NextBus, a division of Grey Island Systems (due to be acquired by WebTech Wireless in October – see News Release), has just launched a new iPhone application with Washington DC Metro.

Here is an excellent first impression from blogger Eyder Peralta for National Public Radio’s (NPR)  All Tech Considered, published Sep 30th, 2009.

Photo Credit: Palladius on Flicker.

Practical Technology Can Be Sexy
By Eyder Peralta
Few pieces of technology have actually revolutionized my life. But lightening struck when I least expected it.

A few weeks ago I downloaded an iPhone app called NextBus DC. In essence, it predicts when the next bus will hit my local bus stop. Anyone who’s taken public transportation knows the pain of waiting listlessly for a bus that was scheduled to arrive 20 minutes ago. The NextBus app uses GPS positioning, the bus schedule and traffic conditions to estimate arrival times.

Having used it for more than a month, I haven’t waited for a bus more than three minutes.

It has literally changed my life. It means an extra 10 minutes playing with my baby in the morning. It means finishing off my cup of coffee, when in the past I’d drop it off in the sink completely full. It means that I don’t have to curse under my breath when a bus — 30 minutes delayed — finally arrives with three others right behind it. It means I don’t have to agonize about whether I just missed a bus by a minute so I’m stuck.

And I know this sounds trivial. But it also got me thinking, what other piece of technology changed an essential part of my life? The Internet and computers were around by the time I needed them, so I couldn’t immediately think of something that has changed my everyday life.

I can only imagine the first time a car came onto the scene. Or the first time you could flip a switch and BAM, there’s some light. Or for that matter, when microwave ovens made it possible to ditch the gas stove to reheat leftovers. Those are things that change your daily routine.

In some ways, it surprised me that something as simple as a $1.99 iPhone app with more than few bugs could be such a game changer.

Just the other day, I ran to the bus stop a minute before the bus pulled up. My neighbor had been waiting for 10 minutes.

“Now I know the bus is coming, ’cause I see you running up here,” she said looking at my iPhone. “I gotta get myself one of those. I could have had myself a bagel or something.”

Most technology now is about coolness; it’s about ways to entertain your eyes and ears and hardly ever about the simple, practical things in life. But what something like NextBus taught me is that practical tech is the sexiest tech.

To comment or read on NPR website, click here.

A great YouTube find from a search for “telematics”.

This video Telematics City was done for Toyota Lexus by Hook Interactive and Minefield, Detroit. Here is more info on the technical aspects behind it, which are really something. Enjoy.

This past weekend, WebTech Wireless hit Nashville, TN to take part in TMW Systems’ annual TransForum user conference.

By all accounts, the show was a great success, and in spite of the ongoing economic woes in the transport industry, turnout was as strong as ever, which is testament to the fact that even in hard times, smart companies still invest in technologies and systems, such as location-based services and telematics, that can save them money now and in the future.

Here are some pictures from Nashville.

Entrance to Exhibit Hall	Exhibit Hall
WebTech Wireless Stand	WebTech Wireless Stand

NAVTEQ Map Reporter Website

NAVTEQ Maps has launched it’s new BETA version of its online Map Reporter.

Map Reporter allows anyone to suggest edits directly to NAVTEQ via the website, ensuring that accurate and timely local data is entered into the NAVTEQ database and is then available for all users. As an additional check, NAVTEQ assigns its own local agents to verify these edits before they are finalized.

Map Reporter is available worldwide and is one of the most extensive and accurate, real-time mapping data tools available. Check it out here.

We’ll be at the Green Fleet Conference in Chicago on October 19-20, and look forward to sharing our knowledge and insight into green fleet technology with other attendees. Attending from WebTech Wireless will be Joe Boychuk and Bill McCormack.

WebTech Wireless has been a leader in this technology, as demonstrated by our various Telematics for the Planet initiatives — and our recently announced future acquisition of Grey Islands Systems expands our expertise to the area of government fleets and public transit.

The Green Fleet Conference 2009 will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Oct 19-20, and further information can be found on their website.

WebTech Wireless is on the LinkedIn social networking site for business professionals. You can find us here.

WebTech Wireless in the 8th Annual Vancouver Triathlon

On September 7th, WebTech Wireless participated in the 8th annual Multi Sports Canada Vancouver Triathlon, which took place in and around our city’s famous Stanley Park. The race consisted of a 1500 m swim, 37.6 km bike ride and a 10 km run, and we entered three teams:

1) Bob Koen (bike), Anwar Sukkarié (swim), Ben Zhou (run)

2) Neil Chan (run), Ian Povey (swim) and Joel Waithman (bike)

3) Thu Huynh (run), Scott Venn (bike), Michael Phelps (absent)

Our WebTech Wireless team came in a respectable 27th with a combined time of 2 hours, 39:41 minutes. Great job guys!

We’ll be at TMW’s TransForum 2009, in Nashville, TN, from September 20-23rd. This is our first time at TransForum and we’re really looking forward to it. Attending from WebTech Wireless will be Edward Kulperger, Bill McCormack and Toni Kane. Look for us at Stand #300.

This story, written by Joe Howard, Staff Writer, appeared in the Aug. 17 edition of Transport Topics and presents a very convincing argument about the value of Location Based Services (LBS) in the trucking industry.

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PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Despite privacy and other concerns about the technology within the trucking industry, fleets should consider investing in electronic onboard records for a number of important reasons, economist Noel Perry said.

Speaking here during American Trucking Associations’ Information Technology & Logistics Council’s annual conference, Perry said the tough economic climate was all the more reason fleets should consider EOBRs’ potential efficiencies.

“Fleets have wrung out all of the waste available with conventional management techniques,” said Perry, a principal with Transport Fundamentals, Green Bay, Wis. “It’s not about tires anymore. It’s about where that truck is and what it’s doing.”

He said the efficiencies and protections EOBRs offer outweigh the uncertainty some in the industry have toward the technology.

The devices can also offer information on driver performance, behavior and health.
Perry said all of these kinds of traceable records could also prove helpful for investigating incidents involving either drivers or trucks, and said the time could eventually come when not having an EOBR in the cab will seem negligent.

“The lawyers will push it,” he said. “It will be a sign of irresponsibility not to have it.”
He also said that governments are becoming more interested for a variety of reasons, including for security and emission controls. At the same time, economic shortfalls are causing some to view EOBR’s wireless accessibility as a means to levy taxes.

“Governments are running out of money,” Perry said. He warned that if tax coffers continue turning up short, the transportation sector may be targeted to replenish the funds.
Perry said accessibility to onboard recorders will make it “a trivial matter” for governments to tax trucks.

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Additionally, there is a very good webinar presentation by Perry that can be found on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website titled: July 2009 Transportation Market Outlook.

According to Perry, even though the trucking industry has taken quite a hit in this recession, there certainly seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Part of the road out of the recession is the industry’s successful adoption of innovative new technologies like LBS and Telematics, which WebTech Wireless has pioneered. In addition to reducing costs, there is the added benefit of reducing CO2 and contaminant emissions.