At next month’s IAA Frankfurt Motor Show, German automotive technology supplier Continental will demonstrate how the future will see drivers benefit from the transfer of data collected by their vehicles in road traffic using its new blockchain-based data-monetization platform.
At the IAA 2019 trade fair (September 12-22), Continental will use ‘Connected Parking’ as an example of the potential for its new Earn as you ride technology. The platform was developed as part of a strategic partnership between Continental and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and is based on Crossbar.io open-source networking technology. The system enables vehicle manufacturers to reward their customers with ‘virtual coins’ for sharing information, with the aim of giving automakers easy and legally compliant access to service-relevant customer data. They can use this data to better understand their customers’ needs and optimize services for them. However, they may also sell it to other service providers on the data trading platform. The sensors installed in connected vehicles collect huge amounts of valuable real-time data during trips that has a great deal of potential, not only for automakers and mobility service providers, but also for infrastructure planning in smart cities.
The decentralized blockchain-based data trading platform ensures transparency, security and efficiency, with all participants in the ecosystem retaining sovereignty over their data, allowing them to decide what they want to share. At the IAA ‘Connected Parking’ demonstration, Continental will use its new On-Street Parking service that will be launched by the end of 2019. The driver will use an app to register for their car manufacturer’s Earn as you ride program. During the subsequent journey, the vehicle’s sensors detect both free and occupied parking spaces along the road, and also when a vehicle is in the process of parking or moving out from a parking space. The vehicle systems send this data to the automaker and at the end of the journey, the driver receives a message that coins have been credited to their virtual wallet for sharing this information. The data can now be passed on to a service provider for their own parking information system.
“We’ll be using our parking data service to show exactly how our blockchain-based data trading platform can create real added value for drivers and mobility in cities,” said Helmut Matschi, Continental board member and head of the interior division. “We fully integrate the driver into the data exchange, creating transparency and higher data availability for everyone involved.”
Volkhard Bregulla, head of the manufacturing, automotive and IoT division at HPE, said, “Vehicle data is priceless, but its value can only be realized if we share it. Our platform removes obstacles that used to hinder data exchange. Data sovereignty, efficiency and monetary incentives are the keys here. The platform will create a secure and open data ecosystem that generates innovation and growth.”
Jürgen Schweiger, head of maps and parking at Continental’s ITS business segment, added, “From a global perspective, one supplier alone simply cannot acquire the required coverage and density of data. So, to enhance the quality of specific services, data providers must be able to supplement their own offers with data from other providers, easily and in real-time where possible. Our new platform makes this data sharing possible.”
