Lytx is one of more than 45 technology companies and an undisclosed number of cities that are members of Qualcomm’s accelerator — launched in April in hopes of jump-starting deployment of smart cities technologies.
“Their data leadership and expertise in deploying machine vision and artificial intelligence solutions for so many public and private-sector fleets make (Lytx) an ideal partner for Qualcomm’s Smart Cities Accelerator Program,” said Sanjeet Pandit, head of Qualcomm’s smart cities initiative.
While smart cities has become a buzzword in the tech world, there are relatively few deployments of these technologies to date.
But the market is expected to grow fast, increasing from $44 billion globally in 2018 to $367 billion in 2025, according to Qualcomm.
The San Diego cellular technology giant aims to be a matchmaker between smart cities firms that use Qualcomm’s chips and cities looking to solve urban problems with digital technologies.
Members of the accelerator so far include Arrow Electronics, a leading distributor of Internet of Things gear with $30 billion in sales, Verizon, smart-water meter start-up Water Pigeon and Lime, which rents dockless bicycles and scooters, as well as operating car-sharing systems, in cities worldwide.
Lytx has 575,000 connected cameras in vehicles nationwide. The company claims its vehicles with its cameras cover every major road in the U.S. once an hour.
Lytx joined the Qualcomm accelerator in part to gain access to more city fleets, which could become potential customers for DriveCam.
But the company thinks it has additional services to offer municipalities, including identifying blind corners and other hazards on city streets that lead to accidents.
“A smart city is a safe city,” said Eliot Feldstein, Lytx senior vice president of corporate and business development. “As cities become ever more congested, Lytx big data and video-telematics solutions have the power to revolutionize urban transportation planning and management.”
Over the years, Lytx has amassed a database of accidents, hard braking or swerving and other incidents, said Feldstein. That database could help cities identify traffic safety hotspots on local roadways, what time of day accidents most often occur and the type of vehicles involved, he said.
With that information, cities could not only fix existing trouble spots but also improve road or intersection design during the planning process.
“We have more than 100 billion miles of driving data on-hand, and collect millions more every day from city, municipal, government and commercial fleets,” said Feldstein. “Lytx is uniquely positioned to help smart cities understand and solve for the increasingly complex and dangerous future of urban driving.”
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