Five-star award for Siemens
UK-based traffic technology company Siemens has received a 5-star Recognised for Excellence award at the 2013 UK Excellence Awards, presented annually by the British Quality Foundation to recognise business performance improvement.
Siemens has used the European Foundation Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence model as a key framework to assess its business excellence, understand its strengths, identify areas for improvement and drive a culture of continuous improvement. The company’s score, measured agai
DfT consults on future of Highways Agency
Prior to turning the UK Highways Agency into a government-owned company, the Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation asking for the public’s views on the proposed structure and accountability of the new company, along with input on how the new watchdog, and a separate new organisation that will monitor the performance of the agency, should be run.
Turning the Highways Agency into a government-owned company will improve efficiency and reduce running costs, with taxpayers expected to ben
San Francisco and Inrix partner on expanding Bay Area 511 service
San Francisco Bay Area's popular 511 service is set to expand its traffic speed network. Coverage, now mostly limited to state roadways and interstates, will be expanded to include additional state roadways, major arterials, expressways and connectors.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which runs the 512 service, assembles data from a variety of sources – Caltrans, CHP, and other partners – to provide the most accurate and reliable information about incidents and traffic disruptions in th
DfT certification for Videalert
Videalert’s new digital CCTV system for the enforcement of stopped vehicle offences has received Manufacturers Certification as an approved device for wide area network (WAN) deployments by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT). This is the first system to achieve this accreditation, which makes it easy for local authorities to introduce the enforcement of illegal parking outside schools, where vehicles stop or park on zig-zag lines.
HS2 ‘crucial to Britain’s future transport needs’
Britain cannot meet its future transport needs without HS2, according to new evidence published by the government. Even with over US$80 billion of planned transport investment over the next six years the country’s railways will be overwhelmed. The strategic case for HS2 sets out in detail the need for a new railway line to provide the vitally needed extra capacity.
Central to the case is new data that reveals the true extent of the crisis facing the UK rail network and the impact alternatives to buildin
PlascoTex unveils new lamination tech that will cut costs
PlascoTec has developed two special coatings - PlascoSAM and PlascoSLIDE - for lamination plates which it says will reduce wear and improve anti-stick performance “drastically”, thus allowing coatings card manufacturers to reduce production costs.
PlascoSLIDE reduces the adhesion of foils (PC, PVC, PET- G) as well as unwanted residues from the lamination process on the lamination plate surface, improving product quality and cutting the need for cleaning during production. Meanwhile PlascoSAM has high ha
Contactless and NFC set to grow finds CARTES commissioned survey
As the number of smart phone and tablet users continues to soar, consumer purchasing behaviour will change and consumers will increasingly opt for the convenience of contactless cards and NFC-based payments in the next three to five years. This is one of the findings of a new study into retail payment technology trends, commissioned by CARTES Secure Connexions Event and Payments Cards & Mobile, which also revealed that difference stakeholders have different priorities when it comes to the next generation of
Spire Payments launches Linux-based line of PoS terminals
Spire Payments has launched the only Linux-based PCI 3.x and SRED-compliant PoS terminals, covering wireless and mobile PoS devices, from fixed countertop to PIN pads. The SP range has been designed to be fully PCI PTS 3.x compliant, including the use of open standards and the adherence to SRED.
Zebra completes range with printer launch at CARTES 2013
Zebra Technologies Corporation is to complete its ZXP Series direct-to-card printer range at CARTES by launching a new standard printer, the ZXP Series 1. The entry level machine is designed for low volume printing needs – and at the same time, Zebra has announced enhancements to its ZXP Series 3 card printer for improved printer performance.
Brazil is guest of honour at CARTES Secure Connexions Event 2013
Brazil may be hosting the world in the upcoming FIFA World Cup but this autumn
CARTES Secure Connexions Event 2013 will be hosting Brazil as Guest of Honour Country in recognition of its growing importance in the marketplace. Brazil has become a hotbed of innovation in the secure transactions industry, thanks to a long tradition of technology and industrial development supported by a tech savvy populace, said Isabelle Alfano, CARTES Events Director. “Brazil has the best combination between local industria
GenKey buys Ghana’s digital health records specialist ClaimSync
Biometric ID management solution specialist GenKey has bought Ghanaian software provider ClaimSync.
