Location Based Systems

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.

Dutch connectivity solutions provider NXP Semiconductors has partnered with China-based connected car manufacturer Changan Automobile to develop solutions for infotainment and connected vehicle technologies. The long-term agreement has two phases; the first phase is focused on excellence in infotainment, products, solutions and the development of industry standards for future vehicle semiconductors. In the second phase, Changan will apply NXP’s vehicle-to-X (V2X) communication, near field communication (

Dutch connectivity solutions provider NXP Semiconductors has partnered with China-based connected car manufacturer Changan Automobile to develop solutions for infotainment and connected vehicle technologies. The long-term agreement has two phases; the first phase is focused on excellence in infotainment, products, solutions and the development of industry standards for future vehicle semiconductors. In the second phase, Changan will apply NXP’s vehicle-to-X (V2X) communication, near field communication (

According to new research from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), lane departure warning, a technology designed to address an often-fatal type of crash, is preventing crashes on US roads. A separate study shows that blind spot detection also is yielding benefits when it comes to preventing lane-change crashes.

Start-up businesses with innovative solutions to transport challenges such as congestion, overcrowding, emissions and road safety, are being encouraged to apply for a unique new accelerator programme launched at Cenex-LCV. The Intelligent Mobility (IM) Accelerator, based in Milton Keynes, a partnership between Transport Systems Catapult and Wayra UK, part of Telefónica Open Future, is designed to attract disruptive start-ups with high-growth potential into the UK transport industry

International technology company Ricardo is to join forces with cyber security specialist Roke Manor Research to develop solutions that will make autonomous and connected transport robust against cyber attack. Many of today’s new vehicles are already connected over the air for telematics and maintenance, for safety systems such as eCall, by consumers using insurance-based monitoring technology, and by the many smartphone apps available to vehicle owners.

The German division of UK telecommunications firm Vodafone is equipping the Aldenhoven Testing Center (ATC) test track in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with the latest 5G network technology to enable the ATC to test autonomous vehicle concepts such as autonomous braking. ATC says the technology will transfer data volumes of up to ten gigabits per second with latencies of less than ten milliseconds as LTE successors.

Swedish automotive safety systems manufacturer Autoliv is to provide a global automaker with its 77GHz high-resolution radar systems for autonomous driving. Autoliv's 77GHz radar systems, located on the four corners of the vehicle, see oncoming vehicles and autonomously manage lane changes during highway driving.

Dutch navigation company TomTom has inaugurated its latest Traffic Centre at its Centre of Excellence in Pune, India. The TomTom Traffic centre will help in delivering a real time, comprehensive understanding of traffic speeds on the entire road network, including rich live and historic insights into traffic flows and trends.

Southeast Asian on-demand transportation and mobile payments platform Grab has launched a new data-focused pilot programme with Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota Financial Services Corporation and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance.The project aims to use data analysis to enable Grab to offer its driver partners across the region improved access to connected car services that will improve their experience on the Grab platform.