Transport for London moves ahead with testing of Intelligent Speed Adaptation Technology

May 12, 2009 at 6:39 pm

(Source: Green Car Congress)

Transport for London (TfL) will begin a six-month trial ofIntelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology which aims to reduce road casualties and help drivers avoid speeding penalties.  As part of the trial, which will start this summer, a London bus will be fitted with ISA.   The trial will monitor driver behavior, journey times and the effect that driving within the speed limit has on vehicle emissions. ISA uses the digital speed limit map of London which TfL launched on 29 January 2009. This is the first time all of London’s speed limits have been mapped accurately with regular updates.

It is estimated that if two thirds of London drivers use the ISA system, the number of road casualties in the Capital could be reduced by 10%

This innovative technology could help any driver in London avoid the unnecessary penalties of creeping over the speed limit, and at the same time will save lives. We know the technology works, and now we want to know how drivers in all types of vehicles respond to it. ISA is intended as a road safety device, but if Londoners embrace this technology we may well see additional benefits including reduced congestion as a result of collisions and reduced vehicle emissions as drivers adopt a smoother driving style.

—Chris Lines, Head of TfL’s London Road Safety Unit

Isamap

The UK government’s Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) and the Motorists’ Forum (MF) recently issued a joint report evaluating the impact of implementing an Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) system across the entire road network on reducing deaths and injuries on the UK roads and on reducing fuel consumption and emissions of CO2 and criteria pollutants.  Of the two proposed benefits of ISA—GHG emissions reduction and increased road safety—the report concluded that the calculated social benefits of the accident savings far outweigh the values of fuel or CO2 saved.

The intelligent technology, which works in conjunction with a GPS, enables drivers to select an option where acceleration is stopped automatically at the speed limit specific to any road in London within the M25 area. The unit can be disabled at the touch of a button, at which point it reverts to an advisory status where the current, legal speed limit is simply displayed as a driver aid. There is also a complete over-ride switch with disables the system entirely.

The practical uses of the technology will be tested in the six month trial after which a report will be submitted to the Mayor of London, and the technology will be made available to external organizations.

Will The Transportation Bill Be Pushed Back To 2010? At Least One Senator Thinks So

May 12, 2009 at 1:15 pm

(Source: The Infrastructurist)

Many of you heard through the grapevine (from Congress), particularly, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar — that the new transportation bill would be passed this year. Oberstar even offered September 30 as a target date. Sen Mark Warner (D, Va.) is now saying he’s “not sure” that the estimated $500 billion authorization will happen until next year. According to a story by Terry Kivlan in CongressDaily, Warner thinks that “Congress might have too many big-ticket items on its agenda this year to take on a transportation package.” Speaking at an infrastructure-focused conference hosted by the Departments of Transportation and the Department of Commerce, the senator remarked: “I’m not sure you are going to see a full transportation bill put out this year.”

He’s specifically worried about funding availability in light the fact that revenue from the gas tax, which pays for highway and transit programs, is no longer sufficient to cover outlays.  He called this the “elephant in the room” with respect to infrastructure funding.

Is Farming for Electricity More Efficient?

May 11, 2009 at 10:53 am

(Source: Green Inc, NY Times)

Raising crops to produce electricity, which will in turn power cars, is more efficient, a new study says, than raising crops to create ethanol to use as fuel in cars.

According to a study by three California researchers, an acre planted with corn for ethanol will provide far fewer miles of transportation fuel as the same acre growing trees or switchgrass, which are then burned in power plants that provide the power to charge the batteries of electric cars.

In fact, even ethanol made from cellulose, a technology that does not now exist in commercial form, is not as efficient a use of biomass as burning it in a power plant would be, the researchers found.

In a paper published in the current issue of Science magazine, Chris Field, a professor of biology at Stanford and director of the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution, Elliott Campbell of the University of California, Merced, and David Lobell of Stanford’s Program on Food Security and the Environment, write that the size of the advantage would depend on many factors.

These include the number of miles per gallon any particular vehicle will go on ethanol, and what a battery weighs per kilowatt-hour of energy stored. As batteries get lighter, for example, it takes less energy to move them.

But the researchers estimated that a small battery-powered S.U.V. would go nearly 14,000 miles on the highway on the energy from an acre of switchgrass burned to make electricity, compared to about 9,000 miles on ethanol.

