Organizations today are collecting data at every business level and in volumes that in the past were unimaginable. Businesses are now focusing on the spatial component of this data – where products are advertised, shipped, consumed, and even where the product inventories age on the shelves over time. The integration of spatial analysis and business intelligence is helping companies make more informed decisions.
Location intelligence is becoming essential for obtaining accurate and actionable insight because there is a significant geographic dimension to every business transaction. Location intelligence is providing businesses with a competitive advantage that is made possible through the Internet of Things (IoT).
Using IoT, businesses can access real-time data feeds to fuel analysis. By connecting directly to the data, organizations are empowered to visualize and analyze the extent of the information stored about the object. This not only shows what has occurred over time but also allows users to spot trends and relationships that are not always apparent in a spreadsheet.
Engage Real-Time Situational Awareness
Sensors are measuring the world with unprecedented detail and accuracy – not only from space, air, and street-level but also from indoor locations. With the rise of IoT, there is an overabundance of big data accessible from an increasing array of sensors. By bringing IoT and location intelligence onto a common platform, we can solve common problems with smarter solutions.
In smart cities, a network of sensors, cameras, wireless devices, and data centers form key infrastructure. This system allows civic authorities to provide essential services more quickly and efficiently. By measuring the pulse of smart cities, these real-time location data offer new insights into how the cities are functioning in real time. They become invaluable resources to support informed and intelligent decision making.
As IoT-enabled products infiltrate the market, embedded software and device interconnectivity are blurring the line between the physical and digital worlds.
Enter a Smart Digital Reality
As an enabler of geospatial advancements, Hexagon’s Geospatial division plays an active role in facilitating this rapid fusion of the physical and the digital. By bridging the divide between these worlds, we are turning Digital Reality into Smart Digital Reality and enabling the dynamic use cases of tomorrow’s smart sites, smart cities, and smart nations.
Propelled by the acquisition of Luciad in 2017, Hexagon’s Geospatial division now offers critical visualization technologies that support live connections to dynamic sensor feeds in a 3D environment. Taking 2D and 3D information, this technology adds 4D through connections to live sensor feeds as they monitor moving objects, then adds 5D through real-time visualization and analysis of the sensor data to immediately calculate and deliver information. The result is a 5D digital reality – real-time, rapid fusion of multi-source content and the ability to perform analytics on-the-fly.
Move Towards Smart Change
Predictive analytics are already changing the landscape across retail, manufacturing, utilities, and government entities. Location intelligence and IoT can identify where disruptions are likely to occur and empower organizations to act in advance. These technologies will be used to build more powerful, personalized, and safer experiences. As data analytics become more autonomous and predictive, the Geospatial division will continue to push analytics to the Edge of the Cloud to best support the expanding stream of data from sensors. There, users can also intelligently analyze and process from the data stream source.
Organizations from various industries, both public and private, will likely continue to use IoT and location intelligence to increase their value by operating more efficiently, making smarter decisions, and delivering successful customer service experiences. Advancements in IoT enable businesses to make decisions from increasingly intelligent and automated processes. Hexagon’s vision is to embrace these advancements and offer solutions that foster smart change.
Note: This is a guest blog by Atanu Sinha, Vice President, South Asia – Hexagon Geospatial
