The annual IoT project of the year award ceremony took place on October 13th in Dubai, UAE. This year’s event brought together industry leaders and innovators in telematics and IoT technologies. Organized by Wialon, the flagship of Gurtam’s products, the 2024 event created the perfect opportunity to share new ideas and highlight breakthroughs from around the globe. Here are some of the ceremony highlights and respective award recipients.
What is the IoT project of the year?
Started in 2020, the IoT project of the year program recognizes innovators who are moving the telematics and IoT industry forward publicly. Projects from a wide range of participants are welcomed and judged on the value they bring to the industry. Innovations come in hardware and software formats, and major media outlets like Forbes and Business Insider cover the ceremony.
With over 20 years of experience driving new solutions in IoT and telematics, Gurtam develops platforms like Wialon, flespi, and GPS-Trace to enhance telematics solutions across various industries, including transportation and logistics. Projects entered into this year’s IoT project of the year covered a wealth of applications, from heavy machinery to improvements in agriculture and healthcare.
Over 100 competitive projects from 40 countries across Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, and Australia were submitted for jury evaluation. Each of these submissions was assessed by a jury of 40 international experts led by Andrei Liatsetski, the Head of Project Implementation at Wialon, Gurtam.
Gurtam has organized the IoT Project of the year for four years to continue networking with fellow industry leaders and stay on the cutting edge of the most significant trends in the field. Of the many submissions entered, the top 12 projects received the “Winner’s Award” during the ceremony. Four projects with the highest points obtained the “Grand Prix.”
The competition received a wide range of entries showcasing the use of telematics and IoT across various categories, such as Transport Monitoring and Management, Industrial Automation and Efficiency, Specialized Monitoring and Safety Systems, Security and Theft Prevention, Resource Management and Sustainability, and Healthcare and Emergency Response. Here are some highlights from this year’s entries.
Fleet Management and Safety Management
A significant portion of the submissions tackle the challenges traditionally addressed by telematics through the years. Fleet management and active monitoring of transportation assets are crucial to efficient business operations. It is equally essential so that down-channel customers receive the goods, services, and connections for daily life.
Many submissions focused on fuel monitoring concerning resource usage efficiency and curbing rising theft trends with fuel used in trucking, maritime shipping, and construction machinery.
Driver management was another area of focus, given the number of local legislation, national requirements, and a heightened public focus on driver safety on and off the road. Such was the case of Afritrack, the Wialon partner from Tanzania, who was honoured with a the Grand Prix prize in 2024 and also winner of the IoT project in 2022.
Afritrack focused on enhancing driver safety for one of Tanzania’s leading coal mining companies, operating a fleet of over 200 trucks. By collaborating with Ruvuma Coal, they developed TrackRRM (Rapid Response Management). This web-based incident management solution provides real-time insights into driver behavior and incidents through advanced tracking devices and AI dashcams. The result was a comprehensive platform to oversee driver performance, improve safety (to a 90% accident mitigation rate), and document incidents for future analysis.
An interesting detail about Afritrack is the dual monitoring approach. This technology allows managers to monitor advanced tracking devices while simultaneously displaying dashcams safely. Managers can oversee driver performance in real-time, so if a problem arises, they can see precisely what the driver sees. The result is a 50% improvement in turnaround times, boosting local regulatory compliance and safety protocols.
Industry-Specific Solutions
Many submissions to this year’s award addressed the challenge of public transportation. In the case of MaliaTec, this involved bringing public transportation closer to integration with smart cities—particularly in Lebanon. By blending real-time tracking, digital payment systems, automated passenger counting, and driver behavior monitoring, MaliaTec introduced a new bus system that is safer for passengers and more efficient for the city.
One fascinating aspect of MaliaTec’s innovative system was the integration of public interest through social media. The company launched 96 buses in the first phase, with 78% of current users switching to this. This stems from an increase in safety, accountability, and rider confidence—particularly among women commuters.
Part of MaliaTec’s integration included the use of niche solution provided by Wialon. This public transport management system leverages satellite tracking software and specialized tools for route optimization. In total, the submission demonstrates how powerful a public-private partnership can be for the health of a city and the benefits to its residents.
