Telematics Applications Research Articles

Identification of communication solution designated for transport telematic applications

Communications solution represents one of the key parts of the Intelligent Transport system (ITS). Goal of our research is to improve over-ground traffic efficiency and security, specifically on th...

A Methodology for the Evaluation of a GPS Receiver Performance in Telematics Applications

This paper presents a methodology to evaluate the position availability of automotive grade global positioning system (GPS) receivers intended for Telematics applications utilizing a multichannel GPS satellite signal simulator in a controlled laboratory environment. Initially, field testing of two distinct GPS receivers was conducted in an urban canyon environment and a foliage environment to assess each receiver's position availability performance. Test scenarios were then developed on a multichannel GPS satellite signal simulator in order to create controlled and repeatable stimuli to the GPS receivers. The scenarios take into account the actual satellite constellations at the same day, time, and locations of the field data collections. Furthermore, the number of visible satellites and power levels was adjusted in order to stimulate the hardware tracking sensitivity, hardware acquisition sensitivity, dynamic range, and navigation filter design, all of which impact position availability for GPS receivers. Quantitative results demonstrated good correlation between the results obtained using the developed test scenarios and the results from the field testing. The proposed methodology will result in reducing validation cost and time to market for automotive Telematics products

A Study of Ground-Plane-Level and Vehicle-Level Radiation Patterns of GPS Antenna in Telematics Applications

This paper studies the impact of antenna placement on the radiation pattern of a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna in telematics applications. The radiation pattern of a GPS antenna is first measured on 1 m ground-plane. Then the radiation pattern of the same antenna is measured at three distinct locations on a sedan vehicle. Results are presented to show the impact of GPS antenna placement on its radiation pattern and to compare the ground-plane and vehicle-level radiation patterns

Experiences with an Interoperable Data Acquisition Platform for Multi-centric Research Networks Based on HL7 CDA

Today's increasing specialization of medicine necessitates the integration of telematic platforms for cross-institutional cooperation. In order to leverage the strengths of each cooperating institution a centralized unified storage using shared electronic patient records (EPRs) as well as secured remote data entry capabilities for supporting collaborative clinical research and care is essential. The objective of this project was to develop and introduce into routine use such a shared remote data entry (RDE) platform for the German multicentric Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) network. An existing telematic application was extended by a remote data entry (RDE) module enabling the storage of structured data and pedigrees. HL7 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) was chosen as a suitable standardized storage format that provides flexibility and future interoperability. Flexible data entry forms adaptable to distinct medical domains were implemented using XML-based technologies. A flexible and comprehensive EPR/RDE platform was successfully implemented in the German EB network. A set of specific data entry forms was created to fully cover the network's documentation needs. The platform has been in productive use since 2005. Standardized documentation by using HL7 CDA to store the medical research data as an EPR can contribute to high interoperability and an easier integration of heterogeneous health care information systems. Existing XML technologies offer a high degree of flexibility and adaptability to distinct medical domains. The ongoing development of standards (e.g. HL7 CDA R2) and interfaces (CDA/CDISC bridge) could further improve semantic and syntactic interoperability.

Satellite teleHealth: good for the cutting edge and in the bush?

of “electronic health” or eHealth, defined as the use of information and communication technology in the health sector, including digital data transmission, storage and retrieval, for clinical, educational and administrative purposes (WHO, 2002; Dzenowagis, 2004). The discipline of eHealth can be of use in the most precise area of medicine as well as help solve medical problems and boost training in remote areas of Africa. In the UK, for example, young surgeons simply don’t have time to attend training courses or leave their hospitals to observe new surgical techniques or investigate new technologies. Within hospitals, shift rotas prevent most trainee surgeons from attending regularly-scheduled instruction sessions, making flexible training programmes absolutely essential. A pilot project called Telematic Training for Surgeons (TETRASUR), initially a collaboration between the University of Plymouth and the European Space Agency (ESA), funded by regional medical research grants and industry sponsorship, was established in 1997 to investigate telematics applications with respect to surgeon training, initially in local hospitals (Kingsnorth et al., 1999). The TETRASUR project metamorphosed into the Satellite Network Telematics Training for Surgeons (SANTTSUR), following receipt of a £300,000 research grant from the ESA, as a distance learning package integrating live digital TV, video conferencing and the internet, with a service being provided to 26 nationwide locations. SANTTSUR delivered high-quality, live, interactive TV programmes to hospitals and medical centres broadcast from a studio in Plymouth via a TDS4b uplink provided by the ESA and received by sites throughout the UK and Ireland. The course material was modular, built on a syllabus devised by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS). Telematic-based training enabled tutors and trainees to remain in their local hospitals and conduct training in close proximity to their patients. Trainees could interact with tutors, presenters and contributing experts via real-time phone, text-messaging, e-mail, fax and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) video conferencing. Many hospitals, clinics and medical facilities already have considerable infrastructure in video conferencing and telecommunications, and reception merely required an additional small, cheap antenna, 1.2 m in diameter. Three sets of 10 lectures, were transmitted weekly via a single 90-minute lunchtime session. Each transmission comprised formal presentations, studio discussion, live ISDN6 video feeds from teaching hospitals and trainee question-and-answer sessions via ISDN2, telephone or on-line chat. A noteworthy “Case of the Week” was also included. Broadcasts could also be videotaped, and then made available at any time for the trainees. In several institutions, a consultant would assign a task based on the broadcast, with a written response required within a set time. A general review and open forum Corresponding author: Andy Crump, Visiting Professor Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108-8642, Japan E-mail: crumpa@easynet.co.uk Satellite teleHealth: good for the cutting edge and in the bush?

