Tracking success: Astara Connect powers the Pan Am Games

A row of Mitsubishi's official fleet for the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

When a global sports event draws millions of spectators, the logistics behind the scenes are just as impressive as the athletic feats.

Sandwiched between the Andes and the Pacific, Santiago, Chile is well-known for its chronic traffic congestion during peak hours. So, when the city was chosen to host both the Pan American and Parapan American Games in 2023 – the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the country – managing its official fleet of vehicles was nothing short of a logistical marathon.

Picture this: 600 sleek Mitsubishi cars expertly navigating the Chilean capital’s bustling city streets, shuttling over 8,000 elite athletes, coaches and VIPs to reach 41 different venues with precision timing. Behind this seamless operation? A cutting-edge platform from a leading global mobility company, Astara, that ensured every car in the fleet was accounted for, optimized and ready to serve.

"Mitsubishi Motors Chile needed us to develop a comprehensive solution," explained Jose Pacheco, Chief Innovation Officer at Astara. "One that offered unparalleled accuracy, absolute reliability and detailed analytics."

By customizing the HERE-powered Astara Connect dashboard to meet Mitsubishi Motor Chile’s specific requirements, Astara not only managed real-time location and security but also provided the Games organizers with critical insights to streamline operations and minimize environmental impact.

This innovative use of technology transformed what could have been an operational nightmare into a seamless and eco-conscious transportation network, showcasing the power of innovation in overcoming mobility challenges during mass sporting events.

Taking the Pan Am fleet to the finish line

The key insights gained from implementing Astara Connect at Santiago 2023:

More than 149,000 trips were completed throughout the Pan American and Parapan American Games, covering a total distance of 1,204,000 km, with each vehicle averaging 2,000 km.

71% of the fleet's movements took place in busy urban environments.

The fleet consumed 133,419 liters of fuel, with 77% being gasoline.

During the event, 319,164kg of CO₂ emissions were recorded, highlighting a commitment to transparency and sustainable mobility practices.

There were 4,173 visits to gas stations. By analyzing refueling data and comparing it with nearby stations offering lower prices, the fleet could have saved 2,440,000 CLP (US$2,611) in fuel costs.

With an average driving score of 1.83 out of 5, the data revealed a clear opportunity to improve driving practices and enhance road safety through initiatives like driver training and safety programs.

No incidents of vehicle theft or suspicious fuel activities occurred. The real-time location tracking of each car in the fleet provided an added layer of security.

Open for business

With operations spanning three continents and 19 countries, Astara positions itself as an “open mobility” company dedicated to meeting the unique needs of each customer.

“Providing a true mobility solution requires a deep understanding of the context in which it’s used,” Pacheco emphasized.

At the core of Astara’s offerings is Astara Connect, a data-driven, low-code platform designed for businesses of all sizes and public administrations to manage fleets, improve safety and reduce their environmental footprint. Using advanced location services from HERE, the platform is built to drive operational efficiency, reduce data complexity and deliver actionable insights.

“We set out to build a solution that would be flexible and reliable,” added Pacheco. “When it came time to choose our partners, HERE stood out as the obvious choice for bringing our vision to life.”

Amplifying Astara Connect

HERE enhances Astara Connect by offering advanced location services that make fleet management smarter:

Route Matching and GPS Data Accuracy: HERE’s advanced route-matching technology makes sure that GPS data from vehicles using Astara Connect is accurate, even in tricky environments like tunnels, dense tree cover or during bad weather.

Reverse Geocoding for Precision Trip Records: this helps translate raw coordinates into recognizable addresses or nearby landmarks - meaning Astara Connect can pinpoint exactly where each trip starts and ends, rather than just providing latitude and longitude data.

Road Type Classification: With the ability to differentiate between city and highway roads, this feature allows Astara Connect to accurately assess driving conditions and tweak its scoring systems for evaluating driver performance, making roads safer and more efficient. Plus, it gives businesses better insights into environmental impacts like noise and carbon emissions.

Comprehensive Speed Limit Information: Thanks to HERE’s vast database of speed limits, Astara Connect can spot when drivers are going too fast, helping businesses encourage safer driving and cutting down on road risks and environmental impact.

HERE enhances Astara Connect by offering advanced location services that make fleet management smarter.

Elastic logistics

Astara Connect is all about adaptability—you can tailor it to suit your needs, use it as a dashboard or web app and seamlessly integrate it into your company’s existing app using its API.

That said, Pacheco pointed out that most fleets they work with share common challenges. “A customer’s fleet is often a mix of different vehicle types, brands and systems,” he explained.

“Our platform is fully brand-agnostic—we can connect with any vehicle and unify all the data into one seamless solution. This ability to harmonize diverse data sources is one of the biggest headaches we solve for our clients.

“All alerts, notifications and suggested improvements are centralized for the customer, making it easier to stay informed. This is the second key feature we focus on—delivering value proactively, even for customers who don’t use our dashboards daily.

“And the third key aspect is our strength in generating actionable intelligence. It’s not just about the data you see in real time; it’s about transforming your operational data into insights that drive smarter decisions.

“For example, we help businesses lower their total cost of ownership (TCO), plan transitions to electric vehicles (EVs), and reduce CO₂ emissions. By turning raw data into bespoke reports, we empower customers to improve efficiency and sustainability."

Amid all the discussions about reliability, we were curious about the map coverage in the more remote regions of South and Central America. However, Pacheco was quick to ease our concerns.

"Take, for example, a worst-case scenario: a fleet operating in the mining sector in northern Chile, where connectivity is limited and reliable positioning data is hard to come by," said Pacheco.

"In these situations, we work closely with HERE to develop solutions. If HERE can create accurate maps using satellite data, bypassing the need for 3G or 4G networks, that’s exactly the type of collaboration we’re eager to pursue. In fact, we’re already testing pilot programs aimed at overcoming these challenges."

Empowering EV adoption

Astara is gearing up to help businesses in Latin America and Southeast Asia switch to electric vehicles (EVs) soon. “We’re thrilled about our two-fold strategy for EVs,” shared Pacheco.

“In Europe, the focus is already on speeding up EV adoption and cutting emissions. But in Latin America and Southeast Asia, we're just getting started. The infrastructure is still developing, which means small businesses and individual EV operators will need extra support to run smoothly.

“We’re confident that our success in Europe can translate to promising opportunities, especially in Pacific coast countries like Chile and Colombia, and in the Philippines.

“Our goal is clear: we want to grow.”