Posts in Category: Announcements
Alexa can now guide you to nearby locations with MapmyIndia’s Location APIs
- Alexa Voice AI natively integrates MapmyIndia Location APIs
- Just ask Alexa for the nearest COVID-19 testing centre, pharmacy, hospital and more
MapmyIndia Location APIs will make real-time data readily available on Amazon Alexa. Alexa’s Voice AI can now answer questions about points of interest (local business locations and landmarks) and locations of COVID-19 testing centres using MapmyIndia’s real-time data.
In recent times, voice has become a huge part of consumers’ experience when they are searching for information online. Access to rich and accurate data by asking simple questions on Alexa-enabled smart devices, hands-free, can be extremely useful and delightful for customers.
Users can now ask Alexa to provide the nearest COVID-19 testing centre, and the Alexa-enabled device will provide addresses of the nearby testing centres along with travel distance. Customers can get started by asking questions such as “Alexa, where can I get a COVID-19 test?”.
Hit play to experience MapmyIndia Location APIs on Alexa Voice AI
In addition to COVID-19 information APIs, MapmyIndia also provides cloud-based Location SDKs & APIs that allow users to access numerous landmarks and business categories, such as pharmacies, petrol pumps, supermarkets, hospitals, malls etc. for the vast & myriad country that is India. Users can ask “Alexa, find a nearby pharmacy”, or “Alexa, where’s the nearest petrol pump/ supermarket/ hospital/ mall”.
Responses from Alexa that are accessed via MapmyIndia’s APIs are available on all Alexa-enabled devices such as the Echo Dot smart speaker, Echo Auto, Fire TV, on the free Alexa app for smartphones, through the microphone icon on the Amazon India shopping app (Android only), and Alexa-enabled devices such as smart speakers or TVs made by other brands.
A few words from team Alexa and team MapmyIndia on the exciting development
“Customers in India interact with Alexa millions of times every day for entertainment, help in managing the day, controlling a smart home, as well as looking up information”, said Dilip R.S., Country Manager for Alexa Skills and Voice Services, Amazon India. “The Alexa service is always getting smarter and more useful for customers. We are happy to announce that, with the addition of MapmyIndia content, Alexa is now even more knowledgeable about nearby places.”
“MapmyIndia moves a step ahead in its endeavour to deliver cutting edge, location-based cloud services. By making our Location APIs & hyperlocal content available on Amazon Alexa, we are not just offering our services but also assisting the Indian Public, by providing hyperlocal search on Alexa, whether they are at home or on the go. Currently, we offer dynamic, COVID-19 specific services, and we are always improving MapmyIndia with regional and hyperlocal features,” says Rohan Verma, CEO & Executive Director at MapmyIndia.
To learn more about the location tech that powers Alexa, explore MapmyIndia APIs & SDKs at mapmyindia.com/api
Ministry of Electronics & IT enables map services in UMANG App – Signs MoU with MapmyIndia
- The service will enable people to find government facilities like Mandis, Blood Banks etc. near their location
- With the newly launched map service people can easily navigate through visual and voice directions
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has taken various initiatives in the recent past to ease the lives of citizens by facilitating online delivery of Government services. To further enhance the initiatives of the Digital India Programme, and keeping in view the theme of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, MeitY has enabled map services in “UMANG App ” through an MOU with MapmyIndia.
How do citizens benefit from this?
As a result of the integration of UMANG with MapmyIndia Maps, citizens will be able to:
- find government facilities nearest to their location, such as mandis, blood banks and much more, at the click of a button
- see these on the most detailed and interactive street and village level maps of India, built by MapmyIndia
- view the driving distance, get directions and turn by turn voice and visual guidance to locations, including traffic and road safety alerts during navigation, through the linkage between UMANG App and MapmyIndia
Which UMANG services are using MapmyIndia Maps?
