BE Magazine - Volume 4, Issue 3 - (Page 11)

Telematics In-vehicle systems, like OnStar, ﬁnd growing use, but the growth is measured. They offer navigation aids, trafﬁc information, operator-provided or 9-1-1-type emergency help, among other services. A few years ago, General Motors predicted that in the early 21st century half of all vehicles would be equipped with this kind of technology. 5-1-1 traveler information 1,439,826 calls were reported, a 9.7 percent increase over August 2005. The number is available to 35 percent of the American population, more than 100 million people, and the coalition’s goal is nationwide coverage by 2010, buttressed by SAFETEA-LU’s similar deadline. In 2005, statewide service was launched in Idaho and Rhode Island, and expanded statewide in Florida and Virginia. In a study of Virginia’s 5-1-1 system, 90 percent of respondents who had used it found it useful. Legislative outlook The 5-1-1 telephone number for traveler information has spread across the country (only Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, and West Virginia lack 5-1-1 service), with each region of the country having its own priority—snowstorm reports, trafﬁc tie-ups, or destination tips, for example. The 5-1-1 Deployment Coalition of public agencies and private groups reported recently that more than 58 million calls nationwide had been made on 5-1-1 since its 2001 inception. In the month of August 2006, A core group of ITS backers includes Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), incoming chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T & I) Committee, “a huge supporter of ITS,” Garcia said, and recipient of ITS America’s “Friends of ITS.” Either Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who was the committee’s chairman, or Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) will be the T & I panel’s ranking minority member, and both are strong ITS supporters. The Subcommittee on Highways, Transit, and Pipelines will be chaired by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), another ITS supporter. The new speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), is said to be another ITS backer, coming from the trafﬁc-congested San Francisco area and an ally of Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), who co-chairs the ITS Caucus with Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.). But the education of members of Congress and their staffs requires an ongoing effort, Garcia said, and “incoming members may not fully understand ITS.” He said that as new technologies come on the ITS scene, “We must restart the educational program.” This article was originally published in Transportation Management & Engineering, January 2007, and can be found on the publication’s Web site, www.TMEMag.com. Copyright 2007 Scranton Gillette Communications. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission. http://roadsbridges.com/ http://www.nois.no/be

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of BE Magazine - Volume 4, Issue 3

Contents Rising to the Challenge News BE Newsletter Highlights More ITS Sightings Racing Concrete Canoes Lights, Camera, Action! Making the Cut People’s Choice Awards 2007 Executive Keynotes Building Clear Vision of a Dream Concrete Results Reaching New Heights Building News From Bentley Golden KIWI Awards 2007 Civil A Coordination of National Highway Proportions Training Troops Beautifying Highways, One Sign at a Time Civil News From Bentley Geospatial Facility Facelift Planning for Uncertainty Geospatial News From Bentley MicroStation at the Heart of LiDAR Surveying Solutions Plant Making the Grade Data Deja Vu Data Clouds Provide Clear Visual of Underground Saving Precious-Metal Mining Time Plant News From Bentley Advertisers Index Special/Academic The Art of Visualization Training Is Key To Delivering State-of-the-Art Solutions Bridging the Information/Infrastructure Gap

BE Magazine - Volume 4, Issue 3

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