MBI partners with WeVee Technologies to promote sustainable mobility

Karlsruhe, February 09th 2023: When looking towards a more sustainable future, electric vehicles are one step towards sustainability in mobility. But as of today, there are still many challenges to bringing electric vehicles to the mass market. The main barriers for people wanting to buy an electric vehicle are range anxiety – including battery capacity and poor charging infrastructure – and the high cost of buying an electric vehicle.

See the full press release to learn more…

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Trend topic 2023: Omnichannel strategy – and how the right data can help you achieve it

Karlsruhe, 19.01.2023: The fact that online retail has experienced a boost due to the Covid-19 pandemic is by now well-known in the marketing and sales world. In 2023, the current challenge is to strategically integrate the often rapidly developed new solutions and channels into an overall concept and to connect them with each other in the best possible way. The key is a well-designed omnichannel strategy.

Are you planning to expand your omnichannel strategy for 2023? Then you may be asking yourself questions like:

  • What is the online shopping affinity of my target group?
  • Where is the ideal location for my pop-up store?
  • Or, most importantly, in which regions and for which product categories is purchasing power likely to be highest – both online and offline? Am I exploiting my potential and investing in the right place?

Answering these questions can significantly contribute to effective advertising campaigns, efficient use of the marketing budget, and more sales. The first step is to understand customer behavior based on internal customer data and external market data. Subsequently, a suitable strategy for channel integration can be developed.

Find out how the right data can support you with this objective in our press release.

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Dealing with the challenges of the German Supply Chain Act

Seminar room of the MBI CONIAS Academy for Political Risk in Heidelberg, Germany

Karlsruhe, January 12th 2023: The Supply Chain Act obliges companies above a certain size to better meet their responsibilities in the supply chain with regard to respecting internationally recognized human rights.

Failure to comply with the requirements for social and ecological minimum standards within the supply chain could result in sales losses, fines, exclusion from federal procurement procedures and, last but not least, reputational damage.

Increased importance of transparency and risk management along the supply chain

Our new MBI CONIAS Academy in the heart of Heidelberg’s old town qualifies risk analysts and managers to deal with challenges in the context of political risks. With MBI CONIAS Risk Intelligence, risks can be identified, evaluated and appropriate countermeasures can be taken. Risks can be reduced or avoided altogether through methodologically sound risk assessment and adequately coordinated catalogs of measures. After completing our seminars, the participants are able to use their special knowledge of political risks to create transparency and minimize risks. Nicolas Schwank, Chief Data Scientist Political Risk at MBI, says about the MBI CONIAS Academy: “The unique mix of scientific backgrounds, presentation options of complex topics for better knowledge transfer to employees and customers, and the communication of response options are the basis of political risk management, which is not taught by anyone else in this way”.

Focus on content-related and methodical basics

In a total of three modules, basic knowledge, more in-depth knowledge and its application as well as current findings are developed and deepened. The first module focuses on content-related and methodological basics. In addition to an introduction to the topic of holistic risk management, a process for managing political risks is developed. Finally, fundamental implications and requirements of the Supply Chain Act on comprehensive risk management are addressed. The module is completed with a certificate as “Political Risk Analyst”.

Deepening and application of the acquired basic knowledge

The world of political conflicts is complex and ever-changing. In light of the variety of risks and related issues, the second module is offered with different focus topics to deepen and apply the basic knowledge. Currently, four different focus topics are planned, but they are constantly being evolved and adapted: The Supply Chain Act, intrastate conflicts, interstate conflicts, and country/regional focuses. The course concludes with a certificate as “Political Risk Manager” after the completion of the first and second module.

In-depth analysis with a focus on current political conflict events

In the third and last module, new insights into the management of political risks are acquired and adapted to the current situation and circumstances. This can be, for example, information about new indices and improvements of existing indices, or the analysis of new political risks by country experts. Furthermore, a discussion and exchange with established political risk analysts as well as an evening event for networking across module years are planned. After successful participation in all three modules, participants will receive a certificate as “Political Risk Management Expert”.

After completing all three modules, regular participation in the third module is of course possible in order to keep the knowledge in the field of political risk management up to date. Upon completion of all modules, participants will receive a certification as “Professional Political Risk Manager” when participating in the third module again.

For more information on the MBI CONIAS Academy seminars, please visit our website. For more detailed insights into the training contents, please refer to this information brochure. If you have any questions or are interested in the seminars offered, our CONIAS Risk Intelligence Team is always at your disposal.

