IoT project of the year 2022: more expertise, more surprises, more fun

Since its first edition in 2020, IoT project of the year has become a long-awaited event in the world of telematics. First, it highlights the most prominent smart solutions from around the globe and shows their benefits in real numbers. Second, like any other event held by Wialon, it’s a reason for the partner community to reunite again. Third, the ceremony promotes connected technologies globally and helps build a better, safer, and faster world.

Andrei Liatsetski
Head of Project Implementation team, Wialon
Head of Jury, IoT project of the year 2022 

The idea behind IoT project of the year is simple and noble: the more the world knows about telematics and possible applications of the IoT software – the more people become interested in it and start using telematics services. This way we broaden the horizon of opportunities and potential approaches to be taken. 

The award ceremony took place in Dubai on October, 9. It was held one day before the start of the grand GITEX Global technology fair where Wialon had its own IoT zone shared with other bright co-exhibitors. This time, the ceremony expanded from a lively offline event to a jam-packed conference featuring lectures and presentations by our partners and the Wialon team. Another major part of the event was, of course, the final show where we honored the winners. 

Let’s see what the event looked like and what the participants and winners talked about.

IoT project of the year 2022: agenda and participants

This year’s event was unforgettable for more reasons than one. It was the first time we merged the award ceremony and educational presentations and coupled them with Q&A sessions. 

The agenda features speakers both from Wialon and our community. Here is what they were discussing.

Wialon team: GPS tracking as the new normal 

Valeriya Zinkevich, VP of Business Development (MENA) at Wialon, opened the event. She explained why Dubai was spotted as a perfect place for holding the IoT project of the year 2022 award ceremony.

Valeriya Zinkevich
VP of Business Development (MENA)

In 2017, Dubai was one of the world's first cities to launch IoT Strategy as a part of a governmental program. The Dubai Internet of Things (IoT) Strategy seeks to build the world’s most advanced IoT ecosystem in the world’s smartest city to improve people’s lives.

Robocops, firefighters with jetpacks, and driverless cars – these are just a handful of examples from Dubai’s everyday life that look totally futuristic for the rest of the world.

The key message from the speech delivered by Aliaksandr Kuushynau, was the following: GPS tracking per se is no longer a strong selling point. It has become a prerequisite in most successful projects based on connected technologies. What telematics service providers can do is to master their expertise in technologies complementing GPS tracking (video telematics, machine learning algorithms, etc.) and go beyond the boundaries of the ordinary.  Watch how Aliaksandr Kuushynau, Head of Wialon, describes it with a strong metaphor. 

Aliaksandr Kuushynau
Head of Wialon

If you sell eggs by the dozen, you will always be attacked by competitors who instead of $2 will offer the same for $1.95. However, two eggs and one frying pan are enough to make an omelet or scrambled eggs. And in the right time and place that dish can be sold for $5. Add a slice of bacon or serve it as an egg benedict and each of the eggs you sell will multiply your profit. And the decision is yours – either you simply sell eggs or you strive for haute cuisine and fine dining.

Andrei Liatsetski, Head of Project Implementation team at Wialon, elaborated on the key trends in IoT and telematics that he distinguished when sitting on the jury this year:

• Long-haul shipping, public transport, and agriculture traditionally remain the areas with the highest demand for IoT and telematics. However, Andrei is expecting important changes here. Fleet owners continue focusing on trucks on a rolling basis and don't pay enough attention to light vehicles. In the meantime, their number in commercial fleets is increasing.
• Business automation is the cornerstone of every successful solution. It’s been in the spotlight of companies and telematics service providers for years, but now automation is essential for a business of any size and complexity. Customers want to avoid human factors and make processes more efficient. No wonder that this year every submitted project boasts automation as its strong point. 
• Big data/AI tools will be gaining traction. The number of sensors and other connected devices is growing exponentially, and no company will soon have sufficient resources for their analysis. Emerging technologies come to the rescue: AI-driven algorithms process a wealth of data collected across various sources and come up with comprehensive results. 
• Aftersale support is essential for your project’s success. Customers want to be sure that they won’t be left in the lurch once a problem occurs. 40% of this year’s projects have been highly evaluated for the aftersale support.
• Electric cars and data security solutions will be among the biggest business trends in 2023. Impacted by multiple factors, these niches will show the fastest growth rates, as seen from competition entries this year.

Talking about Wialon and other GPS tracking and IoT platforms, here are the most frequent challenges this year’s participants have been facing:

• Driver security is a top priority. Professional drivers are in high demand today, and every company wants to create comfortable and safe work conditions for them. So they install driver fatigue detection systems and tools of control over driver behavior.
• Fuel control management stays on the radar. Soaring gas prices and political factors keep the issue on the agenda for every business. Companies continue integrating fuel control by using specialized equipment, a system of alerts, and reports for further analysis. 
• Video telematics is gaining momentum. Andrei mentioned just a couple of tasks from a huge list that are to be solved with MDVRs and solutions like the Wialon video module: driver identification and control, passenger flow calculation, and face recognition systems. 
• Maintenance management control is a must. Clients use telematics solutions to extend the life of their high-value assets and avoid costly downtime. Modern solutions allow businesses to control their fleets within a single interface and schedule preventive maintenance and part replacements. However, the full potential of such solutions as the one offered by Wialon, is yet to be discovered for most of our partners. 
• Customization via integration and app development. Today’s reality is so diverse that there’s hardly any out-of-the-box solution that fully covers all business requirements. Luckily, IoT platforms like Wialon offer an open API and SDK to be used for building apps and features on top of them, as well as streamlining integration with other products.

