Modus and ATrack Announce Partnership to Bring Insurance Telematics Solutions to Asia

New Technologies Bring Promise of Safer Roads to World’s Fastest Growing Vehicle Markets.
Modus, a world leading end-to-end insurance telematics solution provider and ATrack Technology Inc., a world-class manufacturer of GPS Vehicle Telematics Devices, today announced a new partnership to bring Modus’ innovative suite of insurance telematics solutions to insurance providers and their customers throughout Asia.
According to a 2011 report published by Ward’s Auto World, worldwide vehicle population surpassed one billion in 2010 with countries in Asia, namely China and India, setting the pace for growth. In fact, in 2010 China’s vehicle registrations increased by 27.5%, accounting for nearly half that year’s global increase and moving China to #2 on the world’s most populated vehicle market, surpassing Japan and coming in behind the United States as reported by Ward’s.
Modus and its global partners like ATrack is changing the dynamics of the automobile insurance marketplace by enabling insurers, businesses and consumers alike to access and manage actual usage data emanating from cars, busses and trucks. The result is the potential to improve driver safety while providing real-time feedback to fleet managers, insurers and family on key driver and automobile metrics like speed and braking.
Brandon Johnson, CEO of Modus, said:
“The vehicle boom being experienced across Asia poses a great opportunity and significant challenge for insurance telematics.”
“ATrack’s location, engineering expertise, and commitment to customer support have helped us to develop new markets in Asia quickly and with the flexibility needed to address the unique and diverse needs of local markets.”
Fully deployed insurance telematics solutions, such as those being implemented by Modus in the United States and elsewhere, require a vast array of device, network and data management distributed across large geographies. The Modus and ATrack partnership promises to replicate this success across Asia through the combination of on-board vehicle devices, cellular connectivity and end-to-end data collection, analytics and management.
“Insurance telematics offers many new opportunities within Asia,” said Frank Tang, CEO of ATrack.
“The combination of ATrack engineering expertise and the Modus insurance telematics solution will allow insurance companies to take advantage of the powerful insights gained by tracking vehicles and driving behavior across millions of vehicles.”
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Axeda and Intel Develop Internet of Things Solutions for Industrial, Energy & Transportation Industries

