|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
E-mail, WWW Pages And Real-time Traffic Info on Automobile And Portable Terminals -Nokia Research Center to head new EU project
February 13, 1996
The European Union Commission has accepted Nokia Research Center to head the multinational PROMISE research and development project within the EU's R&D framework programme. The objective of the PROMISE project (Personal Mobile Traveller and Traffic Information Service) is to develop a traffic service system designed for travellers and based on data transmission over a cellular network system.
The project will also develop portable terminals and automobile terminals for use in cars in particular. The traveller can use the terminal to view public transport timetables and real-time information concerning bus delays, for example, or traffic flows and blockages, parking spots, weather conditions, hotels, restaurants and sightseeing.
Using the terminal and service, car travellers can also plan their route on the basis of different factors. For instance, they can choose the fastest, the most direct, or the most scenic route. The travel route planning service takes into consideration the weather conditions and traffic flows. If the traveller is lost, the terminal can show the location and help in navigating ahead. The terminal can also be used for e-mail and browsing the internet's WWW pages.
PROMISE is a pan-European project
PROMISE is a R&D project included in the Fourth Framework Programme of the European Union, and the EU is funding a part of the project's expenses. The project will last from 1996-98.
In all, there are 22 parties from Finland, Sweden, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France and Germany involved in the project. In addition to Nokia, telecom operators, car manufacturers, information technology suppliers, authorities and service providers are also taking part. Some of the companies involved are Volvo, BMW, Renault, British Telecom, France Telecom and Telecom Finland.
The project is very appropriate for Nokia because it incorporates technologies in which Nokia already has strong know-how. Furthermore, Nokia Research Center has been involved in developing information technology for cars since the late 1980s. Nokia's goal is to develop a marketable product through the project, a product that would facilitate traffic flows and thereby cut pollution.
Nokia Research Center researching and developing mobile communications
As the corporate research unit of the Nokia Group, Nokia Research Center's mission is to develop technologies and core competencies in areas crucial to the competitiveness of the Nokia's business groups. The Research Center's main focuses include GSM enhancement and third-generation cellular systems, broadband communications and multimedia.
Nokia Research Center has a strong participation in the R&D projects within the European Union's Fourth Framework Programme as well as in many national research programmes, in which future communications systems and multimedia applications are under development. Additionally, it cooperates globally with universities and research institutions and takes part in international standardization efforts.
Nokia Research Center's activities have expanded rapidly. The Research Center employs in excess of 500 people, more than 70 percent of whom hold an academic degree and 15 percent a licentiate or doctorate. The Research Center has laboratories in Helsinki and Tampere as well as in the United States in Dallas and Boston.
| |
