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TomTom has launched TomTom RoadDNA, a new product for vehicle localisation that will help make automated driving a reality, faster. Designed with vehicle data storage and processing limitations in mind, RoadDNA delivers highly accurate location information that can easily be integrated into the on-board system of a vehicle. RoadDNA’s propriety technology delivers a highly optimised lateral and longitudinal view of the roadway. By matching RoadDNA data with vehicle sensor data in real-time a vehicle knows

As part of a master plan for its highways, Vietnam is pushing ahead with a demonstration project aimed at integrating the country’s electronic toll collection (ETC) systems. Vietnam is making steady progress in introducing ETC systems into the country's expressway network, but many are calling for the country to integrate its three separate communication modes currently in service – active dedicated short range communications (DSRC), passive DSRC and radio frequency identification (RFID). The Director

Ten major vehicle manufacturers have committed to making automatic emergency braking (AEB) a standard feature on all new vehicles built, the US Department of Transportation, its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced today. The announcement, made at the dedication of IIHS's newly expanded Vehicle Research Center, represents a major step toward making crash prevention technologies more widely available to consumers. The ten c

The Norwegian Roads Administration has awarded a contract valued at around US$4.5 million to Q-Free for four toll contracts in Oppland, Norway. The contracts include installation of charging points, including gantries and roadside equipment, along with service and maintenance after the completion of the installation, as well as options for additional project and service and maintenance works. “Q-Free is pleased to win these contracts for delivery and support of four smaller Autopass tolling projects

The Sensys Gatso Group, which began supplying in-vehicle speed enforcement systems to France in 2013, has received an additional order valued at US$826,000 from a French customer. According to Sensys Gatso, the use of in-vehicle speed enforcement systems has proven to be an effective measure to reduce road casualties. The order is expected to be delivered before the end of the year. “I am very encouraged by this order that follows on the great success our customer have had with the in-vehicle system i

Q-Free has been awarded a three-year frame agreement valued at around US$1.2 million by the North-West Concession Company in Russia. The contract is for the company’s OBU615, which features ultra-low power consumption and new signal discrimination technology which enables an extended lifetime and immunity to radio frequency (RF) interference from wireless-enabled devices to be found within or around the vehicle. The first order under the frame agreement will be delivered during the fourth quarter 201

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has told the Chancellor that investment in roads and rail infrastructure is key to the UK’s future growth in its submission ahead of his 2015 Spending Review. Chancellor George Osborne will publish his review on 25 November, setting out how the Government will invest in priority public services and deliver the US$31 billion further savings required to eliminate Britain’s deficit by 2019-20. FTA says the UK economy’s reliance on freight means investing in the s

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has appointed TRL, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory, to lead its Consumers, Vehicles and Energy Integration (CVEI) project. The US$8 million project will examine how the UK energy system needs to adapt in order to accommodate and encourage greater adoption of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles. The project aims to understand the required changes to existing infrastructure, as well as consumer response to a wider introduction of plug-in hybrid and el

Ride-hailing company Uber has lost another legal round in the dispute over whether its drivers are independent contractors or employees, an issue that threatens the core of the ride-hailing company's business model, says Reuters. The California Employment Development Department (EDD) recently determined that a former Uber driver in Southern California was an employee, not an independent contractor as the company has claimed and as such was entitled to employee benefits. The decision was upheld twice on a

The city of Noida in India is set to use drone cameras for traffic surveillance, says the Times of India. The drones will begin to fly over sectors and highways in Noida within the next two months, providing real-time visuals of traffic flow for improved management. Traffic department officers said the drones will be used for surveillance, data collection, and traffic management. Apart from cameras, the drones will have different sensors attached that will give live updates on traffic jams and accidents.

ITS America president and CEO Regina Hopper has applauded leaders of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee for introducing legislative proposals that seek to encourage innovation, advance the research and deployment of intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and strengthen the nation’s research and technology programs. She said, “ITS America’s members would like to thank US Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson, Barbara Comstock, and Dan Lipinski for their commitment to modernising our nat

The number of pedestrian countdown sites across London will be doubled by summer 2016, the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) have confirmed. The technology forms a key part of London’s first Pedestrian Safety Action Plan and replaces the ‘blackout’ period on traffic signals with a numerical counter to show how long pedestrians have left to safely cross the road. The Mayor had set TfL a target of upgrading 400 crossings – 10 per cent of all those in London – with the technology by April 2016. This targ

A new mathematic algorithm that can predict commuter train delays up to two hours in the future has been developed in Stockholm, Sweden, by the city’s commuter train operator, Stockholmstag, and mathematician Wilhelm Landerholm. The ‘commuter prognosis’ uses big data to visualise the entire commuter train system two hours into the future, simultaneously calculating how the delay affects other trains in the system and automatically providing the information to traffic control centres, enabling them to in

Norfolk County Council has awarded a five year, US$770,000 contract to highways asset management software provider Yotta. The deal includes Internet hosted versions of Mayrise highways and street works software, as well as Yotta’s visualised asset management platform, Horizons. The contract also includes multi-platform support for mobile devices as well as integration with the Council’s customer relationship management (CRM), finance system and third party contractor works management system. The Mayrise

The first BigDataEurope at 1000 CET on 21 September will look at the societal challenge of Smart, Green and Integrated Transport. The webinar sets out to introduce the BigDataEurope project in general as well as the various stakeholders and applications for Big Data in the Transport domain in particular, followed by a question and answer session. More information on the agenda and speakers will be available shortly. Register for the seminar here.