GPS World

Tag: tracking

  • Mobile Location Data Accuracy Group to Develop Guidelines

    The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), a global trade association for the mobile marketing industry, is forming a Mobile Location Data Accuracy Group. The focus of the group will be to eliminate any confusion around mobile location data and to improve the trust and confidence brand marketers and agencies have in mobile location advertising and the data that drives it.

    Simultaneously, the MMA is forming a Location Leadership Council that will be an industry “think tank” comprised of a merging together of thought leaders from the MMA’s Location and Privacy committees and experts in the various areas of location — marketing, technology, data and policy. Stemming from the council will be a number of working groups, the first of which is the Mobile Location Data Accuracy Group.

    The working group will expand on the previously launched Location Terminology Guide, in which the MMA Location Committee identified eight types of location data and signals, and ranked each according to the reach and accuracy of the data. The data and signals to be examined by the working group include (from most accurate to least):

    • Indoor positioning system
    • Bluetooth
    • GPS
    • Wi-Fi hotspots
    • Wi-Fi triangulation
    • Cell tower triangulation
    • IP address
    • User reported location

    Specifically the Mobile Location Data Accuracy Group will:

    1. Dig deeper into each of these data types and elaborate further on their appropriate uses and limitations.
    2. Develop and issue an RFI (Request for Information) to all location data vendors and validators that will establish criteria with which vendors can be aligned with the data types they use.
    3. Establish strict, standardized definitions with the MRC that vendors will be held accountable to and audited against.

    According to an April 2014 BIA/Kelsey study on local media spending, location targeted mobile advertising accounted for 40% of the $7.22 billion mobile ad spend in 2013, and is expected to grow to 52% of the $30.3 billion forecasted for 2018.

    “In order to scale mobile marketing specifically driven by location data, it is critical for the industry to come together to develop a common set of definitions of the types of location data available and how they are best used,” said Greg Stuart, CEO, MMA. “By agreeing to and abiding by a common set of best practices and guidelines, MMA members will be instrumental in driving the growth in the industry while assuring brand marketers of the measurable value derived from their mobile efforts.”

    With tighter definitions of location data, and the viable uses of such data, measuring results will be more consistent and reliable, the MMA said. These benchmarks will allow buyers to have a much clearer understanding of the data being used, and how it will impact their location-driven mobile advertising campaigns.

    Initial members of the group will include:

    • xAd – Monica Ho, SVP Marketing (co-chair)
    • Joule – Michael Lieberman, CEO (co-chair)
    • Factual – Vikas Gupta, Director of Marketing
    • ThinkNear – Brett Kohn, Director of Marketing
    • Mobiquity – James Meckley, CMO
    • Nielsen – Tom Eaton, VP, Client Services
    • MEC – Bav Panchal, Mobile
    • OpenX – Rob Kramer, GM, Mobile
    • Ubimo – Ran Ben-Yair, CEO
    • Verve – James Smith, CRO

    “Having this type of transparency into location data is a huge step forward that will allow us, as buyers, to invest in mobile with increased confidence,” said Michael Lieberman, CEO, Joule North America. “This program will, in large part, allow mobile marketing to truly scale and deliver measurable results for our clients around the world.”

    “We are committed to improving clarity and defining auditable standards for location data and ultimately all of location-based services. This will remove the barriers for brands and agencies to leverage the power of this unique mobile value proposition and improve their confidence in how and what to use,” said Monica Ho, SVP Marketing, xAd. “We are excited to work with the MMA and the industry in achieving standards that we believe will be critical for scaling the mobile marketing industry.”

    The Mobile Location Data Accuracy Group will be gathering the industry leaders to share initial definitions and use cases at the Location Data Accuracy Panel Session August 26 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square, New York, 6:30-9 p.m. The session will provide an opportunity for brands, agencies and key partners in the location advertising arena to meet and discuss opportunities ahead.

