R&D&i Projects

Proyectos:

1. 10/16/AV/0001: see .pdf file.
2. 10/16/AV/0002: see .pdf file.
3. 10/16/AV/0003: see .pdf file.
4. 10/16/AV/0004: see .pdf file.
5. 10/16/AV/0005: see .pdf file.
6. 10/16/AV/0006: see .pdf file.

Duration: 2018-2021

The objective of the NEOMATRIX Strategic Plan consists of the development of six projects related to Artificial Intelligence in the axes: Machine Learning and Deep Learning; Bots and Natural Language Processing; and Data Science and Data Analytics.

As a result, advanced solutions based on Artificial Intelligence are achieved, such as:

1. PATTERN RECOGNITION SYSTEM: Cybersecurity Platform.
2. FRAUD DETECTION: Fraud Analysis Platform.
3. BTTB – BEST TIME TO BUY: Tool to optimize the purchase process.
4. OCCUPANCY FORECAST SYSTEM: Automatic Price Management System for hotel reservations.
5. SMART AGENT: Conversational Customer Communication System.
6. CLIENT FOREVER: Automatic Management System for Customer Segmentation and Personalization.

The main objective of the OptimUX project is to develop a platform that offers organizations a Customer Experience Management that will combine digitalization with human empathy.

To this end, a solution will be designed that, using the latest technologies, will constitute an omni-channel and omnidirectional system that will be able to interact intelligently and automatically with the client to guarantee a satisfactory and personalized experience. Thanks to the existing data in organizations and those collected by the platform itself, automatic learning algorithms will be used to achieve loyalty and customer satisfaction. The platform will consist of the following modules:

• Marketing Automation.
• Artificial intelligence.
• Web Phone.
• CRM.
• Smart Call Center.
• Business Intelligence.
• Social Media Intelligence.

These modules will cover their own objectives placing the final client as the main focus of the platform.

– Deadline for implementation: July 2018 – March 2021
– Budget: 821.508,00 €.
– Co-financing CDTI and ERDF: 328,603.20 €.

The goal of the BiOSBank project is to create an open smart platform for banking that incorporates the most innovative technologies, in order to enable the development of the new banking model required by today’s society.

To do so, as part of the BiOSBank project, a smart open banking platform will be developed along with a new smart ATM system and a mobile banking tool, using disruptive and cutting-edge technologies to facilitate a new model of interaction with banking customers in a much more personalized way, adapted to today’s circumstances and new technologies, and addressing the needs and preferences of each customer (both individuals and companies).

This new platform will be a starting point for:

• Developing a financial-technological ecosystem.
• A basis to facilitate the entry of other players into the financial world.

BiOSBank will undertake experimental research and development tasks supported by the following technologies:

• DLTs (distributed ledger technologies) and blockchain.
• Big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning for know your customer (KYC) management, for the creation of predictive models and risk management, anomaly detection, etc.
• Biometric technologies to manage identities, enabling contactless and cardless transactions.
• Incorporation of additional security mechanisms, such as cryptography, digital signatures, etc.
• Likewise, the platform will offer a services API that—in addition to complying with European regulations (PSD2, AML, MiFID2, etc.)—also contains other additional services to facilitate the development of an adequate Fintech ecosystem.

Its scope of application will widen beyond banking, including a use case for the hotel sector consisting of booking accommodations from ATMs.

In today’s society, the volume of data in existence has grown exponentially. In order to use it, there’s an urgent need for data storage, consumption, analysis and processing. Data is a powerful source of information for decision-making, as well as increasing competitiveness and productivity at any organization.

Data is present in all sectors and activities; but if there’s one specific activity where it’s particularly important, it’s undoubtedly the cybersecurity industry. The data collected in cybersecurity systems is highly valuable, as it contains traces and information that can be used to protect both an organization and its partners and customers.

Among these cybersecurity systems, SIEM (security information and event management) systems provide a tool to compile, analyze and correlate all of the information collected from the different cybersecurity solutions implemented at a company. This allows for the detection of suspicious activities threatening the company’s systems, and the fastest possible response.

By developing our own SIEM, Vector is promoting a new approach to data analysis tools. The essential idea behind VIEM is to enhance the basic capabilities offered by a traditional SIEM with functionalities specific to big data, with a clear business orientation. Moreover, the system is enriched by processing the information collected by cybersecurity tools.

