TransWiseway and IBM building China’s largest connected vehicles platform
IBM is collaborating with Beijing transportation information service systems provider TransWiseway Information Technology to build the largest connected vehicles platform in China that will transform the development of the country’s connected car services industry. The cloud-based platform will use advanced analytics for applications that offer real-time in-vehicle services to mobile devices, such as weather advisories, traffic alerts and alternate route suggestions.
Top award for Australian EV fast charger
Brisbane-based company, Tritium, has been awarded a prestigious 2014 Good Design Australia Award in the Automotive and Transport category for its Veefil Electric Vehicle (EV) fast charger, berating off strong competition from products such as the Audi A3 sedan and the new Melbourne e-class tram. Veefil, launched in May 2013, is the result of ten years of technological development and is the first liquid-cooled charger in the international EV fast charger sector – which means it can withstand extreme weather
Statistical improvement for short-term travel time predictions
Researchers at Imperial College in London have developed a generic three-stage short-term travel prediction model that promises to give greater accuracy under both normal and abnormal conditions. As travellers do not like the randomness of non-recurrent traffic congestion and delays, it is particularly useful for network managers to know how the ongoing traffic situation will develop when an atypical event occurs.
Machine vision makes progress in traffic applications
Machine Vision technology is easing the burden on hard-pressed control room staff and overloaded communications networks.
Strike action prompts commuters to try something different
David Crawford highlights responses to transit disruption on both sides of the Atlantic. Shortly before workers at San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) began a lengthy round of pay and conditions-related strikes in summer 2013, impacting on the daily lives of 400,000 communities, online ridesharing group Avego publicised a new web address: bartstrike.com. By the start of the following week, Avego was encouraging stranded commuters to download its smartphone app by offering them the chance in a raffle
Videotec’s Ulisse compact HD now full HD
The field-proven and reliable outdoor Ulisse compact HD PTZ camera is now available in full HD 1080p, providing excellent high definition video quality for demanding security applications, including: traffic and highway control, borders, stadiums and industrial surveillance, prisons, military installation and perimeter surveillance.
The day/night camera incorporates a 20 times optical zoom lens and is able to accurately identify specific scene details. Flexible control of pan/tilt/zoom functions allows
Iteris launches cloud-based weather analysis
ClearPath Weather from Iteris is the company’s next-generation road maintenance decision support system (MDSS). The cloud-based software solution provides winter maintenance strategies for optimising personnel, equipment, and chemical purchases in addition to providing actionable pavement information for more effective government agency maintenance response.
Fourth generation LaserCam
Kustom Signals’ fourth generation hand-held video Lidar-based LaserCam 4 is powered by the ProLaser 4 for superior performance and offers greater range to target, faster acquisition time and image resolution of plates at longer distances, providing a comprehensive video record of speed enforcement and target tracking history.
The ergonomic and rugged hand-held camera offers different presets for ambient lighting conditions and can be tripod mounted if required. Kustom Signals claims the camera provides i
UV LEDs light the night without driver fright
ANPR camera producer MAV Systems is using Epitex’s infrared LEDs in stand-alone illuminators to capture high definition images of fast moving vehicles at night without distracting drivers. MAV’s managing director Steve Walker, said; “Our customers need the best overview images, night and day, and don’t want to use harsh white light or have to erect expensive additional mounting positions. Combining our intelligent LED pulse driver circuits with Epitex’s infrared LEDs means we can provide clear night-time p
Brazil to launch US$50 billion in infrastructure tenders
Brazil's federal government is expecting to launch some US$49.7 billion in tenders for infrastructure projects within the next few months.
According to the finance ministry's deputy secretary of economic affairs Leonardo Lima Machado, some of the tenders will be for highway, railway, and port concession projects, local daily Valor Econômico reported.
Other tenders are expected for electrical energy and telecommunications, Machado said during an infrastructure roundtable at São Paulo state industry fe
ADB to fund Jaipur metro extension
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a $176 million loan to construct Jaipur Metro's phase-I (B) project, an additional 2.3 kilometre underground stretch from Chandpole to Badi Chaupar, along with two stations, that should be ready to provide access to the central business district by March 2018.