Validation of Map Matching Algorithms using High Precision Positioning with GPS

Map Matching (MM) algorithms are usually employed for a range of transport telematics applications to correctly identify the physical location of a vehicle travelling on a road network. Two essential components for MM algorithms are (1) navigation sensors such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and dead reckoning (DR), among others, to estimate the position of the vehicle, and (2) a digital base map for spatial referencing of the vehicle location. Previous research by the authors (Quddus et al., 2003; Ochieng et al., 2003) has developed improved MM algorithms that take account of the vehicle speed and the error sources associated with the navigation sensors and the digital map data previously ignored in conventional MM approaches. However, no validation study assessing the performance of MM algorithms has been presented in the literature. This paper describes a generic validation strategy and results for the MM algorithm previously developed in Ochieng et al. (2003). The validation technique is based on a higher accuracy reference (truth) of the vehicle trajectory as determined by high precision positioning achieved by the carrier-phase observable from GPS. The results show that the vehicle positions determined from the MM results are within 6 m of the true positions. The results also demonstrate the importance of the quality of the digital map data to the map matching process.

Multiband PIFA Vehicle Telematics Antennas

Compact, low-cost antennas for multiband telematics applications on vehicles are described. The multifrequency band antennas are variations on the printed inverted-F antenna (PIFA) principle. One type of PIFA is a compact variation of a conventional antenna while the other is a novel planar version customized for different mounting positions such as bumpers, window, and roof mount. In both derivations the dimensions are small and have been specifically designed for low-cost production. Each antenna was designed for mobile telephone band coverage from 890 to 2100 MHz. Results from free-space simulations are included but more work needs to be carried out as the vehicles have a significant effect on antenna performance. On-vehicle tests are described where the antennas were placed on glass and plastic areas and integrated into an existing multipurpose roof mount antenna.

CO 2 efficiency in road freight transportation: Status quo, measures and potential

Road freight transport continues to grow in Germany and generates 6% of the country’s CO 2 emissions. In logistics, many decisions influence the energy efficiency of trucks, but causalities are not well understood. Little work has been done on quantifying the potential for further CO 2 reduction and the effect of specific activities, such as introducing computer assisted scheduling systems to trucking firms. A survey was survey out and linked fuel consumption to transport performance parameters in 50 German haulage companies during 2003. Emission efficiency ranged from 0.8 tonne-km to 26 tonne-km for 1 kg CO 2 emissions. The results show potential for improvements given a low level of vehicle usage and load factor levels, scarce use of lightweight vehicle design, poorly selected vehicles and a high proportion of empty runs. IT-based scheduling systems with telematic application for data communication, positioning and navigation show positive effects on efficiency. Fuel use and transport performance was measured before and after the introduction of these systems.

Open Service Architectures for Environmental Monitoring and Industrial Automation

This paper discusses globally distributed telematics applications in the environmental monitoring and industrial automation application areas. The requirements on the necessary distributed computing infrastructure are described. Based on these requirements, the usefulness of component-based software architectures and open service architectures is discussed, and the applicability of the Open ServicesGateway initiative (OSGi) in these applications is evaluated.