The goal of VIEM (Vector Information and Event Management) is to efficiently ensure the company’s cybersecurity, expanding on the capabilities of traditional SIEM systems while simultaneously offering business-exclusive functionalities, and making use of the information that has been collected.

A new POS management platform has successfully been developed. A POS device enables electronic payments through the use of a physical medium, such as a card or cell phone.

We’ve developed a global solution that’s valid for any payment issuer, in which the business logic does not operate based on a terminal, but rather from a server.

POS systems are separated from the system they’re connected to, which could be an in-person business with staff present or an unattended business, such as a vending machine. POS systems connect to a payment gateway that’s responsible for connecting them to an authorization center or payment switch, and for POS management.

We’ve been able to slim down POS code through a lightweight client solution that reduces one of the main problems related to POS systems: software distribution.

The gateway allows different types of POS systems to be connected (traditional, unattended, mobile or e-commerce).

This is a marketplace combined with a powerful mobile application intended for the tourism sector, which uses smart infrastructure in cities to offer new services for tourists. It obtains information and statistics on the behavioral and consumption profiles and patterns of tourists and, based on these, offers services adapted to their tastes, needs and requirements.

Following in the footsteps of smart cities, it focuses on the effects that smart tourism destinations have on the tourists that visit them, looking to achieve greater control of tourism, more efficient and sustainable management and an increase in its profitability and competitiveness as part of the overall economy. It does so through the following four strategic objectives:

• DISSEMINATION: facilitating the dissemination and marketing of tourism offerings, directing public strategy toward innovation and, above all, making tourists the focus of all initiatives.
• REAL TIME: managing information in real time for tourism management organizations, businesses and tourists, by making it possible to obtain information and statistics on behavioral and consumption profiles and patterns.
• COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE: creating the first comprehensive service for all tourism companies in the region to promote accommodation, dining and leisure packages that are customized for each customer.
• PARTICIPATION: making it easier for hotel owners and SMEs to participate in the platform.

As a smart tourism management platform, it offers tourists everything they need to know about what’s happening and will happen in a destination, in addition to local attractions to visit. It integrates with different systems to obtain more complete information, also making it possible for users to create their own points of interest. All of this is contained within a simple and intuitive interface.

Oriented toward user satisfaction, the app offers highly useful features, such as syncing with the user’s cell phone calendar to manage notifications; an augmented reality mode that makes it easier to locate the closest places of interest in terms of time and distance; a virtual meeting point to connect with other tourists who have visited or are visiting the destination at the same time; evaluations and reviews from other users; local social media allowing tourists to interact with locals; and search and booking engines for restaurant, leisure or transportation options that match the user’s profile.

Likewise, it makes it easier to match the information being displayed to each tourist based on their tastes and profiles, enriching and improving the user experience. The system is also aimed at satisfying stakeholders, as it makes it possible to schedule marketing campaigns and adapt them based on the proximity, schedules and tastes of customers, thereby optimizing the performance of ads and notifications.

Vector is developing a new focus for security services, by creating a new solution that provides broad protection for both companies and governments faced with the new and complex security challenges that may arise with respect to their IT systems.

Our Vector Deep Surveillance solution incorporates multiple solutions, technologies and functionalities to provide smart cybersecurity services that make it possible to predict and prevent threats, in order to help companies and organizations optimize their security programs, stop the most sophisticated threats, protect their critical assets and safeguard their data.

We’re offering a global cybersecurity solution that has a new approach within the paradigm of security, addressing both detention and response as well as prediction and prevention functionalities. This solution is based on a fundamental premise that also constitutes its motto: “Information is the new security perimeter.”

Information is the new perimeter that must be protected, and is thus becoming an essential resource for our solution. Because of this, the new platform enables the collection of all the information available from a multitude of network sources and customer devices. By analyzing behavior and recognizing patterns, it makes it possible to predict future attacks and suggest the necessary preventative measures to take before these attacks occur.

We currently live in a society with an increasing demand for more immediate consumption, in terms of not only information and content, but also goods and services. This is triggering a significant increase in the market share of e-commerce, as well as the appearance of collaborative economy models.

The future of e-commerce lies in satisfying consumers who are demanding solutions that address their specific needs, with increasingly shorter delivery times, greater flexibility in deliveries and increased sustainability in the process.

