Monday, August 1, 2011

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Monday, August 1, 2011 – ISSN 1529-1057

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AVIATION

1) Cockpit Confusion Doomed Air France Flight From Rio

Link to article in The Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/cockpit-confusion-doomed-air-france-flight-from-rio/article2115196/

Link to report from the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'aviation civile:

http://www.bea.aero/en/enquetes/flight.af.447/flight.af.447.php

2) Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority's Closed-Door Sessions Questioned

Link to article in The Morning Call:

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-allentown-airport-sunshine-law-20110731,0,6197338.story

3) What Will We Watch as Drones Evolve?

Link to story and audio report on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday:

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/30/138764202/what-will-we-watch-as-drones-evolve

BICYCLES

4) Pleasanton, California is First in US Using Microwave Technology to Protect Cyclists

Link to article in the Contra Costa Times:

http://www.contracostatimes.com/bay-area-news/ci_18590195

CAMERAS

5) Seeing Machines: Developing Cameras that Can See Like Humans

Link to article in the National Post:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/07/30/seeing-machines-developing-cameras-that-can-see-like-humans/

GPS / NAVIGATION

6) The GPS: A Fatally Misleading Travel Companion

Link to story and audio report on NPR's Morning Edition:

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/26/137646147/the-gps-a-fatally-misleading-travel-companion

OTHER

7) Will School Bus Ads Drive Revenue for Cash-Strapped Districts?

Link to story on Fox Business:

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/07/29/school-districts-rolling-in-profit-with-bus-side-advertisements/

8) Thinking Highways – June/July 2011 North American Edition

Link to magazine:

http://thinkinghighways.com/Pages/View-issue.aspx?id=130f053c-e170-4244-9302-62d78e9a79fc

SAFETY / SECURITY

9) Bus Idled for Five Hours with Dead Driver Inside, May Show Cracks in Communications Channels

Link to article in The Record:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/0731_Bus_idled_for_five_hours_with_dead_driver_inside_raising_security_questions_for_Port_Authority.html

10) Traffic Safety for First Responders Gets High-Tech Makeover

Link to article in Government Technology:

http://www.govtech.com/public-safety/Traffic-Safety-for-First-Responders-Gets-High-Tech-Makeover.html

TELEMATICS

11) GM to Test OnStar Family Service that Tracks a Driver's Location

Link to article in the Detroit Free Press:

http://www.freep.com/article/20110801/BUSINESS0101/110801048/GM-test-OnStar-family-service-tracks-driver-s-location

TRANSIT

12) Long Island Rail Road to Spend $3.5 Million to Upgrade Communications

Link to story and video on WABC-TV:

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/long_island&id=8277793

13) Utah Transit Authority Testing New Color-Coded TRAX System

Link to article in the Deseret News:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705388472/UTA-testing-new-color-coded-TRAX-system.html

14) Why Seattle's Metro Transit Refuses to Run a Public Health Message

Link to story and audio on KPLU Radio:

http://www.kplu.org/post/why-metro-transit-refuses-run-public-health-message

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

15) Northern Virginia's Intelligent Traffic

Link to article on Hybla Valley Patch:

http://hyblavalley.patch.com/articles/northern-virginias-intelligent-traffic

16) Springfield, Missouri's Advanced Traffic System Hits Speed Bump Before Going Live

Link to story and video on KSPR-TV:

http://www.kspr.com/news/local/kspr-springfields-advanced-traffic-system-hits-speed-bump-before-going-live-20110801,0,2520992.story

VEHICLES

17) Hitting the Brakes by Reading Drivers' Minds

Link to article and video on Gizmag:

http://www.gizmag.com/using-eeg-to-improve-braking-response-times/19378

Link to article abstract in the Journal of Neural Engineering:

http://iopscience.iop.org/1741-2552/8/5/056001

News Releases

1) State Farm Announces New Effort to Bring Connected Vehicle Services and Savings Program to Millions of Drivers

2) Audit Finds New York MTA Not Doing Enough to Inform Riders of Service Diversions

3) Ford Drops Price of Sync by $100

4) CH2M Hill Completes Acquisition of Booz Allen Hamilton's State and Local Government Transit Consulting Business

5) Averting Bridge Disasters: New Technology Could Save Hundreds of Lives

6) US DOT Announces Connected Vehicle Technology Challenge Winners

7) Sensys Networks Introduces the Access Point Controller Card (APCC)

8) SENSIT Informs Truckers About Current Parking Situation on Their Route

9) Fleet Management and Trailer-Tracking System Shipments to Reach 6.4 Million by 2016 but Consolidation Urgently Needed

10) Bahamas' Ministry of Works and Transport to Begin Daily Morning Traffic Reports in New Providence

Upcoming Events

Smart Rivers 2011 Conference – September 13-16 – New Orleans

http://www.pianc.us/conSR2011.cfm

Today in Transportation History

1801 **210^th anniversary** The USS Enterprise captured the Tripoli during the First Barbary War.

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/120163

1831 **180^th anniversary** The 'new' London Bridge was officially opened.

http://oldlondonbridge.com/

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