ITS America Transportation Technology News

Join us in celebrating National Transportation Week May 12-18

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

This week the transportation industry gets its own national spotlight and recognition for moving America. President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation calling upon all Americans to recognize the importance of our nation's transportation infrastructure and to acknowledge the contributions of those who build, operate and maintain it. It also promoted some of the president's plans, such as "Fix-It-First" funding for immediate infrastructure repairs. "Together, we can make meaningful progress toward those goals. Let us recommit this week to revitalizing transportation, pioneering new solutions to tough challenges and making lasting investments in America's infrastructure," the president said in the proclamation. Read the rest of it here.

ITS America expands board of directors

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

ITS America is governed by a distinguished group of industry leaders who have the responsibility of establishing the strategic direction of the organization. At this year's Annual Meeting and Exposition the helm was handed over to the new Board Chair, David St. Amant, the president and COO of Econolite Group Inc., and the new Vice Chair, Kirk Steudle, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation. The Board of the Directors also approved to expand the board by adding seven new members.

Congratulations to the incoming 2013 ITS America Board Members:

John Barton, P.E., Deputy Executive Director and Chief Engineer, Texas Department of Transportation
Melanie Crotty, Operations Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Tom Dingus, Ph.D., Director, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Frank LoPresti, Vice President, Road and City Mobility, Siemens Industry Inc.
Karen Rasmussen, President and CEO, HELP Inc.
Tom Stricker, Vice President, Technical and Regulatory Affairs, Energy and Environment Research, Toyota Motors North America Inc.
Kris Tufto, President and CEO, Image Sensing Systems Inc.

We also have four new Senior Advisors to the ITS America Board and they are:

Gerry Conover, Managing Director of PRC Associates
John Inglish, Board member of Wave
Randy Iwasaki, Executive Director of Contra Costa Transportation Authority, and
Bill Russell, President and CEO of Eberle Design Inc.

Congratulations to each of the new ITS America Board members. For a complete list of the 2013 ITS America Board of Directors click here.

NHTSA and ITS America to participate at CTIA 2013

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

Next week David L. Strickland, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will speak on a panel entitled "Automotive Telematics Come of Age" next week Wednesday, May 22 — the M2M Zone at CTIA Wireless 2013 Sands Expo & Conference Center, Las Vegas, Room: Bellini 2104-2105 from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. The panel will discuss how "connected vehicles" will be achieved and some of the constraints in building, connecting and servicing future millions of safe, highly automated next generation cars and trucks. Steven Bayless, Senior Director for Telecom and Telematics from ITS America will moderate the discussion. Check out the rest of the CTIA 2013 conference schedule online.

From the DESSC Blog: Transportation innovators leverage open data to improve America's infrastructure with ITS solutions

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

In 2013 and beyond, it's clear that infrastructure and technology are no longer separate. Those who build roads now use intelligent transportation systems to measure and improve infrastructure performance and make investment decisions about road upgrades and replacements.

The future of transportation is here, and the 2013 Transportation Champions of Change honored last week by the White House are committed to improving our nation's transportation infrastructure by leveraging real-time data to keep our citizens safe and our economy moving for generations to come. Their transportation innovations are merely the beginning of what can be accomplished when critical real-time data is released and shared for public analysis.

RSVP for lunch with Congresswoman Donna Edwards

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

ITS America is excited to welcome a Congresswoman Donna Edwards, D-Md./4, Member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, as our next Congressional Roundtable speaker. Please join us for what promises to be a great discussion over lunch from 12–1 p.m. Tuesday, May 21.

If you're interested in attending please RSVP by Friday, May 17 to Eliana Velez.

Register: Upcoming webinar on the Intelligent Infrastructure Navigator

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

ITS America will host the first in a series of webinars that will provide a detailed and guided hands-on tour of the Intelligent Infrastructure Navigator service. Learn how the Intelligent Infrastructure Navigator can help your organization gain access to information about active RFPs and bids, contract awards and developing opportunities from all 50 states and cities, counties, metropolitan planning organizations and special districts from around the country.

Webinars for both the public and private sector's will be scheduled to address their unique uses of the Navigator service. The first private-sector webinar will be held at 2 p.m. May 23. Sign up today.

For more information about this exciting new tool for the ITS market, visit www.itsa.org/navigator and stay tuned for our first public-sector webinar coming in June.

Smart parking key to sustainable urban mobility

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

Smart parking looks like a market poised to take off in the U.S. It could bring many benefits, not just for parking facility operators and their customers but also for society as a whole. Steven Bayless, senior director, telecommunications and telematics at ITS America, looks at some of the opportunities and challenges involved in a recent ITS International article.

