TomTom releases APIs to help EV developers
TomTom has launched two application programming interfaces (API) to help developers build applications for electric vehicle (EV) drivers.
TomTom says the Long Distance EV Routing API comes with an algorithm which calculates the route - including stops to charge - and displays an estimated time of arrival. The EV Charging Stations Availability API provides information on stations according to plug type, the company adds.
Anders Truelsen, managing director, TomTom Enterprise, says the company offers dev
HDR to bolster Florida’s C/AV efforts
Engineering firm HDR has been chosen by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDoT) to deploy and evaluate statewide investment in connected and autonomous vehicle (C/AV) technology.
HDR will develop a business plan aimed at realising full-scale C/AV deployments. The company says it will also provide programme support, thought leadership and training for FDoT staff.
Additionally, HDR is to serve as the prime construction engineering and inspection services consultant for Florida’s Turnpike Enter
ITS Asia Pacific Forum 2020: entry reminder
The ITS Asia Pacific (AP) Forum 2020 is accepting entries on the theme of ‘ITS Innovation Creating Liveable Communities’ until 6 September.
The programme committee invites submissions for consideration as either scientific, technical or commercial papers. They are also accepting entries for special interest sessions.
Additionally, AP 2020 has opened the Future Leaders Programme to recent graduates under 30 years old, allowing them to develop skills they need for academic and professional careers.
ITS Asia Pacific Forum 2020: entry reminder
The ITS Asia Pacific (AP) Forum 2020 is accepting entries on the theme of ‘ITS Innovation Creating Liveable Communities’ until 6 September.
The programme committee invites submissions for consideration as either scientific, technical or commercial papers. They are also accepting entries for special interest sessions.
Additionally, AP 2020 has opened the Future Leaders Programme to recent graduates under 30 years old, allowing them to develop skills they need for academic and professional careers.
Axis gets on board
Vision technology provider Axis Communications has set up a camera system for ATrain, which owns and operates rail services – including seven trains and one workshop - between Stockholm and Arlanda Airport. The Arlanda Express trains run on one of the few privately-operated railroad lines in Sweden.
The company decided in 2015 to install a camera solution at train stations and depots to monitor flows of travellers, checking signs, elevators and escalators and making sure that the ticket machines are wor
San Diego opens future transport ‘laboratory’
The San Diego Association of Governments (Sandag) has opened a laboratory with the aim of developing a fully integrated transportation system in the US city.
The Sandag Vision Lab will serve as a collaborative space for agency staff, elected officials, working groups and industry leaders to discuss ideas, data and tools.
Additionally, Sandag has established an advisory panel to develop a transportation system that uses available and emerging technologies. It will provide input on deploying technolog
It’s time to stop and think about in-car HMIs
The sophistication of automotive human machine interfaces (HMIs) is easy to underestimate.
Volocopter reveals on-demand air taxi for cities
Volocopter has unveiled VoloCity, an on-demand air taxi for cities which it claims has a calculated range of 35km and airspeed of 110 km/h.
Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter, says the air taxi is a “result of all the insights we have gathered from our extensive testing programmes over the past years. With the VoloCity we will open the first commercial routes and bring urban air mobility to life.”
The company says the air taxi features aerodynamically shaped rotor beams and a stabiliser to increase safet
SwRI launches ActiveVision to help automate traffic monitoring
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has released ActiveVision, a machine vision tool that transportation agencies can use to autonomously detect and report changes in traffic conditions.
Gui’an gets $199m traffic management loan
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $199 million loan to help develop traffic management systems in the Chinese city of Gui’an.
Susan Lim, ADB senior transport specialist for East Asia, says: “This project will serve as an example of how the People’s Republic of China and other countries can address the downsides of rapid urbanisation, such as high CO2 emissions, which have impacts well beyond national boundaries, and traffic jams and road safety.”
The city, in Guizhou Province, will use the m
SmartWitness upgrades Insight’s LiveCam
SmartWitness, a manufacturer of vehicle CCTV, is to expand Insight Mobile Data’s LiveCam solutions line.
Dubai RTA uses smart parking system
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a system which it says can reduce search time for parking spaces by up to 30%.
Masabi unveils ticketing solution
Masabi has launched Justride Validator, a ticketing device which it says will make account-based ticketing available for transport authorities of any size.
Sick introduces Free Flow Profiler
Sick has released a vehicle measurement system which it says enables accurate 3D profiling of vehicles across multiple lanes in free-flow traffic.
Utah DoT and Panasonic get connected
Utah is making smart roadways a priority and has entered a partnership with Panasonic to move things forward. Adam Hill asks Utah DoT to outline where the state is heading
Utah Department of Transportation (UDoT) has form when it comes to connectivity. It built the first operational connected vehicle corridor in the US – and has now joined up with Panasonic to extend its operation.
“When we work with technology providers, we are working together to get that win-win,” says Carlos Braceras, UDoT executi
Don’t drive drunk – or use a hands-free phone
Despite law changes, drivers’ bad habits have been creeping back in. TRL’s Dr Shaun Helman tells Adam Hill why using a phone at the wheel is just as distracting as driving after a few drinks
esearch from as far back as 2002 (see box) suggests that driving while making a phone call – either hands-free or holding a handset to your ear – creates the same amount of distraction as being drunk behind the wheel.
While it is notoriously hard to predict how alcohol will affect an individual (due to the speed of
Tech advances create MaaS without compromise
Advances in technology make it possible for authorities to compile and maintain MaaS platforms cheaply - and without relinquishing control to third parties. Colin Sowman finds out more…
It is increasingly clear that local authorities’ reluctance to implement Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is based on politics and finance. However, the technology underpinning MaaS is evolving rapidly and is presenting new solutions. At its heart, the political resistance comes down to the divide between the ethos of public
Cohda trial proves C-ITS can work in tunnels
Connected cars require uninterrupted signals to ensure driving safety. Going underground creates problems – but a trial in Norway suggests that there might be light at the end of the tunnel…
As connectivity becomes increasingly important for transportation – in particular for connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) - the problem of ‘blackspots’ and dead zones where signals fail or drop out is a pressing one. But developments early this year suggest that advances in technology might be on the brink of d
Lime and rivals form Nordic Micromobility Association
Lime and its competitors Tier and Voi have formed the Nordic Micromobility Association to promote safety standards for electric scooters.
The association will seek to strengthen relationships between Nordic cities and micromobility businesses as well as reduce emissions.
Earlier this year, Voi announced its plans to launch e-scooters in Lisbon as part of a wider ambition to expand in Europe.
The association’s members are not the only companies working to improve the safety of e-scooters. Last ye
NEC to improve bus performance in Saudi Arabia
1068 NEC is to deploy an ITS solution to improve the performance of buses operated by Modern Bus in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Ryuji Nakagawa, general manager, transportation and logistics solutions at NEC, says: "NEC aims to manage the operation of approximately 2,000 buses in Makkah within the next five years.”
NEC says more than two million people participated in the city’s Islamic Hajj Pilgrimage in 2018; a number which is expected to double in the next 15 years.
