Transportation Communications Newsletter

Monday, April 26, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Monday, April 26, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

One Week Away from the ITS America Annual Meeting & Expo in Houston!

There’s still time to register for ITS America’s 20th Annual Meeting and Exposition, May 3 -5! The final program is now available, and includes more than 50 sessions filled with industry experts tackling the hottest transportation issues today. The conference will also feature a 150,000 square-foot exhibit hall featuring the best of ITS technology and products, and high-tech demos, including an 18-wheeler roll-over demonstrating the latest in incident response.

After the Closing Plenary, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will convene a U.S. DOT Surface Transportation Reauthorization Outreach Meeting to solicit the views of key stakeholders on ways to improve the delivery of surface transportation programs. The meeting is scheduled from 12:30 – 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5. See you in Houston!

AVIATION

1) FAA Wants No Pilot Distractions

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-04-25-pilots_N.htm

Link to news release from the Federal Aviation Administration:

http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=11338

2) Displays on Jets’ Windshields Boost Safety, Study Finds

Link to article in The Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703441404575206573356759514.html

3) Atlantic City Airport Named Test Site for New System that Speeds Important Updates to Pilots

Link to article in The Press of Atlantic City:

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/atlantic/article_c9c72a98-50a2-11df-85c7-001cc4c03286.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

4) MapQuest Introduces Free GPS App for Apple iPhone

Link to article in The Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/0426/MapQuest-introduces-free-GPS-app-for-Apple-iPhone

RAILROADS

5) Satellite Navigation, Mobile Phone Network Can Enhance Trains’ Safety

Link to ANI article:

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/04/24/satellitenavigation-mobile-phone-network-can-enhancetra.html

6) Illinois Accident’s Lesson: Don’t Trust Railway Signals

Link to column in the Chicago Tribune:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-04-25/classified/ct-met-getting-around-0426-20100425_1_amtrak-train-tracks-crossing

ROADWAYS

7) Virginia Considers Banning Cell Phones in Work Zones

Link to article in Roads & Bridges:

http://www.roadsbridges.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=sni&nid=20522

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) 23 EU Countries to Join eCall Initiative, Malta Still Absent

Link to article in The Malta Independent:

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=105110

9) 3-D Technology Helps Emergency Responders Observe Origins of 911 Calls

Link to article in Government Technology:

http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/756599?elq=54d933d6ee8c449981070c1dc1d117da

10) In Chicago Cabs, More Cameras Will be Along for Ride

Link to article in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-cab-cameras-20100422,0,1240545.story

SPACE

11) Inside NASA’s World-Class Supercomputer Center

Link to CNET News article:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20003333-52.html

TELEMATICS

12) Telematics Enable Smarter Driver and Auto Dealer Services

Link to article on SPEC:

http://smart-products.tmcnet.com/topics/smart-products/articles/83010-telematics-enable-smarter-driver-auto-dealer-services.htm

TRANSIT

13) ORCA Card Frustrates Some Puget Sound Transit Riders

Link to article on seattlepi:

http://www.seattlepi.com/transportation/418645_GettingThere26.html

14) Caltrain Joins Translink Regional Transit Ticketing System

Link to story and audio report on KCBS Radio:

http://www.kcbs.com/bayareanews/Caltrain-Joins-Translink-System/6886196

15) Cool Transit Apps Come Down the Pike as New York MTA Loosens Restrictions

Link to article in amNew York

http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/cool-transit-apps-come-down-the-pike-as-mta-loosens-restrictions-1.1880694

16) Metra Derails Wi-Fi for Now

Link to article in the Chicago Tribune:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-04-25/news/ct-met-metra-wifi-20100425_1_commuter-rail-long-island-rail-road-metra-and-amtrak

17) A Dashboard for DC’s Metro

Link to article on Nextgov:

http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2010/04/a_dashboard_for_metro.php

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

18) Smarter Highways – Information the Key to Keep Washington State Moving

Link to article and video in the Issaquah Reporter:

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/iss/news/92098184.html

19) Jakarta Traffic Police Getting Hip to Twitter, Facebook in Bid to Improve Services

Link to article in the Jakarta Globe:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/traffic-police-getting-hip-to-twitter-facebook-in-bid-to-improve-services/371444

20) Canadian Oil Firm Uses Digital Signage to Give Ultra-Local Info to Heavy Vehicle Drivers

Link to article on Screens.tv:

http://www.screens.tv/article/111018/Oil_firm_uses_DOOH_to_give_ultra-local_info_to_drivers.html

VEHICLES

21) New Technology Lets Drivers Steer Car with Their Eyes

Link to AP article:

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/international/europe/view/20100424hands_off_that_steering_wheel

News Releases

1) FAA Controllers in Philadelphia Transition to Next Generation Air Transportation System Technology

2) Air Transport Association Launches Newly Redesigned Web Site

3) FCC Chairman Announces Launch of Spectrum Task Force

4) State Highway Safety Agencies Supporting Oprah’s ‘No Phone Zone’ Day

5) Deadline Extended - IRF Third LARC Call for Papers

Upcoming Events

ITS Canada Annual Conference 2010 – June 13-16 – Ottawa

http://www.itscanada.ca/ottawa2010/confEN.htm

Today in Transportation History

1860 **150^th anniversary** The steamboat Alfred T. Lacey, once piloted by Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), was destroyed in a fire.

http://www.twainquotes.com/Steamboats/LicensedPilot.html

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN? Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Friday, April 23, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

TIC3 From GEWI - It's A Whole New Ballgame!

