“The Game Changer” -- Canadian and American Experts visualize the Networked Vehicle CATA creates a network of leading executive researchers to put “networked” technology in motion...an opportunity for your company to participate and develop markets for technology products and services OTTAWA, Oct. 7, 2008 - The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) recently hosted the exclusive Networked Vehicle Workshop in Toronto, bringing together executives from the U.S. and Canadian private sector, public sector, and academia to visualize the innovation of the next generation of cars -- “networked” vehicles. Partnering with the Government of Canada, the Toronto Regional Research Alliance (TRRA), Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), and Gowlings, CATA facilitated the event through a series of business and technical sessions to produce a framework for the design and standardization of the networked vehicle. “This forum has triggered the creation of four new expert workshops that are crafting components for the evolution of the networked vehicle,” says Barry Gander, Executive Vice President, CATA. “The workshops will meet in the Spring of 2009 in the With environmental issues and social networking at the forefront of today’s cultural core, participants were in agreement that the “networked” vehicle will be green, networked, and driving on “intelligent” highways. Networked cars will also contain software ranging from diagnostics, car-to-car communications, interactive services, billing and content delivery. Through the two-day discussions, participants determined that the following technologies and services would be well suited and appropriate for the next generation of vehicles: - Access to web services from social networks - A special in-vehicle platform to compute vehicle efficiencies and navigation service (GPS storage, vehicle interface) - A cloud computing platform and service connected to the social network - An IP connection from car to internet (real-time or occasionally connected) - Security profiles and related technologies - Telemetric connections for healthcare, safety and security “The biggest challenge of the automotive industry is to think and execute in interdependent ecosystems; the recent increase in trends of social networking and infotainment will have telecommunications and service industries heavily involved in the development and integration of these futuristic vehicles, ” says John Reid, President, CATA. To take their ideas to the next level, participants formed four working groups to push the Networked initiative forward, focusing on specific areas of interest with appropriate leaders: 1. Standardization: Dr. Sumedh Sathaye, IBM Watson Centre, IBM 2. Mobile enhancement: Flavio Bonomi, Head of Research, Cisco 3. Social networks: Joel Hoffman, Worldwide Automotive Lead, INTEL 4. Auto cloud computing: John Wargin, EMEA Automotive, HP The networked vehicle will be a choreographed dance coordinating enhanced mobile devices, networks, and applications. With a keen interest from all parties involved, a second conference has been set for April 2009. In the meantime, the four working groups will determine a services delivery platform and standardization outline. The working groups will outline their progress on a social networking site specifically developed for the Networked Vehicle. ++ Action Item: For more information on the Networked Vehicle Conference and to participate in the Networked Vehicle Social Network site please contact John Reid at email jreid@cata.ca with Networked Vehicle in the Subject Line.