Making IoT Apps & Devices Location-Aware with Maps APIs

TomTom at IoT World 2019

Last week, we participated in IoT World, the world’s largest IoT conference and expo.

We had a great time meeting IoT professionals and developers and hope you got a chance to check out our booth and speaking sessions if you were at the show. In case you didn’t, here’s a quick recap of highlights from the event:

• TomTom Maps APIs help make IoT apps location-aware
• TomTom Maps APIs demos showcased in booth
• TomTom presents on location technology in IoT during a standalone session and panel

TomTom and original iot

The number of devices connected to the Internet of Things is growing by the minute, and with our online and offline worlds converging, location context is key. From tracking vehicles to monitoring traffic congestion, if it's on the move, then you need to understand its location – and Maps APIs are a critical component of making your IoT applications location-aware.

That’s why last week, we participated in IoT World, the world’s largest IoT event where 11,000 IoT pioneers gathered in Silicon Valley to share trends, challenges and solutions.

All connected objects within the Internet of Things have a physical location, and machines have a hard time understanding and interpreting that location. Yet, it is extremely important. Take trucks, cars, containers and field workers, for example. It’s critical that businesses can monitor where they are and where they’re going, in a safe, efficient and predictable way. Conversely, some objects should not be on the move. That heavy Caterpillar excavator needs to be within the construction site and nowhere else.

These are big challenges that require location technology to solve. At IoT World, we shared how TomTom Maps APIs can make your IoT app location-aware. Read on to learn more.

TomTom on the expo floor

In our booth, we demonstrated how our Maps APIs for Search, Routing, Maps, Traffic and Geofencing enable cool use cases and how we keep it simple with our free Mobile Maps SDK and pay-as-you-grow plan.

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TomTom on stage

In addition to a solo presentation on the importance of location technology in mobility IoT applications, we joined local leaders from the City of San Jose and the County of Santa Clara on a panel titled “The Next Milestone: Revolutionizing Smart Transportation with the Internet of Things.” It was a lively discussion that covered how smart devices are being used to meet consumer demands, how we can overcome the security and safety risks that come with the evolution of mobility, and the critical role that location technology plays in the development of smart cities.

TomTom at the iot awards

The first ever IoT World Awards celebrated successes and outstanding contributions in IoT. We were proud to be a finalist in the “Achievements in IoT Integration” category for our partnership with Microsoft. Since 2016, we’ve collaborated to bring location-based services to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform to enable developers to harness the power of IoT. Earlier this year, we announced an expansion of our partnership, making TomTom the leading location data provider to power mapping services across all of Microsoft, including Bing, Cortana and Windows.

Want to learn more about how TomTom Maps APIs can make your IoT app location-aware? Shoot us a note here.

Hope to see you at IoT World next year!