Hexagon developing solutions for Indian smart cities

Hexagon AB, a global provider of information technology solutions, is integrating various technologies to come out with customized solution for Indian smart cities, the company's India head said on Friday.

The Swedish company is working on the major initiative where all its businesses are coming together to develop strong solutions on smart city.

Pramod Kaushik, President, Hexagon India, said they had already developed technologies which can find out what is below the ground, above the ground and in the air.

Hexagon's ground-penetrating radars can find what is under the ground at 30 to 40 metres, thus helping in locating the position of electric, fibre optic cable, water, sewerage and other lines and for coming out with the best solution.

Talking to reporters at Hexagon Capability Centre India (HCCI) here after the launch of BLK 360, a miniaturized imaging laser scanner, Kaushik said the technologies could help the authorities in a wide range of activities including identifying illegal constructions and areas where the population is growing.

Stating that the company was focusing on India as a market, he said they want to get into smart manufacturing, smart quality and automation using robots for Indian industry.

India currently accounts for two to three percent of Hexagon's global revenues of 3.1 billion euros. It has set a target of increasing the same to five percent in three to five years.

Hexagon also plans to increase its India headcount by 50 to 100 in next two to three years. It currently has 1,700 employees in 15 centres across the country.

Designed and manufactured in Switzerland, BLK 360 can capture the world around it with high resolution 3D panoramic images. It is designed to capture 360 degree images in three minutes up to a 60 meters distance.

Navneet Mishra, Vice President and Country Manager, HCCI, said the scanner can bring down the cost in construction by 25 to 30 percent as it can be used to know the progress of construction in real time. The output goes to project control and project management software that helps in knowing the progress of the work on day to day basis.

--IANS

ms/vd