Industrial Automation and Efficiency
The IoT Project of the Year award is not limited to transportation. Versatility is always appreciated when telematics and IoT innovation can bridge the gaps in other industries. For example, Safetrack for NG RENTA offers an impressive showcase of real-time monitoring of 45-60 parameters for a fleet of generators, compressors, and industrial pumps.
The goal was to lower maintenance costs so greater levels of efficiency could be achieved. Monitoring and automating parameters such as voltage, fuel level, oil pressure, engine speed, etc., allows for remote visibility and control. Considering how many industrial applications exist in challenging environments like oil rigs, mines, and urban areas, such innovations can be versatile for the future.
In addition to data acquisition and processing, the custom solution developed by Safetrack on top of Wialon platform, enables the shutdown of equipment under specific (hazardous) conditions and automates preventative maintenance through an easy-to-view dashboard for real-time asset tracking and report generation. These developments help reduce downtime, enhance operational efficiency, and lead to greater customer satisfaction.
In this project, flespi was utilized as a backend framework platform to aggregate data from third-party sources and translate it into user-friendly dashboards for seamless data processing. This integration allowed Safetrack to handle a large number of unique generators and industrial data collection devices efficiently.
Furthermore, this demonstrates how the system can be applied not only for traditional fleet management but also to address highly specialized technical projects, expanding its utility beyond conventional uses.
Breaking New Ground in Telematics and IoT Development
The more the industry evolves, the greater the expansion of telematics into other sectors, such as industrial usage. Monitoring is crucial for many stationary assets, not only mobile ones like a fleet of vehicles. Companies increasingly utilize IoT for industrial automation and efficiency to cut costs, improve safety, and generate dependable production rates.
Simultaneously, improvements to transportation monitoring and management are still being made. Fleets of all sizes face challenges that must be addressed, from anti-theft engine blocking to advanced AI-powered video tools for improved road safety.
Another key aspect of the awards is seeing how public transportation and infrastructure are changing. Cities hoping to modernize public transportation are embracing innovations for everything from schedule management to fare payments. The idea of a “smart city” is no longer confined to the science fiction shelves of a bookstore. Through the use of advanced telematics, smart cities are a reality, forever changing the efficiencies of public transportation.
The more telematics and IoT progress, the greater the demand for industry-specific solutions. Agriculture, healthcare, courier delivery, and more all need new technology solutions as the demand for automation and global efficiency grows.
2024 Winners of IoT project of the year
This year’s IoT project winners came from diverse countries and industries. Of the 100 competitive projects selected for jury evaluation, 16 got their recognition.
Four Grand Prix Awards:
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ActiveGuard Telematics LTD of Nigeria,
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MaliaTec of Lebanon,
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Afritrack of Tanzania,
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Integrated Solutions of Iraq.
And the other 12 were singled out for special categories. These winners offer competitive work from all over the globe, including:
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Asset Protection – Direct Communication Solutions, USA
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Industrial Solution – HeadMan Labs, India
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Fleet & Driver Management – iQ-Things, Kenya
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Fleet & Driver Management – Ares Sun, Honduras
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Machinery Efficiency – Maqsat, Uruguay
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Industrial Solutions – Safetrack, Mexico
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Public Transportation – Filozof, Turkey
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Roadworks Management – HubLogiQ, The Netherlands
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Security & Operational – GotYou Telematics, South Africa
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Public Transportation – Sarfaroz, Tajikistan
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Agriculture – GetGPS, Turkmenistan
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Fleet & Driver Management – Monitoring Net, Serbia
Congratulations to all winners for a well-deserved victory. Having such a diverse showcase of new technologies and solutions ensures healthy resources for global development and improvements that benefit everyone, from legacy businesses to local governments to individual residents.
Congratulations to All Submissions
With over 20 years in the industry and a global network of 160+ countries, Gurtam celebrates this year's award ceremony and enjoys seeing how Wialon, the company’s flagship platform for fleet digitalization and IoT, improves systems that lead to the many incredible developments and submissions offering new insights into what tomorrow may promise.