TIC3 from GEWI is the latest generation of the globally popular traffic data processing software. TIC3 is a whole new approach to collecting, storing, creating, monitoring, viewing and distributing traffic (and other) data. TIC3's revolutionary new architecture allows for quick and easy configuration for any data type and data format. With new technologies being created for generating traffic data including Bluetooth, GPS, camera-generated speed data, RFID and more, it's critical that your system can accept these new data types. TIC is a highly configurable commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software platform proven in over 125 commercial and government projects operating worldwide. COTS means TIC can be deployed more quickly and affordably than build-your-own solutions. Visit GEWI in Houston in booth #333 ITS America, online at www.gewi.com, or to discuss your requirements, contact jim.oneill@gewi.com.

AVIATION

1) EU Ministers to Meet on May 4 to Draw Lessons from Eyjafjallajökull Ash Crisis

Link to DPA article:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320202,eu-ministers-to-meet-on-may-4-to-draw-lessons.html

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

2) Ohio Turnpike Adjusts Scanners so Correct Toll Ticket Issued for Vehicles with Bicycles or Luggage on Roof

Link to article in The Plain Dealer:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/04/ohio_turnpike_adjusts_scanners.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

3) Google Dashes Hopes of Free iPhone Turn-by-Turn GPS

Link to article in Computerworld:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9175953/Google_dashes_hopes_of_free_iPhone_turn_by_turn_GPS

RAILROADS

4) UK Train Tests Reveal Mobile Broadband Speeds

Link to BBC News story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8637241.stm

5) Library Saves the Railroads

When a fiber-optic cable was cut to a remote Colorado town, a local library provided a backup.

Link to column in the Highlands Ranch Herald:

http://coloradocommunitynewspapers.com/articles/2010/04/23/highlands_ranch_herald/opinion/29_hr_column_larue.txt

ROADWAYS

6) Virginia DOT to Open 800-Line to Report Road Hazards

Link to story on WTOP Radio:

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1941167

TELEMATICS

7) Two Paths to Similar Ends for In-Car Data Systems

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/automobiles/25STAR.html

VEHICLES

8) The Information Superhighway, On the Highway

Ford is trying to create an Internet that drivers can use.

Link to article in Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/22/cars-internet-twitter-technology-breakthroughs-ford.html

News Releases

1) IntelliStick Announces Enhancements to Its Engine Oil Condition Monitoring System

2) Western Kentucky Enhances Regional Transportation with ITS Technology

3) Research and Markets: Spending On Hardware, Software, and Services for 3D Visualization, Simulation, and Training in the Defense and Government Segment Will Reach $16.5 Billion In 2010

Upcoming Events

Webinar: Integrating Performance Measures into Traffic Incident Management Programs – April 27

http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconference/web_conf_learner_reg.aspx?webconfid=20061

Friday Bonus

I guess Ken should have taken the keys.

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/man-convicted-for-driving-drunk-in-barbie-car

Today in Transportation History

1965 **45^th anniversary** The Gemini 4 capsule was mechanically mated to the Titan rocket.

http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/gemini/gemini-iv/gemini-iv.html

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN? Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Thursday, April 22, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

Register Now for IBTTA’s Upcoming Summit: The Future of Tolling – Going Mainstream Through ORT and Interoperability, May 23-25, 2010 in Boston, MA

Join the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association in Boston for the fourth Summit in a series of workshops focused on the hot topics of ORT and Interoperability. This Summit will bring together transportation experts who will focus on lessons learned, case studies, business Rules and future decision-making about all-electronic toll collection, interoperability, violation enforcement, and implications for vehicle miles traveled charging. Breakout sessions are divided into four main categories – On the Road and in the Car; Technology and Backroom Issues; Road Pricing and Financial Issues and In the Public and Policy Forum. IBTTA is exploring opportunities to involve university students and faculty from the Boston area in research connected with the main topics of this Summit. Click here for registration, hotel and travel information and to view the preliminary agenda. www.ibtta.org

AVIATION

1) Problems Plague New US Air Traffic Control Computers

Link to AP article:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jUzZBZ4iGVmNZdu6BygXGzliy2OgD9F7O8V81

2) Airlines, in Flight Again, See Lesson in Crisis

Industry officials see response to ash cloud as haphazard and urge speed in creating “single sky.”