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Expert Data Panel | The Future of Location Data in Decision Making

If you missed this year’s CARTO Spatial Data Science Conference (SDSC) in New York, you can now watch a video of the expert panel. Our Managing Director Ray Roberts-York was there to talk with other experts about the role of data in decision-making processes and how it will evolve in the near and distant future. Find out the latest about new data streams, sources and use cases, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for unlocking their potential.

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Release 2022 – Up-To-Date Market Data for Asia

For businesses across the globe, a comparable and consistent data basis is key for making informed business decision and staying competitive in a globalized market. That’s why we focus on continuously updating our extensive data portfolio.

Our latest update encompasses the administrative, postal and microgeographic area levels for Asia. Within the scope of this release, market data for Asia such as sociodemographic data, purchasing power and consumer spending have been updated. The market data 2022 for Asia is compatible with our latest release of our digital boundaries 2022. For more information on our comprehensive global data portfolio, please contact our Sales team.

MBI Purchasing Power 2022 Delhi India

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Maintaining an overview in dispatching with the innovative logistics information system from our partner Wolf Software

The fundamental objective of transport logistics is the transport of the right goods in the right quantity and the right quality to the right place at the right time – and of course at the right cost, which should be as low as possible. These targets are commonly known as the “6 Rs of logistics”. As briefly and succinctly as this endeavor is summarized under this keyword, as extensive and complex is the model in reality. A wide variety of topics ranging from fleet structure, human resources and remuneration models to legal requirements, social regulations and tolls are of importance for transport logistics. How is one supposed to keep track of all this?

Holistic approach to mapping transport logistics

To solve this issue, our partner Wolf Software has developed the logistics information system LoGo 3. It follows the approach of mapping transport logistics holistically and not just considering individual aspects such as route planning. Wolf Software has thus translated its many years of experience in the logistics industry into a logistics information system that has now been established on the market for more than 30 years. The industry-independent software solution includes all components of modern logistics management with comprehensive planning, management and controlling of transport logistics as well as personnel and fleet management. The information gained in one area is automatically available in the other sub-areas – for example, the vehicle cost rates determined in fleet management are used for further route planning.

Screenshot showing an example of the Wolf Software logistics information system LoGo 3

Modular design caters to individual needs of each customer

The solution offers decision-making guidance for management and can be individually tailored to customer needs thanks to its component-based structure. Despite the all-round approach, the system has a modular structure, so that not all sub-areas necessarily have to be used. Instead, the modules can be freely combined in order to find the ideal configuration for every application. The following basic modules are available:

  • Framework tour planning
  • Tour scheduling
  • Post-trip calculation with customer result calculation
  • Personnel administration, if necessary with incentive wage system or commission
  • Fleet management, if necessary with fuel data and repair management

Additional modules are available for many basic modules, such as checking compliance with social regulations, downloading and archiving digital tachograph files, toll calculation and many more. A wide range of interfaces to leading and subsequent systems complete the offer.

Market-leading map freshness and accuracy powered by HERE Technologies

The integration of HERE Technologies’ online map services has replaced the previously static digital maps in the system. The global map coverage and continuously updated map material from HERE result in many advantages for Wolf Software’s customers. For example, the administrative effort for installation and updating is eliminated, while more precise toll calculations and the use of real-time traffic and traffic reports are made possible. In addition, the integration of HERE offers the possibility of map rendering with satellite display, current traffic and truck attributes as well as the implementation of route optimization taking historical data into account. For its logistics solution, Wolf Software relies on HERE Geocoding & Search as well as HERE Routing and HERE Tour Planning APIs in addition to the HERE Map Rendering Service. Wolf Software chose to use HERE because of the market-leading timeliness and accuracy of its map data. The integration of the services into the current software development was easy thanks to the use of modern software interfaces.

Maximum flexibility through usage-based licensing

MBI supports Wolf Software with all questions and difficulties through our HERE Distribution. In doing so, we advise on all location-related requirements and assist with our many years of expertise in all support issues. Marc Wolf, project manager at Wolf Software, says about the partnership: “With MBI, we have a professional and competent partner at our side who has supported us quickly and easily with questions as well as the implementation of HERE in our solution since day 1. We particularly appreciate the good and uncomplicated communication and the fact that our needs are always individually addressed.”

Through the MBI HERE Distribution, partners like Wolf Software have the opportunity to test products in advance and check for compatibility with their requirements and solutions. For maximum flexibility, MBI adapts licensing on a per-use basis without an increased minimum purchase.

