It was suggested in an earlier post that a GPS system with appropriate interface with a car's information system could provide a platform for an intelligent cruise control system, which effectively removes the possibility of the driver speeding. It is quite possible that governments will eventually require drivers to install such systems. (Of course, much of the law enforcement effort will then shift to identifying those cars whose drivers have disabled the system.) However, it's far more likely that drivers will install such systems voluntarily, in order to avoid the very substantial fines that can be racked up very quickly in highly invigilated societies such as Australia and the U.K. (and, to a lesser extent, the U.S.). Alternatively, insurance companies might offer very substantial discounts for drivers who agree to install such systems, as a means of reducing the frequency and severity of accidents.
Once installed in a car, of course, the GPS can also be used as a record-keeping device. Potentially, the GPS unit might communicate with government registration or road pricing databases. Such a system would avoid the need to install physical tolling infrastructures such as overhead RFID gantries, or indeed human operated toll booths such as are still found in parts of Europe and North America. Clearly, citizens would be tempted to hack into such units in order to minimise road charges accrued. Data integrity and security therefore promised to be a big part of the future of GPS technology research.
Such ideas also lead to considering the possibility of GPS be used context of a dynamic road pricing pricing system. Citizens are sure to find road prices which change daily according to conditions highly annoying, unless they can delegate the task of calculating the cheapest possible route on any given day to a GPS system.
No comments:
Post a Comment