Occlusion as a measure for visual workload: an overview of TNO occlusion research in car driving

A process-oriented approach by systematically studying driver performance, distraction, and workload is the way to go for assessing safety effects of new telematics applications in vehicles. These systems may strive for drivers’ attention and possibly lead to distraction from the primary task. Visual occlusion techniques appear to be an effective means of studying drivers’ visual information processing performance. Studies to illustrate this include identifying the minimum visual information drivers need for driving (asking for visual information) and the evaluation of driver support systems such as heading control and adaptive cruise control with respect to visual workload. In other applications the occlusion technique is used to exclude ‘visual array’ information from the optic flow field. The temporary exclusion of part of the visual field of view was applied in evaluating the effects of different types of driver's side rearview mirrors.

MULTI-SENSOR DATA FUSION FOR FUTURE TELEMATICS APPLICATION

In this paper, we present multi-sensor data fusion for telematics application. Successful telematics can be realized through the integration of navigation and spatial information. The well-determined acquisition of vehicle's position plays a vital role in application service. The development of GPS is used to provide the navigation data, but the performance is limited in areas where poor satellite visibility environment exists. Hence, multi-sensor fusion including IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), GPS(Global Positioning System), and DMI (Distance Measurement Indicator) is required to provide the vehicle's position to service provider and driver behind the wheel. The multi-sensor fusion is implemented via algorithm based on Kalman filtering technique. Navigation accuracy can be enhanced using this filtering approach. For the verification of fusion approach, land vehicle test was performed and the results were discussed. Results showed that the horizontal position errors were suppressed around 1 meter level accuracy under simulated non-GPS availability environment. Under normal GPS environment, the horizontal position errors were under 40㎝ in curve trajectory and 27㎝ in linear trajectory, which are definitely depending on vehicular dynamics.

A general map matching algorithm for transport telematics applications

This paper describes a map-matching algorithm designed to support the navigational functions of a real-time vehicle performance and emissions monitoring system currently under development, and other transport telematics applications. The algorithm is used together with the outputs of an extended Kalman filter formulation for the integration of GPS and dead reckoning data, and a spatial digital database of the road network, to provide continuous, accurate and reliable vehicle location on a given road segment. This is irrespective of the constraints of the operational environment, thus alleviating outage and accuracy problems associated with the use of stand-alone location sensors. The map-matching algorithm has been tested using real field data and has been found to be superior to existing algorithms, particularly in how it performs at road intersections.

The impact assessment of telematics applications in healthcare in Europe

This paper synthesises the empirical results and the methodological approach of the TAP-ASSESS study. This study was commissioned by the European Commission's Directorate General for Enterprise in 1999 in order to assess the short- and long-term socio-economic impact of the Telematics Applications Programme (TAP). The TAP-ASSESS study also employed scenarios to consider the long-term implications of the TAP programme. This required selection and application of a method of scenario analysis. The paper synthesises the views of expert respondents, engaged in TAP activities, concerning the dynamics of telematics application innovations - the drivers for and barriers to change, and the ways in which innovation policies and strategies might interact, and the role of SMEs, and local, national and regional institutions.

The Role of Telematics in Integrating Ireland into Europe's Information Society

This article is an evaluation of Ireland's participation in the Telematics Applications Programme (TAP), which was part of the European Commission's Fourth Framework Programme for the period 1994-1998. TAP was primarily concerned with public sector bodies and their ability to adapt to the Information Society. The article explores Irish participation in the programme and examines the contribution of this participation to the clustering of telematics experimentation within Ireland and to the increasing integration with other European regions arising from project networks. The role of the TAP programme in furthering Europe's information society in Ireland is assessed.

Compression assessment based on medical image quality concepts using computer-generated test images

Compression algorithms are widely used in medical imaging systems for efficient image storage, transmission, and display. In the acceptance of lossy compression algorithms in the clinical environment, important factors are the assessment of ‘visually lossless’ compression thresholds, as well as the development of assessment methods requiring fewer data and time than observer performance based studies. In this study a set of quantitative measurements related to medical image quality parameters is proposed for compression assessment. Measurements were carried out using region of interest (ROI) operations on computer-generated test images, with characteristics similar to radiographic images. As a paradigm, the assessment of the lossy Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) algorithm, available in a telematics application for healthcare, is presented. A compression ratio of 15 was found as the visually lossless threshold for the JPEG lossy algorithm, in agreement with previous observer performance studies. Up to this ratio low contrast discrimination is not affected, image noise level is decreased, high contrast line-pair amplitude is decreased by less than 3%, and input/output gray level differences are minor (less than 1%). This type of assessment provides information regarding the type of loss, offering cost and time benefits, in parallel with the advantages of test image adaptation to the requirements of a certain imaging modality and clinical study.