However, currently only 26% of online stores offer urgent delivery services, and out of these, only 4% offer the option of same-day delivery. Furthermore, the delivery process is one of the most problematic steps in the entire buying process. This is demonstrated by the fact that delays in delivery are the number two cause of claims at online stores in Spain.

For their part, logistics companies have to meet the demand for rapid last-mile deliveries for their clients (online stores), but don’t have the technological tools to optimize logistics management for products for immediate delivery­—meaning that the offering of these types of services is either not covered by the operator, or involves high costs that small businesses can’t cover.

To meet all of these needs, Vector is offering the PILOGIN project. Its general goal is to optimize logistics management (receipt and delivery of merchandise) for products bought online with immediate delivery (less than two hours), with geolocation and real-time information adapted to customers’ needs, as well as a focus on environmental sustainability.

In the current digital era, in which companies are more and more connected every day, nobody doubts the importance of having an online presence. From a business standpoint, regardless of the size of a company or its area of activity, online presence is a tool that allows you to reach a potentially global market that’s available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The emergence of e-commerce has also triggered a need to develop marketing strategies focused on the features of online business in its broadest sense—not only as a means of conducting business transactions, but also as a way to showcase products and services, and attract potential customers.

This project has resulted in the successful development of a smart platform that makes it possible to automate digital marketing strategies, offering campaign managers a tool that can extract relevant information during campaign tracking and facilitate subsequent decision-making for optimization.

It’s an automatic tool that makes it possible to manage the indexing of all key elements of portals and provide almost unassisted campaign tracking. Another one of this automated solution’s goals is to track, with almost no assistance, a campaign that has been previously configured.

• Development of a tool to transform information into knowledge at any company or organization.
• Inclusion of social media concepts in knowledge management systems. A system will be developed that makes it possible to share knowledge based on concrete topics of interest (from specific health issues, to export regulation, to specific customer knowledge, etc., depending on the type of organization).
• Speed: The tool is designed for large-scale users: government bodies, banks, large engineering firms, power generation and distribution companies, logistics companies, hospitals, health systems, etc. All searches will involve browsing millions of documents.
• Multi-device access.
• Security: Because information management will have access from the cloud, the platform must be accredited to guarantee security and data management.
• Easy to use: The solution must be designed for effective and efficient use. For this to be possible, it must include the latest graphic design technologies and be designed to provide a great user experience.
• Multi-repository: The proposed platform will operate from the cloud, but repositories can be located at the company or in the cloud, either distributed or concentrated. Likewise, the platform that’s developed must be able to grow without being redesigned.

Call centers have incorporated the latest technologies to manage information, such as speech-to-text conversion systems. However, existing systems are simple speech transcribers, with significant limitations in terms of information analysis, ease of automatic retrieval and processing, and the volume of data that can be processed.

Moreover, the vast majority of them are specific to the English language, restricting their application in Spain and Latin American countries, where the sector’s largest market share is located.

In response to this, Vector is proposing a project with the goal of technologically developing a new call retrieval and analysis platform for the Spanish language, using speech-to-text transformation processes, text mining technologies and big data techniques. It will include functions that are significantly better than those currently on the market, in terms of efficiency of information analysis and management.

This new platform will have the capacity to process large volumes of data, and will allow for the retrieval of telephone conversation information quickly and automatically. It will also monitor the quality of conversations and collect diverse data, such as the content (complaint, suggestion, service agreement, etc.), the quality and feeling of the call (dissatisfaction, feelings about an offer, etc.) or recorded data (duration, time of call, etc.). This is made possible by the integration of big data technologies with technologies enabling offline processing in quasi-real time, with speech-to-text (STT) conversion tools and text mining technologies focused on the Spanish language.

The main goal of the P2PMONEY project is to develop an integrated online fintech platform that allows for the secure exchange of currencies, eliminating the financial costs of exchange using peer-to-peer networks. The proposed solution is based on the premise that for every person who wants to exchange one currency for another, there exists a second person who wants to exchange in the opposite direction.

The P2PMONEY platform will use existing techniques and knowledge in the field of P2P networks, big data and fintech (financial technologies): both those available in the scientific community and those developed by the company as part of previous projects.

Likewise, developing this platform will contribute to creating new, optimal currency exchange services at a decreased cost to citizens, applying calculations that involve a large number of people and large quantities of money (many small exchanges), and making the global exchange system more efficient.

