The I-way Project
Team 2
Jonathan Danforth,
Lindsay Young, Dillon Smith
Key Words:
In-vehicle subsystem, External transport
system, Roadside Equipment, Road Management System.
The IWAY Project has the potential to greatly
change the way road users go about their traveling. According to the I-WAY Project’s official website, “The goal of
I-WAY is to develop a multi-sensorial system that can ubiquitously monitor and
recognize the psychological condition of a driver as well as special conditions
prevailing in the road environment”.
The I-WAY platform has multiple sub-systems working together, but
ultimately its two main objectives are to increase road safety, and to improve
transport efficiency for everyone.
Andrea Migliavacca, the coordinator of the I-WAY project, described the
project this way: “We use information from in-vehicle sensors, car-to-car
communication, and communication with road-side infrastructure to create a
picture of driving conditions in real time”.
Clearly, something of this nature could benefit not just huge companies
using trucks to transports goods, but also the everyday family just traveling
to visit friends.
The I-WAY Project has been funded by the
European Union for three years and is slated to be completed in January of
2009. There are essentially two systems
involved in the Project: the in-vehicle subsystem and the external transport system. The in-vehicle subsystem consists of five
different modules; which are the vehicle sensing module, the data acquisition
module, the mobile interfaces of the vehicle, the situation assessment module,
and the communication module. The first
module (vehicle sensing module) has the primary task of obtaining, processing,
and analyzing the raw data that is coming in from the on-board sensors. The data acquisition module’s primary
responsibility is aggregating, combining, and correlating the information
previously obtained by the vehicle sensing module. The third in-vehicle module (the mobile interfaces of the
vehicle) enables both vocal and graphic interfaces to input and receive
information that would be pertinent to drivers in a particular location. Examples of this would be inclement weather
situations, excessive traffic in an area, traffic accidents, or even the speed
of a vehicle travelling ahead. The
situation assessment module provides information on road situations off of
previously obtained knowledge. The
fifth and final in-vehicle module is the communication module. The communication module is used for the
real time information exchange that occurs among vehicles to each other, and
from a specific vehicle to the Road Management System.
The external transport system of the I-WAY
Project has only two aspects to it. The
external transport system consists of only the Roadside equipment and the Road
Management System. The Roadside
equipment is essentially only assigned responsibility for obtaining information
concerning the road environment where drivers and vehicles cannot, with
certainty, recognize situations that could be dangerous. The second part of the external transport
system is the Road Management system.
The Road Management System consists of a database server that holds and
manages all the real-time road data. By
the use of Mobile Units Interfaces in the cars; the Communication layer of
Satellites and cellular wireless network towers; and updates from the
server-side processing layer (traffic control center), drivers with IWAY will
be able to access real-time information on many variables that could affect
their safety or efficiency in route out on the roadways.
The benefits and advantages of the IWAY
Project’s implementation would be far-reaching to say the least. The two main purposes for the project are
the increase of safety and the increase of efficiency on the roadways. Essentially, by improving safety and
increasing travel efficiency on the roadways, what is being accomplished, is
people are saving both time and money.
This project would be improving the well being of people everywhere
where it is implemented. Everyone would
benefit from more safety and efficiency, including drivers who don’t have IWAY
installed in their vehicle. The drivers
without IWAY in their car would benefit because there would be safer drivers
around them. The other benefit that the
IWAY Project would have on people, is that less gas will be needed because
people will be able to see what traffic-heavy or hazardous areas they need to
avoid; which would also help in reducing the risk of automobile accidents. The project will also help make traveling a
less stressful ordeal. If people have
access to all of this information on the roadways, then they will feel more at
ease with traveling. If people are more at ease with traveling then they will
be less likely to speed, run red lights, or violate other driving laws. The
IWAY project would surely have a far-reaching, ripple effect of advantages for
motorists today.
The IWAY project is a complex set of systems and
subsystems working in tandem to accomplish a specific, simple objective. By enabling communication among drivers and
providing access from drivers to pertinent information sources like the Road
Management System; the IWAY project is strongly promoting and enhancing safety
and efficiency for all motorists on the roadways. Not only would multi-million dollar trucking companies reap great
benefits, but also the family of five going to church on Sunday morning. The IWAY project truly has great potential
to be very helpful thing to many people.
References
1. http://www.iway-project.eu/index.aspx
2.
Alvarez, Mark, http://www.atelier-us.com/international/article/european-union-i-way-projecting-developing-smart-roads
1. What
are the two main objectives for the IWAY Project?
A. Make
lots of money and establish new traffic plans.
B.
Improve safety and efficiency on the roadways.
C.
Network between city traffic control centers and increase awareness of
traffic regulations.
D. All
of the above.
2. When
is the IWAY Project slated to be implemented?
A. It’s
already being used.
B.
February of 2009.
C.
January of 2009.
D.
January of 2010.
3. Who
has provided funding for the IWAY Project?
A. The
EU.
B. The
MADD
C. The
USL
D. All
of the above have provided funding.
4. Who
will benefit from the IWAY Project?
A. Only
trucking companies.
B. Only
small cars.
C.
Everybody on the road.
D. No
one.
5. Who
is the coordinator of the IWAY Project?
A. Kiki
VanShweitzerpop
B.
Andrea Migliavacca
C. Burt
Dostoovski
D.
Michael Fliway