Axeda Go Developer Kit Now Available for Intel Quark Lower-Power, Extended Temp Product Line.
Axeda, the leading cloud-based service and software for connecting, building and managing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, today announced a technology alliance with Intel® that utilizes the unique advantages of the Intel® Quark™ SoC X1000 Series processors to help rapidly evolve IoT solutions for the industrial, energy & transportation industries. The collaboration includes Axeda Ready certification of the Intel® Galileo development board and Intel Quark SoC X1000 Series processor to ensure compatibility with the Axeda Machine Cloud.
Axeda and Intel have also developed an Axeda Go developer kit for connecting an Intel Galileo development board to the Axeda Machine Cloud, provisioning the device on the Axeda Machine Cloud developer site, and installing the Axeda Agent code into a Galileo workspace. The Intel® Galileo board is based on the Intel® Quark™ SoC X1000, a 32-bit Intel Pentium®-class system on a chip (SoC) and is software-compatible with the Arduino Software Development Environment. In addition, the board has several industry standard I/O ports including a full sized mini-PCI Express slot, 100Mb Ethernet port, Micro-SD slot, RS-232 serial port, USB Host port, and USB Client Port. By allowing the Intel Quark SoC X1000 Series processors to quickly and easily integrate with the Axeda Machine Cloud, the Axeda Ready and Axeda Go programs extend the reach of the IoT, broaden options available to customers, and reduce the cost and complexity of connecting and developing intelligent products.
Uniquely Suited for Industrial, Energy & Transportation Industries
As the industrial IoT becomes more advanced and connected, the industrial, energy and transportation sectors need solutions with more processing power at the edge and that are robust, reliable and offer extended temperature and low power. The Intel Quark SoC X1000 Series extends the company’s reach into these markets. The Quark product family features error-correcting code (ECC), industrial temperature range and integrated security. ECC delivers a high level of data integrity, reliability and system uptime for equipment required to run at all times, while industrial temperature range helps meet the requirements for industrial control and automation applications. The Intel Quark processor core is a 32-bit, single core, single-thread, Intel® Pentium® instruction set architecture (ISA) compatible CPU operating at speeds up to 400MHz.
Todd DeSisto, Axeda President and CEO, said:
“The Internet of Things is enabling and accelerating new services and capabilities, and Intel’s vision to push into lower power regimes, combined with high temp capabilities is a game-changer for industrial, energy and transportation. By enabling Intel processor and communication technology to seamlessly work with the Axeda Machine Cloud, we are offering entirely new building blocks for IoT delivery.”
“The impact of the IoT in transportation, energy and industry is undeniable, but its promise will only be realized when industry leaders enable customers to turn the vision into reality,” said Kumar Balasubramanian, general manager, IoT Solutions Group, Intel. “Our work with Axeda will enable broader adoption and is ideally suited for the industrial, energy and transportation sectors.”
Innovative Products for Rapidly Evolving Markets
Organizations need more innovative ways to harness ever-increasing amounts of data from the physical world and use it to drive smarter decisions, enable new services and business models, and reduce costs. In some industries, the costs of offering, managing, and covering recalls and warranties are significant. Axeda customers are using data from connected products to reduce these costs and automate tasks such as product registration, usage reporting, and claim management.
Companies are also connecting their more intelligent products to analyze machine data and enable predictive maintenance. They are implementing business rules, alarms and alerts at the edge and in their enterprise business systems to automate field service, spare part deployment and other maintenance tasks. Machines are being designed with more processing power and being instrumented with temperature, infrared, acoustic, vibration, battery-level and sound sensors to optimize performance and monitor conditions that can be early indicators for the need for maintenance. These sensors are inputs into sophisticated rules for predicting service needs and illustrate the need for more processing power at the edge where the data is being collected.
For more information about the Axeda solution for the Intel® Quark™ SoC X1000, go to www.axeda.com/go-intel
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Eurotech Everyware Software Framework Overlay to Intel Internet of Things Software Stack

Standards-based ESF complements and expands capabilities of Intel software stack for enterprises with OSGI and Oracle Java environment.
Eurotech, a leading supplier of embedded technologies, products and systems, today announces it has completed validation of the Everyware Software Framework (ESF) for the Intel® Gateway Solutions for Internet of Things (IoT). Eurotech’s ESF creates a Java-based IoT software stack for enterprises choosing that development environment.
Waterous, the global leading fire pump and water delivery manufacturer, recognizes the value of connecting smart distributed devices to run fire-fighting systems most effectively.
“Eurotech’s hardware and software build upon Intel technology to create the full solution that we need to develop intuitive and exacting solutions for fire-fighters,” explains William L. Smith, President and CEO, Waterous.
“When we are able to take pre-integrated solutions and fit them quickly into our Java environment, our team can create the precise product and service offerings using proven tools from world-class companies.”
With Intel Gateway Solutions for IoT, using ESF deployed on the edge of enterprise device and sensor networks, device and data management functions are accessible through open, standards-based solutions for maximum flexibility in IoT and machine to machine (M2M) services. ESF enables extended connectivity options, support for numerous field protocols like CANBUS, Modbus, and other industry-specific protocols, advanced device configuration management, and multiple M2M integration platform connectors.
“Intel’s focus on IoT aligns perfectly with Eurotech’s vision for this space,” said Robert Andres, CMO, Eurotech.
“As our companies work together to offer integrated software solutions for IoT gateways, enterprises are the real beneficiaries with a speedy deployment time and more flexible options for hardware platforms, programming languages, and network connectivity. These benefits bring companies new revenues as quickly as possible while keeping options open for future growth and expansion.”
Kumar Balasubramanian, general manager, IoT Solutions Group, Intel, said:
“Eurotech, a long-time member of Intel’s Intelligent Systems Alliance, has worked with Intel on complete solutions for IoT gateways, which translates to software solutions on top of rugged hardware for connectivity, manageability and security of IoT networks.”
“Intel has put significant resources into enabling an IoT ecosystem and working with Eurotech helps us extend our offering to meet market demand and enable exciting new IoT applications and services.”
ESF provides a cost-effective, flexible and IT- oriented device application framework to build the new generation of connected, smart devices and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. ESF provides complete device abstraction that is consistent across all hardware interfaces including serial ports, USB ports, Ethernet, Wifi, GPS, cellular modems, Watchdog, CAN port, digital and analog I/Os and others. ESF is designed to separate applications from the hardware underneath, and to easily leverage software developments across different hardware architectures, generations and devices. ESF operates on several Intel-based gateways from Eurotech, including those built on Intel Atom as well as Intel Quark technology. These gateways include the ReliaGATE product portfolio as well as a reference design for transportation created by Eurotech using Intel Quark technology.
Coupled with the Eurotech ReliaGATE family of multiservice gateways and Eurotech’s Everyware Cloud IoT/M2M integration platform, ESF helps companies focus on their core competencies with instant M2M platform connectivity and a fast time to market for IoT services and applications. For more information, visit http://www.eurotech.com/esf.
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Libelium Grows its Distribution Network in Asia Pacific, Europe, and the U.S.

IoT market moves from pilots to full-scale projects requiring local support worldwide.
At the EE Live! Conference today, Libelium confirmed the expansion of its distribution network to VARs in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America to meet the strong demand for IoT applications in agriculture, environmental control, Smart Cities and Smart Water.
Libelium’s local distributors in the U.S., Australia, China, Germany, New Zealand and South Korea will sell and deploy IoT solutions based on Libelium’s Waspmote wireless sensor platform. Asia Pacific includes some of the world’s fastest growing urban areas: Navigant Research forecasts that annual Smart City investment in Asia Pacific will quadruple by 2023, to reach $11.3 billion. Similarly, market momentum in Europe and North America is strong for precision agriculture and Smart Cities projects now progressing from pilot to full-scale rollout. Libelium has opened a U.S. office to support customers in these markets.
Libelium Distributor Network: www.libelium.com/contact/#distributors
Javier Martinez, Libelium Vice President, Business Development, said:
“Currently, 80 percent of Libelium’s revenues come from export, with our wireless sensor network technology deployed in agriculture and Smart City projects that require local partners.”
“Many cities in developing and developed countries are adopting sensor solutions to reduce energy use, monitor environmental conditions, optimize mobility, and to improve infrastructure for the future.”
Libelium is poised to expand its global distribution network on five continents in 2014, with special interest for VARs in LATAM and the Middle East. To locate or propose a distributor, please contact: commercial@libelium.com.
Libelium Distributors / VARs

Australia/New Zealand: M2M Connectivity provides distribution and technical support for wireless M2M products and technologies including cellular (LTE/3G/GSM), satellite (Iridium/Inmarsat/Globalstar), industrial short-range wireless (Bluetooth, WLAN, ZigBee) and modems, modules and accessories. www.m2mconnectivity.com.au
China: PuTianTongDa Technologies (PUTD), a network equipment supplier and services company located in Beijing, serves customers in the areas of environmental protection, meteorological monitoring, petrochemical, power transmission, transportation and water conservation. www.putd.com
Europe: EXP GmbH – Germany
EXP-Tech is one of the largest DIY online shops in Europe. www.exp-tech.de
North America: Premier Wireless Solutions (PWS) is a value-added distributor and solutions provider offering a full spectrum of RF technologies, systems integration services, testing & certification, and cellular data plans. www.pwsstore.com
South Korea: Founded in 2012, IREXNET is active in three key business areas: network integration, solution integration, and IoT products. www.irexnet.co.kr
Worldwide: The online DIY retail store Cooking Hacks serves developers, designers, engineers, inventors, and makers for projects with sensors, robotics, actuators, Arduino and Raspberry Pi. Creators of the Arduino Xbee shield, among other add-ons, Cooking Hacks began selling Waspmote OEM worldwide in September 2012. www.cooking-hacks.com

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Never loosing luggage again thanks to ‘Connected’ suitcases

An easier luggage process and less stress for the passenger thanks to two smart innovations on basis of M2M technology.
KPN, Fast Track Company and Air France/KLM/Delta Airlines are working on two innovations for easier tracking and tracing of luggage.
With M2M technology the position of just about every piece of luggage can be determined, anywhere in the world and at any time. From this basis, KPN, FastTrack Company and Air France/KLM/Delta Airlines started to make M2M applicable for the luggage processes in aviation. The results are eTrack and eTag, two applications that can be used both combined and separately.
eTrack: Always know where luggage is
eTrack is a compact device that a passenger can put in his suitcase or travel bag and that continuously tracks its location via GPS and GSM. With a special eTrack app, one can track the luggage piece accurately, wherever in the world. eTrack uses the patented Auto Flight Mode, that meets all international rules for the use of GSM and radio signals on board of airplanes.
Also, eTrack helps to prevent theft, by connecting the luggage piece to the owner’s smartphone via Bluetooth. As soon as the owner and the luggage are a certain distance away from each other – a distance set by the owner -, the alarm sounds on the smartphone. Besides, with eTrack it is very easy to check whether a luggage piece has been opened between check-in and baggage claim.
eTag: faster luggage process
eTag is an electronic luggage tag with two e-ink displays that can already be provided with the right barcode with flight information during online check-in. With this, the passenger arranges his boarding pass and luggage tag. This adds to the swiftness and efficiency of the luggage process and reduces waiting at the luggage drop-off. The traveler inscribes eTag with his eTrack, or directly from his eTrack app via Bluetooth.
Also, the passenger and flight information is being stored on the built-in RFID-chip. Last mentioned technology is on the increase in aviation as a track and trace application in the luggage process.
Air France/KLM/Delta Airlines, Fast Track Company and KPN expect to introduce eTag and eTrack this autumn. Samsonite will integrate the eTag and the eTrack in a limited edition suitcase.
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Maintenance Analytics to Generate $24.7 Billion in 2019, Driven by Predictive Maintenance and Internet of Things

ABI Research forecasts that revenues from maintenance analytics will total $9.1 billion this year.
Following a CAGR of 22%, the market’s size will reach $24.7 billion in 2019, driven largely by adoption of predictive analytics and M2M connectivity. While the more advanced forms of maintenance, predictive and prescriptive, still account for just 23% of this year’s market, at the end of the forecasting period they will collectively represent 60% of all revenues.
Senior analyst Aapo Markkanen comments:
“Today, predictive maintenance is one of the commercially readiest forms of M2M and IoT analytics, possibly second only to usage-based insurance. It helps asset-intensive organizations transform their maintenance operations and eliminate waste, reducing costly downtime. Infrastructure, vehicles, and industrial equipment can all benefit from it.”
Predictive maintenance is being championed by likes of GE, Bosch, plus other large and increasingly software-centric manufacturers, but its key enablers are the technology suppliers that allow customers to employ similar approaches regardless of their OEMs. In the latter group, one can find horizontal analytic vendors of various sizes, ranging from BI giants (SAP, IBM) to agile and fast-moving start-ups (RapidMiner, Blue Yonder). Predikto and Mtell, meanwhile, are examples of vendors specializing in predictive maintenance in certain verticals. Finally, maintenance represents an opportunity for many M2M players to add value to their offerings.
Practice director Dan Shey envisions:
“Analytics is where much of the money in IoT will be ultimately made. This means that application platforms like Axeda, ILS Technology, ThingWorx and Xively need to facilitate big data if they want to gain a competitive edge. Mnubo and MachineShop, two recent designed-for-analytics start-ups, will make an interesting comparison on that front. Besides the platforms, some of the IoT-savvier telcos – AT&T and Telefonica, for example – could possibly leverage analytics to move up the stack.”

These findings are from ABI Research’s “Predictive Maintenance Solutions and Strategies” study, which is part of the firm’s M2M Service Delivery Platforms and Internet of Everything Research Services.
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Panasonic Develops Industry-First Multi-Mode Wireless Communication Technology for M2M Sensor Networks

Panasonic Corporation today announced that it has developed a new wireless communication technology for M2M (Machine-to-Machine) sensor networks[1], where devices communicate with each other in an autonomous way without human intervention.
This technology is based on a single chip of LSI that can simultaneously detect multiple wireless communication standards, which differ from one country to another or in the target applications. Multiple communication modes are integrated by sharing the software of same functions and reducing the amount of signal processing in microcomputer. As a result, engineers can design and develop wireless modules that are small but can operate for an extended period of time. The newly-developed technology makes it easier to connect disparate devices and helps accelerate the spread of wireless sensor networks[2], contributing to achieving a society with a safe, secure, convenient and comfortable living environment.
Currently, different modes of wireless communication are used in different countries and regions for connecting devices to sensor networks. The new multi-mode wireless communication technology integrates multiple receiver circuits required for each individual wireless mode into a single one, enabling devices to be connected easily and stably each other regardless of operation frequencies and wireless standards. With a smaller area, the same as the receiving part of conventional single-mode wireless chip, multi-mode wireless LSI can support up to three different wireless modes at a time. The new LSI helps create a small and power-saving wireless module that will continue to operate for around 20 years on the battery.*2
The new technology has the following features.

1. Ability to be used in various devices and/or machines, independent of wireless standards and operation frequencies.
2. Reduction in the receiver power consumption of the whole module by 55% (compared with Panasonic’s existing products) that enables 20-year battery operation¹.
3. A small multi-mode wireless LSI having the same size as a conventional single-mode one, enabling downsizing of wireless modules.

This multi-mode wireless communication technology includes the following technologies.

1. Multi-mode technology that reduces both power consumption and memory capacity requirement based on frequency detection by hardware and unified control by common software for multiple wireless operation modes.
2. Receiver power reducing technology that enables 20-year battery operation while supporting multiple wireless modes, which is achieved by intelligently controlling voltage supplies and generating high rate internal clocks from low rate clocks to minimize circuit current.
3. Wireless LSI miniaturizing technology which reduces the size of coils in oscillator circuits and eliminates filters used in analog-to-digital converters.
Panasonic holds 26 Japanese patents and 19 overseas patents (including pending) related to this technology.

Development of this technology was supported in part by the “Research and Development for Expansion of Radio Spectrum Resources” program of The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan. A field test starts today at The ICT Incubation Laboratory in Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo.

Notes:
¹: When used in a smart meter or HEMS child device and receives and transmits information every 30 seconds using a 1200mAh industrial-use lithium-ion battery.
Technical Terms:
[1] M2M (Machine to Machine) sensor network: A network where devices in it communicate with each other without human intervention. The devices may send information, make control and provide services to each other automatically.
[2] Wireless sensor network: A wireless system where various sensor data are transmitted through wireless communications. The sensor data may include temperature, humidity, brightness and power consumption at home.

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Swedish M2M Service Enablers (SMSE) grows bigger and stronger with Yanzi and Ericsson

The Swedish M2M Service Enablers alliance welcomes Yanzi Networks as new member. Yanzi was founded 2008 and their key market applications include remote site management, smart lighting, smart & secure home and smart cities.
Swedish M2M Service Enablers was founded in March 2012 to educate the market of the importance of M2M Service Enablement, to promote Sweden as the place to look for M2M solutions and to promote the members of the alliance in Sweden and abroad. With today’s expansion the SMSE alliance has 25 members.
Sponsors to SMSE play an important role adding weight and pondus to the efforts. “It is with great pleasure we announce that Ericsson becomes a sponsor to SMSE”, says Mr Magnus Melander, Founder of SMSE.
“Companies involved in building the Internet of Everything can’t work alone and the need for these partnerships is communicated loud and clear by Ericsson’s support to our alliance.”
The message promoted by SMSE is that M2M Service Enablement is the key to a prospering M2M or IoT industry and that Service Enablers need to be specialized in the increasingly competitive and international market.
Sweden’s strong position in developing and using the Internet of Things is well known and continuously underlined. A recent good example is the Internet of Things part of the EIT ICT Idea Challenge within EU which is hosted in Sweden.
After the most recent expansion the alliance has 25 members and seven sponsors.
Members: Kombridge, Info24, Possio, Maingate, Crossbreed, Springworks, Episcope, Tritech, Infracontrol, Fridat, Vinnter, WSI, CSL Connect, Connode, Evothings, CNet, B3IT, FYM, Imagimob, Expektra, H&D Wireless, Combain, Shortcut Labs, Yanzi Networks, Wbird
Sponsors of Swedish M2M Service Enablers: Net1, Tele2, Telenor Connexion, TeliaSonera, Business Sweden, Ericsson, Swedish Mobile Association (SMA)
For more information visit www.swedishm2m.se
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AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel Form Industrial Internet Consortium to Improve Integration of the Physical and Digital Worlds

