Monday, February 4, 2008

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Monday, February 4, 2008 -- ISSN 1529-1057

AVIATION

1) Keep Internal Airline Safety Reports Secret: Air Canada Pilots’ Union
Link to story in the Ottawa Citizen:
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=59e8cc32-8114-4966-99cf-bde239974b21&k=74211

2) Los Angeles International Airport Goes Reliably Random
Game theory algorithm improves security by putting police on unpredictable schedules.
Link to story in Government Computer News:
http://www.gcn.com/print/27_3/45758-1.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

3) Wireless Technologies of the Future: RFID and Navigation?
Link to story in InformationWeek:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/02/rfid_and_nwirel.html

MARITIME

4) Port of New Hampshire to Start Using Sonar, Underwater Camera this Summer
Link to story in Foster’s Daily Democrat:
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080203/GJNEWS_01/462125082

OTHER

5) Texans have a License to Choose New Plates
Online vote will allow selection of next license plate design.
Link to story in the Houston Chronicle:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5508732.html

6) Dutch Unveil Robot to Fill Car Gas Tank
Link to Reuters story:
http://www.news.com/Dutch-unveil-robot-to-fill-car-gas-tank/2100-11394_3-6229060.html?tag=nefd.top

7) US Department of Transportation Inspector General to Investigate Traffic Data Program, Contract
Link to story in Federal Computer Week:
http://www.fcw.com/online/news/151538-1.html

ROADWAYS

8) London Launches Low Emission Zone
Camera network will monitor emissions of large diesel trucks and impose heavy fines on those exceeding EU exhaust limits.
Link to Reuters story:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKL0172837320080204
Link to additional information from Transport for London:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/lez/default.aspx

9) MIT Researchers Fight Gridlock with Linux
Link to story on LinuxDevices:
http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS8559536444.html
Link to further information on CarTel from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology:
http://cartel.csail.mit.edu/doku.php

SAFETY / SECURITY

10) Canadians to Expand Border Pre-Screening
Canada Border Services Agency plans to force buses, trains and cruise ships to provide advance electronic lists of passengers and their personal details.
Link to Canadian Press story:
http://www.pressrepublican.com/0100_news/local_story_034213040.html
Link to report from Canada Border Services Agency:
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cm/d3-1-7/d3-1-7-e.pdf

11) Ventura, California to Charge Fee for 911 Service
Link to story in the Los Angeles Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-vcemergency2feb02,1,2531952.story
Link to additional information from the City of Ventura:
http://cityofventura.net/depts/pub_safety/responsefee.asp

12) Municipal Emergency Workers in Connecticut Will Get Access to Road Cameras
Link to story in The Advocate:
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-cameras2feb03,0,931403.story

13) NASA Study Could End False Tsunami Alarms
Link to story in The Times of India:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/NASA_study_could_end_false_tsunami_alarms/articleshow/2752910.cms
Link to news release from the Jet Propulsion Lab:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-007

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

14) At Virginia Forum, Future is High-Tech
Messaging systems may soon be used for parking spaces and tracking people, among other things.
Link to story in The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/02/AR2008020200043.html (may require free registration)
Link to Alert Loudoun: https://alert.loudoun.gov


News Releases
1) $68 Billion Budget Request for US Department of Transportation Provides Vital Funding for Safety Programs, Road Congestion Relief, and Air Traffic Improvements
2) Watch GoAZ.TV for Road Conditions, Traffic Forecasts – Arizona’s First Travel Channel
3) Hong Kong Immigration Department Examining Ways to Disseminate Checkpoint Traffic Information Through Media and Internet
4) Stagecoach Boosts Customer Travel Information with UK’s First Live Use of Electronic Bus Data System
5) Airports Council International-North America Launches New Web Site on North American Airports
6) Delcan Team Wins a $5 Million Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Deployment Project in Johannesburg, South Africa
7) Delcan’s City of Riverside Traffic Management Center Design Project Receives the CELSOC Merit Award
8) Delphi’s Advanced Technology Improves Highway Safety


Solicitation
- Nominations Sought for 2008 National Academies Communication Awards – National Academies
http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8677


Upcoming Events
ITS Technologies for Rail Event 2008 – February 29 – Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
http://www.its-australia.com.au/KMXServer3/Default.aspx?tabid=134


Today in Transportation History
1902 – Aviator Charles Augustus Lindbergh is born.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0204.html

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© 2008 Bernie Wagenblast