IOT NETWORK NEWS

Dubai launches 100% Paperless Stamp

April 10, 2020March 29, 2020 IOT

Government entities in Dubai that have fully implemented the Dubai Paperless Strategy will be awarded with a 100% Paperless Stamp. The Smart Dubai Department has launched the initiative as part of its contribution to the Government Development Track, one of six tracks announced by the Dubai Council. Three categories of consumption The 100% Paperless Stamp initiative classifies government entities by order of their paper consumption into three categories: large, medium and small. Results will be announced every six months. The Stamp is awarded to entities that have transferred 100 per…

UK’s first converted ‘electric avenue’ announced

April 8, 2020March 29, 2020 IOT

Siemens has unveiled the UK’s first street that has been fully converted for charging electric vehicles (EV). The project, in collaboration with ubitricity and Westminster City Council, has converted 24 lampposts along Sutherland Avenue in London into EV charge points using existing city infrastructure. A further two adjoining roads are due to be completed in the coming weeks. Lack of charging points The introduction follows research conducted by Siemens showing more than a third (36 per cent) of British motorists planned to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle as their…

How IIoT is helping manufacturing businesses with global growth

April 6, 2020March 29, 2020 IOT

Despite growing challenges including spiralling costs and increased global competition, manufacturers continue to play a major role in the global economy, contributing US$6.7 trillion (€5.8 trillion) according to recent figures by Make UK, says Ben Sturgess, co-founder and chief technology officer, Pathfindr. Currently the world’s eighth largest industrial nation – where manufacturing makes up 44% of total UK exports and employs 2.6 million people. With ongoing innovation in manufacturing sparking consumer demand and vice versa, there are substantial opportunities for businesses looking to grow, and for most this will mean…

Ontario transport agency shares user data with public health body

April 3, 2020March 29, 2020 IOT

Metrolinx stressed the privacy measures in place and the “extraordinary times”. The case is one of a growing number which highlight how officials are faced with finding the balance between individual privacy and the common good amid an urgent public health crisis. Ontario’s public transport agency Metrolinx said last week that, on request, it gave Toronto Public Health contact information associated with registered Presto payments cards used on specific trips, after a 40-year-old man was diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19). It shared the news via Twitter and said: “Under Ontario’s privacy…

Ready-to-Use industrial IoT solution bundles to be delivered by Senet and T-Systems

April 2, 2020March 29, 2020 IOT

Senet, Inc, a provider of cloud-based software and services platforms that enable global connectivity and on-demand network build-outs for the Internet of Things (IoT), has announced an integrated solution and go-to-market partnership with T-Systems, North America (TSNA). T-Systems is an independent provider of digital services and integrated solutions for business customers. It currently offers several solution bundles including LoRaWAN sensors, gateways, Senet network connectivity plans, and integration with T-Systems’ Cloud of Things IoT platform for application management and expansion. Supporting both indoor and outdoor vertical applications, these IoT bundles provide useful data in…

Seville to run urban air mobility pilot

April 1, 2020March 29, 2020 IOT

EHang will work with the Seville government to develop the programme which will include passenger transportation, air logistics and command-and-control platforms in the city. Autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology company EHang Holdings has entered into a cooperation agreement with the city government of Seville, Spain, to run an urban air mobility (UAM) pilot programme. EHang will work with the Seville government to develop the programme which will include passenger transportation, air logistics and command-and-control platforms in the city. Coordinated test flights The city will also collaborate on applications for permission…

Global Certification Forum announces first IoT chipset certification with u-blox

March 31, 2020March 29, 2020 IOT

The Global Certification Forum (GCF) has announced that u-blox is the company to certify a product under its new IoT chipset certification scheme (started in January this year). This latest GCF programme is designed for chipsets covering NB-IoT and LTE-M and facilitates the easy integration of embedded chipsets into modules and devices. The u-blox UBX-R5 Cat-M1 chipset is the first product to achieve certification under the new scheme. GCF IoT chipset certification was added to the existing IoT platforms and IoT modules programme at the beginning of the year, to…

HERE unveils Geodata Models to cut 5G wireless network planning costs and speed deployment

March 30, 2020March 29, 2020 IOT

HERE, a location data and technology platform, has unveiled HERE Geodata Models to help accelerate the telecommunications industry’s planning and deployment of 5G wireless networks while reducing network planning operational expenses. HERE Geodata Models is described by the company as a precise and scalable 3D digital representation of the buildings, trees and roadside objects (such as streetlights, utility poles, overpasses, billboards, etc.) making up the physical environment surrounding 5G antennas. The 3D digital representations provide 5G network planners and radio frequency (RF) engineers with the ability to remotely conduct field…

Seat Pleasant rolls out telehealth system in COVID-19 effort

March 29, 2020March 29, 2020 IOT

Seat Pleasant calls itself “the world’s first authentic small smart city” and has a high proportion of low-income and vulnerable people, making it an ideal launch location for the technology, which could be expanded nationally. The small community of Seat Pleasant in Maryland is the launch city for a telehealth system, which integrates with its smart city data hub, to support the management of coronavirus (COVID-19) among the most vulnerable citizens. Seat Pleasant, located 10 miles from Washington and with a population of just 4,800 people, is working with health…

Málaga trials virtual VMS tech for dynamic traffic management

March 23, 2020March 7, 2020 IOT

The City of Málaga has signed an agreement with transportation technology company Kapsch TrafficCom to test a dynamic signalling system and real-time optimiser to better manage capacity and reduce emissions. A dynamic signalling system, variable message signs (VMS) and a new ‘virtual VMS’ mobile app, which also provides audio instructions, will deliver the most appropriate route advice. It uses information from the traffic light system to dynamically calculate the optimal route. A real-time traffic optimiser also dynamically modifies the duration of green lights, depending on the traffic conditions detected by…

Robot deliveries roll out in Milton Keynes’ centre

March 22, 2020March 22, 2020 IOT

City centre residents and workers in Milton Keynes can now order food and drinks from selected brands and have it delivered to their door by a robot vehicle. Starship has spent the past two years running the robots in other areas of Milton Keynes but this is the first time that robot delivery will be available in the centre. Since April 2018, Starship claims it has made more than 100,000 deliveries across Milton Keynes, with some residents making up to 200 orders per year for goods such as groceries and…

Dubai strikes deal for ‘sky pod’ transit system

March 13, 2020March 7, 2020 IOT

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed an agreement with the UK’s BeemCar Ltd for the development of futuristic ‘sky pods’ built on suspended transport technology for Dubai. The agreement is part of RTA’s efforts to meet the Dubai Self-Driving Transport Strategy, which is targeting 25 per cent of mobility journeys in Dubai to be via autonomous transit by 2030. BeemCar describes its solution as “a cross between a monorail and ski lift”. Each four-seater pod is suspended from a drive unit that sits inside a hollow, lightweight beam.…

Vancouver introduces performance dashboard

March 11, 2020March 7, 2020 IOT

Citizens in Vancouver can now see how the city is performing via a new online dashboard. VanDashboard measures performance against 65 key metrics in six categories of core service delivery, affordability and housing, climate change, economy and finances, equity and social issues and vibrant culture. In a separate announcement, the City of Vancouver is calling on residents and businesses to provide input on 19 proposed actions in its Climate Emergency Action plan. Monitoring key issues The metrics used represent a wide variety of city services provided, as well as monitor…

Uber joins privacy coalition to curb city data collection

March 9, 2020March 7, 2020 IOT

Newly formed CARS says it wants to “set the record straight” about MDS programmes but LADOT called it “a disinformation campaign”. The Communities Against Rider Surveillance (CARS) group, whose members include Uber, the Business Travel Coalition and citizens’ rights advocacy groups, has formed to fight the Mobility Data Specification (MDS). The standard for exchanging data between mobility operators and cities was developed by LA Department of Transportation (LADOT) in 2018, to support city planning and management of micromobility. It is now used by more than 80 cities and public agencies…

City of Fremont launches autonomous shuttle service for employees

March 7, 2020March 7, 2020 IOT

The service, provided by Pony.ai, is part of Fremont’s drive to decrease single-driver commuting and has the potential to expand beyond city employees in the future. Fremont, California, has partnered with autonomous driving start-up Pony.ai to introduce a pilot commuter programme offering rides for a group of city employees. Participating employees will ride in Pony.ai autonomous vehicles from Fremont’s Amtrak/Ace Station to City Hall and Fremont Development Services Centre as part of a shared, on-demand last-mile service. Complex road scenarios Each vehicle is equipped with the start-up’s autonomous driving technology…