 

If one grows a tree or annual crop, for example, which pulls carbon dioxide out of the air, burns it in a power plant that captures and stores escaping CO2, and then replaces it with another crop, which pulls yet more carbon dioxide out of the air, the process becomes carbon negative.

The “miles per acre” question, and the amount of farmland diverted for use in producing transportation fuel is a sensitive political question, with American use of corn for ethanol blamed in part for last year’s run-up in global grain prices.

Click here to read the entire article. 

Shell CEO: electric cars are old news, biofuels are the future

May 11, 2009 at 12:16 am
Shell has stated its preference for hydrogen and biofuels in the past. What they haven’t gone out of their way to do, though, was to aggravate electric vehicle fans by dismissing their powertrain of choice. Royal Dutch Shell CEO, Jereoen van der Veer, has filled in that little oversight yesterday in Germany. Speaking to the Associated Press, van der Veer said that, “My milkman used to drive around in electric cars a long time ago … What’s new?” He then said that EVs require too much infrastructure to make sense. Really? That’s the best he can do? 
TransportGooru thinks that Mr. der Veer & ilk are terribly worried about a future without a chance to peddle liquid fuels.  Right now the world is showing a great interest in electric vehicles with massive investments, which must be alarming for der Veer who will be left with a fuel vending network that will be defunct and inoperable.  Competing with electricity providers is no fun for gasoline vendors like Shell. The electrical as they already an established network and are well entrenched in the generation/control and delivery of the juice through a sophisticated network.  Come on, Mr. der Veer! It is time to get real and find a future where you have to let others do business.  Looks like you can’t hold the world hostage to your liquid fuel, Mr. der Veer! 

Oberstar’s Handwritten Outline Of New Transportation Bill Leaks; Points to transformation of USDOT management structure “from prescriptive to performance”

May 8, 2009 at 4:45 pm

(Source: The Infrastructurist BNA)

A few days ago, Jim Oberstar, head of the House transportation committee, tipped his hand that he has big changes in mind for transportation policy in this country.

Now his outline for the new transportation bill has leaked. Oberstar has recently been circulating a “two-page handwritten outline” around the Hill, according to the BNA’s Daily Report for Executives, which obtained a copy of the document . They report the following tidbits:

Under the heading “the future of transportation,” the framework seeks to create a new undersecretary or assistant secretary for intermodalism that would meet monthly with all modal administrators. The outline includes the phrases “national strategic plan” and “mega-projects” in the list of agencies that would take part in the monthly meetings.  

It also includes a consolidation of DOT’s 108 programs into four “major formula programs”: critical asset preservation, highway safety improvement, surface transportation program, and congestion mitigation and air quality improvement. The “surface transportation program” section suggests that metropolitan planning organizations receive suballocations based on population.

According to the document, Oberstar would like the DOT’s management structure to shift “from prescriptive to performance.” He would call for DOT and states to design six-year targets for each of four performance categories and the framework would ask for annual reports to DOT and Congress as well as posting data online.   

Oberstar’s outline also addresses transit equity, including a hope to “level decision-making factors between highway and transit choices/projects.” The federal government pays for half of transit projects while it funds 80 percent of highway and bridge work, and transit advocates have been rallying for equal federal treatment.

SEE ALSO:

The Grid, Our Cars and the Net: One Idea to Link Them All – Wired interviews Zip Car founder, Robin Chase

May 8, 2009 at 4:13 pm

(Source: Wired)

robin_chase_main

Top photo: Flickr / Phil Hawksworth.

Editor’s note: Robin Chase thinks a lot about transportation and the internet, and how to link them. She connected them when she founded Zipcar, and she wants to do it again by making our electric grid and our cars smarter. Time magazine recently named her one of the 100 most influential people of the year. David Weinberger sat down with Chase to discuss her idea.

Robin Chase considers the future of electricity, the future of cars and the internet three terms in a single equation, even if most of us don’t yet realize they’re on the same chalkboard. Solve the equation correctly, she says, and we create a greener future where innovation thrives. Get it wrong, and our grandchildren will curse our names.

