Australian Transport Telematics ClusterCreating a new Australian...

Australian Transport Telematics Cluster

Creating a new Australian telematics industry

09/09/2007

Telematics has been identified as an important new global market for electronics, where Australian industry has world leading niche capabilities. It is also an excellent exemplar of accelerating ICT convergence in traditional markets such as the automotive/transport sector, where wireless and location-based services are now playing a key role.

National cluster activities (nine to date) has brought together these contributing sectors over the past two years, with outcomes including the "AT Signature: Connected Car" project, which has been subject to national and international media attention.

The Mark 1 version, brought together in eight weeks by 20 contributing organisations, is a broadband in-car touch-screen enabled system with an array of features such as real-time monitoring of traffic congestion, road side camera images, nearby car park locations and prices, and emergency features like SOS and crash detection. It brings together, for the first time in Australia, home automation functions which are controlled remotely from the vehicle.

The Mark 2 version, currently being planned, will be evaluating further innovations such as voice actuation to prevent driver distraction issues, with its focus of priority safety and security issues. Anecdotally, this demonstration vehicle has brought forward the development plans of the automotive vehicle manufacturers in Australia, and stimulated the development of other collaborative projects in the emerging telematics industry, particularly in the areas of fatigue management in trucks and speed adaptation.

It is understood that a group of SMEs in Australia are now planning a telematics-enabled 'car of the future', along the lines of the 'connected car' produced by the predominantly larger organisations such as Holden, Intelematics and Sensis.

Telematics has also been identified as a 'gold star' project under the Australia-Taiwan Strategic ICT Framework Agreement, with discussions continuing on bilateral public-private sector opportunities between the two countries. International interest has also been stimulated by the telematics initiative in Australia, with the sector now having implications for investment attraction and export facilitation.

A current Australian-Government supported project is further defining the key steps in the Telematics Technology Roadmap, enhancing understanding of telematics capabilities in Australia, and scoping out the next step for the 'connected car'.

Surveys in the US and in Australia (CeBIT 2005) have indicated that over 90% of people would purchase a vehicle with a telematics offering, provided it met their own specific needs, improved their safety and security, and was sufficiently economical. With almost 1 million new cars produced in Australia annually, the introduction of an Australian-developed telematics offering would represent a large national market, apart from the international export opportunities. After-market opportunities may also be available. Australia also represents an excellent 'test-bed' for the development of new telematics products, particularly given the nation's capabilities in electronics, wireless, design and systems integration.

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