The WebUmbrella Web-based access to distributed plasma-physics measurement data

To provide plasma-physics scientists with worldwide access to historical and current measurement data from the Textor-94 Tokamak experiment, we developed a new architecture: the "WebUmbrella." It uses HTTP to transfer data in (X)HTML, plain text, or other MIME-type documents. We provide a single point of access to our servers via HTTP redirection. Server implementations for several data stores are already present, and the first user tests are positive. In particular, we present one server implementation that provides access to already existing common object request broker architecture (CORBA) servers. It uses the Apache Web server and the Tomcat Servlets engine, and consists of Java Servlets that convert HTTP requests into CORBA requests for the existing interface. These developments are the aftermath of an earlier experience with CORBA interface definition language (IDL) interfaces between user clients and several data servers, which provide access to-the different data stores. The interfaces were developed in a telematics application program project, "Dynacore." After the evaluation of this demonstrator, we designed a new system to improve the service. Because of the positive experience, we inherited the data representation, the data-browsing features, and the single access point for clients to several data stores. We tried to eliminate the obligatory use of CORBA, as its added value did not weigh up against,the problems we faced using it: CORBA is difficult to understand for scientists inexperienced in object-oriented design and difficult to access with simple analysis tools like IDL or MATLAB. We also did not find a suitable CORBA implementation for Virtual Address eXtension/Virtual Memory System (VAX/VMS) with C/Fortran bindings. Finally, WebUmbrella's transport protocol, contrary to CORBA's, does not suffer from firewall and access problems.

1ST IFAC CONFERENCE ON TELEMATIC APPLICATIONS IN AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS – TA 2001 (Weingarten, Germany, July 24th–26th, 2001)

Techniques for tele-operated robots have played for more than 30 years a major role in the context of space missions, as well as in monitoring and handling of hazardous materials. Recent progress in telecommunication and information processing technologies offers now an infrastructure for enabling the provision of services at remote locations with an enormous economic potential. The aim of this first IFAC-conference in telematics (= telecommunications+informatics) was to survey the state-of-the-art with emphasis on applications in automation and robotics. It was organised by the VDI/VDE Gesellschaft Mess-und Automatisierungstechnik (GMA) and the University of Applied Sciences FH Ravensburg-Weingarten.

Dreidimensionale Ultraschalltechniken

Three-dimensional ultrasonography is not yet an established method in soft tissue and joint diagnostics as it is in obstetrics. Although a spatial view on the object is fascinating, problems occur in handling. No standard is defined for acquisition or visualisation. For the acquisition of the volume mainly 3D-arrays and image correlation techniques are used. For visualisation planar views of sections out of the volume, but also spatial views in a transparency or surface mode are used. Investigations on feasibility for soft tissue or joints show a higher accuracy, validity and reproducibility for 3D-sonography. Due to the low differences of the acoustic impedance visualisation is confusing in a transparency mode and needs a time consuming postprocessing in a surface mode. Future developments address to the field of faster acquisition ("real time 3D"), higher geometric precision and easier visualisation by automated segmentation. By the three-dimensionality of the data set applications in telematics, navigation and simulation ("sonographic training") are expected.

Regional Health Information Networks and Telematics Applications in a User Friendly Information Society

Editorial: Regional Health Information Networks and Telematics Applications in a User Friendly Information Society -

Healthcare Telematic Applications in Cyprus

a) To present a review of ongoing health telematic applications in Cyprus. b) To promote the use of these health telematic applications in the Cyprus region. c) To help in the spin off of other health telematic applications thus enabling the offering of a better health service to the citizens. The health telematics applications include a medical system for emergency telemedicine (AMBULANCE and EMERGENCY-112 projects), a system for the evaluation of the risk of stroke by telemedicine (EROS), a diagnostic telepathology network in gynaecological cancer (TELEGYN), a collaborative virtual medical team for home healthcare of cancer patients (DITIS), and a health telematics training network (HEALTHNET). The paper refers to the set-up and characteristics of these applications and tries to relate them with the health policies that should be applied in Cyprus. It is anticipated that this paper will promote the importance of health telematics applications for Cyprus and increase the awareness on the possibilities that these applications offer for health policies in all levels of health related human resources.