A 9.7 kilometre long elevated line 1 of the metro from Mansarovar in the western part of the city to Chandpole is under construction on the western edge of the central business district and will open by
Epitex and Marubeni target LED development for ITS sector
Japanese visible and infrared LED producer Epitex is focusing its research and development efforts on the ITS sector which it serves globally through its partnership with Marubeni. Through the development of custom solutions in wavelengths between 360nm and 1650nm, Epitex’s LEDs can be integrated into specific applications in the ITS, security, medical, biometrics and military sectors.
Making the case for interstate tolling
A provision in the Grow America Act, introduced to Congress last month by Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, proposes lifting a decades-old ban on tolling existing interstate general purpose lanes.
According Daniel Papiernik, HNTB Corporation's mid-Atlantic toll services leader, writing in Roll Call, recent opposition to the proposal is short-sighted. He claims that relying on revenues derived from the gas tax is simply an unsustainable way of funding the nation’s aging roads, bridges and tunnels
Iteris promotes Todd Kreter to head roadway sensors division
Todd Kreter, previously vice president of engineering at Iteris, has been promoted to the new position of senior vice president and general manager, Roadway Sensors.
Kreter joined Iteris in 2007 and has led several successful development initiatives, including Vantage Vector, an industry-first video and radar hybrid camera system, and the award-winning SmartCycle bicycle detection processor.
In his new role, Kreter will oversee the strategic and operating components of the Roadway Sensors business un
Network Rail opts for Thales’ TMS
Thales is to provide the UK’s Network Rail with its Aramis traffic management system (TMS) at two new Regional Operating Centres (ROCs) in Romford and Cardiff.
This will be the first time that the internationally proven TMS technology has been deployed in the UK, and is part of Network Rail’s significant investment targeted at improving rail network performance and capacity. When rolled out nationally, TMS technology will help Network Rail integrate, operate and manage the UK rail network through twelve
TRL’s Arcady Lite aids US roundabout analysis
Arcady Lite, a streamlined version of TRL’s Arcady user interface, is designed for users in the United States to carry out quick and simple roundabout analyses using either the Arcady or HCM 2010 models.
It provides quick access to essential data screens, specifically chosen to reflect most common usage in North America.
In addition, a number of built-in screen layouts are provided which allow access to all inputs and outputs on screen at the same time.
If the built-in layouts are not suitable, t
Texas moves to prevent wrong-way drivers
A study has shown the extent and ramifications of wrong way driving and proposed cost-effective countermeasures. Wrong way driving collisions occur relatively infrequently but the results can be devastating. Statistics from the US National Transportation Safety Board, an independent, federal all-modes agency, reveal that wrong way (WW) driving, account for only about 3% of accidents on high-speed divided highways but are much more likely to result in fatal and serious injuries.
Phoenix Contact all-in-one plug-in connector
The new M23 hybrid round plug-in connector from Phoenix Contact is an all-in-one connector that securely transfers signals, data, and power.
The IP65/67-compliant connector has four power contacts and can handle currents up to 30A and voltages up to 850V DC or 630V AC. It has up to eight signal contacts and operates in temperatures ranging from -40 to +125 °C.
The Asia-Pacific poses a multitude of ITS challenges
The Asia-Pacific ITS Forum and Exhibition in Auckland, New Zealand, provided a focus for the region’s ITS Associations. Mary Bell reports. In late April, ITS New Zealand hosted the 13th Asia-Pacific ITS Forum and Exhibition in Auckland. Around 350 delegates from 24 nations gathered to share and advance ITS applications on both strategic and technical levels and to discuss the differing and various challenges faced in the region.
Controller interface needs less space
Radar traffic detection and monitoring specialist Wavetronics has released its Click 50 traffic cabinet device which provides up to 64 channels worth of data. The device allows SmartSensor Advance and SmartSensor Matrix to communicate directly to the traffic controller, effectively replacing up to 16 four-channel or 32 two-channel rack cards with a small box measuring 19.8 x 26.2 x 9.9cm (7.8 x 10.3 x 3.9in).
Click 650 can eliminate the need for rack cards and back plates while enabling intersection app