UPES signs MoU with HERE Technologies – The Way Forward

As part of the MoU, UPES-HERE Tech Centre of Excellence (COE) for collaborative research will be set up to allocate students and faculty mentors for collaborative research and product development

HERE Technologies is a company focused on digitized location mapping and in-car navigation systems. It specializes in creating living three-dimensional maps that grow upwards, breathing with layers of information and insights. HERE Technologies is actively working in the cutting-edge technology areas such as Autonomous Driving and Internet of Things. It is also  providing solutions for Logistics and Supply Chain, Urban Mobility and Telecommunication Industry segments to name a few.

As part of the MoU, a UPES-HERE Tech Centre of Excellence (COE) for Collaborative Research will be set up. UPES shall create a space for Centre of Excellence and allocate students and faculty mentors for collaborative research and product development. Additionally, HERE Technologies will assist in the following ways-

• Provide real-life problem statements that will be explored in the COE
• Provide online infrastructure needed to test and create Proof of Concepts
• Share the cost of tools, which shall be provided to UPES under the aegis of COE
• Collaborate on curriculum development to enrich curriculum in the areas where HERE Technologies has expertise

Three major areas of collaboration include joint research in the areas of Artificial Intelligence applications in the area of location maps, Internet of Things, Analytics and GIS. The contributors who made it possible are the School of Computer Science faculty. I spearheaded the process as, Head, Department of Cybernetics, along with Mr Saurabh Shanu from Department of Virtualization under the able guidance of Dr. Manish Prateek, Dean, School of Computer Science. Mr. Aditya Singh provided necessary support from the Career Services department at UPES. Ms. Mudrika Shakdwipee, Senior Lead, Data Acquisition and Community, spearheaded this from HERE Technologies, along with support from Mr. Sainath P, Manager, Data Sourcing, and Mr. Rohit Kaushik, Head Portfolio Management, Strategy, Alliances and Partnership helped the entire time.

Benefit to the students and faculty

UPES students will work on HERE Maps using their cloud-enabled developer workbenches to create solutions in the area of digital maps, urban mobility, etc. They will work on the latest and upcoming technologies, which will enhance their skills and profile. HERE team and the faculty  will jointly engage in collaborative research and product development, thereby enhancing research output from UPES. This partnership further strengthens the fact that UPES has always worked closely with industry on innovative technologies.

We are thankful for the support and direction provided by Vice Chancellor Dr. Sunil Rai and constant encouragement by Dr. Veena Dutta, Registrar, UPES. Dr. Manish Prateek has been a pillar of support during these testing times. A big thank you to the Career Services and Legal Team at UPES for the necessary logistical support.

(The writer is HOD, Cybernetics, School of Computer Science, UPES)