I n t e l l i g e n t T r a n s p o r t a t i o n S y s t e m s
`
`Editor: Alberto Broggi
`University of Parma, Italy
`broggi@ce.unipr.it
`
`Telematics: Safe and Fun
`Driving
`
`Yilin Zhao, Motorola
`
`In this installment, Yilin Zhao describes current and future wireless applications that will likely become our compan-
`ions in future journeys. This interesting article shows how the concept of personal vehicles has changed in the last de-
`cades. Our vehicles will become not only a safe and comfortable means of transportation but also a digital platform
`for entertainment and access to a vast quantity of information while traveling.
`If you have any comment on this department, feel free to contact me. I also seek contributions on the current status
`of ITS projects worldwide as well as ideas on and trends in future transportation systems. Contact me at broggi@ce.
`unipr.it; www.ce.unipr.it/broggi.
`
`A s our society rapidly advances toward an informa-
`
`tion age, more and more people and their vehicles
`will depend on wireless technologies to keep them con-
`nected with others and to facilitate safe, efficient travel.
`
`Europeans have coined a term for this exciting field:
`telematics—that is, the use of computers to receive, store,
`and distribute information over a telecommunications
`system. The automotive industry quickly adopted the term
`to describe any system that provides location-based ser-
`vices for a vehicle over the wireless telecommunications
`network. In other words, telematics now generally refers
`to any automotive system that combines wireless technol-
`ogy with location-based services.
`With more than 40 million vehicles sold worldwide
`each year and more than 935 million cellular customers
`by the end of 2001, the automotive telematics market is
`poised for explosive growth. Strategy Analytics estimates
`that by 2007, approximately 55 percent of all new cars
`will have a telematics-capable terminal, as compared to
`approximately 7.5 percent in 2000.1 As Figure 1 shows,
`the revenue for the world market of in-car telematics ter-
`minals is expected to increase from $5.5 billion in 2000 to
`$19.9 billion by 2007. Meanwhile, telematics systems
`should increase from 4 million units in 2000 to 27.4 mil-
`lion units by 2007 (including both original-equipment-
`manufacturer and aftermarket units). In the US alone,
`according to a Strategis Group study, revenues from auto-
`motive telematics equipment and services are projected to
`rise from less than $100 million in 1999 to over $5.3 bil-
`lion by 2005.2 The number of subscribers will likely grow
`from under 0.2 million at year-end 1999 to more than 17
`
`—Alberto Broggi
`
`million by 2005. All these market studies indicate that
`telematics systems have a promising future and should be
`economically rewarding.
`
`Mayday systems
`A typical example of an automotive telematics system
`is a mayday (or emergency call) system.3,4 This system
`instantly connects vehicle occupants to a service center
`for emergency assistance or roadside services while auto-
`matically reporting the vehicle’s position. Many people in
`the US view such a system as their top priority when
`adding new equipment to their vehicles. It can expand to
`include many other services such as remote door unlock-
`ing, remote engine diagnosis, theft detection and notifica-
`tion, stolen-vehicle tracking, airbag deployment notifica-
`tion, automatic route guidance, travel information, and
`hands-free or voice activation of a mobile phone or pager.
`An ATX Technologies survey of their telematics sub-
`scribers has confirmed the popularity of telematics sys-
`tems.5 Approximately 70 percent of the subscribers indi-
`cated they would require a telematics system on the next
`vehicle they purchase. Over 80 percent would recommend
`the system to a friend or acquaintance. Because of this
`popularity, many automobile manufacturers have been and
`are now bundling it as an original-equipment-manufacturer
`unit for new cars. In the future, such systems will be able to
`add even more safety, security, and fun features, including
`connection to the Internet, control by enhanced voice
`recognition, and interfaces to entertainment equipment.
`A mayday system uses a cellular phone for voice and
`data communications and an onboard global positioning
`system (GPS) receiver for positioning. (For a list of abbre-
`viations used in this article, see the sidebar.) The system’s
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`Units (millions)
`Revenue (billions in $US)
`
`2000
`
`2001
`
`2002
`
`2003
`
`2004
`
`2005
`
`2006
`
`2007
`
`30
`
`25
`
`20
`
`15
`
`10
`
`05
`
`Figure 1. The telematics forecast for North America, Western Europe, and Japanese
`markets (source: Strategy Analytics).