Hardware manufacturers and connectivity service providers: real-life examples of practical value across multiple industries

Abrar Parkar, International Sales manager from Queclink was the first to take the floor and talk about changes in the GPS tracking hardware market. Queclink is among the champions in the number of tracker models integrated in Wialon (more than 70) and vehicles and other assets connected to the platform (over 140,000 at the moment).

Abrar talked about practical use cases where their hardware was integrated into multi-million projects for temperature and humidity tracking. Another example included location reporting when a tracker is no longer connected to the internet or has run out of power.

From the track to the street presentation by Kim Penfold, Channel Account Director at Sensata | Xirgo, zoomed in on a real-life example from the European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC). The company participated in the ETRC as a judicial review partner. Their solution captures and delivers footage to the race officials for profound analysis.

Then it was the turn of Pod Group to share their use cases. Michael Chackal, IoT Sales Director, EMEA, at Pod Group talked about their first-hand experience with connectivity options for the telematics industry. Michael focused mostly on eSIM use cases in transportation with poor coverage. The company sees a global SIM solution as the best way to overcome fragmented markets with numerous local SIM service providers who don’t cooperate with each other.

Sanjeeva Cooray, CEO at KLOUDIP, talked about revitalizing the corporate transport system with their proprietary GOFER solution. GOFER software is built for streamlining business rides in an Uber-like manner. Check their presentation to know more about big changes coming to the corporate transport management market.

Escort’s team dedicated their presentation to innovative precise load sensors and how they  help avoid overweight and cargo loss. Lack of control in the sphere leads to multiple dangerous situations at loading and driving and can cost a company a lot in fines. Their eCargosens axle load sensors are easy to install and control, while their value is measured in tens of thousands of dollars per month. 

Innovative IoT solutions using BLE/BLR/BDF/Wi-Fi technologies from TESLiOT were presented by Vitalii Rotinberg, Head of Export Sales, TESLA SMART. Vitalii focused on the new line of BLE devices for measuring temperature, humidity and assisting with navigation.

Fernando Blaha, Overseas Operation Director at AOVX, talked about the company’s new vision on tracking technologies. Frenando gave a brief review of their trackers for different use cases, depending on battery consumption, outdoor/indoor scenarios, and WiFi coverage.

Rostislav Adutskevich, Customer Service Team Lead from GPS-Trace spoke about a sensitive, yet highly popular topic – personal tracking. Their solutions cover both vehicle tracking (the Ruhavik app) and domestic animals (Petovik). E-havik for scooters and other means of personal mobility is underway and will be soon presented to the audience. Stay tuned.

Andrei Mazhei, Technical Support Lead from Mechatronics, was closing the part of the event dedicated to technology partners. Andrei elaborated on new sensors for fuel level monitoring and their role in remote fuel control systems. Fuel theft always remains a huge headache for a fleet of any size – so we’d advise watching this part to get first-hand updates on the most effective solutions and their real-life application.

The presentations delivered by technology partners were followed by questions from the audience. We thank everyone for active participation and attention to the issues that are important to all businesses.

This part of the event was also supplemented with a panel discussion on the topic How to keep up with new IoT trends: creating new solutions and adapting to a fast-paced market. It was a broad discussion about the new, more virtual reality we face in the post-pandemic world, user engagement with Wialon and its modules, and the bright and limitless future of telematics.

Wialon was proud to reunite our partners and friends and provide a platform for talking, networking, and learning something new. Take a look at how it was! 

IoT project of the year 2022 winners

Of course, the event culminated with the award ceremony. We were proud to announce the laureates of the IoT project of the year 2022 global competition. They exemplify telematics service excellence and best embody Wialon core values: creativity, professionalism, and strive for change.

Please check our blog post for more details about the winning projects.

The award ceremony was an utmost success. We congratulate our partners and other telematics service providers who go above and beyond and make a positive impact on the world.

What’s next?

Aliaksandr Kuushynau compared the highly intensive rate of technology innovation and challenge that we have today with sci-fi movies.

Aliaksandr Kuushynau
Head of Wialon

It’s just a matter of years before GPS implants like the ones you see in the Black Mirror series will become a reality. Just try to imagine having a surgery room in your office and technicians (hardly can we refer to them as technicians though) placing those devices in human bodies. I really can bet that within the next 10 years some of your offices will be doing such procedures.

There’s no doubt that many things that are considered fictional and non-realistic today, will become the new normal. Our role in this great technological shift is to provide the most reliable and secure solutions. If people can count on us, the rates of innovation will increase exponentially.

Want to bet?

Don’t forget to check our calendar of upcoming events: you’re always welcome to visit us at any of them, talk telematics and IoT, and catch up on the most recent news in our team and the big and wonderful world of technology.