Similie is surfing on a wave to promote digital transformation for organisations in emerging markets who deal with massive data sets and need to increase efficiency in the way they deliver their services and take actions. But how did it get here?
It all started with Ai and One, Similie’s simple, affordable, and easy to use IoT device and data management platform. Both were developed for the needs of communities, governments and organisations in emerging markets.
One and Ai: a powerful combination
Similie’s Ai IoT device allows the capture of real-time data from multiple sources. The cloud-based data management platform One was built to ease the life of organisations who need to manage all sorts of data and accelerate decision-making. When integrated, Ai and One result in a powerful tool for managers: together they collect data, transformed it into insightful analytics, with engaging reports, and link it to actions. In simple words, Ai’s job is to collect data to One for processing, storage, and ultimately, decision making.
How did it start?
When Craig McVeigh and Adam Smith, co-founders of Similie started the company in Timor-Leste in 2016, they foresaw the need of an IoT device to meet the requirements of an emerging market. Similie’s CEO Craig McVeigh explains: “We saw a need where cheaper, innovative IoT, 3G and 4G enabled technologies could have a positive impact on peoples’ livelihoods. With that in mind, we developed Ai to be ultra-low power consumption, to work in areas with poor network coverage, and to be easy to install, configure and maintain.”
The secret recipe: continuous improvement
Through multiple iterations Similie delivered a robust Ai prototype in 2019. CTO Adam Smith reveals: “We are now in the third generation of Ai, with 1000s of hours lab and field testing completed. Ai is a purely innovative product with a unique combination of reliable, robust software and hardware, that’s seamlessly incorporated with One. Ai is currently being used for meteorological, natural disaster risks management and smart-metering of water supply applications. We are immensely proud of this product: it was designed and built in-house at our Timor-Leste HQ in Dili and has been tested in some of the most challenging environments in the world. However, the tech development will never stop, as we are aiming for continuous improvement in the hardware and software.”
An example of Similie’s commitment to continuous product improvement you need to look no further than the recent commencement of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) platform integrated into One. The AI platform will enhance the timeliness and accuracy of flash flood detection for early warning alerts to vulnerable communities and Ai is a key data collection tool for this application.
Multiple applications, multiple solutions but… one purpose
Ai was built to be 100% flexible and applicable to multiple uses and it is actually being used on a range of different solutions: meteorological stations, water meters, natural disaster early warning and water supply smart metering. All these projects have though one thing in common: to empower managers with data and real-time information, allowing them to respond promptly and taking actions when needed, and to providing people with better services. The final result is the improvement of peoples’ livelihoods in emerging markets, only possible through low-cost connected IoT tech (Ai) and cloud-based computing (One).
By offering innovative, state-of-the art IoT devices and cloud computing solutions, Similie is shaping the digital disruption of Timor-Leste and is now ready to launch into other emerging markets.