Link to article in The Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704133804575197363596504510.html

3) Review: Many Sick Airline Passengers Aren’t Reported

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-04-21-sick-passengers_N.htm

4) FCC Claims Three Radio Stations Caused Interference with Lubbock Airport Landing System

Link to story on KJTV-TV:

http://www.myfoxlubbock.com/news/local/story/ILS-FCC/Tcj-wxe1zUWgrlz84RcYOQ.cspx

GPS / NAVIGATION

5) Southwest Airlines Counts on GPS to Save Time, Money

Link to story and video on WFAA-TV:

http://www.wfaa.com/news/business/GPS-serves-up-precision-to-shave-off-time-for-Southwest-flights-91757794.html

OTHER

6) World’s First ITS-Specific Test Track Takes Shape

Link to article from ERTICO:

http://www.ertico.com/en/news/ertico_newsroom/worlds_first_its_specific_test_track_takes_shape.htm

7) Los Angeles Metro Transportation Library Launches ‘Primary Resources’ Blog

Link to blog:

http://metrotransportationlibrary.blogspot.com/2010/04/as-many-of-you-know-metro-library.html

RAILROADS

8) Feds Say CN Underreported Blocked Illinois Rail Crossings

Link to article in the Southtown Star:

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/2187480,042210blockedcrossings.article

ROADWAYS

9) After Haiti, Chile Earthquakes, British Columbia Bridges Monitored for Seismic Events

An online system being developed with Chile to measure ground motion.

Link to article in the Daily Commercial News and Construction Record:

http://dcnonl.com/article/id38512

SAFETY / SECURITY

10) Do Databases Cross a Line in Border Checks?

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2010-04-21-canadawatch_N.htm

VEHICLES

11) Virginia Stamps Out License to Hate: DMV Recalls Plate with Coded Racist Message

Link to article in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/21/AR2010042105132.html

News Releases

1) Metro Traffic Announces New Enhancements to Traffic Data Collection with Integration of TIC3 from GEWI

2) Tolling Industry Mourns Loss of Ed DeLozier, IBTTA Board Member, Officer and Leader

3) NCR Brings Digital Entertainment to Airport Travelers with First Major Kiosk Deployment

4) New Pennsylvania DOT Web Site Offers Ways to ‘Green’ Your Commute

5) Federal Highway Administration Proposes Revision of Rules to Make Roadway Markings Brighter

6) Amtrak Scores Big with Television Commercial Targeting Hispanic Audiences

7) Frost & Sullivan Recognizes TomTom for its Outstanding Achievements in the Automotive Navigation Market

Solicitation

- Call for Abstracts - Poster Section – Naturalistic Driving Research Symposium – Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

http://www.cpe.vt.edu/ndmas/ndmas-call-abstracts.pdf

Upcoming Events

FISITA World Automotive Congress – May 30-June 4 – Budapest

http://www.fisita2010.com/

Today in Transportation History

1930 **80^th anniversary** The United Kingdom, Italy, France, Japan and the United States signed the London Naval Treaty to reduce and limit naval armaments.

http://www.microworks.net/pacific/road_to_war/london_treaty.htm

1970 **40^th anniversary** The first Earth Day was observed.

http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/events/earthday/nelson_newsletter650.jpg

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN? Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

TIC3 From GEWI - It's A Whole New Ballgame!

TIC3 from GEWI is the latest generation of the globally popular traffic data processing software. TIC3 is a whole new approach to collecting, storing, creating, monitoring, viewing and distributing traffic (and other) data. TIC3's revolutionary new architecture allows for quick and easy configuration for any data type and data format. With new technologies being created for generating traffic data including Bluetooth, GPS, camera-generated speed data, RFID and more, it's critical that your system can accept these new data types. TIC is a highly configurable commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software platform proven in over 125 commercial and government projects operating worldwide. COTS means TIC can be deployed more quickly and affordably than build-your-own solutions. See TIC3 in GEWI's booth #333 at ITS America in Houston May 3-5^th, or to discuss your requirements, contact jim.oneill@gewi.com

AVIATION

1) Would Better Integrated Air Traffic Management Have Improved the Ash Cloud Response?

Link to article in Computer Weekly:

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/04/21/240982/Would-better-integrated-IT-have-improved-the-ash-cloud.htm

2) Next Generation Air Transportation System: Challenges with Partner Agency and FAA Coordination Continue, and Efforts to Integrate Near-, Mid-, and Long-Term Activities are Ongoing

Link to testimony from the Government Accountability Office:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10649t.pdf

GPS / NAVIGATION

3) Google Maps Navigation Comes to UK and Ireland

Link to article on What Mobile:

http://www.whatmobile.net/News/Services/468835/google_maps_navigation_comes_to_uk_ireland.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

4) Cutting-Edge Traffic Safety Research in Israel

Link to article in the Jewish Journal:

http://www.jewishjournal.com/israel/article/cutting-edge_traffic_safety_research_in_israel_20100420/

5) Innovation Takes Flight on TSA Blog

Link to story and audio report on WFED Radio: