6 AI-Based Mapping Systems for Efficient Logistics
A revolution in mapping technology is underway, and artificial intelligence is in the driver’s seat. AI-based mapping solutions are helping businesses understand real world complexities in a way that was previously impossible so that they can guide products and people through cities and bypass dynamic variables like slow traffic, roadwork, and other hazards.
With last-mile costs now accounting for more than half (53%) of all shipping costs, and 41% of total supply chain costs, businesses are increasingly focusing on the role of fulfillment, distribution, and logistics. Relating elements on a map to one another, and attaching meaning to spatial objects like gas stations and parking lots, could soon become a critical component in the way businesses manage logistics.
Already, businesses are using AI-based mapping systems to find the most efficient routes, which saves valuable time and fuel costs. AI-based mapping systems could also be useful for companies that want to create more optimized truckload plans based on market situations and cargo specifications.
As the industry quickly expands, here are six companies making significant headway in the space.
6 AI-Based Mapping Systems
1. HERE Technologies
HERE is known for bringing together location data with advanced algorithms. The company offers mapping solutions for fleet management, connected driving, supply chain, and network planning, and it works with businesses in a huge variety of industries. In 2019, HERE launched Live Sense SDK, a software development kit that keeps drivers informed of unexpected road hazards. Its map content includes more than 900 attributes from millions of data sources, including map renderings and HERE Maps, an accurate 2D snapshot of the world with location technology that provides content to map data.
2. NextBillion
NextBillion is a mapping and logistics startup that provides software-as-a-service products for enterprises. Through the use of geospatial analytics, NextBillion gathers, displays, and acts on geographical information. It also uses geographic coordinates to create models that include maps and graphs. Those maps can be set up to show historical changes as well as shifts currently underway and future predictions that are helpful in last-mile fulfillment. Existing use cases include custom routing depending on vehicle type (for example: e-scooters vs cars vs big rig trucks) and the ability to incorporate local regulations into routing schedules.
3. Esri
Esri has been a leader in the mapping and location data space for many years. The company’s GIS mapping software and spatial analytics technology is used by businesses looking to gain a competitive advantage. Through machine learning and AI, esri is now using location data as the “connective thread” to automate processes and improve predictive modeling. Operations managers, route planners, and drivers are using esri’s AI-based mapping systems to understand road network databases, track assets in real time, accurately predict arrival times, and anticipate future supply needs.
4. Enview
Designed primarily for energy companies and governments, Enview is a geospatial analytics company that uses AI to unlock the power of 3D data. Enview makes sense of the disparate geospatial data that its clients collect and fuses it together with machine learning and computer vision algorithms. Enview’s AI mapping capabilities are available as a web application called Enview Explore. Enview Explore uses AI that’s been custom-built for 3D mapping to automatically extract targeted insights from large areas and presents them for “boots-on-ground actioning.”
5. MazeMap
The only company on this list that’s tackling indoor mapping is MazeMap, an indoor and outdoor wayfinding tool that’s being used by businesses in the corporate, education, healthcare, and hospitality industries. MazeMap is using AI and machine learning for indoor mapping automation. Working with partners like Cisco and resellers like Optus, MazeMap automates the production and maintenance of maps and ensures that maps match up with actual terrain. It also supports asset tracking and mobile features that show where individuals (like employees or colleagues) are in real-time.
6. Adeptia
Adeptia is a company that’s focused primarily on data mapping. Its AI Map product works by using existing data maps to learn mapping patterns. The company’s algorithm finds connections between existing data fields and suggests data mapping rules automatically. These map suggestions are classified into high, medium, and low confidence. That allows manufacturing companies and other businesses to create data maps of different source order types. Adeptia says its AI-based mapping systems minimize deployment times for large companies.
Stephanie Miles is a senior editor at Street Fight.