Chase thinks big, and she’s got the cred to back it up. She created an improbable network of automobiles called Zipcar. Getting it off the ground required not only buying a fleet of cars, but convincing cities to dedicate precious parking spaces to them. It was a crazy idea, and it worked. Zipcar now has 6,000 cars and 250,000 users in 50 towns.

Now she’s moving on to the bigger challenge of integrating a smart grid with our cars – and then everything else. The kicker is how they come together. You can sum it up as a Tweet: The intelligent network we need for electricity can also turn cars into nodes. Interoperability is a multiplier. Get it right!

Chase starts by explaining the smart grid. There’s broad consensus that our electrical system should do more than carry electricity. It should carry information. That would allow a more intelligent, and efficient, use of power.

“Our electric infrastructure is designed for the rare peak of usage,” Chase says. “That’s expensive and wasteful.”

Changing that requires a smart grid. What we have is a dumb one. We ask for electricity and the grid provides it, no questions asked. A smart grid asks questions and answers them. It makes the meter on your wall a sensor that links you to a network that knows how much power you’re using, when you’re using it and how to reduce your energy needs – and costs.

Such a system will grow more important as we become energy producers, not just consumers. Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will return power to the grid. Rooftop solar panels and backyard wind turbines will, at times, produce more energy than we can store. A smart grid generates what we need and lets us use what we generate. That’s why the Obama Administration allocated $4.5 billion in the stimulus bill for smart grid R&D.

This pleases Chase, but it also makes her nervous. The smart grid must be an information network, but we have a tradition of getting such things wrong. Chase is among those trying to convince the government that the safest and most robust network will use open internet protocols and standards. For once the government seems inclined to listen.

Chase switches gears to talk about how cars fit into the equation. She sees automobiles as just another network device, one that, like the smart grid, should be open and net-based.

“Cars are network nodes,” she says. “They have GPS and Bluetooth and toll-both transponders, and we’re all on our cell phones and lots of cars have OnStar support services.”

That’s five networks. Automakers and academics will bring us more. They’re working on smart cars that will communicate with us, with one another and with the road. How will those cars connect to the network? That’s the third part of Chase’s equation: Mesh networking.

In a typical Wi-Fi network, there’s one router and a relatively small number of devices using it as a gateway to the internet. In a mesh network, every device is also a router. Bring in a new mesh device and it automatically links to any other mesh devices within radio range. It is an example of what internet architect David Reed calls “cooperative gain” – the more devices, the more bandwidth across the network. Chase offers an analogy to explain it.

“Wi-Fi is like a bridge that connects the highways on either side of the stream,” she says. “You build it wide enough to handle the maximum traffic you expect. If too much comes, it gets congested. When not enough arrives, you’ve got excess capacity. Mesh takes a different approach: Each person who wants to cross throws in a flat rock that’s above the water line. The more people who do that, the more ways there are to get across the river.”

 

“Today in Iraq and Afghanistan, soldiers and tanks and airplanes are running around using mesh networks,” said Chase. “It works, it’s secure, it’s robust. If a node or device disappears, the network just reroutes the data.”

And, perhaps most important, it’s in motion. That’s what allows Chase’s plural visions to go singular. Build a smart electrical grid that uses Internet protocols and puts a mesh network device in every structure that has an electric meter. Sweep out the half dozen networks in our cars and replace them with an open, Internet-based platform. Add a mesh router. A nationwide mesh cloud will form, linking vehicles that can connect with one another and with the rest of the network. It’s cooperative gain gone national, gone mobile, gone open.

Chase’s mesh vision draws some skepticism. Some say it won’t scale up. The fact it’s is being used in places like Afghanistan and Vienna indicates it could. Others say moving vehicles may not be able to hook into and out of mesh networks quickly enough. Chase argues it’s already possible to do so in less than a second, and that time will only come down. But even if every car and every electric meter were meshed, there’s still a lot of highway out there that wouldn’t be served, right? Chase has an answer for that, too.

Click here to read the entire article.

Scoopful of GM and Chrysler News – May 8, 2009

May 8, 2009 at 3:55 pm

White House Sees U.S. Holding GM Stake for At Least 2 Years The Obama administration is planning for the U.S. government to hold an ownership stake in a revamped General Motors for “at least two years,” a person briefed by the administration on its plans said Friday.

 Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says GM in ‘good hands’ – The Detroit News…LaHood says GM in ‘good hands’The Detroit News, MIWashington — US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Friday endorsed General Motors Corp.’s new CEO as the right man to lead the Detroit automaker, saying, “GM is in very good hands.” Fritz Henderson took over as CEO on March 30 after the Obama …California in running for h…

More GM Cuts: Cadillac STS-V and Pontiac G6 GXP both gone for 2010GM, Pontiac 2009 Pontiac G6 GXP Sedan – Click above for high-res image gallery Pluto, the Roman god of Hades, is currently on a tour of the General Motors product garage and he’s taking a few cars with him from the land of the living. After sending the Impala SS and the Cobalt SS to the underworld, he has just added to his collection the Cadilla…

Toyota hammered with $7.7B loss in Q1 …than even GM‘s just-reported loss of $6 billion. Toyota now expects to lose $5.5 billion for the year ending March 2010, surpassing the $4.4 billion it lost in the just-concluded year.The reasons for Toyota’s reversal of fortune is well documented. Global sales were down 21.9% last year, with the most stark losses occurring in the U.S. and Europ…

Song remains the same: GM loses billions, Volt still on track…res gallery GM‘s announced yesterday that it lost $6 billion in the first quarter of 2009. That’s par for the course for the General these days. What’s also pretty standard was the immediate confirmation that work on the Chevy Volt is going A-OK and that, as GM‘s product development chief Tom Stephens said, “At this point in time, I know of no r…

Toyota First Quarter Losses Higher Than GM [Carpocalypse]…more than GM lost! That’s some pretty big news — especially considering GM dropped $6 billion during the first quarter. Jeez, if only Toyota were building some fuel-efficient, dependable appliance-type vehicles, right? [Reuters, WSJ]

GM and U of M create new institute for research …GMGeneral Motors and the University of Michigan have been working together on vehicle technology for 50 years, and a new institute will take the long-standing relationship to the next level. GM researchers will work with U of M faculty and students to develop new battery, engine, manufacturing, and smart materials technology to expedite the adva…

Sandia Successfully Completes Hydrogen Storage System for GM…designed for GM. To the right is the “SmartBed,” featuring a thermal management system with individual control of four identical modules, each of which is a shell and tube heat exchanger. The sodium alanate material used to store the hydrogen resides within the tubes. (Photo by Randy Wong) Click to enlarge.Researchers at Sandia National Laborato…

Nissan skipping SEMA this year, Mazda limiting presence Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA, Tuners, Mazda, Nissan, Holden Troy Lee Designs Mazda6 from SEMA 2008 – Click above for a high-res image gallery Participation at last year’s SEMA show was notable for its absences, with the event’s organizers struggling at the last minute to fill vacated floor space with companies that would have normally been shunne…

Booo! GM also canceling Cobalt SS Sedan for 2010 GM also canceling Cobalt SS Sedan for 2010

G.M. Suffers Big Loss. Is Bankruptcy Next?General Motors could be one step closer to bankruptcy, after posting a $6 billion loss for the first quarter. The Obama administration’s auto task force has given G.M. until June 1 to come up with a plan to prove its viability. After reporting a 40 percent loss in worldwide sales, G.M. doesn’t seem likely to do […]

Save the Cheerleader? GM creates Hero Edition Corvette ZR1 to benefit Kids Wish NetworkGM‘s team of Corvette designers and engineers equipped this particular ‘Vette with a bespoke graphics package with red accents in lieu of the normal blue. Other special bits include “additional carbon fiber components,” though we’re left wondering what those composite pieces may be.You can’t actually go to your nearest Chevy dealership and order…

 The Chrysler Building: Biggest Mopar Ever [Carpocalypse]…all know Chrysler‘s facing some rough times, but let’s turn back the clock to 1930 and talk about the biggest Chrysler ever built.Chrysler Corporation was growing and in desperate need for — something — to represent its achievements. What better place to shine than New York City. Designed by architect, William Van Alen, the Chrysler Building wa..