UMANG app has already started to provide map functionality through MapmyIndia in the following services:
- Mera Ration – Through UMANG, users can identify and navigate to the ‘Nearest Fair Price Shops’ as shops are visible in the form of pointers on MapmyIndia integrated map
- eNAM – Through UMANG, ‘Mandi Near Me’ service will help users to identify and navigate to the nearby mandis pointed on the map
- Damini – ‘Damini Lightning Alerts’ service is to provide lightning alerts to users by giving a visual of nearby areas where lightning has struck in the last few minutes. This alert mechanism provides the possibility of lightning strikes on map view.
Are there more UMANG services in the pipeline that will integrate MapmyIndia Maps?
Yes! To further increase usefulness to citizens, the map functionality will be shortly enabled in many more services such as:
- ESIC – Users can view ESIC centers such as hospitals/dispensaries on map view and navigate to them
- Indian Oil – Service is to locate nearby retail and distributors of Gas stations as well as fuel filling stations
- NHAI – Users can view the toll plazas and toll rates information while travelling
- National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) – provides information corresponding to nearby police stations on the map
- Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (Meri Sadak) – will help users to raise complaints of damaged roads (under PMGSY) by selecting the road on MapmyIndia platform
A few words on the MoU from MeitY and MapmyIndia
“To further enhance the initiatives of Digital India Programme, and keeping in view the theme of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, MeitY has enabled map services in UMANG App through an MOU with MapmyIndia. As a result of the integration of UMANG with MapmyIndia Maps, citizens will be able to find government facilities nearest to their location, such as mandis, blood banks and much more, at the click of a button.”, the ministry said.
“We’re grateful & excited to have MapmyIndia Maps & APIs power Umang App, Govt of India’s single platform for all Indians to access pan India e-Gov services”, said Rohan Verma, CEO & ED at MapmyIndia.
MapmyIndia’s innovative and indigenous geospatial products & solutions are fully aligned with India’s mission towards being Aatmanirbhar and self-reliant. To explore MapmyIndia products & solutions that are helping government organisations transform governance and empowering citizens, visit https://www.mapmyindia.com/government
MapmyIndia offers GPS tracking systems for FREE for medical transport vehicles to prevent unnecessary stoppages or diversions
During the peak of the second wave of the COVID-19 crisis in India – a smooth, quick, uninterrupted movement of oxygen, vaccine, hospital bed, and medical infrastructure transport vehicles have become of paramount importance. MapmyIndia, being India’s pioneer and leader in digital mapping and advanced location-based and IoT technologies, announced that the company would be offering to install GPS tracking systems for free in transport vehicles.
“The fundamental issue that we all have been reading and watching is that oxygen generation is not a challenge, but reaching the person and the place that needs it has become the challenge. A lot of the oxygen tankers and medical transport vehicles are being stopped at different locations, or get stuck at different places. So, transparency and visibility of the whole supply chain is needed right now. So that this unrestricted and uninterrupted movement of vehicles carrying oxygen or other essential medical equipment. We, at MapmyIndia, are the experts in GPS; we are one of the largest providers of GPS telematics systems to all sorts of logistics companies, taxi companies, even consumers for their makers – what can we do to make life easier and our contribution towards this COVID crisis is basically to offer to anybody and everybody – a free GPS tracking system for their vehicles involved in the transportation of this essential medical equipment. We’re relieved that many organisations across the country are leveraging this to help move oxygen and other essential medical goods seamlessly and smoothly to the places of need”, states Rohan Verma, CEO & Executive Director, MapmyIndia
The manufacturers, transporters, hospital administrators & government authorities can see the live location/movement of these vehicles and get alert/report instantly if and where those vehicles are stopped, or if it takes a diversion from the pre-planned path.
If you require the same – write to contact@mapmyindia.com or call +919999333223 with your company and vehicle details. Your team will be aligned with our installation & live tracking dashboard teams to get you started as soon as possible.
You can learn more about our solutions at mapmyindia.com/intouch and mapmyindia.com/devices-sensors. This will help you track the location live, monitor movement & ensure no stoppage/ delay of essential medical equipment reaching where the need is required.