`
`tained from the GPS receiver, and other user
`and request-related data to the host over the
`cellular phone network’s voice channel.
`Preferably, the system then confirms the
`vehicle’s location using a map from the ser-
`vice center’s map database. Without the
`VIN and the position and user data, locating
`the caller and obtaining vital information on
`time are difficult. Thus, the data sent over
`the wireless communications channel must
`be reliable. In general, other telematics sys-
`tems have a similar working mechanism but
`might use a data channel to transmit the
`VIN and the position and user data.
`On receiving the data transmitted from the
`in-vehicle telematics system, the service cen-
`
`ter converts the GPS coordinates to a local
`map grid, contacts the proper service
`providers, and directs them to the vehicle.
`For instance, in a medical emergency, the
`
` Host server
`
`Digital map
`database
`
`Human–machine
`interface
`
`key features are its ease of use, cost-effec-
`tive location capability, and on-demand
`wireless communication capability. Users
`can manually activate a mayday system by
`pushing a button, or the system can activate
`automatically when one of the vehicle’s
`safety sensors detects an emergency event.
`With on-demand communications, the sys-
`tem does not need to communicate with the
`remote host on a regular basis, unlike most
`automatic-vehicle-location systems. This
`drastically reduces silent air time and its
`associated expenses.
`
`How they work
`Figure 2 depicts the basic modules or sub-
`systems for first-generation mayday systems.
`Both ends of the system can include addi-
`tional modules to expand its functionality.
`General Motor’s OnStar and Ford’s
`Vehicle Communication System are good
`examples of mayday systems. With OnStar,
`the user activates the system by pushing
`one of three buttons on an overhead con-
`sole. The OnStar button connects the user
`to an OnStar advisor, the emergency button
`places a priority call to an advisor, and the
`answer/end button either answers or ends a
`call from an advisor.
`Once the user presses the OnStar or emer-
`gency button, a system status light in the
`overhead console flashes. On certain vehi-
`cles, a multifunction display in an instru-
`ment cluster then shows status messages.
`The vehicle’s cellular phone automatically
`calls the service center. Immediately after
`the communications channel is established,
`the system sends the vehicle identification
`number (VIN), position information ob-
`
`Abbreviations
`
`AMPS
`CDMA
`GPRS
`GPS
`GSM
`iDEN
`PDC
`SMS
`TDMA
`TDOA
`TOA
`UMTS
`VIN
`W-CDMA
`
`Advanced Mobile Phone System
`Code Division Multiple Access
`General Packet Radio Service
`global positioning system
`Global System for Mobile Communications
`integrated Digital Enhanced Network
`Personal Digital Cellular
`Short Message Service
`Time Division Multiple Access
`Time Difference of Arrival
`Time of Arrival
`Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
`vehicle identification number
`Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
`
`Activated by
`driver or
`vehicle when
`appropriate
`
`Wireless
`communication
`
`Live voice
`communication
`after
`activation
`
`Mobile client
`
`Human–machine
`interface
`
`Positioning
`
`Figure 2. A simplified mayday system’s
`architecture.
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`estimated time of arrival and call back to
`confirm that the problem has been resolved.
`
`Analog & digital systems
`Mayday systems can be either analog or
`digital, depending on the cellular network
`used. Analog mayday onboard equipment
`typically consists of a microcontroller, a
`GPS receiver, a cellular transceiver, a data
`modem, and other control circuits (see Fig-
`ure 3).6 In this setup, the system sends the
`VIN and the position and user data over the
`cellular network via the modem. Current
`North American mayday systems use the
`Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS),
`which is an analog-based cellular network.
`These analog mayday systems must use the
`voice channel to transmit the data. GM’s
`OnStar and Mercedes Benz’s US version
`of TeleAid are typical examples of such
`systems.
`Markets other than North America use
`digital-based GSM (Global System for
`Mobile Communications) cellular net-
`works. Digital mayday onboard equipment
`is usually like that for an analog system
`(see Figure 3), except the digital system
`does not require a data modem for the cel-
`lular transceiver. For data transmission,
`certain systems might be able to use both
`the Short Message Service and circuit-
`switched data. Other systems might use
`SMS only. With SMS, the system can
`deliver the data without interrupting voice
`conversations. However, SMS has limited
`capacity (up to 140 characters) and cannot
`always guarantee instant message delivery,
`owing to its store-and-forward nature. Be-
`cause of the advance of telecommunication
`systems, future telematics systems will
`gradually adopt GPRS (General Packet
`Radio Service), W-CDMA/UMTS (Wide-
`band Code Division Multiple Access/
`Universal Mobile Telecommunications Sys-
`tem), and CDMA2000 as their commu-
`nications media. BMW’s Mayday Phone,
`Mercedes-Benz’s TeleAid, and Renault’s
`Odysline are typical examples that use GSM
`cellular networks for communication.
`
`Integrating communication and
`location devices
`In current mayday systems, the location
`device and communication device are sepa-
`rate items integrated into one package. Gen-
`erally, the cellular phone, its transceiver,
`and the location device are permanently
`attached to the vehicle. This will soon
`
`Figure 4. Motorola’s mobileGT for telematics systems.
`
`service center will contact the nearest 911
`public-safety answering point and dispatch
`an ambulance. (The US uses the phone num-
`ber 911 for emergency assistance. Other
`countries might use a different number, such
`as 999 for the UK, 17 for France, and 110 for
`China.) For a vehicle breakdown, the service
`
`center notifies a designated roadside service
`provider, which dispatches a tow truck.
`If required, the service center operator
`can talk with the driver until help arrives
`and notify designated family contacts in an
`emergency. When the user requests road-
`side assistance, the center can provide an
`
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`IEEE INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
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`GPS
`receiver
`
`Vehicle
`electronics
`
`User
`interface
`
`Microcontroller
`with RAM, ROM,
`and Eeprom
`
`Power
`supply
`
`Onboard equipment
`
`Cellular
`transceiver
`
`Data
`modem
`
`Service center
`
`Figure 3. A basic telematics system. An analog system requires a data modem (shown
`in gray) for the cellular transceiver; a digital system does not.
`
`Software
`applications
`Rapid human
`user
`interface
`prototyping
`
`Speech
`recognition
`and synthesis
`
`Navigation
`and mapping
`
`Web and
`email
`
`SmartCard and
`e-commerce
`
`Vehicle
`communications:
`MOST/IDB-C,
`CAN J1850
`
`Java VM
`
`Operating system and drivers
`
`mobileGT
`
`PowerPC
`
`32-bit
`RISC core
`
`32-bit
`RISC
`communi-
`cation
`processor
`module
`
`Flexible,
`multiple
`on-chip
`I/O
`channels
`
`Flash
`
`RAM
`
`Digital communications
`Broadcast
`
`Digital
`audio
`broadcast,
`digital intermediate frequency
`
`Wireless
`
`Bluetooth,
`-
`2-way paging, cellular, GPS
`
`Positioning and
`Navigation
`Server or
`autonomous
`
`Other
`
`Subplatforms
`
`Imaging
`
`Gateways &
`communications
`interfaces
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`change as new mobile phones incorporate
`location determination in the handset. The
`US Federal Communications Commission
`requested manufacturers to begin selling
`and activating location-capable handsets no
`later than 1 October 2001. Telecommunica-
`tion standards organizations have already
`developed specifications for a variety of
`location methods, such as Assisted GPS,
`Time of Arrival (TOA), Time Difference of
`Arrival (TDOA), and Cell ID.7 Eventually,
`the location and communication devices
`will become a single unit.
`
`Standards
`The telematics market’s growth has
`posed many challenges. Owing to the large
`customer base for personal-communica-
`tions products, there are and will be many
`different bearer services (telecommunica-
`tions services that let users transfer infor-
`mation over the air), including AMPS,
`GSM, GPRS, cdmaOne, TDMA (Time
`Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA, and
`CDMA2000. Despite the involvement of
`many highly visible organizations and the
`clear advantages of open, flexible, and
`
`Table 1. A comparison of three open telematics protocols:
`the Application Communication Protocol, Global Automotive Telematics Standards,
`and the Motorola Emergency Messaging System.