Rendered Speculation: Alfa Romeo Milano, the next 147…the next Chrysler Sebring. The versatile building block will offer various lengths and widths in FWD and 4-wheel-drive versions, and propulsion will be courtesy of MultiAir engines. Unveiling of the 5-door hatchback is expected at either Frankfurt later this year, or Geneva in 2010.[Source: Car]Rendered Speculation: Alfa Romeo Milano, the next 1…

Chrysler reveals more facets of “We Build” campaignChrysler, LLC. Click above to watch all five commercials after the jump Chrysler sales have been abysmal throughout 2009, and with the uncertainty of bankruptcy, the short-term sales outlook is decidedly bad. To get the word out to its customers that the Pentastar is alive and well (except for its idled plants), Chrysler is launching a new campa…

Classic Ad: Chrysler’s Promise of a Small CarChrysler‘s former chairman, Lee A. Iacocca, makes some lofty promises in this 1984 commercial, including the introduction of a small car. Will we hear the same from Fiat’s chief executive, Sergio Marchionne?

Greenlings: Can we build a better battery with lithium?Chrysler ENVI battery packsGallery: Tesla smart mule and batteryContinue reading Greenlings: Can we build a better battery with lithium?Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Etc., EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, GreenlingsGreenlings: Can we build a better battery with lithium? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 07 May 2009 19:52:00 EST. Please see …

Nissan skipping SEMA this year, Mazda limiting presence…out on Chrysler, and Honda is currently evaluating their presence, although it may be reduced compared to previous years. No matter what automakers pull-out of this year’s show, expect less products on tables, fewer vendors on the floor and even fewer attendees as the aftermarket continues to struggle to keep its head above water.Gallery: SEMA 2…

Misery loves company: Throwing our wig into the ring at Reno-Fernley LeMons…onto any Chrysler product “competing” in Reno to honor the automaker’s latest union.Registration ended on March 14, so those of you who missed the deadline narrowly avoiding our cold steel scythe of justice. But if you want to come out and enjoy the madness, spectator tickets are available for either a single day or the entire wretched weekend. …

The 2011 Jeep Phoenix… why not?…gallery With Chrysler‘s proposed alliance with Fiat all but a done deal, people have begun turning their attention towards the Italian automaker’s vehicle line up and creating a wish list of which ones they’d like to see for sale over here in the U.S. Thing is, those people should keep in mind that any Fiat making the long trek overseas may not …

Chrysler Plan’s Foes Step BackA group of Chrysler lenders who opposed the government’s restructuring plan for the auto maker is disbanding after two of its five members backed out.

NASA’s deep space missions may get new jolt of fuel

May 8, 2009 at 12:53 pm

The Energy Department has requested $30 million to relaunch a program to make radioactive plutonium-238, the supply of which is running low.

The Energy Department plans to restart its program of making radioactive fuel for NASA’s deep space missions, the agency announced Thursday, a decision that came only hours after the National Research Council warned that the nation was fast running out of the fuel.

Jen Stutsman, a spokeswoman for the department, said the agency had requested $30 million in its fiscal 2010 budget proposal to restart the fuel-making process. In its budget statement, the agency said it had “a long and successful history” of supporting NASA’s needs. It said it welcomed the National Research Council findings.

In a 74-page report titled “Radioisotope Power Systems: An Imperative for Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Space Exploration,” the council pointed out that American leadership in space has depended in part on the ability to power spacecraft on deep space missions, in which the sun’s rays are too weak for generating solar power.

For such research, which includes the New Horizons mission now heading for Pluto and the Cassini mission now orbiting Saturn, the electricity that powers onboard instruments comes from devices called radioisotope power generators. The RPGs make electricity with the heat from the radioactive decay of small amounts of plutonium-238 carried on board. 

According to Ralph McNutt, a space scientist at Johns Hopkins University and co-chairman of the committee that produced the report, the United States stopped making Pu-238 about 20 years ago, with the end of the Cold War. Although Pu-238 is not weapons-grade material, it is a byproduct of making the more dangerous Pu-239, he said.

NASA uses about 11 pounds of Pu-238 each year. In recent years, it has purchased some of the material from Russia, but unless it makes new Pu-238, McNutt said, NASA will run out by the end of the next decade. That will leave enough fuel to power only the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory and outer planet missions, he said. 

The Mars Science Lab is a rover about the size of a minivan that will be able to roll over large rocks, which have deterred the smaller rovers previously sent to Mars. An outer planet mission, set for 2020, which will visit Jupiter and its moons Europa and Ganymede, is still being designed.