     

  • New York Giants Equip Players with GPS

    Tom Coughlin, head coach of the New York Giant football team, has outfitted his players with GPS devices strapped to their backs under their uniforms. The technology can provide the team with information such as top speed, burst and how long the player has run in terms of time and miles, reports the Wall Street Journal. This is the second year the team has used GPS during training.

    “We’re getting all kinds of information,” Coughlin said. “It’s player related so we have information coming every day on every player.”

    The data can help the coaches structure practices so they know when to do extra stretching or potentially cut down on repetitions. Some of the players use the information as a means of competition, comparing top speeds and workloads.

  • InvenSense to Acquire Sensor Nav Companies Trusted Positioning and Movea

    InvenSense, Inc., a provider of intelligent sensor solutions, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Trusted Positioning, Inc. (TPI), a privately held indoor/outdoor tracking company with the vision to provide “Positioning Everywhere.” InvenSense is also acquiring context analysis software company Movea.

    TPI’s location tracking technology improves accuracy both indoors and outside by augmenting GNSS and Wi-Fi based location infrastructure. Using inertial sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and pressure sensors in mobile and wearable devices, TPI’s software platform provides continuous and accurate positioning and also solves the difficult problem of alignment between the user and the mobile device. The TPI platform provides complete inertial navigation software solutions for a variety of industries including smartphones, tablets, wearables, in-vehicle navigation, personnel tracking, and machine guidance and control.

    “InvenSense shares our passion for ‘positioning everywhere,’ and they have been a strong supporter of the Trusted Positioning team, technology and vision,” said Chris Goodall, Trusted Positioning’s chief executive officer. “We are pleased to be joining the InvenSense family with the goal of making indoor/outdoor positioning ubiquitous. Together with InvenSense we will now have the required resources and investment to mainstream this technology.”

    InvenSense has also signed a definitive agreement to acquire Movea, a privately held company that provides software for ultra-low power location, activity tracking, and context sensing. Movea’s products, technology, and IP cover a broad range of signal-processing and data-fusion technology applied to consumer mobile (smartphones and tablets), TV interaction, and wearable sports and fitness applications.

    Movea is dedicated to context analysis using both motion and audio sensors to determine, for example, a person’s state/activity, their energy expenditure, their location, and an athlete’s speed and cadence. Movea’s algorithm and software framework expertise is expected to further scale InvenSense’s leadership in motion software and accelerate InvenSense’s “AlwaysOn” low-power solutions for mobile and the Internet of Things.

    “With the addition of Movea and TPI, InvenSense achieves a significant milestone as it transitions to a leading provider of intelligent sensor System on Chips (SoC) for the fast growing mobile market. ‘AlwaysOn’ location and activity tracking are essential to enabling contextually aware products and services,” said Behrooz Abdi, president and chief executive officer, InvenSense. “The tight integration of our low-power, high performance, motion and sound sensors, along with TPI’s advanced location tracking software and Movea’s data fusion algorithms, will position us to deliver on this ‘AlwaysOn’ promise.”

    In connection with the acquisition of both companies, InvenSense expects to pay approximately $81 million, net of cash assumed, to acquire all of the outstanding shares of capital stock and other equity rights of Movea and Trusted Positioning, Inc. The purchase price will be paid with $6M of InvenSense common stock and the remainder in cash, except that portion attributable to unvested employee stock options will be paid in stock options exercisable for shares of InvenSense’s common stock.

    A portion of the cash consideration payable to the stockholders will be placed into escrow pursuant to the terms of the acquisition agreement. The estimated financial impact of the acquisitions upon the future operating results of InvenSense, which is not expected to be significant, will be discussed during the next regularly scheduled quarterly investors analyst conference call planned for July 29.

    The boards of directors of InvenSense and the two companies have approved the mergers. The transactions are expected to close by the end of InvenSense’s second quarter, September 30, and remains subject to the satisfaction of regulatory requirements and other customary closing conditions.

