GPS-based system could help ease Ottawa traffic jams
03.09.2008 14:02
Shopping
- Source: cbc.ca
Relief could be down the road for motorists looking to escape traffic jams in Ottawa thanks to new technology being tested in Ontario. Ottawa-based Globis Data has created a system that tracks drivers' cellphone movement with GPS technology to generate information used to create real-time traffic maps. The maps would be available online or on drivers' cellphones. "Our server pings the cellphone, and determines your location," explained Barrie Kirk, an engineer and Globis Data president. "If we know where you are now, and where you were three or four minutes ago, we can work out how far you've travelled in that time." The technology holds promise, said Ata Khan, a civil engineering professor at Carleton University. Traditional methods of measuring traffic rely on buried cables and transmitters are costly because "it is very expensive to instrument an entire network," he said. "This is an inexpensive way, because there is not much infrastructure that is needed." Drivers' privacy would be protected, because the system doesn't save any information, but holds it for a few minutes before it is discarded, Kirk said. The system is already running in Toronto, and a demonstration test is being planned in Ottawa this fall, he said. Consumer HeadlinesMushrooms recalled for possible listeria contaminationCanada's food watchdog along with Ravine Mushroom Farms Inc. issued a recall of Fresh Obsessions brand Ready To Serve Pre-washed Sliced White Mushrooms for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.New eBay site sells goods that promote social awarenessMost consumers probably associate eBay Inc. more with vintage lunch boxes and low-priced electronics than with laptop bags made from recycled plastic by women in New Delhi. 6 more Quebec cheeses added to salmonella list The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is expanding a warning over cheese products linked to a salmonella outbreak in Quebec that has claimed one life.N.L. seniors home hooked on WiiResidents of a senior citizens home in central Newfoundland are proving that a popular video-game system isn't just for kids.Few new cases of listeriosis expected, officials sayIt appears the worst of the listeriosis outbreak may be over and few new cases are expected, officials said Tuesday. Consumer Life FeaturesELECTRONICSBack to classGizmos to make school life more funYOUR INTERVIEWBack to school tipsAn expert takes your questionsSAFETYRecalls and AdvisoriesYOUR INTERVIEWListeriosisDr. Allison McGeer answers your questionsBLOGFood BytesPerceptions of Kraft DinnerBLOGComm-OdditiesTeddy bear modelled on designer Karl LagerfeldPeople who read this also read …
| 
Add comment