Collection and analysis of data has become crucial to create a greener, connected future
As we progress towards the future, we have different ideas of how technological innovation will revolutionise our lives. Indeed, if you grew up in the seventies, you probably remember that we all expected to be wearing largely anonymous all-white uniforms by now, but progress is subtler than that. While touch screens and smartphones, also once the realm of science fiction, have become part of our everyday reality, the true backbone of technological innovation lies hidden, seamlessly embedded into the infrastructure. It’s the rise of smart communities.
We are now looking at a short-to-medium term revolution that will integrate sensors and artificial intelligence into our daily lives: not just assisted and/or self-driving vehicles, domotics and other intelligent services, but a big data revolution that will transform our very lifestyles and standards, including agriculture, environmental protection and sustainability. As Klaus Schwab, Founder of the World Economic Forum, recently put it: “We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another … In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before.”
Cities, today, are gradually adopting smart solutions such as intelligent parking lots, traffic lights that divert traffic to less congested routes and automatically adjusting public illumination systems. Soon enough, not only our houses, but entire communities will follow suite. Indeed, new smart communities are being created that are increasingly self-sufficient in terms of food production, energy generation and waste recycling. And it’s all based on sensors, the collection of information and data processing.
Octo Telematics has an invaluable experience in this field. For over 14 years, Octo has collected 127 billion miles of driving data, analysed 340,000 crashes and has today 4.4 million connected users*. Now, Octo is gradually looking to expand from its core business with worldwide insurance partners, vehicle manufacturers and rental companies to new business areas.
In this context, Octo has recently turned to the world of agriculture and collaborated on the launch of InPulse, an integrated telematics solution that brings the advantages of Octo safety, energy consumption and cost management solutions and opportunities to off-highway vehicles (agriculture, construction, mining, etc.) providing greater safety and security and vehicle operation, maintenance and other insight to insurers and fleet managers. Launched at Bauma 2016, the world’s leading trade fair for the construction machinery and mining industry, InPulse will enable the collection of data, detailed analysis and immediate feedback on the operation of a new class of vehicles.
Edwin Maria Colella, Octo Telematics Vice President for Special Customer Projects, points out how “Octo’s ability to collect and analyse telematics data is applicable to a wide range of sectors and we’re committed to innovating new services for the benefit of the other industries. We have been able to produce a unique and innovative telematics solution to the management of off-highway vehicles, driven by the need for cost optimization and the constant pursuit of technological innovation that a market like this requires.”
As the Internet of Things continues to expand, so will the number of sensor-based devices that collect information on every aspect of our daily lives. The analysis of this growing ocean of data will allow smart vehicles, communities and cities to become increasingly user-friendly, safer, greener and environmentally sound.
*Octo data, updated 30/06/2016
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