  • Berg Insight: Remote Patient Monitoring to Reach €19.4B in 2018

    Berg Insight estimates that revenues for remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions reached € 4.3 billion in 2013, including revenues from medical monitoring devices, mHealth connectivity solutions, care delivery software platforms and monitoring services. RPM revenues are expected to grow at a CAGR of 35.0 percent between 2013 and 2018, reaching € 19.4 billion at the end of the forecast period.

    The findings are discussed in the report “mHealth and Home Monitoring” (PDF brochure).

    Savings attributable to payers and care providers will by far exceed this amount as connected care solutions can allow better health outcomes to be achieved more cost efficiently. The new care models enabled by these technologies are furthermore often consistent with patients’ preferences of living more healthy, active and independent lives.

    While the healthcare industry is advancing towards an age where connected care solutions will be part of standard practices, this progress is still far from uniform. “The growth in the remote patient monitoring market is today centred on very specific market verticals and regions. Most of the market growth in the sleep therapy segment has for instance occurred in the US and France, where frequent compliance audits are becoming more common,” said Lars Kurkinen, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight.

    He added that the telehealth market benefits from local and regional project financing in several European countries, whereas remotely monitored medication dispensers gain traction among home care providers in the Benelux and Nordic countries in particular.

    In addition to this, the first pharmaceutical companies have recently initiated rollouts of connected adherence monitoring solutions that are bundled together with specific drugs. “Another high-level development that will have a major impact on the use of connected care solutions in several countries during the coming years is the shift from fee-for-service reimbursement systems to pay-for-performance structures that emphasize cost-effective delivery of quality care,” said Mr Kurkinen. In the U.S., one example of this development is the large number of RFPs for telehealth solutions that are being issued due to the hospital readmission reduction programs.

  • Qualcomm Tops ABI’s GNSS IC Vendor Assessment, MediaTek Enters Top 3

    Qualcomm Tops ABI’s GNSS IC Vendor Assessment, MediaTek Enters Top 3

    GNSS-IC-WABI Research’s 2014 GNSS IC vendor matrix names Qualcomm as the leading GPS integrated circuit (IC) vendor, followed by Broadcom in second place. For the first time, MediaTek achieves a top three finish after another year of strong growth and robust shipments as a result of its targeted design strategy, ABI Research revealed in its “GNSS IC OEMs” report.

    The vendor matrix compares companies on 17 criteria across the broader categories of GNSS Innovation and Implementation. Qualcomm remains the dominant player with a strong ubiquitous location platform in IZat — this will be vital for success in high volume cellular handsets in 2015. It is also in a strong position to grow in other GNSS markets.

    Broadcom continues to compete aggressively through innovation, receiving the highest score for this category for yet another year. Already in 2014, Broadcom has announced its concurrent tri-band BCM 47531 IC and the BCM 4771 GNSS SoC designed for wearables, featuring a sensor hub and always-on capabilities. Finally, it has also announced its 5G Wi-Fi SoC, which supports its new proprietary FTM-based AccuLocate technology.

    u-blox has also moved up a position to fourth in this year’s assessment. It continues to grow revenue year-on-year, with little to suggest this will change in the coming year. It is also the first time u-blox has finished ahead of CSR, which was ranked fifth. CSR continues to transition and faces another arduous year in 2014. It will be 2015/16 when the effects of these tough decisions are proven out to be correct or not.

    MediaTek has now emerged as a major threat, taking third on innovation and 2012 market share rankings, following very impressive shipments of its combo ICs into local Chinese smartphone manufacturers. It is also strong on PNDs/recreational and cameras, with a growing presence in other markets. Its move to fully embedded GPS in 2013 should prove significant in driving market share in the future.

    Beyond this, STMicroelectronics also deserves a mention with its new Teseo III platform giving it significant design flexibility allowing it to compete aggressively in existing markets while expanding into new opportunities.