(Source: LA Times)

Obama, DOE slash hydrogen fuel cell funding in new budget

May 8, 2009 at 10:53 am

(Source: Autobloggreen)

The message has been hinted at before, but the federal government is now serious about shifting the focus away from hydrogen and onto plug-in vehicles. In an important statement yesterday, Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that hydrogen vehicles are still 10 to 20 years away from practicality and that millions in federal government funding for hydrogen programs will be cut from the 2010 federal budget. Chu said, “We asked ourselves, ‘Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will covert to a hydrogen car economy?’ The answer, we felt, was ‘no'” (well, duh).

Did we mention this is a big reversal? Just a few weeks ago, Chu announced $41.9 million for hydrogen projects. A major switch, but not totally surprising. During the presidential campaign last fall, Obama did call for a million PHEVs by 2015.

The U.S. Fuel Cell Council and the National Hydrogen Association quickly released a joint statement against the budget cuts.  Here is the full presser:

PRESS RELEASE:

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Associations Criticize DOE Program Cuts

Official Joint Statement

Washington, DC

May 7, 2009-The National Hydrogen Association (NHA) and U.S. Fuel Cell Council (USFCC) issued the following joint statement regarding the Obama Administration’s FY 2010 budget request for the U.S Department of Energy:

“The cuts proposed in the DOE hydrogen and fuel cell program threaten to disrupt commercialization of a family of technologies that are showing exceptional promise and beginning to gain market traction.

“Fuel cell vehicles are not a science experiment. These are real vehicles with real marketability and real benefits. Hundreds of fuel cell vehicles have collectively logged millions of miles. 

“Both the National Academy of Sciences and NHA’s recent Energy Evolution report conclude that a portfolio of vehicle technologies is needed to achieve the nation’s energy and environmental security goals and that hydrogen is essential to success. Hydrogen also advances the Obama Administration’s goals of greener power generation and a smarter power grid.

“The newest fuel cell vehicles get 72 miles per gallon equivalent with no compromise in creature comforts. Fuel cell buses operating in revenue service achieve twice the fuel economy of diesel buses. Hydrogen production costs are already competitive with gasoline. Projected vehicle costs have been reduced by 75%. These are accomplishments of the Department’s own program in partnership with industry. It would truly be a government waste to squander them by walking away just as success is in sight.

“The National Academy recommended a portfolio approach and we are frankly puzzled at the Energy Department’s decision to ignore that recommendation even as the Department uses other material from the same report to justify its proposed cut.

“We are also concerned that the Department appears to be walking away from its Market Transformation activities, which support fuel cell deployment in early commercial applications. This Congressionally-mandated program is demonstrating the ability of fuel cells to provide a competitive and green alternative to battery-based systems in vehicles and in power supply.

“Finally, we are concerned that the Department has proposed to cut funds for the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA). SECA success could dramatically lower the cost of carbon sequestration, improve power plant efficiency, and enable a virtually pollution-free coal plant in the future. Additional funding will hasten SECA progress.”

The NHA and USFCC collectively represent more than 200 companies and organizations.

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A related post on TransportGooru.com: 

Biofuels Get a Boost – Secretary Chu Announces Nearly $800 Million from Recovery Act to Accelerate Biofuels Research and Commercialization

Webinar Alert: NEXT GENERATION 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) SUMMIT FOR LARGE CITIES

May 7, 2009 at 4:43 pm

Please join us for the upcoming Talking Technology and Transportation (T3) Webinar:  

Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) Summit for Large Cities

Date:   May 21, 2009
Time:  10:30–11:30 A.M. ET
Cost:  All T3s are free of charge
Register On-line
Contact the T3 Administrator

Description

Advances in telecommunications mobility and convergence have put the nation’s 9-1-1 emergency call system at a crossroads. The growing market penetration of both cellular and Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) telephony, and the increasingly mobile world they reflect, has underscored the limitations of the current 9-1-1 infrastructure. Today’s 9-1-1 system, based on decades-old technology, cannot handle the text, data, images, and video that are increasingly common in personal communications and critical to future transportation safety and mobility advances.