ITS America appoints new technical editor

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

ITS America has chosen Dr. John Miles as technical editor for a new Web-based resource on ITS. With funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), the society plans to publish in mid-2014 in partnership with the World Road Association (PIARC) on the latter's website.

Airbiquity

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

Airbiquity was pleased to participate in the ITS America Leadership Circle's first official meeting, and believes in the benefits of enhancing ITS technologies to improve the safety, security and efficiency of the nation's transportation system. The role of the ITS America Leadership Circle is to advise the ITS America Board on how to further widespread ITS deployment, to promote and champion ITS solutions and to assist in providing thought leadership and advocating on behalf of ITS America.

Airbiquity's service delivery infrastructure, Choreo, is a global, open, scalable cloud platform that is designed for automotive manufacturers to deliver connected services to their consumer and commercial customers. Its infrastructure handles millions of transactions every month from its service nodes in China, North America and Europe, from life-saving airbag notifications to turn-by-turn directions. With transaction volume increasing nearly 10 percent per month and trusted relationships across the automotive and wireless ecosystems, Airbiquity has significant market, customer and technological advantages over its competitors.

Led by an experienced management team comprised of leaders with global wireless, networking, system integrator and software expertise, Airbiquity believes its leadership position in the market can rapidly expand. With a business plan targeting significant growth in electric vehicle, mobile integration and mobile resource management markets, Airbiquity is poised to continue its leadership role as a global provider and operator of innovative connected vehicle services. We're excited to be working with industry leaders to share Airbiquity's insight into connected vehicle technology and how these services can help to address transportation challenges.

MPCB workshop May 22 at Argonne National Laboratory

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

ITS Midwest is pleased to announce that ITS America has awarded our Chapter the Professional Capacity Building (PCB) workshop/class titled "Improving Highway Safety with ITS."

When: Wednesday, May 22
Time: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Where: Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne). Argonne is an active member of ITS Midwest and was instrumental in the initial formation of our ITS America Chapter. You need to register in advance as a visitor to be granted access to the Argonne Campus.

Target Audience: ITS and safety professionals including planners, operators, designers, emergency management and maintenance personnel.

Workshop Fee:
ITS Midwest Members: Free
Nonmembers: $30 per person (see also information on online registration).

To register for this training session, visit:
http://www.itsmidwest.com/ITSPCBClass2013/index.shtml.

US Department of Transportation announces availability of $21.9 million to help states strengthen transit safety oversight

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

The Federal Transit Administration recently announced that it is making $21.9 million available to help strengthen public transportation safety for millions of riders and transit workers nationwide. In addition to the funds, the agency also announced a flexible new policy, known as Safety Management Systems (SMS), which DOT has officially adopted to help guide states and transit agencies alike in managing safety risks in a proactive, cost-effective way.

GM unveils data center in Warren, Mich.

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

General Motors Co. recently unveiled a $288 million data center in the Detroit suburb of Warren it says will save the company millions of dollars in product development, manufacturing, marketing and sales.

McCain Inc. parking guidance system acquired by SWARCO

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

The acquisition of McCain's parking assets enables SWARCO to further broaden its product offering in the United States with technology and project references that perfectly align with the company's standards of excellence.

This National Transportation Week, celebrate America's opportunity network

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

In millions of transportation-related jobs in the United States — from the U.S. and State DOTs to the rail carriers, transit agencies, freight shippers, airlines, bus companies, ferry services and more — your fellow Americans think day and night about the importance of transportation in our everyday lives so you don't have to.

Will your next car join the 'revolution' in information technology?

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

Americans will soon be able to surf the Internet, hold a video call and connect with friends on social media all via the dashboard of their car while sitting in the driver's seat. Further down the road, no one may need to be in the driver's seat at all.

The future of travel: Transportation confronts its 'Kodak moment'

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

Transportation is on the cusp of being radically transformed by the digital revolution. From self-driving cars to intelligent public transit systems, the future of 21st-century transportation is being mapped out right now in Silicon Valley, Calif.

How NYSDOT can improve its Complete Streets outreach

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

While the New York State Department of Transportation is not required to lead the local implementation of the state's Complete Streets Act, municipal leaders, advocates and engineers are looking to the agency for the tools required to plan and execute Complete Streets initiatives. NYSDOT's new Complete Streets website, however, provides little new information, or inspiration, for those seeking guidance.

Amtrak buying 70 new electric locomotives

15 May 2013 15:09:40 CDT

Amtrak is spending $466 million to buy 70 new electric locomotives, the company said recently. The locomotives will run up to 125 miles-per-hour and they will be used on Amtrak's northeast U.S. routes. The cars will be built by electronics company Siemens at a facility in Sacramento, Calif.