Verizon Introduces Hyper-Precise Location Services, Advancing Road Safety, Autonomous Technology

Hyper Precise Location with Real Time Kinematics (RTK) represents the next evolution in mass market GPS solutions

Verizon ushers in a new era of GPS solutions with the launch of Hyper Precise Location using Real Time Kinematics (RTK), hyper-precise location technology that provides location accuracy within one to two centimeters, on the Verizon network. Verizon has built and deployed RTK reference stations nationwide to provide pinpoint level accuracy to RTK compatible IoT devices. RTK will also support emerging technologies that depend on high level location accuracy – things like delivery drones and customer-approved location data for first responders during emergencies.

RTK technology reduces the cost and risk associated with inaccurate location data. Billions of IoT devices across a multitude of industries will benefit from improved location accuracy, with hyper-precise location information enabling a host of new services. For instance, robotics at distribution centers will be able to perform more efficient, accurate and safe logistics operations.  More accurate positioning can help speed deployment of high-value assets in emergency situations to the precise location, and more precise tracking of emergency equipment can provide faster redeployment in disaster response scenarios. Additionally, the rollout of hyper-precise location services paired with Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network and 5G Edge, will pave the way for more autonomous technologies.

“We are scaling RTK to enable mobile location accuracy to within a few centimeters, transforming what is currently possible when it comes to location-enabled services and new IoT solutions coming onto the market,” said Nicola Palmer, Chief Product Development Officer for Verizon. “Continued growth in the IoT environment means billions of devices in fields where precision location services are becoming more critical, such as vehicle automation, unmanned aerial vehicles, precision agriculture technology, infrastructure monitoring, asset tracking, and high value shipping.”

Reimagining road safety

In partnership with HERE Technologies, Verizon is building next generation technologies for vehicle and pedestrian safety using hyper-precise high definition mapping and RTK. This work paves the way for connected services that are designed to drive road safety improvements. By creating a vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication system equipped with hyper-local location accuracy, collision avoidance applications can precisely identify vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, etc. and relay it through Verizon’s 5G Edge and HERE’s AI to predict likely travel paths and warn vehicles of impending potential collisions. This partnership is one of multiple recent initiatives Verizon has taken to increase road safety.

“Moving beyond the static fidelity of satellite-based location data enables an exciting new generation of connected, autonomous experiences,” said Jørgen Behrens, SVP, Chief Product Officer at HERE Technologies. “By pairing HERE’s live, hyper-precise HD Map and HD Positioning technologies with intelligent RTK algorithms, and making that scalable, Verizon is putting a transformative level of location insights into the hands of developers and consumers alike.”

Powering the autonomous future

Hyper-precise location accuracy will be critical to advancing autonomous driving and together, Verizon and Renovo are ushering in a new era of transformative solutions critical for the future of autonomy on the road. These solutions leverage machine learning and RTK technology, powered by a combination of next-generation solutions such as 5G.

“RTK is a critical technology for advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS). Accurate positioning helps ADAS vehicles navigate better, drive smoother, and react faster to the surrounding environment,” said Christopher Heiser, CEO and Co-Founder of Renovo. “Nationwide, reliable RTK networks make for a viable way to deliver these enhanced capabilities to mass-market cars and trucks. For companies that manage the huge datasets that power next-generation vehicle platforms like Renovo, this is very exciting.”

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