The project will also promote the development of a semi-automatic exchange system, in which the only external intervention is for system maintenance, as is the case in the majority of collaborative economy environments.

The EANS platform currently assists decision-making regarding price and positioning of e-commerce platform products, allowing for:

• Improved product positioning with respect to the competition.
• The generation of a set of market data for an enormous collection of products: a key feature that can also be used at market studies firms.

The platform uses EAN code analysis as a key feature through which all of the features of a product on different portals can be obtained, enabling effective and high-quality comparison.

We use a series of robots that automatically collect massive amounts of data from different e-commerce platforms. Based on this data, the platform’s engine/core carries out different actions, including comparative analysis of prices, determination of the best price to optimally position a product, and even automatic modification and updating of product prices on the e-commerce platforms defined by the user.

We can summarize its main functions as follows:

• It provides objective prices so that the e-commerce manager can position their products among those with the best prices.
• It automatically allows e-commerce platforms using EANS to update their price list. In other words, within a price range set by the seller, EANS chooses the highest possible price that’s still less than that of the competition.
• The e-commerce platform can automatically establish criteria for updating prices based on a set of rules, such as “the price of product X must not be less than value Y,” “the price of product W can drop until stock reaches value Z,” etc.

The industrial sector is highly experienced in using experimentation as a step prior to decision-making when dealing with product or process innovation. Through controlled and replicable experiments, to-scale models or pilot processes are developed. Their results are studied with the support of statistical tools for technical analysis, prior to making the decision to manufacture the new product or modify the production process.

However, outside of the industrial context, when aspects to consider include a social component (such as when you want to assess the response of customers or users), defining decision-making experiments is much more complex. When probability and subjective variables become part of the equation, these same types of tools become ineffective.

This project has been proposed to solve this problem, and has resulted in the successful development of a platform to support the creation of experiments with a social component.

The APGRI platform is a tool to help design, execute and analyze a guided experiment program in which the social or human variable is taken into consideration.

This new platform provides a solution to the lack of experiment tools that support decision-making, through the following noteworthy achievements:

• Creation of a platform with the “intelligence” and computing power necessary to conduct multi-variable tests, eliminating the need to conduct individual tests on each variable.
• Rationalization of experiments, making it possible to identify the minimum number of experiments necessary to facilitate decision-making without conducting experiments that lack a strategic learning goal.
• Procurement of a platform that helps to define a guided experimentation program to support scientific decision-making.

V-STAR (VECTOR SCAN TOOL AUDIT REPORT) is a platform that uses different analysis tools to identify vulnerabilities in web services, without false positives/negatives—one of the main drawbacks of currently available solutions.

Our solution consolidates the results of all tools based on inference rules, following the concept of adaptive security. More consistent results are obtained, and false positives/negatives are eliminated by comparing the results of all tools with one another.

The scan finishes by generating reports in different formats (PDF, HTML, etc.) and integrates with vulnerability standards (CWE, CVE, etc.). This provides a highly accurate idea of vulnerabilities and their severity.

V-STAR generates different types of reports, including executive reports (which can be understood by anyone) and an in-depth technical report (which contains all technical information about vulnerabilities and countermeasures).

This solution has an open architecture that will allow it to be coupled with other open source tools and prediction algorithms in the future. It will also make continuous updating of integrated tools and modules possible, and enable new development. These features are very important when it comes to turning the meta-tool into an evolving tool capable of detecting new vulnerabilities that are discovered.

All of this is complemented by an incredibly high level of automation. The entire process is automated; only very basic data will need to be provided (portal URL, customer name, etc.). This level of automation drastically reduces costs, making the service affordable for all types of users, from SMEs to services platforms in sectors such as banking or retail.

To elaborate on the concept of adaptive security, the meta-tool contains an expert system with an artificial intelligence and statistics engine that supplies the data to configure scans. As the meta-tool conducts more and more scans, machine learning will take place.

We’re living in the digital age, and our society becomes more connected every day. The internet is a normal part of people’s lives and an essential tool for companies.

The main area of study in IoT is connectivity to the internet through low-power radio signals, which will allow different devices and things to connect without using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth—making it possible to access the internet on practically every device.

With the Internet of Things, all devices will become smart devices capable of sending and receiving all kinds of information. This information will be processed and stored on the cloud, where the enormous volumes of data generated will be interpreted, simultaneously sharing information in real time via expert systems.

