[TCN] Monday, February 11, 2008

 

Transportation Communications Newsletter

 

Monday, February 11, 2008 -- ISSN 1529-1057

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AVIATION

 

1) DARPA Extends Robot Air Traffic Control Research

Link to story in Flight:

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/02/11/221469/darpa-extends-robot-atc-research-for-uavs.html

 

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

 

2) Indian Commuters Not Buying Electronic Toll Tag Idea

Link to story in The Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Commuters_not_buying_tag_idea/articleshow/2771876.cms

 

3) Electronic Tracking at Ohio River Bridges Means No Booths

Link to story in The Courier-Journal:

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080209/NEWS01/802090480/1008/NEWS01

 

4) As Toll Dodgers Get Creative, Eyes of E-ZPass are Watching

Link to story in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/nyregion/11ezpass.html?ex=1360386000&en=d557a3a21025ac90&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

 

GPS / NAVIGATION

 

5) LORAN Saved, but Money Questions Remain

Link to story in GPS World:

http://uc.gpsworld.com/gpsuc/Utilities+%26+Communications+News/LORAN-Saved-but-Money-Questions-Remain/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/490245?contextCategoryId=33826

 

6) GPS Isn't the Only Tool for Location

It's the most accurate, but others will stay part of the mix.

Link to story in InformationWeek:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206105934&subSection=All+Stories

 

7) University of Massachusetts Student Designs GPS Helmet

Would call for help if wearer is knocked unconscious.

Link to story and video report on WSHM-TV:

http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/15454246.html

 

8) Nokia Aiming to Banish Paper Maps

Company has launched navigation tools designed to make the paper street map obsolete for pedestrians.

Link to BBC News story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7230686.stm

 

OTHER

 

9) Biometrics Registry Proposed

Standards registry would enable interagency sharing of biometrics.

Link to story in Government Computer News:

http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/45802-1.html

 

10) Reporter's Access to North Carolina Board of Transportation Meeting Limited

Link to story in The News & Observer:

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/929116.html

 

11) EU Commission Plans New Rules on Car Advertising - Report

Link to Thomson Financial story:

http://www.hemscott.com/news/latest-news/item.do?newsId=59886876521231

 

RAILROADS

 

12) Railways to Jump Onto Wi-Fi Bandwagon, Project to be Launched in Shatabdi, Rajdhani Trains

Link to story in The Economic Times:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Railways/Railways_to_jump_onto_Wi-Fi_bandwagon_project_to_be_launched_in_Shatabdi_Rajdhani_trains/articleshow/2774693.cms

 

13) Trains in Europe Offering Wi-Fi

Link to story in the International Herald Tribune:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/10/business/trains11.php

 

SAFETY / SECURITY

 

14) FCC's Safety Spectrum May Not Get Buyer

Link to story in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/08/AR2008020803594.html  (may require free registration)

 

15) EU Weighs Traveler Biometric Requirements

Link to story in Washington Technology:

http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/32253-1.html

 

TELEMATICS

 

16) Perfect Partners

Automotive and electronics industries have long traveled a similar path but those paths now often converge.

Link to story in The Engineer:

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/304495/Perfect+partners.htm

 

17) Software Gets Smart Cars Talking

Link to story in ICT Results:

http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm/section/news/tpl/article/BrowsingType/Features/ID/89520

 

TRANSIT

 

18) The Buzz is Over iBUS

Link to story in Business Line:

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2008/02/11/stories/2008021150070300.htm

 

19) Philadelphia-Area Transit Lines Seeking Smartest 'Smart Card'

Link to story in The Philadelphia Inquirer:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20080211_Transit_lines_seeking_smartest_smart_card.html

 

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

 

20) High-Tech Traffic System Coming to Wichita

Link to story and video report on KSNW-TV:

http://www.ksn.com/news/local/15452811.html

 

21) Traffic Camera Data Gives Complex Picture

Police, Californian analysis tell different tales of collision rates.

Link to story in The Bakersfield Californian:

http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/359284.html

 

22) Fog Detectors Could Prevent Crashes, County Says, but Florida Budget Tight

Link to story in the Palm Beach Post:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/02/10/s1c_ROAD_FOG_0210.html

 

23) Researchers Try Tracking Traffic Using Cell Phone GPS

Link to story in the San Jose Mercury News:

http://www.mercurynews.com/traffic/ci_8215860

 

24) Commuter Feed: Track Traffic Reports with Twitter

Link to story in Wired:

http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2008/02/commuter-feed-t.html

Link to Commuter Feed: http://www.commuterfeed.com/

 

 

News Releases

 

1) Navteq Announces Navteq Traffic in Europe

2) SkyWay and Ford Team Up to Provide Ford Owners with Integrated Security Options

3) Motorola Launches Mobile TV Device with Advanced Navigation Capabilities

4) ITIS Starts Trial with Telefonica for Real-Time Traffic Information in Barcelona

5) CSX Transportation Launches Online Carbon Calculator

6) Sanef Consolidates Its Two Subsidiaries, Webraska and masternaut, to Build a Telematic Mobility Unit of European Dimension

7) Webraska Announces the Launch of the 1^st Hybrid GPS Navigation Worldwide

 

 

Upcoming Events

TRB Webinar - Fast Lanes on the Transportation Information Superhighway: Tips for Efficient, Comprehensive Internet Research – February 27

http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8698

 

 

Today in Transportation History

1808 **200^th anniversary** – Anthracite coal is first used in the US as a domestic heating fuel.  In later years it was used as an important fuel for steam locomotives.

http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/inspector/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=476157

 

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© 2008 Bernie Wagenblast