Wednesday, August 18, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

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GEWI Traffic Technologies Tour Topic – Connected Vehicles /Infrastructure.

The purpose of the tour is to exchange information about advanced traffic technologies being used around the world to solve a variety of transportation related problems. This includes updates on European vehicle/infrastructure projects, similar to the US IntelliDrive initiative, TPEG, data collection and harmonization, interoperability and dealing with emerging data types. GEWI also wants to hear your current traffic data challenges.  This information exchange is just one of the many ways GEWI ensures that TIC software continues to be the global leader for the processing of transportation data.

If you’re interested in attending or hosting this free event in your area this November, contact jim.oneill@gewi.com

AVIATION

1) Analysis: US In-Flight Cell Phone Use Faces Uphill Battle

Link to Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67G4H420100817

2) Edmonton Airport Lobby Group Keeps Donors Under Wraps

Link to article in the Edmonton Journal:

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Airport+lobby+group+keeps+donors+under+wraps/3411128/story.html

3) Harnessing the Digital Revolution

Air transport industry IT summit highlights importance of integration, mobility.

Link to article in Airport Business:

http://www.airportbusiness.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=38699

4) The Future of Magazines and What It Means for Aviation Marketing

Link to blog from ABCI:

http://www.aviationbusinessconsultants.com/?p=2014&goback=%2Egde_81978_member_27473627

GPS / NAVIGATION

5) Maine Automobile Loan Company Wants to Use GPS on Potential Clients
Link to story and video on WCSH-TV:

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=124530&catid=2

OTHER

6) US Baby Babble Hits Japan Taxis and Trucks

Baby monitors on US bases jamming radios.

Link to BBC News story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10998238

7) RITA Administrator Gives Update on ITS-JPO Strategic Plan

Link to letter from RITA:

http://www.its.dot.gov/press/2010/Appel_strategic_plan.htm

8) Report on ITS Asia Pacific BOD Meeting

Link to article from ERTICO:

http://www.ertico.com/en/news/ertico_newsroom/the_its12288asia_pacific12288bod_meeting.htm

RAILROADS

9) Siemens Takes Campaign for US High-Speed Rail Straight to the Customer

Link to blog on Streetsblog Capitol Hill:

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2010/08/17/siemens-takes-campaign-for-u-s-high-speed-rail-straight-to-the-customer/

SAFETY / SECURITY

10) Safety Playbook May be a Lifesaver in New Jersey

Guidelines address procedures to protect emergency workers responding to incidents.

Link to article in The Record:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/100961444_Safety__playbook__may_be__lifesaver.html

TELEMATICS

11) Smart Uses iPhone for In-Car Electronics, Adds Car Finder

Link to article in USA Today:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/08/smart-uses-iphone-for-in-car-electronics-adds-car-finder/1

TRANSIT

12) Tech Savvy Transportation Center Opens in Aiken, South Carolina

Link to story and video on WJBF-TV:

http://www2.wjbf.com/news/2010/aug/17/tech-savvy-transportation-center-opens-aiken-ar-718300/

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

13) North and South Carolina DOT Cooperation Alerted Drivers in Two States to I-77 Wreck

Link to story and video on News 14 Carolina:

http://charlotte.news14.com/content/local_news/charlotte/629386/dot-cooperation-alerted-drivers-in-2-states-to-i-77-wreck

14) SEPTA Expands Its High-Tech Customer Notification Options

Link to story on KYW Radio:

http://kyw.cbslocal.com/2010/08/11/septa-expands-its-high-tech-customer-notification-options/

VEHICLES

15) Alcatel-Lucent: ‘The Killer App for a Connected Car is Safe, Eco-friendly Driving’

Link to interview in Telematics Update:

http://bit.ly/bt0tKR

16) Volvo Shares Details on Trusted Truck Program

Link to article in Transport Topics:

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=25005

17) Truck Dealer Uses Social Networking to Connect with Customers

Link to article from Heavy Duty Trucking:

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=71379

News Releases

1) Solar-Powered Road Reflectors in Washington State May Light the Way for Future Safety Improvements

2) ITS America Forums Welcome New Leadership, Poised to Take on Key Transportation Issues

3) Internet is Coming to Cars Says IMS Research

4) The National Science Foundation, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Boeing and Iridium Successfully Demonstrate Space Weather Observation

Upcoming Events

Viajeo Seminar ‘Strengthening Cooperation in ITS Between EU and China’ – September 12 – Shanghai

http://www.viajeo.eu/en/news/viajeo_seminar_shanghai_12_september_2010.htm

Today in Transportation History

1915 **95^th anniversary** Charles Kettering received a patent for an electric self-starting device for automobiles.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blignition.htm

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast atbernie@bwcommunications.net.

© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

(Source: Allfacebook.com)

There are so many reasons not to drink and drive, but if residents of Evsham Township needed one more, their police department has given it to them: now, drunk drivers get featured on the Evsham Township Police Facebook page, complete with name, listed offence, and mug shot. While this might be an effective way to deter criminals, there are some that question whether it is ethical to post these details on a Facebook page that can be viewed by millions of users.

