Ola acquires GeoSpoc to build next-generation location technology

Ola on Tuesday said it has acquired geospatial services provider GeoSpoc, a move that will help the ride-hailing platform develop technologies to make mobility accessible and convenient across shared and personal vehicles.

Ola Chairman and Group CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, in a tweet, said: “New Mobility will require better, newer maps and geospatial services. We’re taking the first step to building these by acquiring @GeoSpoc. Look forward to working with @DhruvaRajan and team to build the future of location services!”

He, however, did not disclose the financial details.

In a blogpost, he said enhanced geo-spatial services will also go a long way in improving urban planning including road networks, better public transportation and pre-empt congestion spots.

“Dhruva and his team of Geospatial scientists and engineers will be joining Ola to develop technologies which will make mobility universally accessible, sustainable, personalised, and convenient, across shared and personal vehicles,” he added.

While the companies did not disclose the number of employees, GeoSpoc is estimated to have over 80 employees.

Aggarwal explained that as shared and personal mobility penetrate deeper to cover 50-100 per cent of India’s population in the coming years, maps will need to improve in a variety of ways.

“Multi-modal transportation options will need geospatial intelligence to understand the unique benefits of each option and provide suggestions accordingly. Maps will need to consider a three dimensional view of the world as aerial mobility models such as drones become more mainstream,” he said.

Aggarwal stated that accurate and rich maps with high user context should be available to the population beyond the first 100 million users.

He added that near real-time satellite imagery should be incorporated in maps to provide a better understanding of road quality, as well as improvements such as avoiding poorly lit streets at night for safety even if it is a faster route.

Besides, autonomous driving will need HD and 3D maps which will offer superior visualisation, dynamic real-time updates based on road, traffic and weather conditions.

“We have the data and the expertise to build this utilising our deep understanding of consumer movements as well as our massive network of 2, 3 and 4Ws that provide unprecedented geo-spatial details.

“We can layer this data with new sources such as satellite imagery and visual feeds from our network on-ground to build ‘Living Maps’ that embody the changing landscape of our world,” Aggarwal added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor