BUSINESS CASE: AVOIDING CRIPPLING CAR COGESTION 1

Case 2, Business Case: Avoiding a Future of Crippling Car Congestion Page 109

1. Explain the concept of connected cars.
2. Why does Bill Ford see a need for connected cars?
3. What does Ford mean by “global gridlock”?
4. Brainstorm a few other ways in which an IT network could help to reduce global gridlock. Do not limit yourself to current mobile network capabilities.
5. If no action is taken far in advance of the forecasted car congestion, what do you foresee will happen?

What is the “Connected Cars” concept? According to (Turban, Volonino, Wood, & Sipior, 2013) pg 109/1). This connected car concept, are vehicles linked to various mobile networks and or intelligent systems and capable of M2M communication. This concept was outlined by Bill Ford chairman of Ford Motors at the 2012, Mobile World Congress (Turban, Volonino, Wood, & Sipior, 2013) pg 109/1).

The mobile infrastructure allows for incorporation of technologies, applications, support, security processes, as well as devices for management and distribution of wireless communications. Wi-Fi technology permits devices to connect and share a network or Internet connection without connecting to a commercial network. (Turban, Volonino, Wood, & Sipior, 2013) pg 94/3).

Theconnected caris a vehicle with internet connectivity which can be linked or connected to its navigation and information systems in addition to its passenger’s personal communication devices such as smartphones, computers, tablet or any other internet connected personal device. Also to include data connectionswithin the vehicle, such as GM’sglobal communication system “OnStar” (Howard, B. 2013).

Permanent connections which allows the vehicle to communicate with your smartphone that would assist you in locating your car. Or the status of a charged battery pack by an app command or text message (Howard, B. 2013).

Wide area networks (WANs), WiMAXs, and local area networks (LANs) and wireless wide area networks (WWANs) for mobile computing constitutes the various mobile network infrastructures. LANs and WiMAX are the components of the wireless infrastructures (Turban, Volonino, Wood, & Sipior, 2013) pg 94/4).

So simply speaking a connected car can be any vehicle that has Mobile to Mobile connectivity, internet access or connected to a remote location that offers a service for the vehicle or its occupants over Wi-Fi connectivity is a connected car.

Bill Ford see’s the need for connected cars because he see the vehicles in the world climbing at an ever-accelerating rate, and this massive surplus of vehicles can be averted with vehicles that are capable of communicating to each other as well as the communication system or infrastructure. Bill Ford Jr., of Ford Motor Company, “cautioned of the danger of amplified automobile possession and no conforming increase in automotive connectivity”. Partnerships will be needed to be established between automotive as well as telecommunications industries and the need will be greater than ever as we prepare for and manage the future (Barry, K. 2012).

Within impending days, linked vehicles would communicate with one another through centralized traffic-observation platforms which would communicate notices about congestion, construction and accidents to in-car monitoring systems.

Ford said vehicles should be seen “as pieces of a much bigger, richer network.” Precisely, cars of the future could rely on 802.11p WLAN, a network infrastructure reserved for vehicle 2 vehicle network infrastructures. Connected automobiles can interconnect with one another as well as command and traffic control stations. These stations could warn could about traffic jams, construction and accidents by relying data to in-car navigation systems (Barry, K. 2012).

“Mobile data traffic is expected to increase 18-fold in size and speed through 2016, according to Cisco Visual Networking Index (VN1) Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, 2011-2016”, according to (Turban, Volonino, Wood, & Sipior, 2013).

Ford’s vision of “global gridlock” can be explained as follows: “a never-ending traffic jam that wastes time, energy and resources which also impedes the movement of commerce and healthcare,” Ford said that, “Sixty percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2030, and there will be 2 billion automobiles on the highways. This progression is anticipated to come in China, the world’s largest automotive market” (Barry, K. 2012).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration pronounces,” connecting our cars could address as many as 4.3 million crashes, or about 80 percent of accidents that don’t involve intoxicated drivers. Sixty percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2030, and there will be as many as 2billioncars on the road.” (Barry, K. 2012).

How can future gridlock be reduce or controlled? , well here’s an example of future concepts of reducing global gridlock.

Evacuated Tube Transport Technology – Envision traveling from Manhattan to Beijing in one-hundred twenty minutes, that’s only 2 hours. A pair of pioneering minds have confidence in reducing travel time significantly, using high-speed capsules racing through tubes – considerably like driving through a drive through bank.

Colorado inventor, Daryl Oster references this idea the “Evacuated Tube Transport Technology”, “it can propel a person or object 400 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes. This technology would necessitate a system for transporting a capsule through a vacuum tube with the air sucked out as if being in outer space, eradicating friction” (Petersen, B. 2013).

Supercavitation -The occurrence identified as supercavitation is most familiar within the military realm. Cavitation – an air or gas pocket developing around an object in motion underwater can be beneficial as this air or gas pockets fall away from a vehicle. The drag or resistance on a ship or underwater vehicle becomes greatly reduced. A defense tech company, “Juliet Marine Systems” developed a supercavitating watercraft called the“Ghost marine platform”incorporating stealthiness and attack helicopter technologies for tracking airborne and subsurface objects. Gliding efficiently through the water still ends up being like moving through the air. (Danigelis, A. 2013).

My Thoughts on Future Transportation

I would consider using manual powered equipment as a means of travel providing exclusive attention would be given to this device. Such as bicycle that was designed for a comfortable long distance ride with exclusive roadways designed just for my device. How about a multiple person hover craft, where three or four person would mount a disc like object that hover only a few feet above ground. With the occupants securely strapped in and again allowed to operate exclusively within an air-space just for this mode of travel.

What if no action is taken far in advance of the forecasted car congestion, what do you foresee will happen? I as well agree with Bill Ford, I see massive gridlock along with major congestion throughout the United States as well abroad. A never-ending traffic jam that wastes time, energy and resources and even compromises the flow of commerce and healthcare. Traffic on Interstates and Express routes will come to a mere crawl, vehicles will exhaust there fuel supply while stuck in traffic road blocks.

Causalities will increase as a results of medical transportation and supply vehicles caught up in gridlock as well, making it nearly impossible for medical supplies or patients transport to reach there intended destinations. Food supply vehicles will have there cargo spoiled as a results of being caught up in traffic gridlock.

I also envision a special highway express being created just for medical, food, fuel and any lifesaving product or supply. I also see this special highway being patrol by law enforcement and violators being severely punishment for traveling these special routes or interfering with the traffic on them. Unless the growing number of vehicles are not seriously addressed, to include major funding, rigorous IT research and advancements commuting and traffic as we know it will be a process of the past.

References:

Barry, K. (2012). Ford: Connected Cars Can Save Us From Gridlock.Ford: Connected Cars Can Save Us From Gridlock. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2012/02/ bill-ford-says-connected-cars-can-save-us-from-gridlock/

Danigelis, A. (2013). 10 Wild Ways To Travel In The Future.FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION. Retrieved from http://news.discovery.com/autos/ future-of-transportation/10-wild-ways-travel-future-130812.htm

Howard, B. (2013). Connected cars: When is the breakthrough coming?Extreme Tech. Retrieved from http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/ 147568-connected-cars-when-is-the-breakthrough-coming

Petersen, B. (2013). Hyperloop, Vacuum Tubes Shaping Up As Travel of The Future? CBS New York. Retrieved from http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/08/12/ hyperloop-vacuum-tubes-travel-of-the-future/

Turban, E., Volonino, L., Wood, G. R., & Sipior, J. C. (2013).Information technology for management: Advancing sustainable, profitable business growth, 9th edition(9th Ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.