Drunk drivers are not the only criminals to find themselves in the red hot spotlight of the Evsham Township Police Facebook page: a car thief, a store robber, a gang found fighting in the street and a movie theater burglar are among those with their mug shots splashed across the page. But the drunk drivers are the sticking point for a lot of legal and ethical debates. Is it right to post pictures of people who have been charged but not yet convicted?

Click here to read the entire story.

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• Police Now Sharing Drunk Driver Mug Shots On Facebook (allfacebook.com)
• Drunk Driver Mugshots Featured On Facebook (yro.slashdot.org)
• Social Media Mug Shots – The Evesham Police Department Post Perpetrators to Facebook Page (trendhunter.com)
• New Jersey Police to Shame Drunk Drivers on Facebook (fastcompany.com)
• Cops’ New Tactic: Facebook ‘Em! (voices.allthingsd.com)
• NH police dept posts mug shots on Facebook (boston.com)
• N.J. town posts DUI photos on Facebook: Tag away? (news.cnet.com)
• N.J. town posts DUI photos on Facebook: Tag away? (news.cnet.com)
• Evesham police take down Facebook page posting drunken-driving arrests (nj.com)

(source: Porsche via Wired)

Hybrids and super fast were usually not spelled in the same sentence until Porsche opened a can (rather a car) of   surprise for the motoring world with its new hybrid 918 Spyder in Geneva earlier this year.

Now for the first time some of those potential customers got to see and hear Porsche’s latest creation in person. The 918 was flown over from Germany for the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Montery, California. The video above shows a covert shakedown drive before the car was shown to the public.
Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/08/video-porsche-918-hybrid-makes-debut-drive-in-california/#ixzz0wtLtUQEV

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• Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid (hypebeast.com)
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• Porsche To Launch Affordable Sports Car (ridelust.com)
• Porsche 918 Spyder Gets Thumbs Up From Porsche Management (ridelust.com)
• Porsche Gave 918 Spyder a Secret Shakedown Before Pebble Beach (wheels.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Porsche 918 Spyder Makes Its Driving Debut (luxist.com)
• “Porsche 918 Spider Debuts at Pebble Beach as Hybrid Supercar of the Near Future” and related posts (autoguide.com)
• Porsche Goes ‘Green’ with Hybrid Car Lineup (environmentalleader.com)
• Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey [w/videos] (autoblog.com)
• Porsche Board Green Lights 918 Spyder Eco Supercar for Production (gas2.org)
• Porsche Producing $650K Spyder 918 Hybrid (geekologie.com)
• Porsche Greenlights The 918 Hybrid Supercar (wired.com)
• Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept: Geneva Motor Show Stunner (ridelust.com)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has released the latest issue of its annual statistical compendium designed to characterize transportation activity and explore data on other factors that influence transportation energy use.

Published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, this report is designed for use as a desk-top reference.  The Data Book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize transportation activity, andpresents data on other factors that influence transportation energy use. The purpose of this document is to present relevant statistical data in the form of tables and graphs. The latest edition of the Data Book is available to a larger audience via the Internet (cta.ornl.gov/data).
This edition of the Data Book has 12 chapters which focus on various aspects of the transportation industry.  The sources used represent the latest available data. There are also three appendices which include detailed source information forsome tables, measures of conversion, and the definition of Census divisions and regions. A glossary of terms and a title index are also included for the reader’s convenience.

Information on ordering printed copies of the report is available online.

Remember those crazy storms that dumped loads of snow on the cities and towns along the Eastern seaboard and many mid-Western states across the US during February 2010?  Apart from the impact on the surface transportation modes, these storms wreaked havoc on the aviation sector, terribly disrupting the  performance of the whole sector.

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released a special report that explores how several February 2010 snowstorms in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast disrupted air travel at airports across the United States.  Quite an interesting read and for your reading pleasure it is provided below.

For those interested, you can click here to download the report.

The first flight of NASA‘s hurricane airborne research mission is scheduled to take off from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 17. NASA’s DC-8 research aircraft will be making a planned five-hour flight along the Gulf Coast from western Florida to Louisiana primarily as a practice run for the many scientific instruments aboard.

The target for Tuesday’s “shakedown” flight is the remnants of Tropical Depression 5, a poorly organized storm system whose center is currently hugging the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana and moving westward. While forecasters do not expect this storm system to strengthen significantly before it reaches landfall in Louisiana, the system offers the DC-8’s seven instrument teams an opportunity to try out their equipment on possible convective storms. Rainfall rates, wind speed and direction below the airplane to the surface, cloud droplet sizes, and aerosol particle sizes are just some of the information that these instruments will collect.

Read more on  NASA’s GRIP mission website.

