March 22, 2011 -- Oxford, MS -- The Center for Traveler Information at the University of Mississippi is pleased to announce that it has selected three proposals from members of the Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions (EIGS) industry cluster for research and development of geospatial products for the traveling public.  The research is being funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop tools for safely receiving transit and traffic information while traveling.  The projects will be conducted in conjunction with students and researchers at the University of Mississippi Center for Traveler Information (UM-CTI).

UM-CTI has selected proposals from NVision Solutions, Innovative Imaging & Research Corporation, and DQSI, LLC. 

NVision Solutions will conduct research to develop and test methods to create custom Digital Trip Tickets ^TM (DTT) that will allow travelers to download geospatial data of interest to their home computers, use a routing algorithm to create a DTT with selected stops in the route, and load the routing information into an in-car navigation system.  The research team will work with the Mississippi Hills Heritage Alliance to use its tourism data as a test case.  Additionally, researchers will use information from regional tourism and visitor bureaus to guide the system design.   

Innovative Imaging & Research Corporation (I2R) will investigate methods to allow travelers to safely access the traffic flow data currently gathered by state departments of transportation.  The project will research, develop, and evaluate approaches to convert traffic flow data, provided as a video feed, into simplified map products and/or voice transmissions, which will give travelers the traffic information they need to make decisions in a safe and efficient fashion.  The result will be a method to capture traffic information from a selected camera location and transmit that information to a user’s mobile device.

DQSI, LLC will research, develop, test, and evaluate systems that allow Smartphone users to receive geospatial information showing the location of transit vehicles and the approximate drive time to the closest connection location.  The research team will also investigate different methods of public access to the transit information, including, public kiosks at key locations.  The research will design and test solutions that will provide travelers with location information of transit buses in the City of Oxford, MS.  For the project, the buses will be equipped with a GPS system that will transmit their location.  The tracking information will be transmitted to a server at UM-CTI and converted into a geospatial location.  The location of the transit buses will be integrated with other geospatial data and information, and a ‘snapshot’ of the information will be transmitted to the Smartphone of a transit user.

“Transportation in the U.S. is a people business with citizens using roads, rail lines, sea lanes, and airports to move about the country every day,” stated Dr. Greg Easson, UM-CTI Director.  “These projects will help investigate and develop technology-based solutions that allow travelers to more effectively plan their travels, more efficiently use public transportation, and avoid potential safety hazards.  A key aspect of the projects is the dissemination of geospatial data to mobile communication devices.”

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The University of Mississippi Center for Traveler Information (UM-CTI) specializes in research, development, and transition to-market of technologies that provide information to the traveling public as a planning tool prior to travel and during their travels.   The primary research goal of UM-CTI is to develop solutions that provide information to travelers to allow them to more effectively plan their travels, more effectively use public transportation, avoid potential safety hazards, and safely reach their destinations.  The Center is supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, Grant No. DTOS59-10-G-00103.  For more information, contact Dr. Greg Easson at 662-915-5995 or Email Contact.

NVision Solutions, Innovative Imaging & Research Corporation, and DQSI are members of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster of the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA). MBA’s goal is to impact economic development by serving as an advocate for small and medium sized businesses.  For more information, visit http://www.magnolia-ba.biz/.