MapmyIndia, founded by Rakesh Verma, to help strengthen Incubation and Innovation at BITS Pilani with a pledge of INR 1 Crore
Rakesh Verma, India’s original digital map data product maker and the founder of MapmyIndia, a Make in India, Deep-Tech company which specializes in Maps, Navigation, Tracking, Analytics, GIS, GPS, IoT & location technologies has pledged INR 1 Crore towards strengthening the Incubation and Innovation ecosystem. Well-known for its students and alumni startups, 17 of BITS alumni-led startups have raised $700 million in past few months. MapmyIndia will further support promising student entrepreneurs by mentoring and advisory, workspace, seed/angel funding and incubation to help accelerate their ideas.
“I am indebted to BITS Pilani, a generous giver, my almamater has played a key role in shaping me personally and professionally. And it gives me great pleasure to be part of this unique initiative – BITS Pilani Incubation and Innovation Centre (BPIInC). In this pandemic hit scenario we will churn out job creators rather than seekers – a class of professionally Aatmanirbhar students via Mentorship, guidance, funding and incubation. BPIInC will be a legacy builder, one that will have a lasting impact on the future genrations of the bright and talented alumni that will walk through the hallowed precincts of this great institution, says Rakesh Verma, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, MapmyIndia, a BITS alumnus, class of 1972.
Prof. Souvik Bhattacharyya, Vice-Chancellor, BITS Pilani, said, “What MapmyIndia did in 1990s, despite a lack of support system really inspires us at BITS – it’s our commitment and ambition to support innovators on the campus with the resources they would need to be successful. With Rakesh’s pledge, we are moving a step closer to our intended goals.”
This initiative comes close to the heels of the recent path breaking partnership between MapmyIndia and ISRO to create India’s indigenously developed most advanced geospatial services, as a shining example of public-private partnership to enable Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and the Government of India’s historic announcement of the opening up of geospatial industry to bring the benefits of geospatial to the entire economy and society. MapmyIndia is quickly making moves to leverage them advantageously by speeding up innovation and increasing the output of the Indian geospatial sector.
Prof. Arya Kumar, Dean, Alumni Relations, added, “BITSian entrepreneurs and the alumni network has been widely acknowledged as one of the most helpful innovation networks, with support available to anyone with a viable idea. Rakesh Verma has been a long-standing contributor to this network, and his collaboration with the incubation efforts at BITS will help scale outcomes to newer heights.”
The funds from MapmyIndia shall be used for augmenting the upcoming Incubation and Innovation Centre at the Pilani Campus being built at the cost of Rs. 15 Crore – a 20,000 sq. ft. space for innovation labs and co-working spaces for enabling students and faculty with their ideas to change the world.
About BITS, Pilani
BITS Pilani, established in 1964, is an institute of eminence and offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral program in Engineering, Sciences, Pharmacy, and Management from its four campuses at Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad, and Dubai. It also offers Work Integrated Learning Programmes for working professionals. It has more than 150,000 alumni across the globe from its on-campus and WILP programmes.
About Rakesh Verma and MapmyIndia (CE Infosystems Pvt. Ltd.)
Rakesh Verma, a visionary had predicted in 1995 that almost 80% of all data will have a location element to it and today the impact of location technology is there for all of us to see. A pioneer of location technology in the country Rakesh founded MapmyIndia, India’s leading digital mapping & location-based deep-tech company. For his achievements Rakesh has received many awards and recognitions from the governments, media and institutions. These include – Chair, FICCI committee on Geospatial Technologies – 2020; Distinguished BITS Alumni – 2020, Leader, FICCI Business Delegation to Croatia accompanying Hon’ble President of India in 2019; Member Think Tank, Framework for a National Policy on E-commerce, GoI-2018; Geospatial Leader of the Year- 2018; 50 BITSian achievers in the last 50 years recognition by BITS Pilani-2017; Harvard Business Review Case Study “Customer funded highly effective business model”-2014, Member National GIS Core Group, Planning Commission, Government of India-2012, World’s GPSBusinessNews.com-2007, NASSCOM Showcase Company for IT Innovation in India – 2005.