There is consensus within the 9-1-1 community on the need for a new, more capable system surrounding emergency call delivery and response (ultimately a system of systems). There is general agreement on the need to capitalize on advances in information and communications technologies, and develop systems that will enable:

  • Quicker and more accurate information delivery to responders;
  • Better and more useful forms of information (real-time text, images, video, and other data);
  • More flexible, secure and robust Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) operations; and
  • Lower public capital and operating costs for emergency communication services.

The US DOT’s Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) Initiative has helped define and document a vision for the future of 9-1-1. The NG 9-1-1 Initiative is a research and development project to define the system architecture and develop a transition plan that considers responsibilities, costs, schedule and benefits for deploying IP-based emergency services across the nation.

USDOT views the NG 9-1-1 project as a transition enabler, to assist the public in making a 9-1-1 call from any wired, wireless, or IP-based device, and allow the emergency responders to take advantage of enhanced call delivery, multimedia data and advanced call transfer capabilities. To accomplish these goals, the ideas and needs of both public and private 9-1-1 stakeholders have been incorporated.

This webinar will provide a briefing on the status of the NG 9-1-1 Initiative and other development efforts and describe the transition to the National E-911 Implementation Coordination Office that is currently underway.

Audience

This summit targets 9-1-1 stakeholders, public safety communications professionals and other interested parties in the future planning of the nation’s emergency call centers.

Learning Outcomes

  • What is NG 9-1-1?
  • What is the current status of NG 9-1-1 implementation?
  • What steps is USDOT taking toward developing the future of 9-1-1?
  • What information about NG 9-1-1 is available?

Federal Hosts:

Linda Dodge and Laurie Flaherty, NG 9-1-1 Co-Program Managers, US DOT

Linda Dodge

Linda Dodge has overall 30 years in public safety (firefighter, paramedic, heavy rescue) in the field and administration. Linda’s experience includes instructing at the Maryland Fire Rescue Institute (MFRI), University of MD; a director of a police and correctional officer academy, for the Maryland Dept. of Public Safety – Police and Corrections; 12 years as executive director Colorado Trauma Institute, Denver, CO and the last 10 years at the DOT ~6 of the10 years as regional program manager NHTSA Region 8, in Lakewood and 4 years ITS JPO, FHWA, in DC public safety program manager (NG 9-1-1, WE 9-1-1, Emergency Transportation Operations, etc.)

Laurie Flaherty

Laurie Flaherty is an emergency nurse, who has more than 20 years of clinical experience. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Marquette University, and has a master’s degree in emergency and trauma nursing from the University of California, San Francisco.

Laurie is a Program Analyst in the Office of EMS at NHTSA and focuses on issues related to the application of technology in Emergency Medical Services and 9-1-1 services. She currently co-manages the Next Generation 9-1-1 Initiative for the Office of EMS, and is also directly involved in establishing and staffing the National 9-1-1 Office.

Presenters:

John Chiaramonte, Booz Allen Hamilton

John Chiaramonte, an Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, is the deputy program manager leading the NG 9-1-1 Initiative for the US DOT. In 2008, he successfully managed a team of software developers and technical and functional experts that implemented a proof of concept demonstration.

Prior to joining Booz Allen, John was a Senior Project Manager delivering public safety applications to 9-1-1 centers. He has been involved with public safety IT projects both as the end-user and a vendor and throughout the entire implementation process. He is a subject matter expert on Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and 9-1-1 systems and operations and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).


Reference in this webinar to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by U.S. Department of Transportation.Please forward this announcement to colleagues who may be interested in attending this webinar.

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  • T3 Webinars are brought to you by the ITS Professional Capacity Building, a program of the U.S. DOT’s ITS Program.  Visit the ITS PCB website for more information about T3 webinars and other ITS learning opportunities:  http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/default.asp
  • Visit the T3 archives to view presentations and to listen to audio transcripts from previous T3 webinars:  http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/res_t3_archive.asp
  • Cut and paste links into your web browser if they fail to open the webpage.

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 Important Information for Federal T3 Webinar Participants

Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC) requirements are currently being implemented in federal agencies.  Please contact your IT staff to determine if these requirements affect your ability to connect to T3 webinars via Microsoft Live Meeting from your federal PC or laptop.  This link contains information about Live Meeting and can be provided to your IT staff for further reference:  http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/info_requirements.asp