    Other companies discussed include:

    • Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR)
    • Galileo Satellite Navigation
    • Intel Corporation
    • SkyTraq Technology, Inc.
    • Texas Instruments Inc.

  • LocationSmart Issued Patent for Location-Based Dynamic Status Reporting

    LocationSmart, a provider of cloud-based location and interactivity services, has announced the issuance of US Patent 8,666,373 by the U.S. Patent Office for location reporting based on the dynamic status of a user. The patent covers a system and method of determining location for the user, including dynamically determining a status of the user and allowing acquisition of the user’s location based on the determined status.

    The issued patent enhances LocationSmart’s cloud-based, cross-carrier location and interactivity platform that is powering the enterprise with location insights through a comprehensive set of web services application programming interfaces (APIs), the company said.

    This patent further covers the location reporting of a person based on a dynamically monitored status; for example, when an employee is on the job versus when the employee is on his or her own time. Reporting is responsive to the received location tracking request, based on current status and allowed permissions. This is significantly instrumental for monitoring and managing mobile workforces, LocationSmart said.

    “Knowledge of when to obtain location information based on dynamically changing status is fundamental to several of our key verticals,” said Mario Proietti, CEO of LocationSmart. “This patent strengthens the protection and rendering of our services for mobile check-ins and status reporting in the workforce management and transportation sectors.”

    The LocationSmart platform is employed by leading companies in a number of industries, enabling a multitude of applications including service assistance, proximity marketing, workforce check-ins, emergency alerting, mobile gaming and transaction verification.

  • ABI Research: Third Generation of LBS to Capitalize on Location-Based Advertising

    The LBS market continues to grow strongly and with the arrival of always-on ubiquitous location, ABI Research believes that the market is ready to truly support location based advertising efforts. In Western Markets, a third generation of location-based services is now underway. It has forecast retail/shopping, ambient intelligence, hyperlocal social and personal asset tracking/BLE beacon applications to emerge as the next wave of important location based services over the next five years, with ABI Research forecasting a four-fold increase in revenues by 2019.

    In emerging regions the value of location is not lost with strong local deals/offers markets already emerging. Senior analyst Patrick Connolly comments, “In Asia, ABI Research sees LBS downloads breaking 4 Billion in 2019. In China, major Internet companies can see the necessity of location and are acquiring/integrating as they move to mobile. Tencent, the Chinese Internet giant, has spent approximately $200 million to acquire an 11.28% stake in mapping company NavInfo. This follows Alibaba’s acquisition of AutoNavi. Tencent has also invested in the Chinese Yelp, Dianping, which is one of the top three players in the local deals market, which is estimated to have reached $1.2 Billion in 1Q14. Sina Weibo, which floated on the NASDAQ in April also has its own Places application.”

    Furthermore, in a reversal of previous LBS application trends, ABI Research expects to see many of these companies expanding into international markets in the future. Momo is such an app, with 20 million subscribers, which is using location to go local and generate advertising revenues. It has used a round of investment to launch an English version of the application, which it hopes will enable it to expand.

    These findings are part of ABI Research’s Location Based Services Market Research.

  • Fanbeam Laser Radar Delivers Dynamic Positioning to Offshore Vessels

    Seajacks_and_Fanbeam-W

    The new Fanbeam laser radar sensor from Renishaw’s spatial measurement division provides repetitive, high-accuracy dynamic positioning (DP) to offshore support vessels (OSV) and other marine structures.

    This next-generation system adds greater performance and stability through new control software that increases reliability of its single-target tracking capability, and allows multiple operator stations for situations where control needs to be transferred between bridge personnel. The new software’s advanced target tracking and modeling prevent spurious targets from causing a drive off, while the intelligent clutter rejection capability provides clearer signals for a better understanding of the operational environment. A training package with a fully featured, realistic simulator is also included.

