Nuria Martínez (DEC Manager at CEL) asks: Can you explain in your own words, what the egeniouss base technology is (and how you use it in your app)?
Achim Hennecke (Managing Director at beemo GmbH) answers: First of all, the egeniouss technology is a really exciting approach that we are currently researching and developing in the project. It involves an innovative method of drawing conclusions about the exact position from smartphone camera images of an environment while cycling or driving. If this approach succeeds, it will be a significant advance over GNSS – that is, for instance, Galileo or GPS– technology and it could bring tangible benefits in many scenarios, for example when navigating with our Naviki cycling app in cities.
Nuria Martínez (DEC Manager at CEL) asks: Where do you see the biggest impact for the citizens?
Achim Hennecke (Managing Director at beemo GmbH) answers: On the one hand, I see benefits through the direct application as a service. egeniouss will prospectively be used as a supplement or alternative to GNSS and enable better and more precise positioning. This will make navigation more precise and thus bring benefits in the everyday lives of private individuals or for business use, for example by delivery services. It also creates a valuable alternative and thus more independence from GNSS. Local authorities could, for example, independently initiate the use of geospatial data of their area to create the data basis for the application of egeniouss.
Nuria Martínez (DEC Manager at CEL) asks: What are the benefits for your company?
Achim Hennecke (Managing Director at beemo GmbH) answers: With our Naviki app, we already offer excellent navigation for cycling. Inherently, the navigation instructions can only be as precise as the GNSS signal at a given time and location. Especially in cities with large buildings, inaccuracies sometimes occur due to reduced GNSS reception. And this is exactly where egeniouss has its strengths. That’s why egeniouss could make our navigation even better. Naviki also allows to record and document your own cycling activities over the long term. In this use case, it is an advantage if the accuracy improves wherever GNSS reception is non-optimal.
Nuria Martínez (DEC Manager at CEL) asks: What do you like most in the egeniouss approach?
Achim Hennecke (Managing Director at beemo GmbH) answers: I think it makes sense to work on alternatives that create independence and freedom of choice. In a way, egeniouss offers this with regards to GNSS. I also think it’s good that egeniouss is being developed generically and is not focussing on just one area of application. Of course, it’s great that the future-oriented mode of transport, the bicycle, can benefit from our involvement. I also like the fact that egeniouss is a very sophisticated approach that involves technical challenges and a lot of dedication and detailed work.