Customized all-in-one solutions regardless of company size or industry

With the LoGo 3 logistics information system, Wolf Software offers customers in a wide range of industries such as beverage or food wholesalers, but also breweries, support and assistance with all information and management processes related to distribution logistics. Regardless of company size or industry, individual comprehensive solutions including a practical and implementable strategy and process planning can be created in order to achieve defined goals with sustainability. Wolf Software’s solution in combination with modern telematics systems from various renowned providers closes the loop of electronic order processing to the customer and enables a more accurate and faster flow of information with transparency and high data quality.

If you too would like to gain an improved overview of your transport logistics, please contact our partner Wolf Software directly. For more information on our extensive HERE Distribution portfolio, please contact our Sales team.

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Release: Market data for Germany 2022

Exemplary illustration of a woman shopping for the update of our market data for Germany 2022

As a supplier of globally consistent and comparable geographic, market and risk data, companies from all industries trust the quality of our data. Through strict and continuous quality controls as well as releasing annual updates, we ensure the highest standards.

Recently, our update for the market data for Germany 2022 was released. In our wide range of purchasing power indicators and retail-relevant data, we have updated the purchasing power, retail spending, retail centrality index, consumer spending and online purchasing power for Germany. This data is available for administrative and postcode area boundaries. For more information, please contact our Sales Team.

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Save money and protect the environment with carpooling – Sustainable mobility with twogo and HERE Technologies

Driver using the smart ride-sharing solution twogo as an app on his smartphone

Full parking lots, high fuel costs and lots of exhaust fumes: Driving can be exhausting and puts a strain on the environment, the infrastructure and last but not least your own wallet.

Twogo – the smart carpooling solution from Schwarz Mobility Solutions GmbH – helps companies, municipalities and all users to make daily commuting more sustainable and relieve the surrounding infrastructure as well as the parking situation at company locations and in cities. Carpooling reduces CO2 emissions as well as ensures less traffic on the roads and a better climate. In addition, the ride-sharing solution makes it possible to reduce the high fuel costs due to shared journeys and also provides for networking among commuters – thus not only strengthening climate protection but also cooperation.

Sustainable mobility through ride-sharing

Through twogo, 70,000 journeys are arranged worldwide every year. In the process, 1.9 million kilometers of driving distance are saved by creating carpools. To compensate for the amount of CO2 saved each day, 32,444 trees would be needed. Winfried Hermann, MdL, Minister of Transport of the State of Baden-Württemberg describes the carpooling solution as follows: “Twogo is a smart way of sharing the way to and from work with colleagues. Ride-sharing saves solo trips and thus reduces environmental pollution. Apps like this are a good contribution to a new, sustainable mobility.”

Carpooling pays off for everyone – companies, communities or event organizers

The twogo ride-sharing solution can be used in all industries and sectors and is the smart mobility platform for companies, municipalities and event organizers, but also schools as well as clinics and thus for everyone who wants to ride together. Twogo was developed specifically to meet the needs of commuters and business travelers and arranges carpooling opportunities automatically, efficiently and precisely. The ride-sharing solution ensures modern mobility in everyday life, relieves the traffic infrastructure and supports the achievement of climate goals.

Twogo uses HERE Technologies services in its app. Specifically, the app uses HERE Location Services for twogo rides to ensure precise localization and navigation. The HERE service enables intelligent route calculation in order to arrange as many carpools as possible with the least detour. In addition, historical traffic data is used to assure that carpoolers can be given a realistic arrival time for their ride. Lastly, twogo uses HERE Geocoding & Search API to auto-complete the address entry as well as determine the address when using location determination. HERE provides twogo with the widest range of different geopositioning and routing interfaces from a single source, allowing twogo to cover most use cases with one partner. This significantly reduces the complexity of development.

Schwarz Mobility Solutions GmbH and MBI have a long and trusting partnership. Careful consulting and targeted workshops ensure that Schwarz Mobility Solutions GmbH is informed about current trends in the area of location intelligence, as well as products from the HERE portfolio. As an experienced partner, MBI continuously assists with support questions as well as the implementation and integration of new functionalities, for example by advising on forward-looking topics for the long-term further development of the twogo app.

