Microsoft/TomTom deal expected to allow developers to manage location-aware enterprise, mobile and IoT applications.
Dutch firm TomTom and U.S. software giant Microsoft signed a partnership to bring enterprise-grade, location-based services to Microsoft’s Azure platform based on TomTom’s maps, traffic and navigation software.
Under terms of the partnership, TomTom plans to integrate its services into Azure in order to help developers build and manage location-aware enterprise, mobile, web and “internet of things” applications.
“Location is fast becoming a critical component of a broad range of applications and services,” explained TomTom CEO Harold Godijn. “Teaming up with Microsoft will bring our technology to a much broader developer community on a platform they are already familiar with.”
Brazil requests study to implement national IoT plan
In other IoT news, the Brazilian government announced an agreement with the country’s development bank BNDES to carry out a study on opportunities around IoT, local press reported.
The study is set to be carried out by a consortium composed of consulting firm McKinsey & Company, law firm Pereira Neto/Macedo and research institute CPqD. The consortium will have nine months to execute and deliver the IoT study, according to reports.
The government expects to use information from the report to create a national IoT plan, which is expected to be implemented during the second half of 2017.
The study is said to cost 17.4 million real ($5.1 million), with BNDES set to invest 9.8 million real and the remainder funded by the consortium.
