Monday, April 4, 2011 – ISSN 1529-1057

On April 1, The PBSJ Corporation and its PBS&J subsidiary company will be renamed Atkins. PBSJ operates as a national business of Atkins in North America following its acquisition in October. Atkins is the world’s 11th largest design firm.

“The Atkins name is well known and highly respected through the United Kingdom and Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific and in key sectors such as energy,” states Robert J. Paulsen, former chairman and president of PBSJ Corp. and now president and regional managing director of Atkins North America. “We have maintained our focus on client service and our commitment to delivering technical excellence. Our teams are highly skilled and we are confident in our ability to augment our services by delivering Atkins’ international expertise locally through teams that understand the local requirements, practices, and culture.  We continue to believe a local presence is essential to best serve many of our clients.”

AVIATION

1) Heathrow Report Highlights Crisis Management Systems Failings

Airport operator BAA is investing £50 million in improving incident management and communications systems.

Link to article in Computerworld UK:

http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/it-business/3268169/heathrow-report-highlights-crisis-management-systems-failings/

2) Air Traffic System Update Encountered Turbulence

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/02/business/02air.html

3) ITT Joins Nexa Capital in $1.5 Billion Air Control Upgrade Fund

Link to Bloomberg article:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-04/itt-joins-nexa-capital-in-1-5-billion-air-control-upgrade-fund.html

Link to news release:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nextgen-equipage-fund-announces-public-private-partnership-119175089.html

4) Research Group Defines 2050 Vision for Aviation in EU

Link to article on EurActiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/transport/research-group-defines-2050-vision-aviation-news-503707

CAMERAS

5) Florida DOT: I-75 Cameras Won’t be Recording

Link to article in the Bradenton Herald:

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/04/03/3083222/fdot-i-75-cameras-wont-record.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

6) LightSquared: GPS Issues Won’t Stall Launch

Link to article on Light Reading Mobile:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=206302

7) MTS Rolls Out First Cellphone Using GLONASS

Link to article in The Economic Times:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/mts-rolls-out-first-phone-using-russian-technology/articleshow/7865527.cms

MARITIME

8) Fishing Vessel Monitoring System Under Test in Sri Lanka

Link to article in the Daily News:

http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/04/05/news25.asp

9) British Company Makes Device that Track Ships

Link to article from the Mail on Sunday:

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-signal-uk-success-story-maritime-technology-mail-sunday-/2011/04/03/5420071.htm

10) Smaller is Better

New technologies provide a lightweight solution for the US Navy’s communications.

Link to article in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Review:

http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/v44_1_11/article09.shtml

OTHER

11) Leaders Say Virtual Port Will Grow Economy in Northern West Virginia

Weirton Port Authority wants high-speed wireless network to connect first responders in catastrophe and to facilitate transfer of information about shipments.

Link to story on WBOY-TV:

http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=97062

12) Interview with the Director of the IBM Global Rail Innovation Center

Information technology could be used to better integrate travel modes.

Link to interview and video on The Infrastructurist:

http://www.infrastructurist.com/2011/04/04/talking-trains-again-with-ibm%E2%80%99s-head-of-rail-innovation/

SAFETY / SECURITY

13) Unique Montana Fatality Marker Safety Program

Link to article in the Great Falls Tribune:

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20110403/NEWS01/104030301/0/BUSINESS/Group-quietly-bears-cross-marking-state-s-highway-fatalities

14) Battling Driver Distraction

Technology from iQ-Telematics could allow drivers to focus on driving when most needed.

Link to article in the Detroit Free Press:

http://www.freep.com/article/20110403/BUSINESS06/104030451/Battling-driver-distraction

15) Avoiding the Great Compromise

Protecting public safety without compromising freedom or commerce.

Link to article in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Review:

http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/v44_1_11/article12.shtml

TRANSIT

 

16) Auckland Integrated Ticket Card Launched

Link to article in Computerworld:

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/auckland-integrated-ticket-card-launched

Link to news release from the NZ Transport Agency:

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/about/media/releases/1151/news.html

17) Will Mozart Help Prevent Crime?

More Portland light rail stations will get classical music under bill in Oregon legislature.

Link to AP article:

http://www.katu.com/news/local/119123129.html

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

18) South Dakota DOT Secretary Says Changes Made for Faster Road Updates on Web, 511

Link to AP article:

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_cfab4420-5e62-11e0-8dba-001cc4c002e0.html

19) Pennsylvania DOT Expands Camera Coverage to Bucks County

Link to article and video in the Bucks County Courier Times:

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/crime/cameras-now-focused-on-bucks-roadways/article_b389b31a-5ea5-11e0-bf1f-001a4bcf6878.html

20) Transportation and Transit Apps Slay in New York City App Contest

Link to story on Transportation Nation:

http://transportationnation.org/2011/04/04/transportation-and-transit-apps-slay-in-nyc-app-contest/

Link to additional information from the City of New York:

http://nycbigapps.com/submissions

21) Students Display Innovative Traffic Management Models

Link to article in The Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Students-display-innovative-traffic-mgmt-models/articleshow/7859953.cms

22) Twaffic

Will Twitter – and tweets about traffic – change the way we drive?

Link to column in Slate:

http://www.slate.com/id/2290169/

23) Supporters Ought to Make Business Case for ITS Legislation

Link to editorial in the Livingston Daily:

http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20110403/OPINION01/104030319/1014/opinion/Supporters-ought-make-business-case-road-plan

News Releases

1) Monroe County, New York Traffic Cameras Now Streaming Live Online

2) Crewmember Identity Verification Program to Begin Testing

3) Tennessee DOT Introduces SmartWay Mobile

4) Ascendent ID Announces Smallest Tag for Automatic Vehicle Identification

5) China TransInfo Announces Development Agreement with Nissan Motor Co. for New Traffic Information System

Solicitation

–  Request for Proposals – Deployment of a Transit Vehicle Arrival Information System – City of Pasadena, California

http://vendors.planetbids.com/Pasadena/biddtl.cfm?BidNo=1303&Status=Bidding

Upcoming Events

Transit ITS Regional Workshop – May 17-18 – Columbia, South Carolina

http://www.ntionline.com/sectioninfo.asp?section_number=TRI-26-051711SC1

Today in Transportation History

1581 **430^th anniversary** Francis Drake is knighted for his circumnavigation of the world.

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/04/dayintech_0404

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© 2011 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net