The mapping industry is evolving as new companies enter the digital location intelligence market. The industry is growing rapidly as maps have become an integral part of the daily lives of consumers, citizens, governments and businesses.
New players with smart technology are launching clever features to take on established giants like Google and Apple. Mobility company Ola has rolled out its own maps for electric vehicles (EVs) in India. Ola is moving away from Google Maps and will rely on its own location intelligence, company founder Bhavish Aggarwal announced last week. Companies such as Genesys and MapmyIndia are growing rapidly in the digital maps and location business. Genesys' location intelligence services have become a key input into business decisions, personal activities and planning policies. According to a Future Market Insights report, the location intelligence market will grow from $21 billion to more than $82 billion by 2033.
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“Advanced location analytics tools go beyond basic mapping and add various filters to successfully categorize data. These features help businesses observe consumer density in any area along with age, gender and dimension filters. Location analytics systems also help businesses make forecasts and projections and optimize sales channels,” the report states. IBM describes location intelligence as a way to gain insights from geospatial data. These insights help identify patterns, make predictions and understand location-specific questions in real time.
The mobility sector is a leading user of location intelligence and digital maps. But other sectors such as logistics, e-commerce and retail are also increasingly dependent on location intelligence. EV manufacturers can use smart mapping solutions to plan charging stations. Retailers can plan stores by tracking foot traffic and population in nearby areas.
City management and planning will be improved by location intelligence, where policymakers use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict citizen behavior. With widespread 5G connectivity, activity data will be generated in real time. Location intelligence and digital maps use AI to track, understand, and interpret data almost instantly for a variety of uses. According to geospatial services company ESRI, location-specific data such as demographics, traffic, environment, economy, and weather can be overlaid on a smart map or dashboard to provide unique insights. According to ESRI, business leaders use location intelligence to better understand where and why things are happening and plan what to do next. According to IBM, location intelligence data comes from several technologies, including satellites, drones, remote sensing, and sensors powered by the Internet of Things. The ever-increasing use of connected devices is steadily creating vast amounts of geographic information for location intelligence platforms.
Many new uses for location intelligence are emerging: ESRI created a digital twin of the UK to help telecommunications company Vodafone plan signal availability for its mobile towers and network.
According to ESRI, the digital twin, which represents an area of 245,000 square kilometers, was created using geographic information system (GIS) technology. It will allow Vodafone to track developments such as new housing, shopping centers and sports facilities. This will enable Vodafone to provide stronger signals in places where demand is growing. As the location intelligence industry matures, the creation of such digital twins of countries and cities will spread to other parts of the world. Genesys has partnered with national mapping agency Survey of India to create digital twins of cities.
As location activity and digital maps generate more data, security and protection issues also increase. Mapping and location intelligence companies will need to incorporate multiple new layers of security while protecting information about users. People and products moving through connected devices such as vehicles and wearables will revolutionize the digital mapping industry.