The move gives the Dutch firm a stronger foothold in Africa’s burgeoning digital health market, with ClaimSync offering hospitals and insurers a next generation platform for digitising and processing medical records and claims.
“We will be able to combine GenKey’s biometric ID management and unique biometric claim validation solution with ClaimSync’s electronic medical claim handling system”, says Mich
DigitalPersona buys biometrics ID business Identity Stream
California-based biometric identity verification specialist DigitalPersona has bought Identity Stream, whose focus is using biometrics to ensure positive identification in banks and other financial institutions. Identity Stream’s software is currently marketed with Temenos – a relationship that will continue - as T24 Biometrics and provides “one touch” identification for any transaction in the TEMENOS T24 core banking system. The solution identifies customers and employees by scanning their fingerprints an
Digital identities in Europe could top €1tn by 2020 says BCS
The economic value of our digital identities is growing fast and could reach 1 trillion euros in Europe by 2020, according to estimates from the Boston Consulting Group.
Digital identities boost economic efficiency, help focus research and marketing efforts while spurring the creation of personalized products and services that, in turn, drive revenues. For consumers, the benefits are compelling as products and services are tailored to their needs and requirements, says the report.
Access IS debuts new barcode and passport readers at CARTES 2013
Reader maker Access IS has two new readers on show at CARTES 2013 - a 2D barcode reader with contactless NFC/RFID reading, and a full mpage, multi-illumination passport reader.
The LSR118 is a 2D barcode reader with contactless NFC/ RFID reading (and writing) capability for integration into access gates, ticket machines and kiosks.
Detektor International award for Navtech Radar
Radar technology company Navtech Radar has won the Highly Commended award in the Alarm and Detection category of the Detektor International Awards 2013 with their new AdvanceGuard AGS1600 Extreme radar surveillance solution.
Launched in January 2013, the AGS1600 Extreme is specifically developed to cope with the environmental and climatic conditions found in oil and gas exploration. The system is completely integrated with the Navtech’s sophisticated intuitive control software suite, Witness. The solutio
10th workshop on naturalistic driving studies
The tenth stakeholder workshop on naturalistic driving studies (NDS), organised in collaboration with the UDRIVE project, will be held in Brussels on 26 November at Ertico-ITS Europe.
The workshop will focus on NDS which is defined as ‘a study undertaken to provide insight into driver behaviour during every day trips by recording details of the driver, the vehicle and the surroundings through unobtrusive data gathering equipment and without experimental control’.
US$2.3 million to cut bus pollution
Five UK local authorities are to receive funding to cut pollution from buses, improving air quality in towns and cities across England. Transport Minister Baroness Kramer has today (28 October 2013) announced additional support under the Clean Bus Technology Fund to cut emissions from 92 local buses.
The five local authorities (Brighton and Hove City Council, Sunderland City Council and Durham County Council, Oxford City Council, Swale Borough Council and City of York Council) will each receive grants of
Drivers wary of safety benefits of EU vehicle control
Research by the UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has found that three quarters of drivers are concerned that the use of intelligent speed adaptations (ISAs) will compromise safety.
Last month, the EU announced that it was considering rules for new cars to be installed with ISA technology, which would be capable of detecting speed limits through cameras or satellites and automatically applying the brakes. Existing vehicles could be forced to be retrofitted with the devices.
Serco extends Dubai Metro contract
International service company Serco Group is to continue to operate and maintain the Dubai Metro. The company has signed a five-year extension to its contract with the Dubai Government Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in a deal valued at approximately US$571, with an opportunity to extend for a further two years to 2021.
Serco first provided pre-launch consultancy and planning to the RTA from 2007 and began operating and maintaining the initial 10 stations on the Red Line from its official opening an
Sensys enforcement for Saudi Arabia
Sensys Traffic is to supply a major customer in Saudi Arabia with speed enforcement systems in an order worth US$942,000.
The order, which is Sensys' first from a customer in Saudi Arabia, is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2014. The customer has extensive operations in the country.