IBM and Mercedes develop "Stolen Vehicle Help" for Mercedes me service

Rhea-AI Summary

IBM and Mercedes have launched the "Urban Guard - Stolen Vehicle Help" service within the Mercedes me app to assist in recovering stolen vehicles. This service addresses a reported 9.2% rise in car thefts in 2020 and enhances law enforcement's ability to locate stolen cars through data sharing. Initially available in Europe since November 2020, it is now accessible to select customers in North America and the Asia Pacific. Developed using open-source technologies, the service aims to improve customer engagement by safeguarding vehicle investments.

Positive

• Launch of Urban Guard - Stolen Vehicle Help service enhances customer engagement.
• Utilizes data sharing to assist law enforcement in recovering stolen vehicles, addressing rising theft rates.
• Expansion into North America and Asia Pacific increases service accessibility.

Negative

• None.

Service builds on IBM hybrid cloud expertise in developing connected vehicle solutions based on open-source technologies

EHNINGEN, Germany and ARMONK, N.Y., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Mercedes announced the successful development of "Urban Guard - Stolen Vehicle Help," a recently launched service in the Mercedes me app designed to help find and recover stolen vehicles. The solution builds on prior collaboration between IBM and Daimler, Mercedes' parent company, to develop connected car services such as "ready to."

According to National Insurance Crime Bureau, a U.S. industry membership organization, car thefts saw a 9.2 percent increase in 2020. Digital, connected car services can offer a solution to help address this risk and enhance the potential for law enforcement to recover lost or stolen vehicles.

Built into the Mercedes me App, the "Urban Guard – Stolen Vehicle Help" service is designed to help customers and law enforcement track and recover stolen vehicles. Given the importance of speed in the event of a theft, the "Stolen Vehicle Help" service collects relevant vehicle and customer data that can help law enforcement identify and recover a vehicle. This data, along with the vehicle position data is then shared with law enforcement via a service partner which is authorized to communicate with world-wide police stations.

In close collaboration, IBM Global Business Services and Mercedes together analysed and defined the end-to-end process: From the front-end customer experience in the event of a theft, to the process of securely sharing the live data and the backend processing.

IBM Global Business Services developed the back-end using cloud-native open-source technologies, such as the Red Hat build of Quarkus, to achieve high-speed performance. As implementation partner, IBM Global Business Services delivers the technical interaction between the various involved parties and existing systems, such as customer data APIs and call center tools.

"Increasingly, consumers expect and value digital, connected services equally to the drive performance of the vehicle, meaning connected car experiences are as important as horsepower or handling," said Juergen Braun, Vice President and Industry Leader Industrial, Automotive IBM DACH. "Developing connected car services that help safeguard the owner's investment is a meaningful way for Mercedes to deepen its relationship with its customers, as well as differentiate itself."

The "Urban Guard - Stolen Vehicle Help" service was initially made available to European customers in November 2020. Following effective recovery efforts, the service is now available to eligible customers in select countries in North America and Asia Pacific.

About IBM: www.ibm.com

More information for journalists:
Allison Bishop
(717) 572-3309
Allison.bishop@ibm.com

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SOURCE IBM

FAQ

What is IBM's Urban Guard - Stolen Vehicle Help service?

It is a service launched in collaboration with Mercedes to track and recover stolen vehicles through the Mercedes me app.

When was the Urban Guard - Stolen Vehicle Help service launched?

The service was initially made available in November 2020.

What regions is the Urban Guard - Stolen Vehicle Help service available in?

It is available to customers in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific.

How does the Urban Guard service assist law enforcement?

It shares relevant vehicle and customer data with law enforcement to help locate stolen vehicles.

What technologies does IBM use for the Urban Guard service?

IBM implemented the service using cloud-native open-source technologies like Quarkus.