Classification & Data Collection

Fiber connectivity provider Omnitron has introduced two new fiber switches, RuggedNet (RN) and OmniConverter (OC), which it claims enables fiber optic distance extension to PoE and PoE+ powered devices, available in managed and unmanaged models. The RN industrial PoE fiber switches are designed for deployments in transportation, manufacturing, energy and other IoT applications. They can also be DIN-rail mounted and feature single or dual DC power inputs and contact closures that can generate alarms.

Transport software provider PTV Group has joined forces on a two-year project to assess the application of autonomous and electric buses in areas with different settlement structures and population densities. The project ‘Research into the preconditions for the and fields of application of autonomous and electric (mini) buses in public transport’, will focus on technology and infrastructure, space and traffic-related conditions and acceptance.

Varamar Group has launched what it claims to be the first independent online platform for the global freight market, to save time and money for users in the shipping industry, Ukraine. In phase one, Sipnext, endorsed by Baltic and International Maritime Council and European investment bank Dragon Capital, uses software to read an emailed cargo request or ship position and match cargos with ships using 70 various databases and algorithms

The European Governments and EU are subsidising €112 billion each year for the production and consumption of fossil fuels, claims a new report from the Overseas Development Institute and Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe – violating the Paris Agreement’s phase-out plan 2020. The report, Phase-Out 2020: Monitoring Europe’s fossil fuel subsidies (PH20202) gathered the information from 11 European countries between 2014 – 2016.

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Traffic Data Systems’ WIM-DSP 32 low-speed and high-speed weigh-in-motion (WIM) system has been awarded an OIML-R134-1 certificate by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology, proving accuracy levels of ±5% (initial verification) and ±10% (in-service inspection) have been achieved. The Swiss institute’s supervised certification process required more than 500 test runs with different vehicles, speeds and loads.

International Road Dynamics (IRD) supported Georgia Motor Carrier Compliance Division (MCCD) in advance of Hurricane Irma’s landfall to advise on ways in which MCCD could monitor the traffic at their weigh stations and provide useful information to internal and external stakeholders. MCCD, the agency responsible for weight and safety enforcement in the state, indicated they were already watching the IRD Virtual Weigh Station (VWS) websites very closely.

UK technology company Delphi Automotive is to partner with LeddarTech, a Canadian company developing solid-state LiDAR technology to collaborate on the development of a low-cost, corner LiDAR solution. They say the core technology can be developed rapidly and allows for easy vehicle integration.

US-based Geophysical Survey Systems (GSSI), manufacturer of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, has entered into a licensing agreement with Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory to build and sell commercial prototypes of their localised ground penetrating radar (LGPR) system, which helps autonomous vehicles navigate by using subsurface geology. The partnership will make prototype systems available to the self-driving vehicle industry.

The Illinois Tollway and Pace Suburban Bus, along with regional project partners and local officials, have activated the I-90 SmartRoad on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. It includes advanced technology to provide real-time roadway information to drivers and a dedicated Flex Lane for Pace buses to use whenever traffic conditions warrant. The 16-mile SmartRoad incorporates active traffic management using cameras, sensors and overhead gantries to more quickly bring detailed road information.