The future of fleet and logistics mapping technology
On the 24th October, GeoInt’s CEO, Kamal Ramsingh, hosted a webinar dedicated to TomTom’s newly launched Orbis Maps platform and why it is poised to revolutionise the fleet and logistics industries. Panelists included Ramachandra Kalaga (RC) and Scott Brighty from TomTom, and Jonathan Houston from MapIT,GeoInt Group’s data business and TomTom’s partner in Africa for over 20 years. Below, we capture the highlights of the conversation.
The future of fleet and logistics
As industries continue to evolve, the need for location technology will continue to grow, with no sectors needing technological innovation more so than fleet and logistics. Kamal pointed out that online retail in South Africa is anticipated to grow to a R100bn industry by 2026. This trend alone will have significant implications for fleet and logistics businesses with demand and operational complexity set to grow in parallel.
Africa remains a challenging market for the sector. Relying primarily on road freight, businesses face a raft of challenges including the quality of road infrastructure, road safety, low map coverage and resolution, and last mile delivery access.
TomTom Orbis Maps will play a key role in helping businesses overcome these.
Open map data is here to stay
During the conversation, Ramachandra highlighted how mapping standards have shifted. In years gone by, no one single map provider comprehensively addressed organisations’ map needs. This resulted in fragmented and complex to manage data stacks.
Open map data is addressing these challenges with TomTom Orbis Maps leading the way.
How TomTom Orbis Maps are unique
TomTom Orbis Maps allows for advanced interoperability of map data, revolutionised efficiency and flexibility, and accelerated innovation in the geolocation space.
Harnessing the power of both open and proprietary data, the platform creates a digital representation of the physical world at an unprecedented level of speed and accuracy.
What makes TomTom Orbis Maps different is that its maps are built on a common mapping standard that has been created with the Overture Maps Foundation, of which TomTom is a founding member alongside Amazon, Meta and Microsoft.
TomTom Orbis Maps combines proprietary data that’s validated, fresh and of the highest quality, as well as data sources from the Overture Maps Foundation™, OpenStreetMap (OSM), partner data, sensor derived observations (SDOs), and BYOD integration.
The result of this innovation is advanced interoperability, improved data accuracy, greater coverage and resolution, and heightened flexibility that will contribute to optimised fleet and logistics operations.
Data quality and assurance
Without robust data quality practices in place, even the most advanced industry innovations will be fundamentally hindered. TomTom has designed a range of processes to ensure the accuracy and recency of the data used on the platform. These include rigorous analysis of open data, data validation metrics, integration of proprietary TomTom data to improve quality standards, and a comprehensive set of usability metrics to continuously evaluate data quality.
What TomTom Orbis Maps bring to Africa
Scott believes that TomTom Orbis Maps is well placed to address some of the challenges logistics and fleet businesses face in Africa, with the technology providing full coverage of the continent, empowering last mile logistics, and offering greater map resolution.
Jonathan added to that perspective, explaining that the platform enables users to create interoperable data layers that are specific to the region and build highly customised solutions.
As the landmark African Continental Free Trade Area agreement gains momentum, efficiency and innovation in road freight across the continent is going to be critical for long-term business growth in the sector. TomTom Orbis Maps is well placed to facilitate this.
Take a step into the future.
Open map data is central to the future of geolocation technology. Making the transition to TomTom Orbis Maps is an opportunity to stay at the forefront of the industry and transform your organisation.
Whether shifting from another mapping technology or your existing TomTom solution, MapIT has built a centre of excellence dedicated to making this transition seamless.
Contact Jonathan Houston, MapIT’s General Manager at jonathan@mapit.co.za to discuss how TomTom Orbis Maps can revolutionise your organisation.
If you missed the webinar, watch it on our YouTube channel here.