Technology leaders drive industry ecosystem to accelerate more reliable access to big data to unlock business value.
++ Identify requirements for open interoperability standards and define common architectures to connect smart devices, machines, people, processes and data.
++ Open membership for any public or private business, organization or entity interested in driving global market development for the Industrial Internet.
AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel today announce the formation of the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), an open membership group focused on breaking down the barriers of technology silos to support better access to big data with improved integration of the physical and digital worlds. The consortium will enable organizations to more easily connect and optimize assets, operations and data to drive agility and to unlock business value across all industrial sectors.
An ecosystem of companies, researchers and public agencies is emerging to help drive adoption of Industrial Internet applications, a foundational element for accelerating the Internet of Things. The IIC is a newly formed not-for-profit group with an open membership that will take the lead in establishing interoperability across various industrial environments for a more connected world. Specifically, the IIC’s charter will be to encourage innovation by:

Utilizing existing and creating new industry use cases and test beds for real-world applications;
Delivering best practices, reference architectures, case studies, and standards requirements to ease deployment of connected technologies;
Influencing the global standards development process for Internet and industrial systems;
Facilitating open forums to share and exchange real-world ideas, practices, lessons, and insights;
Building confidence around new and innovative approaches to security.

“We are at the precipice of a major technological shift at the intersection of the cyber and physical worlds, one with broad implications that will lead to substantial benefits, not just for any one organization, but for humanity,” said Janos Sztipanovits, E. Bronson Ingram Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Director of the Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS), Vanderbilt University.
“Academia and industry understand the need to identify and establish new foundations, common frameworks and standards for the Industrial Internet, and are looking to the IIC to ensure that these efforts come together into a cohesive whole.”
As founding members, AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel will each hold permanent seats on an elected IIC Steering Committee along with four other elected members. The Steering Committee will provide leadership and governance to help organizations capitalize on this vast opportunity.
Given the importance of this technology, the federal government is investing over $100 million/year in R&D related to cyberphysical systems, and has been partnering with the private sector on a series of testbeds in areas such as healthcare, transportation, smart cities, and increasing the security of the electric grid.
“By linking physical objects to the full power of cyberspace, the Industrial Internet promises to dramatically reshape how people interact with technology,” said Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “The Administration looks forward to working with public-private collaborations like the new IIC to turn innovative Industrial Internet products and systems into new jobs in smart manufacturing, health care, transportation and other areas.”
The IIC is open to any business, organization or entity with an interest in accelerating the Industrial Internet. In addition to gaining an immediate, visible platform for their opinions, consortium members will join in developing critical relationships with leaders in technology, manufacturing, academia and the government on working committees. The IIC will be managed by Object Management Group (OMG), a nonprofit trade association in Boston, MA. The fee structure and membership application forms are available at www.iiconsortium.org.
Mike Troiano, vice president, Advanced Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions said:
“The Industrial Internet builds upon AT&T’s vision of enabling people to operate anything remotely, anytime and virtually anywhere. The IIC is an assembly of the world’s leading technology innovators working to mobilize devices and machines around the world, whether they’re in an office building or on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Together, we share a common goal of building a more connected world.”
Guido Jouret, vice president of Internet of Things Business Group for Cisco, said:
“Ninety-nine percent of everything is still unconnected. As the world looks to connect more things over the Internet, it is creating the next industrial revolution. Cisco is collaborating with Industry leading companies to break through the barriers of connecting things in industrial environments safely and securely, and paving the way for the Internet of Things.”
“As leaders we have come together to drive the ecosystem and market development of Industrial Internet applications and ensure organizations around the world can more easily create better services, access better data, and most importantly, seamlessly connect all the pieces together,” said Bill Ruh, vice president, GE Global Software. “The IIC has been established to achieve this goal through the creation of common architectures and use cases that will enable businesses in aviation, transportation, healthcare or energy to ‘plug-and-play’ Industrial Internet technologies anywhere, anytime.”
Ron Ambrosio, Distinguished Engineer & CTO, Smarter Energy Research, IBM, said:
“IBM’s vision of a Smarter Planet is being realized as we connect more of the physical world with the Internet, pairing the Internet of Things with advances in analytics, mobile and cloud computing in ways that lead to new insights and efficiencies that can be harnessed for competitive advantage. Smarter cities, utility grids, buildings, and machines are becoming more instrumented, interconnected and intelligent, and through this consortium we will accelerate both innovation and technology advancement.”
“The IIC aligns well with Intel’s vision for the Internet of Things which centers around accelerating business transformation through a robust end to end IoT solution, connecting both existing systems and new systems into a secure infrastructure,” said Ton Steenman, vice president, IoT Solutions Group, Intel. “Enabling IoT scale requires an open solutions architecture facilitated by standards and a strong ecosystem. The IIC will help accelerate the momentum and make the Internet of Things a reality more quickly.”
“The Industrial Internet is ushering in a new era of explosive industry growth and innovation, unlike anything we’ve seen in decades,” said Dr. Richard Soley, executive director, Industrial Internet Consortium and Chairman and CEO of the Object Management Group. “OMG has spearheaded technological developments that have – and will continue to – enable the Industrial Internet. We are applying our 25 years of experience to the IIC to set the groundwork for the technological revolution to come.”
“The Industrial Internet Consortium provides an outstanding vehicle for transitioning into practice the foundational research that the National Science Foundation has long supported through investments in cyber-physical systems (CPS),” said Farnam Jahanian, assistant director of the National Science Foundation for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. “We believe adoption by the private sector of fundamental CPS advances is an important part of the R&D innovation ecosystem.”
Visit www.iiconsortium.org for more information.
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Trax personal tracker integrates u-blox GNSS and cellular technologies