Exemplary representation of the smart ridesharing app twogo on a smartphone

Individual additional functions complement the smart algorithm

The ride-sharing solution is available as a cross-platform mobile app (iOS, Android) and web app and can be downloaded by users free of charge. After completing registration, a ride request can be entered in just a few steps. Thanks to an intelligent matching algorithm, twogo automatically searches for and arranges a suitable ride within a very short time. The user is informed by SMS or e-mail about the carpooling opportunity and all relevant information about the upcoming trip.

With twogo, individual additional functions such as pool vehicle management, gamification, individual branding or reserved parking spaces can be made available. In addition, users are shown alternative trips by public transport. Precise and simple route planning based on historical traffic data is provided thanks to HERE Technologies.

The carpooling solution is currently available in over 25 languages and is being continuously upgraded.

Would you also like to protect the environment and save money at the same time? Download the mobile app now for free from the App Store or Google Play Store. For more information, please visit the twogo website or follow twogo on LinkedIn. If you are interested in our HERE Technologies Distribution or MBI’s comprehensive portfolio of geographic, market and risk data, please contact our Sales Team.

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Release 2022 – More than 2.8 million postcode areas in 248 countries worldwide

Illustration showing the postal, admin and microgeographic boundaries for Belin, Germany as an example

Karlsruhe, April 21st, 2022: With the 2022 release, our annual update of the data vintage for a large number of countries in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania has been published. In addition to the adaptation to the most recent data level, numerous administrative, postal and microgeographic area boundaries have been revised or newly added.

As of now, additional digital boundaries are available for the following levels:

  • Turkey (Mahalleler),
  • Portugal (7-digit postcode areas),
  • China (Townships for Beijing and Shanghai),
  • Serbia (Statistical Districts),
  • Algeria (Communes),
  • Netherlands (6-digit postcode areas),
  • United Kingdom (Unit Postcodes) and
  • Malaysia (5-digit postcode areas)

Due to the seamless coverage of postcode and administrative area boundaries, country borders fit together seamlessly without overlaps or gaps to enable cross-country analyses.

As a manufacturer of international data, MBI knows the challenges that are placed on the data required. This is why the world’s leading companies across all industries trust and value the quality and timeliness of our data. We ensure these standards through the most precise research, thorough monitoring of current developments, strict and continuous quality controls, as well as annual updates and extensive upgrades.

From Release 2021 to Release 2022, the format of our digital boundaries has been further optimized. In addition to the existing standard data formats .shp (Esri), .tab (MapInfo), MIF/MID and .gdp (GeoDataBase), our global area boundaries are now also available in .geojson and .tabx formats. Since the 2022 release, all delivery formats are OGC-compliant in order to guarantee good compatibility for use in different GIS systems.

The update also includes the addition of City Points and Additional Names to the database. City Points contain valuable information on the geographical location and size of cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. Additional Names contain country-specific information on the names and languages available in each country, as well as their language and writing systems, which can be used to support query and analysis processes in the country-specific writing system, for example.

An up-to-date database is essential for efficient planning. With our globally consistent and comparable geodata, we provide our customers and partners with a solid basis for well-founded business decisions. Ray Roberts-York, Managing Director of Michael Bauer International GmbH, explains in this context: “Especially in recent years, there’s so much change, and the world around us is evolving faster than ever. To keep up with these developments, an up-to-date database is of great importance. Through regular revisions and adjustments of the data vintage, our data reflects the dynamically changing environmental conditions and supports companies across the globe in making complex decisions.”

Matching the global area boundaries, MBI offers market data (purchasing power, consumer typologies, sociodemographic data, consumer spending, etc.) at administrative, postal, and microgeographic levels. Together with postcode, administrative or microgeographic area boundaries, these enable even more effective and efficient decision-making. For more information, please contact our Sales team. The full press release can be found here.

MBI data offering in numbers, Release 2022

Our experts are continuously working on the improvement, adaptation and micro-level expansion of the global map and databases.

Current number of countries worldwide: 248

Current number of area boundaries (polygones) worldwide (per area level):
Postal: over 2,819,000
Administrative: over 198,000
Microgeographic: over 3,035,000

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On a ride through the USA on the most iconic road – guided by Route 66 Navigation powered by HERE Technologies

Image showing the various services around the Route 66 Navigation app

Route 66 measures 4200 km, passes through eight US states and its route is clearly defined. Conventional navigation solutions calculate the fastest route – a highway route – and they can avoid dirt roads, but no solution has been able to navigate a traveler along a pre-defined route yet.