These aspects clearly demonstrate the need for the B2B-oriented IoT platform developed by Vector ITC. This platform is designed to provide features that don’t currently exist in the platforms available on the market.

The platform has an open code architecture so that any device can connect to the network without issue. Device compatibility problems will be eliminated, establishing it as a universal platform in which any device is able to connect at any time and from anywhere in the world.

The hyper-connectivity offered by the IoT platform will be one of the factors of success in Vector’s proposal, which will address some of the most relevant challenges and trends of our times.

This project has successfully developed a platform for conducting international transfers, eliminating financial and currency exchange fees by using peer-to-peer networks.

The platform connects people who want to make transfers, eliminating intermediary banks to reduce commissions and management fees. A request from a person who wants to make a transfer from one place to another will be matched with a request from another person who wants to make the opposite exchange.

In addition, a mobile application allowing international money transfers through tablets and smartphones has been developed. The application is also supported by a web platform, on which the same process can be carried out.

All of the platforms mentioned (tablets, smartphones and web) are linked with middleware located in multiple countries, which has agreements with different financial institutions.

This solves the problem of small-volume international transfers, which are mainly made by a large population of immigrants to their families (located in different European and Latin American countries).

These small transactions are very expensive for both the sender and the recipient, and take multiple days to complete. In addition, banks offer no transparency in terms of exchange rates, commissions, etc.

This new platform resolves these problems and offers an advanced, low-cost international transfer system with the following features, among other achievements:

• Instant, person-to-person international transfers.
• Multi-currency transfers.
• Minimum transfer amount of €1, without a maximum limit.
• Access from tablets, smartphones or the web.
• Ability to operate in at least 30 countries, particularly in Spain and Latin America.
• Established local accounts in every country, so that users only make local transfers that are completed quickly.
• Possibility of sending money without registration in the system, using the account of any institution, card or other payment method.

We’ve designed and developed a new comprehensive e-market solution based on “mixed stores,” making it possible to offer users an optimal purchasing experience.

This solution solves a problem many small retail businesses face today: with limited investment capacity, it’s difficult for small retailers to implement initiatives for expansion to channels beyond physical sales in their establishments.

A set of applications has been developed based on the purchasing experiences, profiles and habits of small business customers. Small retailers will be able to make their key customers happy through a positive purchasing experience, and optimize their sales process—which may even be currently undefined, because they’re unaware of when the decision to buy takes place.

The solutions developed allow for the collection of useful information from the majority of electronic devices, both within and outside of physical store spaces (in strict compliance with the Data Protection Act), and for the generation of knowledge and/or actions to be taken.

In addition, a next-generation technological architecture has been developed, which allows for sustainable growth. Future clients will have a technological management model that’s capable of incorporating new technologies and future services quickly and without traumatic transactions.

The main goal of the SEMOSA project is to provide an open innovation platform and tools to create mobile applications that support recent technologies, such as near field communication (NFC). It also aims to create perfect integration between multiple secure domains and the interoperability of services, such as payments within Europe. SEMOSA will configure an open innovation platform for all mobile applications and service providers, aimed at achieving European interoperability for trustworthy applications and services (e.g. m-payments).

The UsiXML project uses an innovative language to develop a model to improve user interface design. It has significant advantages for users in terms of productivity, reusability, usability and accessibility through support for the “μ7” concept: multi-device, multi-user, multi-cultural/lingual, multi-organization, multi-context, multi-modality and multi-platform.

This approach is guaranteed by a European consortium of industrial and academic partners, who are capable of addressing this challenge to achieve a realistic and complex industrial design of use cases and their development. The results of this project are expected to have a significant impact on the European market over the next decades in different sectors, with real gains for European industry, employees and citizens.

An application for the evaluation of energy efficiency, the pilot project of which was implemented with a client in the agri-food sector. It’s divided into five modules:

• Basic data input module: electrical companies, rates, etc.
• Factory diagram: reflects the structure of the sensors installed in the form of a tree diagram.
• Electronic invoice simulation module.
• Statistical module: uses data from sensors for power consumption, temperature and humidity, from cold (i.e. cold stores) and hot (i.e. ovens) work equipment; suggestions for new energy models for the factory using neural networks.
• Graphic module presenting the complete factory flow.

The main goal of this project is to research and develop systems that promote access to banking services for the elderly through ATMs, the internet, television and mobile phones.