Location Based Systems

Tesla’s Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to recruit ‘hardcore software engineers’ to work on the company’s autopilot system. He issued a Tweet saying “Ramping up the Autopilot software team at Tesla to achieve generalised full autonomy” and followed it up with another saying that he will personally be handling interviews. The company released its Autopilot system for its Model S car at the end of October and claims it is the only fully integrated autopilot system involving four different feedback modules:

According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Europe was 4.40 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1 percent, this number is expected to reach 8.90 million by 2019.

Audi and the city of Somerville, in Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area, have signed a memorandum (MOU) of understanding to develop an urban strategy for Somerville, applying technologies for swarm intelligence or automated parking and networking cars with traffic lights. In the MOU, signed at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Mayor Josef A. Curtatone and Rupert Stadler, chairman of the executive board of Audi, agreed close cooperation and a focus on exchanging know-how and testing ne

US-based Traffic Technology Services (TTS) is expanding into Europe, with the creation of a subsidiary, TTS Europe, to expand the company in connected vehicle application data content. The new company will be based in Munich, headed by Dr Frank Offermann as CEO and will officially open in 2016. TTS is the developer of the Personal Signal Assistant product portfolio, used by OEMs and Tier 1s in various connected vehicle applications from engine management to recommended speeds for eco-driving. TTS is now

The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), creator of MirrorLink, has signed a co-operation agreement with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in which ETSI will formally explore adopting MirrorLink as an ETSI Technical Specification (TS). The CCC and ETSI reached the accord on 17 November at the 66th ETSI General Assembly meeting in Sophia Antipolis. MirrorLink is an ingenious way to bring smartphone content to the dash. Huge icons make apps easy to use and smart technology knows if t

Traffic Technology Services (TTS) and TransCore have taken a step closer in bringing traffic signal information into the vehicle. TransCore will integrate its TransSuite advanced traffic management systems (ATMS) software into TTS’ Personal Signal Assistant to help motorists minimise the time spent at red lights. TransSuite’s ATMS map interface provides real-time traffic data, which is used by TTS to predict signal switch times. This data is then applied by OEMs and others to synchronise access through

The increasingly complex electronics systems that range from powertrain controls, including modern hybrid and full electric, to infotainment, navigation systems and now self-driving technology. A new study by Danish company Autelligence, Embedded Electronics – the evolving future heart of the automobile, offers a clear, detailed analysis of a complex world -- car systems, microcontrollers, architectures, sensors, standards and networks and research projects, as well as trends toward integration, new qual

TomTom has signed a global, multi-year agreement to provide maps and traffic data for the Uber driver app. TomTom’s advanced map-making technology, combined with its world class traffic information, will ensure Uber has a seamless navigation experience, accurate arrival times and efficient journeys in more than 300 cities around the world. “We are excited to provide Uber with our best-in-class location data.” said Charles Cautley, managing director maps and licensing at TomTom. “TomTom is a truly in

TomTom has added the compact Trucker 5000 to its portable navigation device specifically drivers of large vehicles. The device has a 5-inch screen and includes customised routes for specific vehicle type, size, weight, cargo and speed, which is combined with TomTom’s traffic and routing technology to provide ETAs based on vehicle profile and real-time traffic information.

The SmartDrive video-based driver performance improvement program helps eliminate the riskiest driving manoeuvres to reduce collision frequency and severity, costs and improve the overall safety performance of the fleet, according to SmartDrive Systems.