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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is continuing to support improvements to public transport systems in Romania with a loan of up to US$25.75 million to the city of Arad to finance the acquisition of new energy efficient trams. The financing will support the city’s wider objective of restructuring its public transport system and improving efficiency, as well as reducing traffic congestion and air pollution in Arad.

Mercedes-Benz and Glympse, a mobile technology company that pioneered temporary real-time location sharing, are teaming up to provide real-time location sharing to their drivers by integrating Glympse into the new Mercedes-Benz Digital DriveStyle application, set to launch in the new A-Class in September. Drivers will be able to select a recipient, set a timer, and ‘send a Glympse’ to anyone they choose. The recipient will receive a text or email link, which will show the driver’s real-time location on an i

Google launches NFC-enabled transit payment card in Kenya Google has launched Beba in Kenya, a pre-paid NFC (near field communication)-enabled card to allow cash-free payment of bus fares by transit travellers. According to TechMtaa, an African technology website, the move was expected, and is rolling out first in Nairobi. The card, which can be loaded with up the local equivalent of US$115, is likely attractive to customers, as it may help them dodge rising rates, or bus drivers that don’t provide exact or

International Road Dynamics (IRD) has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, International Road Dynamics South Asia (IRDSA), has been awarded a major contract from Reliance Infrastructure in India valued at over US$1.66 million. The contract award for the prestigious Gurgaon Faridabad expressway in the state of Haryana in India spans over 50 lanes across four toll plazas, and includes 12 lanes of electronic toll collection using radio frequency identification readers and transponders as well as four st

Cale Group’s newest subsidiary, Cale America, has been selected by the Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh (PPAP) to upgrade its parking meter system. The new programme will introduce pay-by-license plate technology which Cale has successfully implemented in cities such as Calgary in Canada, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Customers will enter their vehicle license plate number at a solar-charged multi-space meter and the company’s system will inform parking enforcement staff which vehicles are paid in

Teledyne Dalsa has introduced the Genie TS series cameras which combine advancements in the company’s CMOS imaging sensor technology with a newly optimised camera series that delivers what the company claims is the widest, most powerful feature set ever in a GigE Vision camera. The Genie TS series will include VGA, 1.2, 1.4, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 12 megapixel formats, reach speeds up to 300 fps and be available in both monochrome and colour versions. Teledyne Dalsa claims the Genie TS is also the first machine vi

BMW of North America has selected Inrix's premium traffic information service for next generation connected navigation systems in North America. As part of a multi-year contract, BMW is teaming with the company to provide drivers with real-time traffic, traffic-influenced turn-by-turn directions and alerts to accidents and other incidents along their route.

The new FC-Series thermal cameras from Flir provide optimal detection of vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians in a wide variety of conditions by detecting their heat signatures night and day. The company claims the thermal cameras outperform other detection technologies by detecting the heat signatures given off by everything in their field of view. Because they see heat, not light, they don’t get confused by the sun’s glare, darkness, headlights, shadows, wet streets, snow, and fog like video cameras do. Fl

Communication Networks (ComNet) is introducing a fibre-optic distance extending interface that allows optical connectivity between one card reader and its associated door or gate locking hardware, and any Wiegand, Magstripe, or F/2F-based control panel. The ComNet FDW1000 transmits Wiegand data optically over multimode or single-mode fibre at distances up to 3.5km or 40km respectively.

Aaxeon Technologies has launched the LNP-201AG (-T) gigabit PoE injector which provides data as well as power over Ethernet to power devices. It is IEEE 802.3at compliant and can be DIN-Rail or wall mountable depending on the application. The device offers a 1-port PoE solution that can be used in remote applications to power equipment such as VoIP phones, surveillance cameras, or access points. This Industrial PoE injector has a wide ranging 24/48 VDC input, a feature not commonly found in most other PoE

Point Grey has added new 6.0 megapixel models to its Grasshopper Express IEEE 1394b (FireWire-b) digital cameras series. Building on the company’s experience with Sony EXview HAD CCD II technology, the new Grasshopper Express GX-FW-60S6 uses the Sony ICX694 to deliver high resolution and extreme sensitivity in a compact and low-cost package. “The new Grasshopper Express 6 MP camera is especially useful in traffic applications, where imaging fast moving vehicles requires high sensitivity and minimal gain to

Telematics Update has announced the 12 winners of its Annual Telematics Update Awards at the Telematics Detroit 2012 Conference & Exhibition. The entries were judged by a selection of independent consultants and industry experts.

Verizon has announced the formation of the 4G Venture Forum for Connected Cars, a group of leading global automotive companies brought together by Verizon to accelerate the pace of innovation across the automotive and telematics 4G LTE ecosystem. BMW, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors and Toyota Motor Sales are joining Verizon as the initial members of the Forum. Professor Sanjay Sarma of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology also joins the Forum, providing members a link to track important advan

Nissan has confirmed plans to make its "Easy-Fill Tyre Alert" system available on all future models it brings to market in the US beginning in 2013. This safety feature, one of the automaker's latest innovations, currently comes standard on all 2013 Nissan Altima, 2012 Nissan Leaf and 2012 Nissan Quest models, with standard or optional availability on more products to follow later this year as the automaker continues its launch of five all-new models in the next 15 months.

An island which is home to the Netherlands’ first National Park is about to launch Europe’s cleanest bus fleet. The city of Schiermonnikoog in the province of Friesland, Netherlands is nestled on this 16 km long island and is virtually car-free. While home to about 1000 residents, over 350,000 people visit the island every year and will now ride in six new, long-range, all-electric BYD buses set to launch on Schiermonnikoog early next year. In a European legal tender and open bid supported by four major bus

A programme of road safety education and enforcement in the State of Jalisco in Mexico has reduced speed related fatalities by 40% in nine months Speed enforcement equipment will appear in greater number and visibility around the city of Guadalajara over coming months, as the Mexican State of Jalisco expands its road safety campaign. This comes hot on the heels of an initial programme of traffic speed education and enforcement in Guadalajara, which has yielded remarkable results, reducing speed related fata

Need for a temporary communication fix during a construction project has led to rapid deployment of a permanent but simplistic wireless broadband network in Chandler, Arizona When a major construction project was expected to disrupt highway communications in the city of Chandler, Arizona, the city’s engineers went looking for a simple solution. They needed a way of maintaining data connections with three consecutive intersections along Arizona Avenue in Chandler while construction necessitated the severin

Taking advantage of the attendance of the heads of ITS Asia-Pacific, ITS America, Ertico – ITS Europe, and ITS Malaysia as the host nation of the recent 12th ITS Asia-Pacific Forum in Kuala Lumpur in April, ITS International initiated a round table discussion on the big ITS issues confronting the individual regions. For such a diverse collection of advanced and emerging nations spanning the globe, in terms of the advancement of ITS, a common single issue emerges above all others

Perceptions of machine vision being an expensive solution are being challenged by developments in both core technologies and ancillaries. Here, Jason Barnes and David Crawford look at the latest developments in the sector. A notable aspect of machine vision is the flexibility it offers in terms of how and how much data is passed around a network. With smart cameras, processing capabilities at the front end mean that only that which is valid need be communicated back to a central processor of any descripti

Nokia has announced plans to release a new version of Ovi Maps for its smartphones that includes high-end walk and drive navigation at no extra cost, available for download at www.nokia.com/maps. This move has the potential to nearly double the size of the current mobile navigation market.The new version of Ovi Maps includes high-end car and pedestrian navigation features, such as turn-by-turn voice guidance for 74 countries, in 46 languages, and traffic information for more than 10 countries, as well as de