MapmyIndia is a 100% make in India organisation and winner of the Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar App Innovation Challenge 2020. MapmyIndia pioneered digital mapping in India in 1995, and since then has built India’s most comprehensive, accurate and feature-rich digital map data set down to address and urban building level detail pan India, covering all villages across India, and the entire road network of the country.
MapmyIndia has also built a whole suite of location-based technologies, applications, APIs, IoT solutions and has capabilities across the map APIs, navigation solutions, tracking systems, IoT & Telematics solutions, GIS and geo-spatial analytics solutions, big data, AI/ML, computer vision, cloud computing, edge computing, consumer apps and enterprise SaaS, and IoT devices and gadgets that it delivers to individuals, government organisations, businesses, automotive companies and app developers. With its vast experience and expertise, MapmyIndia provides platforms and solutions for citizens, residents and local, state and central government authorities towards Smart Cities, Digital Door Number Address Systems, Urban Planning, Urban Transportation & Mobility, Emergency Response, Road Safety, Smart Governance, Swacch Bharat, Grievance reddressal, Traffic Management etc.
MapmyIndia Releases Maps And Nearby Search To Help Indians Locate Corona Vaccination Centres Across The Country
The government of India’s official vaccination registration website, cowin.gov.in, integrates MapmyIndia Maps and APIs to deliver this useful nearby vaccine centre search functionality to all
India, 1st March 2021: MapmyIndia, India’s pioneer and leader in digital mapping and advanced location-based and IoT technologies today announced the launch of maps and nearby search features as a part of its mobile application and official website, to help Indians find Coronavirus vaccination centres across the country. The Government of India has also integrated these features into cowin.gov.in, their official Corona vaccination registration portal to guide the people and connect them to their nearby vaccination centres.
In the fight against COVID, each one of us has a role to play. Since the pandemic entered India, MapmyIndia took upon the task of real-time geospatially mapping all corona related places – testing, treatment and isolation centres as well as containment zones. To make the critical vaccination effort seamless, MapmyIndia has put all the vaccination centres across India on MapmyIndia’s maps. Users can use the MapmyIndia App (mapmyindia.com/move) and Maps portal (maps.mapmyindia.com) to search and find nearby vaccine centres and get directions to them. They can also write reviews and report issues they face there – to help authorities get feedback and take corrective action, where required,” says Rohan Verma, CEO & Executive Director, MapmyIndia.
He further adds that “We are additionally so excited and thankful to the Government of India for integrating MapmyIndia’s Maps APIs and technologies into the official corona vaccine registration website and app, cowin.gov.in, to enable the crores of citizens, who will log in, to be able to find nearby vaccine centres. This represents the best of AtmaNirbhar Bharat – a partnership between the indigenous public and private sector organisations – to leverage world-class, indigenous technologies to enable Ease of Living and enhance efficiencies for the country.”
Steps to find nearby Corona vaccination centres:
- Download mapmyindia.com/move app or visit maps.mapmyindia.com or cowin.gov.in
- In the search box, press current location or enter your address or place name or eLoc of interest. eLoc is the 6-character digital address for any place across India, a precise pin code representing the doorstep of any place (more information at mapmyindia.com/eloc)
- Click search / vaccination centres. You will see the nearest vaccination centres to you or the location of your interest. You can click on Get Directions to further get exact turn by turn directions and real-time navigation (based on live traffic congestion and road safety hazards) to that vaccine centre.
MapmyIndia’s App, powered by MapmyIndia Maps and APIs, was the winner of the AatmaNirbhar App Challenge organised by the Govt of India 6 months ago. MapmyIndia’s app offers far more detailed and accurate maps is privacy-centric, fully indigenous, more localised and respectful of Indian nuances, and is an AatmaNirbhar alternative to foreign map apps that come default in operating systems. MapmyIndia’s app can be downloaded from mapmyindia.com/move. All website and app developers can participate and further an AatmaNirbhar Bharat by integrating the best Indian maps using MapmyIndia APIs (mapmyindia.com/api) so that all end-users see localised maps instead of foreign ones.