Hexagon is making inroads into the connected world in a big way. This was quite evident in HxGN Live when Ola Rollen mentioned Xalt in his keynote, which is a digital solution for fast-tracking a customer’s ability to harness IoT data. It is not only limited to IoT but also includes all the buzzwords of the geospatial industry — AI, machine learning, edge computing, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, the Cloud plus, etc. Is there any full form or explanation for Xalt?
It also includes new trends like smart construction, smart autonomous fleets and smart factories. Rollen claimed Hexagon is already implementing Xalt in a number of factory settings.
Hexagon’s foray into the connected world is in line with Rollen’s vision — he has been emphasizing on connected world and digital twin for some years now.
“In the next three to five years, advances in sensors will enable Autonomous X, systems that will enable to understand and respond better to every change in the environment, and to engage in a broader variety of tasks. Computing will be pushed to the edge of the network, and connect with the Cloud to exchange information and learn collectively,” Rollen had said in a recent opinion piece on Geospatial World.
Rollen believes that a Smart Digital Reality is much bigger than the digital twin and the Fourth Industrial Revolution driven by the Industrial IoT. Geospatial technologies are key to achieving a Smart Digital Reality, and expects the Smart Digital Reality to become a reality, and populations to be safer, products better and the businesses that adopt these new capabilities to have a competitive advantage. “Along with these breakthroughs, there will be winners and losers. Those companies and governments that engage, adopt and adapt most quickly will excel and those who will fall behind may disappear,” he told us recently.
Hexagon’s autonomous ventures
Working in sync with his Rollen’s vision, Hexagon recently acquired AutonomouStuff. This will accelerate Hexagon’s ability to move our customers beyond the data impasse of IoT. The acquisition also creates a nexus of domain expertise that will lead the autonomous mobility industry for years to come.
In his keynote at HxGN Live Rollen also said he sees coming lots of autonomous “stuff” and he wants Hexagon to be a leader in this transformation.
Another project that the company has recently taken up is Hexagon’s Positioning Intelligence division has successfully deployed TerraStar X Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) correction technology, which enables instant lane-level accuracy, ideal for autonomous automotive planning programs. In partnership with Ligado Networks.
The company has also recently announced the acquisition of SPRING Technologies, a software provider specialising in integrated solutions for optimizing the machining workflow through machine tool simulation, toolpath verification and optimization, and machine tool management. Its solutions are in use at major OEMs and suppliers worldwide, helping streamline the manufacturing process through the optimisation of machine tool performance and productivity.
