Location Based Systems

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has set out final plans for the construction of Europe’s longest substantially-segregated urban cycleways, the centrepiece of his US$1.3 billion commitment to get more Londoners on their bikes. Subject to approval by Transport for London, construction of the routes will begin in March. Two continuous cycle routes, almost completely separated from traffic, will cross central London from east to west and north to south, opening up thousands of new journey opportunit

Self-driving vehicles are expected to improve road safety, improve the mobility of those who currently cannot use conventional vehicles and reduce emissions. However, a new report by researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) reviews some of the safety aspects attributed to autonomous vehicles and indicates that safety is likely to be an issue as long as self-driving cars share the road with conventional vehicles. Report authors Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoe

By 2020, there will be a quarter billion connected vehicles on the road, enabling new in-vehicle services and automated driving capabilities, according to Gartner. During the next five years, the proportion of new vehicles equipped with this capability will increase dramatically, making connected cars a major element of the Internet of Things (IoT). Gartner forecasts that 4.9 billion connected things will be in use in 2015, up 30 per cent from 2014, and will reach 25 billion by 2020. It also predicts

The Dutch government has given its approval to large-scale testing of autonomous cars on roads in the Netherlands, saying the technology could reduce congestion and smooth traffic flow. The cabinet has agreed to adjust road rules, which will enable the Dutch transport authority, RDW, to grant permission for testing. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, the Netherlands has become a test-bed for autonomous vehicles, although until now tests have largely been carried out at priv

Ford’s newly opened Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto, US, will drive the company’s innovation in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience and big data, it says. The new research centre will continue the company’s work on autonomous vehicles, including ongoing work with University of Michigan and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It will also expand collaboration with Stanford University that started in 2013 and will contribute a Fusion autonomous research vehicle to t

The Central Office of the Florida Department of Transportation has selected infrastructure firm HNTB Corporation for a three-year automated vehicle support contract. HNTB will support FDOT by working directly with auto manufacturers, related original equipment manufacturers and suppliers on pilot projects, working with universities on automated vehicle research projects, and developing policy to move forward with application testing. “Florida is one of a handful of states leading the way toward a futu

The US I-95 Corridor Coalition has chosen TomTom’s real time traffic information service to help reduce congestion on 40,000 miles of highways, major roads and secondary roads in 16 states and Washington DC. The Coalition believes that TomTom’s expertise in identifying where roads are congested and pinpointing both the beginning and end of a traffic jam will help coalition members to better manage traffic and ease congestion along one of the most travelled road networks in the US. “We’re excited that

Ericsson was a winner across four categories at the Compass Intelligence Awards ceremony held during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on 7 January. The annual program recognises the best mobile computing, wireless data communications, machine-to-machine and eco-friendly products and services offered in the market during the past year. Ericsson was named M2M Technology Company of the Year for its innovations that included development of Ericsson M2M Service Enablement, a robust and proven

Nissan Motor Company, through its North American-based organisation, and NASA have announced the formation of a five-year research and development partnership to advance autonomous vehicle systems and prepare for commercial application of the technology. Researchers from Nissan's US Silicon Valley research centre and NASA's Ames research centre will focus on autonomous drive systems, human-machine interface solutions, network-enabled applications, and software analysis and verification, all involving sop

Google and various automakers have increased their activity and investments toward the goal of self-driving vehicles, while Google has shifted from its previous strategy to now focus on fully driverless vehicles for the future. If successful, it will have significant implications for the auto industry, according to IHS Automotive, based on findings in its new report, Autonomous Driving: Question is When, Not If, which is an update to a previous report issued early in 2014. OEMs remain geared toward aug