Monday, November 10, 2008

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Monday, November 10, 2008 -- ISSN 1529-1057

One Week Left to Register for the 15th World Congress on ITS

If you haven’t registered for the year’s biggest ITS event, there is still time to do so. The 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems featuring ITS America's 2008 Annual Meeting is expected to attract 10,000 transportation leaders, policy makers and other business professionals from more than 40 countries. Held from November 16-20 at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center the World Congress on ITS is this year's best chance to have access to a program featuring over 200 sessions featuring more than 700 industry experts covering a broad range of ITS issues that are important to you; take unprecedented technical tours to ITS facilities in and around New York City; participate in live demonstrations of active VII-based safety systems and other dynamic ITS applications along the streets and highways of New York; see the VII TMC of the Future illustrating a transportation management system in the year 2020; attend a grand-scale exhibition hall with more than 350,000 square feet of exhibits featuring the latest technologies, products and services; and connect with an international audience in a world-class city of beauty, culture and fun. To register, go to www.itsworldcongress.org.


AVIATION

1) Meet Your Fellow Air Passengers as Air France-KLM Launches Facebook-Style Networking Site
Link to story in the Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/3406294/Meet-your-fellow-air-passengers-as-airline-launches-Facebook-style-networking-site.html
Link to Bluenity: http://bluenity.com

CAMERAS

2) UK Transport Secretary Backs Speed Camera Overhaul
Plans to introduce cameras that determine average speed rather than fixed cameras.
Link to story in The Sunday Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5114374.ece

GPS / NAVIGATION

3) Truckers Turn to GPS to Find Their Way
Some devices tailor information for rigs.
Link to AP story:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081110/BUSINESS/811100308

4) Sal Dhanani, TeleNav: “We are Leveraging Our Experience with Cell Phone Navigation to Create a PND’
Link to interview in GPS Business News:
http://www.gpsbusinessnews.com/index.php?action=article&numero=1160
Link to news release from TeleNav:
http://www.telenav.com/about/pr/pr-20081109.html

MARITIME

5) US Navy’s USS Blue Ridge Gets Communications Upgrade
Ship hosts Navy’s most sophisticated at-sea communications platform.
Link to story in Maritime Reporter and Engineering News:
http://www4.marinelink.com/en-US/News/Article/328652.aspx

OTHER

6) English Now Required in Missouri Driver Exams
Link to story in the Columbia Daily Tribune:
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Nov/20081109News003.asp

7) US Federal Court Keeps Abortion Off Illinois License Plates
Link to story in the Chicago Sun-Times:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/1268069,CST-NWS-plates08.article

RAILROADS

8) In UK, Train Spotters ‘Risk Arrest’
Link to BBC News video report:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7713448.stm

ROADWAYS

9) The Link Between Private Grief and Public Safety
Researcher finds roadside memorials can actually make drivers more cautious.
Link to story in The Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081108.ROADSIDE08/TPStory/National

10) 'Ghost Drivers' Continue to be a Problem on US Interstate Highways
Wrong-way drivers present communications challenges.
Link to commentary on InjuryBoard:
http://desmoines.injuryboard.com/tractor-trailer-accidents/interstate-highway-safety-part-i-ghost-drivers-continue-to-be-a-problem-on-us-interstate-highways.aspx?googleid=251034 (part 1)
http://desmoines.injuryboard.com/tractor-trailer-accidents/interstate-highway-safety-ghost-drivers-part-ii.aspx?googleid=251036 (part 2)

SAFETY / SECURITY

11) Video Monitors, GPS Not Picked for School Bus Safety in Alberta
Link to story in the Calgary Herald:
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=4d6e63c6-dbe1-4b55-bffe-6c94bd26859a
Link to report:
http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/Content/docType45/Production/schoolbusreport.pdf

12) US Department of Homeland Security Inspector General: Sensitive Information at Los Angeles Airport at Risk
Link to story in Federal Computer Week:
http://www.fcw.com/online/news/154329-1.html

13) Drunken Drivers Roll Down State Information Gaps
Link to AP story:
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2008/11/10/news/nebraska/doc49175e5b135b0200540915.txt

SPACE

14) Space Traffic-Control System Needed
Link to story on Space:
http://www.space.com/news/081109-space-traffic.html

TRANSIT

15) Engulfed in Wireless Clouds
Wi-fi mesh network being installed over transit signal priority system in Vancouver.
Link to story in Business in Vancouver:
http://www.bivinteractive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1203&Itemid=30

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

16) West Virginia Division of Highways has Eye on Tunnel
Statewide operations center opened.
Link to story in The Intelligencer:
http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/516729.html

17) Tackling Boise State University Game Day Traffic
Link to story and video on KBCI-TV:
http://www.2news.tv/news/34150579.html

18) India’s Traffic Signal System
Link to story in The Economic Times:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/Shipping__Transport/Indias_traffic_signal_system_/articleshow/3693005.cms

VEHICLES

19) Internet Connectivity Hits the Road
Autonet Mobile's in-car router brings Internet connectivity to everything from laptops to PDAs to iPhones.
Link to story in Design News:
http://www.designnews.com/article/49123-Internet_Connectivity_Hits_The_Road.php


News Releases
1) Adesta Will Design, Build and Maintain $30.7 Million Intelligent Transportation System for the Massachusetts Highway Department
2) Pennsylvania DOT Projects Win National Quality Awards – Communications plays a big role in all three projects
3) Citilog Deploys Real-Time Traffic AID System with Florida DOT District 5 for Traffic Monitoring Along Interstate 95
4) Navteq Delivers Real-Time Traffic to the weather.com Site for Commute Forecasts


Job Postings
- Train Control SCADA Associate Program Manager (9144BR) - ARINC - Marina del Rey, California
http://www.arinc.com/careers/search_careers.html
- Train Control SCADA Program Manager - (9150BR) - ARINC - Marina del Rey, California
http://www.arinc.com/careers/search_careers.html


Upcoming Events
National Traffic Management & Work Zone Safety Conference – March 10-12 – Orlando, Florida
http://www.workzonesafety.org/news_events/wz_conferences/2009


Today in Transportation History
1888 **120th anniversary** - Andrei Tupolev, a Soviet aircraft designer, was born in Pustomazovo, Russia.
http://www.tupolev.ru/english/Show.asp?SectionID=47

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© 2008 Bernie Wagenblast