to bring huge business opportunities for the fleet management vendors.

The key strategies followed by many of the leading companies in the fleet management market are new technology, customized solution, and acquiring relatively small domain expert players. Some of the major players in this market are Accenture, Motorola Solutions, TomTom, Qualcomm, Masternaut, Trimble Navigation Ltd., Garmin International, Fleetmatics, Pointer Telocation Ltd, Verizon Networkfleet, among others.

This MarketsandMarkets report provides key insights into the market dynamics, industry trends, and adoption trends in the fleet management market. It explores business potential of fleet management solutions across varied industry verticals such as academia, government and waste management, public transport, utilities, retail, logistics, construction, mining, oil, gas and chemicals, service sectors, and others. The report talks about revenues expected from the fleet management solutions and services offered to different types of vehicles.

The report analyzes market sizes and revenue forecasts across different regions. The report also draws the competitive landscape of the fleet management market, providing an in-depth comparative analysis of the technological and marketing strategies that the key players are adopting in order to gain an edge over their competitors.

HERE announced that it will make available its indoor Venue Maps to Qualcomm Atheros, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated. Leveraging indoor map data from HERE that is tightly coupled to the core indoor positioning engine will help Qualcomm IZat location technologies deliver more precise positioning (within 3-5 meters) to mobile devices inside buildings. Improving the overall indoor location experience for consumers, this combination is expected to accelerate the development and use of compelling location-based experiences as well as promotions in shopping malls, transportation hubs and entertainment venues around the globe.

“In our quest to deliver location awareness everywhere, Qualcomm Atheros is propagating indoor location capabilities to ensure the best possible experiences in a wide variety of places,” said Cormac Conroy, vice president of the mobile, computing and location business unit at Qualcomm Atheros. “Our collaboration with HERE complements the capabilities of our IZat location platform to deliver the exceptional accuracy that is required for businesses and app developers looking for ways to reach mobile consumers and create additional revenue opportunities from location-based services.”

To map buildings, HERE reports that mapmakers visit venues from airports to zoos to sports complexes, museums and other facilities around the world to ensure map data is precise and no detail is forgotten. They collect building floor plans and then validate against the real world which includes double-checking the names of points of interest and ensuring that rich features such as ATM machines, restrooms and escalators are included.

“Indoor spaces are among the new frontiers in mapping and HERE is uniquely positioned to bring its global leadership in outdoor mapping to inside venues,” said Cliff Fox, senior vice president of Location Content at HERE. “Not only have we been the first to map some of the most recognized buildings in the world, but we also offer the world’s broadest coverage of indoor spaces with currently more than 9,000 venues consisting of 50,000 unique buildings mapped in 69 countries. With our continuously expanding reach in coverage and focus on efforts to improve accuracy, we can support Qualcomm Atheros in its quest to provide access to accurate location information and services to consumers as they move about venues.”

Venue Maps complement Qualcomm Atheros’ end-to-end IZat indoor positioning capabilities to deliver always-on location awareness to mobile devices in more places. IZat is comprised of Qualcomm Atheros’ broad technology portfolio, including cellular, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), Wi-Fi, sensor and cloud-based assistance solutions, as well as its widely deployed location core, already found in more than one billion devices on mobile networks worldwide.

Willens Law Office announced the first self-reported Chicago bicycle accident map will collect data about cyclists’ encounters with careless and reckless driving. This interactive map will allow users to report, not only bicycle accidents and doorings, but close calls or near misses as well, all in real time. Additionally, by reporting the type of collision, weather, lighting and surface conditions during the accident or close-to accident, we will be able to have more data about bicycle accidents, when they occur, where they occur, and how to prevent them. The most important improvement over past maps is that close call or near miss data can also be reported and shared among cyclists, and while technically not an accident, this data may be the most valuable as it occurs in the highest frequency and often can help with future design plans and infrastructure updates.  As more accidents and near misses get reported, the heat map will provide visual representation to identify the areas with the largest number of incidents, and maps can be created specifically for a particular type of accident. You can access the map here and conduct your own search, if you’re a cyclist please share your most troublesome intersection or address for near misses.

According to the announcement, the cyclists of Chicago will be able to use this interactive map to help identify “hot spots.”  These are areas of the city that are particularly dangerous for cyclists.  The data will bring attention to problem areas and arm cyclists and community organizations with information to advocate for safer roads, which, in turn, will increase roadway modifications and/or targeted enforcement of the law.  Extended use of the map will help keep the streets of Chicago safer for everyone – cyclists, motorists and pedestrians alike, helping to plan safer routes for riding. Knowledge is power when it comes to choosing the safest routes while bicycling in the city of Chicago.

Attorney Matthew Willens of Willens Law Offices in Chicago had this to say “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  My hope is that, with the use of this map, bicycle accidents will decrease as the popularity of informed cycling increases.” Willens Law Offices was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune for the initiative to provide ghost bike racks in memory of deceased bicyclists. The firm plans to donate a ghost bike rack for each cyclist who falls victim to a fatal bicycle-motorist accident in the City of Chicago and contacts the firm. The racks would NOT replace ghost bikes, but would increase the number of public bike racks and would hopefully help maintain the memory of the past cyclist by its permanent nature and utility allowing cyclists to lock up their bikes, as well as a serve as a reminder to be aware of the cyclists on the road.