    The Fanbeam system uses position data to automatically hold vessels on station, and is typically the primary position reference during critical short-range operations, such as cargo container lifts from platform supply vessels. The system provides collision avoidance, gangway monitoring and docking assistance on vessels operating in crew supply, anchor handling tug supply, construction support, dive support, dredging and rock dumping capacities. Other applications include seismic source positioning for geophysical exploration vessels and positioning of mine detection equipment.

    Fanbeam laser radar sensor.
    Fanbeam laser radar sensor.

    The system uses a laser sensor with a unique vertically “fanned” output, allowing returns to be observed from passive retro-reflective targets despite relative movement of the vessel. Accurate to 20 cm, the laser rotates horizontally in both directions via motorized base, and can be tilted ± 15˚ in the vertical plane using a built-in Autotilt mechanism with servo-driven gearbox. The motorized yoke has a software-selectable scanning speed up to 50˚/s, horizontal range of 0˚ to 360˚ and 0.01˚ horizontal resolution. A reflective tube target is used for short-range operations, while various prism cluster target options allow long-range operations up to 6562 ft (2000 m).

    Built for harsh environments, the system’s operating temperature range is -13˚F to +158˚F (-25˚C to +70˚C), with a water/dust resistance rating of IP66, and is EN 60945/EN 609950-1:2001 compliant. A marine-grade embedded PC and machined aluminum enclosure equip the system for rugged use. The compact system is approximately 8”W x 12”L x 11.5”H (200 x 300 x 290 mm) and weighs only 28 lbs. (12.9 kgs).

    Fanbeam Production Moves to Renishaw Facility. After acquiring Measurement Devices Limited (MDL) in 2013, Renishaw moved production of Fanbeam systems to its assembly facility in Gloucestershire. The facility was named the UK’s Best Electronics Plant in 2012. “Vessel operators depend on Fanbeam systems for reliable, safe operations in tough conditions,” said Keith Park, Marine Business and General Manager, Renishaw. “Now, they can have confidence that these systems are produced at one of the world’s best design, production and servicing facilities.”

  • Russia Turns off Data from IGS GPS Tracking Stations

    As announced by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin on May 13, 2014, GPS tracking stations co-sponsored by U.S. interests have stopped making their data available to scientists and others.

    The tap on the flow of data from 11 stations was turned off starting on May 31. The data flow included hourly and daily data files from the stations as well as the real-time flow of data over the Internet.

    In an item entitled “On Execution of the Instructions of the Government of the Russian Federation,” the website of Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency, reported:

    “In accordance with the instructions of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Russian Space Agency in conjunction with the Federal Agency scientific organizations on June 1, 2014, implemented measures to avoid the use of information from the global seismographic network stations operating on the signals of the GPS system and located in the Russian Federation, for purposes not covered by existing agreements, including military uses.” (As translated by Google Translate.)

    It should be pointed out that none of the affected stations contribute to the day-to-day running of GPS; that is, they are not part of the GPS command and control network. They are stations participating in the work of the International GNSS Service, which provides data and products to scientists and other researchers for different purposes including geodesy, geodynamics, orbital mechanics, and atmospheric studies.

     

    It is believed that the Russian move is a tit-for-tat exercise in response to sanctions by western countries following recent events in Ukraine. However, the Russians say that the action was initiated by the refusal of the U.S. to enter into negotiations on the placement of Russian-operated GLONASS tracking stations on U.S. territory. Russia wishes to expand its global network of differential correction and monitoring stations, which could conceivably be also used to supply data for GLONASS command and control purposes.

    What isn’t widely known is that Roscosmos already uses sites on U.S. territory for monitoring the availability and health of the GLONASS satellites as the map below clearly shows.

     

  • McMurdo Group Completes Acquisition of Techno-Sciences

    McMurdo Group, an end-to-end search and rescue (SAR) and maritime domain awareness (MDA) company, has acquired Techno-Sciences, Inc. (TSi), a provider of SAR satellite ground stations, integrated emergency response center systems and coastal surveillance solutions. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. TSi’s Beltsville, Maryland, location becomes the U.S. headquarters for McMurdo Group, a division of Orolia, global specialist in critical GNSS solutions.

