The article examines the range of Advanced Transport Telematics (ATT) services now being offered by the German company Mannesmann Autocom (MA), and others now being developed. These services are based on existing market technologies such as GSM communications and GPS location. MA intends to market internationally a complete range of ATT services, based on standardised protocols. Its philosophy is based on an open systems environment, whose solutions are independent of specific mobile radiophone networks and terminal equipment. This opens the way to co-operation with system partners, who can offer applications effectively extending the basic range of services. MA is currently implementing the following service packages: (1) traffic information services; (2) safety and emergency services; and (3) fleet management services. MA is now field-testing its services and technologies in the Rhine-Ruhr area of Germany, with very high traffic volumes, in its VERDI project. VERDI is the first privately financed test initiative involving mobile telecommunications and position determination by satellite. Besides using conventional traffic information sources, MA will also be using its own data source, the Floating Car Data Concept, which measures the current traffic situation using signals from vehicles flowing with the traffic.
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