World’s smallest tracking device locates children and pets both outdoors and inside.
Swedish WTS (“Wonder Technology Solutions”) has launched Trax, the world’s smallest and smartest personal tracking device for children and pets. Based on a u-blox GNSS receiver module with integrated antenna and cellular module, the tiny tracker can be located anywhere, anytime via a free Android or iPhone mobile phone app.
In addition to real time tracking, Trax provides flexible geofence alerts, and can even monitor how fast your teenager is driving. It also works indoors thanks to a proprietary dead reckoning algorithm that delivers a position even when satellites are out of sight. Accurate down to 1.5 meters, the robust, water resistant device also provides an “augmented reality” mode that helps users locate their trackers using a Smartphone’s built-in camera view.
To achieve the smallest possible size, Trax takes advantage of u-blox’ CAM-M8Q GNSS receiver module which has a built-in antenna. CAM-M8Q (“Chip Antenna Module”) provides both small size (9.6 x 14.0 x 1.95 mm) and multi-GNSS capability. It is based on a u-blox M8 chip and includes an integrated chip antenna plus SAW filter, LNA, TCXO, RTC crystal and passives. The surface-mount module is also extremely low in height making very thin customer designs possible.
Fredrik Danelius, Managing Director at WTS said:
“Trax is the world’s smallest and most versatile personal tracking device available, packed with features designed to provide peace of mind to parents and pet owners almost anywhere in the world.”
“By combining the leading GNSS and cellular technologies from u blox, we have designed a tiny, reliable, low-cost device that protects our most valuable family members: children and pets.”
Trax comes with an integrated SIM-card and two years of free data and roaming in 33 countries. It is charged via USB and typically lasts between two and four days on a full battery. For wireless connectivity, device integrates a u blox “SARA-G3” GSM/GPRS module which is footprint compatible with the SARA- U2 UMTS/HSPA module for easy 2G to 3G upgrade.
“Trax is an elegant and sophisticated example of our embedded GNSS and cellular modules combined to protect people’s loved ones”, said Pasi Alajoki, Area Sales Manager at u-blox, “It is an extremely important application of our mobile communications and global positioning technology where performance, size and power consumption play a critical role. We are proud WTS chose u-blox for Trax.”

For more information about u-blox cellular and positioning modules, visit www.u-blox.com
For more information about the Trax GPS tracker, visit www.traxfamily.com
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