    TSi has been instrumental in the development of the COSPAS-SARSAT international satellite-based SAR program, which has helped to save more than 35,000 lives worldwide since 1982. TSi is also actively involved in the next-generation COSPAS-SARSAT system, MEOSAR (Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue), which will greatly improve the existing SAR process with near-instantaneous detection, identification and location of emergency distress beacons.

    MEOSAR, currently in its demonstration and evaluation phase, is expected to have initial operational capability in 2016 and full operational capability by 2018. MEOSAR will use SAR-enhanced Galileo (Europe), GPS (U.S.) and GLONASS (Russia) satellite constellations for greater global coverage and includes innovative end-user beacon functionality such as a return-link service on Galileo satellites to acknowledge distress signal receipt and provide ongoing rescue effort status.

    “The acquisition of TSi firmly establishes McMurdo Group as the global leader in satellite-based search and rescue solutions. We are the only provider capable of supplying a single-vendor, end-to-end COSPAS-SARSAT emergency solution with a seamless ecosystem of products, technologies and processes that will streamline and expedite search and rescue efforts,” said Jean-Yves Courtois, CEO, McMurdo Group and its holding company Orolia Group. “TSi expands our global sales, support and customer footprint and adds to our already extensive expertise in SAR and MDA. We look forward to developing a U.S. SAR Center of Excellence to include manufacturing, distribution and support of McMurdo Group’s broad solution offering of distress beacons, AIS equipment, satellite communications units and emergency control centers equipped with search and rescue management software.”

    TSi solutions are installed in more than 20 countries worldwide and include satellite ground stations or local user terminals (LUTs), rescue and mission control centers, and coastal surveillance/instruction detection systems. TSi installed the world’s first operationally ready six-channel MEOSAR LUT (MEOLUT) in 2011 for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and has recently completed a second NOAA installation (March 2014). With a team of 40 employees, TSi has a prominent list of government, military and commercial customers in Asia, Europe, Africa and the U.S. (including NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Navy).

     

  • Watch out for Falling Coconuts — with GPS

    Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia, is looking to reduce any potential deaths from falling coconuts, reports ABC News.

    The Douglas shire council is mapping the GPS locations of its coconut trees, to reduce the danger. Mayor Julia Leu says more than 4,000 mature coconut palms have been identified in Port Douglas.

    “All local governments that have coconut palms in their area do have a de-nutting program. However the de-nutting process is very costly,” Leu said. “What we want to do is look at this in a far more innovative way.”

    On average, 150 people die annually around the world from falling coconuts.

  • Geoforce Releases Tiny Industrial GPS Tracking Device

    Geoforce, Inc., an international provider of asset management solutions for the oil and gas industry, has announced the widespread commercial availability of the GT0, a tiny industrial GPS asset-tracking device. The device is designed to track and remotely monitor assets too challenging for other GPS devices, the company said.

    “Geoforce is constantly trying to gauge what our customers will need next,” said James MacLean III, Geoforce’s president and CEO. “What we’ve been hearing out there is this: smaller, easier and whenever possible — more affordable. We’ve purpose-built this device to try and meet those needs without dropping the quality-level our customers deserve.”

    The GT0 has a powerful omni-directional antenna, allowing for placement in almost any orientation on an asset. The tracking device is engineered with RFID and GPS technology for location and identification, as well as QR coding for mobile scanning of product information. Its compact size allows the tag to fit on equipment where previous larger and bulkier asset-tracking devices could not be implemented. It is an IP67 device (weatherproof) and has an optional metal bezel for added protection. It has an expected five to seven year battery life, making it a simple-to-deploy “slap and track” device.

    More than 300 companies currently use Geoforce’s solutions to manage 100,000 assets across six continents. The GT0 was previously offered in limited release to several service and rental companies beginning in January of this year.