Mapflow and DTO announce Dublin satellite tolling study
Dublin, Ireland, September 19, 2005 - Queues at toll booths
could be a thing of the past following a feasibility study
into the use of satellite technology to monitor road usage
in Dublin. The research, which will be undertaken by Mapflow
with its co-sponsor, the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO)
is being funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and
aims to establish whether satellite technology can be used
to correctly calculate road usage and tolls in the Dublin
city.
This study is to be carried out under the ARMAS (Active
Road Management Assisted by Satellite) project to develop
a 'virtual' road toll system using satellite technology.
ARMAS is a system that uses in-vehicle black boxes and
global satellite positioning(GPS) data to help determine
the exact route a driver has travelled, so that a fair
and precise toll can be calculated after each journey.
The system calculates the cars position in real time and
sends data about location and journey length to a control
centre allowing drivers to be charged for the section of
roadway they travelled on.
Electronic tolling based on satellite technology is good
news for both motorists and traffic managers. Eliminating
the need to stop at tollbooths will dramatically cut traffic
tailbacks and significantly reduce the requirement for
costly and ugly roadside infrastructure. The in-car unit
can also be used give motorist early warnings about hazards
or major traffic delays ahead. The satellite system offers
increased flexibility to traffic managers who can use the
technology to manage congestion with variable toll charges
based on time of day, levels of congestion, or even location
of road works. This means that consumers travelling at
off peak time could be rewarded with reduced charges.
Dublin based Mapflow has worked
with the European Space Agency on the application of
space and satellite technology to road tolling since
2003 when they carried out a pan-european investigation
into the feasibility of using satellite technology for
virtual tolling. "Mapflow has developed significant
experience and knowledge about the application of satellite
technology to various aspects of road tolling through participation
in ESA projects such as ARMAS. Improving this technology
and using it, especially in built-up areas, has taken substantial
investment in technology by Mapflow. We are excited to
see them extend these technology trials to Dublin." remarked
Rafael Lucas Rodriguez, Head of Navigation Applications
and User Services Office at ESA.
Mapflow has completed trials on
satellite technology in a number of urban areas, including
London, where they evaluated GPS accuracy in the greater
London area for Transport for London, the organisation
that manages the London congestion charge. "The built environment in London creates significant
challenges for monitoring road usage by satellite. We believe
that the low-rise nature of buildings in Dublin will make
it significantly easier to track cars in Dublin, and that
this technology will eventually lead to the elimination
of toll booths in Ireland," explained Harvey Appelbe,
Mapflow CTO.
John Henry, CEO, Dublin Transportation
Office welcomed the feasibility study as a potential
first step towards radically overhauling the way the
road tolls are collected in Ireland. "The use of satellite technology to track
road usage makes it possible for us to greatly improve
the way that the road tolling system currently operates.
The satellite system is perhaps the most innovative way
of collecting tolls without impeding motorists. I'm sure
that the benefits of not having to filter through toll
plazas and of being able to automatically pay roads tolls
would be widely recognised by motorists were the available
technology to be used to that end".
About ARMAS
ARMAS is a system for monitoring vehicles via satellite
based on EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay
Service). EGNOS works by enhancing the data provided
by the US GPS system, offering greater precision and
signal continuity. Still under development, the ARMAS
system uses in-vehicle black boxes and global satellite
positioning data to help determine the exact route a
driver has travelled, so that a fair and precise toll
can be calculated at the end of each journey.
The feasibility study will take place over two months
from August to September 2005. It is expected that the
study take more than a million GPS samples and monitory
approximately 6,000 journeys. 10 satellite devices will
be tested.
About Mapflow
Mapflow specializes in applying GIS and location awareness
to complex business problems. We combine deep domain
knowledge with our product suite to deploy solutions
for the insurance, telecom, and transport industries.
Mapflow's customers include O2, Vodafone, AIB Bank, Hibernian
Insurance (an Aviva company), the European Space Agency,
Transport for London, the Dublin Transportation Office,
and the AA.
For further information please contact:-
Iseult White, Mapflow, + 353 (0) 1 634 1430, media@mapflow.com