`ACP
`GATS
`Yes
`No
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`No
`No
`No
`No
`No
`Yes
`Yes
`No
`No
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`No
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`No
`
`Protocol
`Bearer independence
`Built-in security
`Centralized route guidance
`Concierge
`E-commerce
`Email
`Internet
`Mayday call
`Multimedia
`Points of interest
`Remote vehicle control
`Roadside assistance
`Traffic information
`Vehicle tracking
`Weather
`
`MEMS
`No
`No
`No
`Yes
`No
`No
`No
`Yes
`No
`Yes
`Yes
`Yes
`No
`Yes
`Yes
`
`evolving standards over proprietary ones,
`there are no widely accepted telematics
`standards. Currently, at least four standards
`are available for protocols between in-vehi-
`cle systems and content providers: the Ap-
`plication Communication Protocol, Air
`Interface Specification, Global Automotive
`Telematics Standards, and the Motorola
`Emergency Messaging System. ACP works
`
`with a variety of cellular networks, such as
`GSM, CDMA, TDMA, GPRS, PDC (Per-
`sonal Digital Cellular), iDEN (integrated
`Digital Enhanced Network), and AMPS.8
`AIF is a proprietary protocol for OnStar
`systems.9 GATS is for GSM networks.10
`MEMS is a protocol for analog AMPS
`networks.11 Table 1 compares ACP, GATS,
`and MEMS. For standards activities and
`
`Global
`
`Automobile
`
`Home
`
`Personal
`
`Office
`
`Cellular
`networks
`
`Telecom
`networks
`
`Local
`area
`networks
`
`Cable
`networks
`
`Satellite
`networks
`
`Figure 5. The connected society.
`
`Internet
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`other relevant information, see “Evolving
`Telematics Systems and Standards.”12
`
`A single-platform example
`As an example of future telematics sys-
`tems, consider one based on Motorola’s
`mobileGT (see Figure 4). mobileGT aims
`to provide a hardware development plat-
`form that lets tier-one suppliers (those pri-
`marily responsible for supplying goods
`directly to automotive manufacturers) cre-
`ate products based on Motorola’s PowerPC
`microprocessor family.
`Installed in the automobile, mobileGT
`along with its supporting software will
`handle all the tasks that cellular phones,
`pagers, PDAs, Web servers, GPS receivers,
`and security systems now control. It will
`also offer an audio entertainment system
`enabled for digital-audio broadcast and
`CD-quality sound. Through natural speech
`recognition, a simple voice command will
`initiate an emergency telephone call or
`summon roadside assistance. Without
`drivers having to take their hands off the
`wheel, the system will help them find
`the nearest gas station, hotel, or ATM
`machine. Embedded software modules,
`such as a digital map database, route plan-
`ning, and route guidance, will achieve
`these tasks.4 If all the major functions are
`fully activated, the system will let both
`driver and passengers check email, con-
`sult a personal calendar, and review vehi-
`cle maintenance schedules. When the
`vehicle is due for an oil change or new
`air filter, the car dealership will be able
`to simply send a reminder through the
`system.
`In certain circumstances, the platform’s
`software can be a part of the iRadio Tele-
`matics System software. This software
`provides a higher-level applications
`framework for automotive manufacturers,
`service providers, wireless carriers, and
`third parties to create services for the
`telematics market. However, both mo-
`bileGT and iRadio can be used indepen-
`dently as well. For example, Motorola’s
`navigation server, part of the iRadio navi-
`gation application, together with Traffic-
`master’s real-time, traffic flow data create
`the Trafficmaster Smartnav service.
`Smartnav delivers turn-by-turn routing
`instruction and dynamic route guidance
`through many device types, from cellular
`telephones to fully embedded telematics
`units.