Unique mobile app supports tourists from across the world with navigating along the historic Route 66

In 2017, Touch Media, founded by Jan Svrcek and Marian Pavel, aimed to change exactly that by focusing on developing the unique Route 66 Navigation app. After a challenging period of development and testing, in 2018 the first navigation worldwide for historic Route 66 was launched successfully. The app’s immediate success prompted the company to develop comprehensive services for tourists driving along Route 66 like a unique travel guide e-book available in 8 languages as well as the Route 66 Passport for collecting stamps while visiting attractive places along Route 66. If that sounds interesting to you, stay tuned for our giveaway at the end of the article! Of course, the pandemic – knocking global tourism to near zero – was a huge challenge for Touch Media. But instead of merely surviving, the company became the world’s largest operator of services for tourists traveling on Route 66. For the 2022/2023 season, they finally expect the return of tourists from all over the world – and are preparing by enhancing their Route 66 Navigation app with some major improvements, including Apple Car Play support. This is a big step in meeting customers’ needs, as they soon will be able to use the application comfortably on multimedia systems of rental cars and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

One of the many happy customers reviewed the app as follows: “If you are planning a trip to the US to do Route 66 don’t hesitate, just download this app. It will save you a massive amount of hassle. We have just returned from our road trip and the first 2 days were hell trying to follow the signs for Route 66. The signs would be well posted at first and then disappear leaving us to wonder if we were still on the route or had made a wrong turn. This app that was recommended by one of the attractions we visited was an absolute lifesaver. It took all the stress out of the rest of the journey and I am positive that we would have missed many of the attractions had we been trying to follow a map. Highly recommend”.

Offline navigation on a predetermined route has been the biggest challenge

When looking for a supplier of a suitable navigation SDK for the Route 66 Navigation app, there were two essential requirements: Navigation has to work offline and at the same time the user must be able to navigate a predetermined route. Marian Pavel, CEO of Touch Media, remembers: “With great surprise, we found that both of our requirements were a problem for several key navigation solution suppliers in 2017”. He then explains: “After discussions with various global suppliers of navigation solutions, we have concluded that HERE Technologies provides the most comprehensive portfolio of services and products that meet our requirements. Although sometimes integrating HERE solutions into our products is not entirely easy, it still provides solutions that we can customize the way we need to”. Touch Media is using HERE Navigate SDK available for iOS, Android and Flutter. The HERE Navigate SDK allows you to develop true offline navigation, downloading some regions or even a whole country. In the online mode, traffic services give you an overview of congestion and upcoming travel time. More information can be found in the comprehensive feature list.

For developing their Route 66 Navigation app, Touch Media uses a special tool – a tablet app in which they can define the navigation route in real-time and even modify it, for example, if one of its sections is closed. This internal tool communicates with the Route 66 Navigation application and therefore the route can be adjusted directly in the app at any time to respond to the current situation on the road. Another impressive feature of the app is that there are different variants of Route 66, just as its route has changed during history. Feedback from customers is highly appreciated to continuously improve the Route 66 Navigation app. For example, the goal for this year is to develop a combination of features to meet the specific requirements of the companies’ American customers.

Don’t miss important checkpoints – the application includes points of interest along the route

The application also contains another practical functionality for travelers which is truly unique. During navigation, the app displays push notifications on the screen as tourists approach certain points of interest, ensuring that they won’t miss any interesting places along Route 66. Moreover, the notification can be clicked for more details on the respective place. A functionality planned for next season will also allow tourists to choose with a filter which points of interest they want to see while driving along Route 66 and which they don’t want to visit.

Touch Media is being supported by MBI as one of the first global HERE Technologies Distributors. Marian Pavel, CEO of Touch Media, explains why the company chose MBI: “We greatly appreciate an active personal approach and flexibility in dealing with our requirements at MBI. In developing our application, we need a partner whom we can contact with questions and who is also helpful in solving any problems. We found that in MBI”.

If you caught the travel bug and want to visit Route 66, you can download the Route 66 Navigation iOS or Android app or visit the website for more information. Another endless source of information and exchange with fellow Route 66 enthusiasts is this Facebook group. For more information about the wide portfolio of data and location services provided through our HERE Technologies Distribution, please contact our Sales Team.

By signing up for our HERE Technologies Distribution Newsletter, you get the chance to win a package including a t-shirt, Route 66 Passport and Route 66 Navigation prepaid card as preparation for your own trip down Route 66! The closing date for entries is May 31, 2022.

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