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Monday, August 16, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

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Participate in Global Traffic Solutions – GEWI Traffic Technologies Tour

This November, GEWI will be touring the US and Canada for the purpose of exchanging information about advanced traffic technologies being used around the world.  The tour demonstrates solutions for a variety of transportation related problems and ideas, including global vehicle/infrastructure projects similar to the US IntelliDrive initiative.  Other topics include data collection, harmonization, interoperability and dealing with emerging data types.  GEWI also wants to hear your current traffic data or system challenges.  This information exchange is just one of the many ways GEWI ensures that the TIC software product continues to be the global leader for the processing of transportation data.

If you’re interested in attending or hosting this free event in your area, contact jim.oneill@gewi.com.

AVIATION

1) Southwest Airlines Takes Proactive Approach When Things Go Wrong In-Flight

Link to article in The Dallas Morning News:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/airlines/stories/DN-swapology_15bus.ART0.State.Edition1.26cd7a0.html

BICYCLES

2) The Bike that Expresses Its Feelings

Link to blog on CNET News:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20013670-71.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

3) New York City to Retrofit Buses with GPS Tracking

Link to article in Washington Square News:

http://nyunews.com/news/2010/08/08/09gps/

MARITIME

4) NTSB Ties US Coast Guard Collision to Cell Phone Use

Link to article in The Hill:

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/114137-ntsb-ties-coast-guard-collisions-to-cell-phone-use

OTHER

5) Latest Issues of Thinking Highways Online

–  Europe/RoW edition

http://thinkinghighways.com/Pages/View-issue.aspx?id=5d1ae3bb-0899-4bf8-a786-2e2b31499a62

–  North American edition

http://thinkinghighways.com/Pages/View-issue.aspx?id=21c8d997-8d9c-4854-b34c-8ded4121fa79

RAILROADS

6) Railroads’ Guarded Secret: Not Even Hazmat Teams are Told What’s on Train

Link to article in the Press & Sun-Bulletin:

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20100814/NEWS01/8140340/1112/Railroads–guarded-secret–Not-even-HAZMAT-teams-are-told-what-s-on-train

7) Rail Safety: Making the Railroad Mantra ‘Safety First’ More than Words in a Manual

Link to article in Progressive Railroading:

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/pr/article.asp?id=24056&email=bernie@bwcommunications.net

ROADWAYS

8) University of Maryland Researcher Aims for Early Warning System for Bridges

Link to article in The Baltimore Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-bridge-sensors-20100816,0,7287279.story

SAFETY / SECURITY

9) Firms Crack Down on Driving While Distracted

Link to article in the Chicago Sun-Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/2601804,CST-NWS-ride16.article

TRANSIT

10) Johnson County (Kansas) Transit Offers New Web Site to Explain Transit Task Force

Link to article in The Kansas City Star:

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/13/2148259/joco-offers-new-website-to-explain.html

11) Defining a Transit Wireless Blueprint

Link to blog in Mass Transit:

http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2010/08/12/defining-a-transit-wireless-blueprint/

12) Reconciling Security, Disclosure, and Record-Retention Requirements in Transit Procurements

Link to report from the Transportation Research Board:

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/Reconciling_Security_Disclosure_and_RecordRetentio_163894.aspx

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

13) Rush Hour Alerts a Hit with Auckland Drivers

Link to article in The New Zealand Herald:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10666174

14) Real-Time Traffic Business in Europe: Interview with Mediamobile CEO Vincent Godec

Link to video interview on GPS Business News:

http://www.gpsbusinessnews.com/Real-Time-Traffic-Business-in-Europe-Interview-with-Mediamobile-CEO-Vincent-Godec_a2398.html

15) Hopes High for New Winter Haven, Florida Traffic-Monitoring System

Link to article in The News Chief:

http://www.newschief.com/article/20100815/NEWS/8155061/-1/living02?Title=Hopes-high-for-new-W-H-traffic-monitoring-system

16) Q&A: Color-Coded Traffic in Google Maps

Link to column in The New York Times:

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/q-a-color-coded-traffic-in-google-maps/

News Releases

1) Minnesota DOT Commissioner Tom Sorel to Kick Off New ITS America Webinar Series

2) Announcement of the Inaugural ITS Australia Awards

3) Blind Driver Challenge Project Wins Top Awards at NIWeek

4) Walk Score Launches Transit Score and Commute Reports

5) UAE Roads & Transport Authority Launches Accepted Fasting, Safe Road Campaign for Ramadan

Upcoming Events

Webinar: General Overview of the 2009 MUTCD Parts 1 and 6 – August 24

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/news/news_detail.asp?ID=664

Today in Transportation History

1960 **50^th anniversary** Joseph Kittinger set a world record, which still stands, for the highest altitude skydive at 102,800 feet (31,300 meters).

http://www.af.mil/information/heritage/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006518

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast atbernie@bwcommunications.net.

© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

(Source: DNA Info. via Huffington Post)

What happens when two competing ice cream vendors are fighting over a prized parking spot in New York City? The video shows how things got ugly between two vendors who sell ice creams…