`
`As the mobileGT example shows, fu-
`
`ture telematics systems will be offered in a
`single platform and will include many cus-
`tomized services such as information and
`entertainment (or infotainment, for short)
`and wireless Web connection. These sys-
`tems will be an integral part of a connected
`society (see Figure 5). The Internet will
`play the key role of providing a backbone
`for data delivery. A global backbone with
`countless local access points will give the
`mobile community easy access to vast
`amounts of information services not previ-
`ously available. Not only the automobile,
`home, and office but even the person will
`become an access point. All these wired
`and wireless connections and technology
`advances will make our cars safe and fun to
`drive. They will also make our transporta-
`tion systems operate more safely and effi-
`ciently, with less congestion, pollution, and
`other environmental impact.
`
`Acknowledgments
`
`I thank John Emrich and Rick Noens for their
`helpful comments on Table 1. Thanks also go to
`Lee Callaway, Chris Dewitt, Emad Isaac, Tim
`VanGoethem, Sherry White, and the Intelligent
`Systems staff for their constructive comments on
`the other part of the article.
`
`References
`
`1. In-Car Telematics Terminals Market 2000–
`2007, Strategy Analytics, London, Dec. 2001.
`
`2. U.S. Telematics Marketplace, Strategis Group,
`Washington, D.C., Nov. 2000.
`
`3. Y. Zhao, “Vehicle Navigation and Informa-
`tion Systems,” Encyclopedia of Electrical and
`Electronics Eng., vol. 23, John G. Webster,
`
`T h e A u t h o r
`
`ed., John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1999, pp.
`106–118.
`
`4. Y. Zhao, Vehicle Location and Navigation
`Systems, Artech House, Norwood, Mass.,
`1997. Translated and published in Chinese,
`Publishing House of Electronic Industry, Bei-
`jing, 1999.
`
`5. “ATX Technologies Reports 94 Percent of Its
`Telematics Subscribers Renew Service,” ATX
`Technologies, Dallas, Aug. 2000; www.
`atxtechnologies.com/news/pr_94per.asp (cur-
`rent Dec. 2001).
`
`6. Y. Zhao, “Efficient and Reliable Data Trans-
`mission for Cellular-and-GPS-Based Mayday
`Systems,” Proc. IEEE Intelligent Trans-
`portation Systems Conf., IEEE Press, Piscat-
`away, N.J., 1997, pp. 555–559.
`
`7. Y. Zhao, “Mobile Phone Location Determi-
`nation and Its Impact on Intelligence Trans-
`portation Systems,” IEEE Trans. Intelligent
`Transportation Systems, vol. 1, no. 1, Mar.
`2000, pp. 55–64.
`
`8. Application Communication Protocol Appli-
`cation Layer Message Set Definition, v3.2,
`Telematics Communications Group, Motorola,
`Elk Grove Village, Ill., Mar. 2001.
`
`9. OnStar Air Interface Specification, v2.6, Gen-
`eral Motors Corp. and Delco Electronics
`Corp., Kokomo, Ind., Mar. 2000.
`
`10. Traffic and Traveler Information (TTI)—TTI
`Messages via Cellular Networks, ENV ISO
`14821, European Committee for Standard-
`ization and International Organization for
`Standardization, Brussels, Apr. 2001. Avail-
`able for members of the Telematics Forum
`(www.telematicsforum.com) and National
`Standards Organizations.
`
`11. MEMS Interface Control Document, v6.3.5,
`Telematics Communications Group, Moto-
`rola, Elk Grove Village, Ill., June 2000.
`
`12. D. Rogers et al., Evolving Telematics Systems
`and Standards, tech. report 2000-01-0814,
`Soc. of Automotive Engineers, Warrendale,
`Pa., Mar. 2000.
`
`Yilin Zhao is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Motorola.
`His research interests include intelligent transportation systems, mobile-
`phone architecture and its positioning systems, vehicle location and navi-
`gation systems, integrated-circuit place-and-route systems, and real-time
`computer systems. He received his BE from Dalian University of Technol-
`ogy and his MS and PhD in electrical engineering: systems from the Uni-
`versity of Michigan. He is a senior member of the IEEE, vice president of
`the IEEE ITS Council, and associate editor of the council’s Transactions
`on Intelligent Transportation Systems. Contact him at Motorola, 600 N.
`US Hwy. 45, Libertyville, IL 60048; yilin.zhao@motorola.com.
`
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