4. European Satellite Navigation Competition: ubinam wins special award presented by the DHL Innovation Center

DHL Innovation Center awards individual prize in the category of “intelligent traffic management”
• Award-winning entry: Web application “ubinam Parcel Live” uses tracking and community tools to speed up deliveries
• The idea will be further developed at the DHL Innovation Center

As part of the fourth European Satellite Navigation Competition, the DHL Innovation Center, Troisdorf, has selected ubinam on demand GmbH, Oberpfaffenhofen, as the winner of its special award in the category of “intelligent traffic management.” The European Satellite Navigation Competition is an international idea competition that has been held since 2004. Each year, it honors the most innovative solutions in the area of satellite navigation. In 2007, 258 companies competed in the event, almost twice as many as last year.

ubinam’s contest entry, “ubinam Parcel Live,” is designed to make deliveries faster and more individual by using a virtual community and GSM or GPS to determine the recipient’s position. Giuliano Visintini, managing director of ubinam on demand GmbH, said of the solution: “The visible heart of ubinam Parcel Live will be a Web application. DHL customers can open an account there and can precisely describe how and to which address their packages should be delivered.” One feature will enable users to provide various delivery addresses for certain times and weekdays or to use the addresses of friends and neighbors who are authorized to receive the customer’s packages. Over the medium term, “ubinam Parcel Live” is to evolve into a virtual community with strong socialnetworking
elements where social networks can be created and expanded. One example
of such networking would be online friends who accept packages for one another.

The Web application ubinam Parcel Live is to be connected to a powerful tracking
platform. “DHL customers will be able to register for a location-finding service. All
packages addressed to them will be delivered directly to their latest GPS or GSM
position,” Giuliano Visintini adds. ubinam is currently working on its first prototype of the tracking platform. “Today, we are in a position of being able to find a location in Germany and other European countries using GSM, GPS and, in the future, Galileo. Because the search patterns are very rough, particularly for GSM, we would like to complement them with more refined tracking technologies like WLAN, Bluetooth or Zigbee.”

“All of the entries in our category for the European Satellite Navigation Competition were first rate. Still, ubinam Parcel Live was the clear favorite from the start,” says Dr. Keith Ulrich, head of the DHL Innovation Center. “The idea is innovative, and offers private and business customers many distinct advantages. With the concept of a virtual community, it seizes upon a global trend that will help all of our divisions offer even more individual service to customers.”

DHL and ubinam jointly presented ubinam Parcel Live in the Navigation World Area at the IT trade fair SYSTEMS (Munich, Oct. 23-26, 2007). Subsequently, ubinam Parcel Live will be started as a joint project with the DHL team at the DHL Innovation Center in Troisdorf.

Background: European Satellite Navigation Competition
The “European Satellite Navigation Competition 2007” is an idea competition for
European companies, research institutions, universities and private individuals. The competition is organized by Anwendungszentrum GmbH in Oberpfaffenhofen and the Munich computer trade fair SYSTEMS. It is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center and 11 high-tech regions in Europe. The patron of the “European Satellite Navigation Competition 2007” is the Bavarian Ministry for Economics, Infrastructure, Transportation and Technology. In addition to the DHL Innovation Center, the German Aerospace Center and T-Systems sponsored awards in this year's special categories. The idea competition opened on May 1, 2007, and participants had until July 31, 2007, to submit their entries.

Deutsche Post World Net
Corporate Communications – Press Office
Nicole Mommsen
Tel.: +49 (0)228 182 99 28
E-Mail: pressestelle@deutschepost.de

DHL Innovation Center
The DHL Innovation Center is located on a 3500-square-meter site in Troisdorf, about 15 minutes from the Post Tower in Bonn. The heart of the center is the showroom, where all elements of the logistics value chain can be experienced interactively. With its hands-on lab, developmental laboratory and conference area, the DHL Innovation Center affirms DHL’s role as an innovation leader in global logistics. It is open among others to customers, business partners and employees of DPWN members of the general public. For details see
www.dhl-innovation.com.

Deutsche Post World Net is the world’s leading logistics group.
Its integrated Deutsche Post, DHL and Postbank companies offer tailored, customer-focused solutions for the management and transport of goods, information and payments through a global network combined with local expertise. Deutsche Post World Net is also the leading provider of
Dialog Marketing services, with a unique portfolio of efficient outsourcing and system solutions for the mail business. The Group generated revenue of more than 60 billion euros in 2006. With currently more than 500,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories Deutsche Post World Net is one of the biggest employers worldwide.

ubinam on demand GmbH (www.ubinam.com) is a well-established company specialising in the development and operation of online locating systems. Its main focus is in the areas of logistics and security applications. The range of services which ubinam offers is based on an open platform capable of integrating various locating technologies, devices and mobile network operators. Ubinam has taken over the software rights and existing operations from Siemens. Its customer base includes Siemens, government agencies, as well as specialist companies in the
areas of security and logistics services. Ubinam is a partner in the satellite navigation applications centre in Oberpfaffenhofen.

This release was published on openPR.