PROTOTYPE FORD TELEMATICS TERMINAL AIDS URBAN MOBILITY OF THE FUTURE

AACHEN/COLOGNE/BERLIN, 28th May 2002 –Ford's Research Centre in Aachen (FFA) today unveiled a prototype navigation and telematics terminal capable of providing motorists with comprehensive traffic information and significantly aiding urban mobility. This information is not only available to motorists, it can also be transmitted to mobile phones and PDAs.

Ford has developed the prototype terminal as part of the "stadtinfokoeln" project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), and now about to enter a test and evaluation phase in Cologne.

"stadtinfokoeln" is one of five research projects focusing on "Mobility in the urban environment", which the BMBF is presenting as part of an information seminar in Berlin today. The City of Cologne and fifteen other partners from industry and science are participating in the four-year research project, which will be completed by spring of 2003.

The main objective of "stadtinfokoeln" is to develop the ability to manage traffic levels in conurbations and reduce problems created by inner-city traffic. There are significant benefits to be gained for the community and environment: One goal is to achieve a reduction in the level of traffic searching for a parking space, which will reduce congestion, emissions and noise levels, and lead to a general improvement in the quality of life in heavily populated urban areas. Hours spent in traffic jams are costly and result in much wasted time, so by reducing these, there is also potential for conurbations to once more become attractive locations for industry, helping to support urban regeneration.

Key to achieving such goals is a system providing the means to deliver up-to-the-minute traffic information in conjunction with a dynamic guidance system, which works in any location, including large cities. Sensors installed in the road, monitor traffic status and relay information on any delays to the moving car's navigation unit, typically a component built into the car radio. New routes are then worked out to help the driver avoid the most recent traffic jams.

A significant additional element of the prototype system is its ability to provide information on available parking space in urban multi-storey car parks and roadside parking areas. As part of the research project, ticket machines at selected car parks have been networked, enabling motorists to request information about available parking space from them. Using their mobile telephone link, the driver is able to obtain an electronic car-park ticket in advance removing the need to purchase a ticket from the machine on arrival. The dynamic navigation system allows the driver, as he approaches his destination, to select an appropriate – and available - place to park, avoiding the need to search for a space - usually in congested and difficult traffic conditions. Ford researchers have found that searching for a parking space can take up more than half of all the movements a vehicle makes on the road. This will itself provide a noticeable relief for urban traffic.

Also important in helping to reduce inner-city traffic is a range of services developed by "stadtinfokoeln", including parking space reservations for urban multi-storey car-parks. On arrival at the car-park entrance barrier, a wireless-operated navigator service identifies the vehicle, and once the car has entered the car-park building, the driver is then automatically guided directly to a reserved space.

With the Ford navigation terminal, motorists will also in future, be able to access up-to-the-minute information provided by local public transport companies and plan journeys using different forms of transport, providing additional data on parking space availability at "Park and Ride" areas and making it easy for the motorist to switch over to public transport systems as required.

h the new system all available traffic, weather and event information is collected by a data management centre, evaluated and relayed to the customer via his navigation terminal. Motorists obtain information from the Internet, radio, videotext and the printed media before embarking on a journey and then via the navigation terminal in the car and a personal organizer while on the move. Drivers will also receive updates, from roadside signposts in the form of electronic information displays, from the urban parking navigation system and from other information displays.

principle, it would also be possible to relay information from the telematics terminal to a mobile phone or organizer using wireless communication. So, when a motorist leaves their vehicle, individual travel information such as train connections, flight times, theatre reservations or shuttle bus timetables could be taken along as well. The system would even guide the motorist to his destination on foot or by cycle if required.