UTC

Google is improving its SOS alerts by adding visual information about natural disasters and a navigation system on Google Maps. Google says the upgrade will extend the capabilities of the SOS alerts to provide crisis information via relevant news stories and Twitter updates from local authorities to include detailed visualisations about hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. In the days leading up to a hurricane, users will receive a crisis notification card on Google Maps that appears near impacted areas.

The city of Oslo has unveiled a grant scheme allowing private companies in the Norwegian capital to develop projects that promote climate-friendly travel between home and work. The city says the Climate and Energy Fund can provide grants up to 50% of the total cost of the measure with a maximum amount of NOK 250,000 (£23,000) per company per year. It is available for travel between home and the workplace and business trips to and from the workplace during the working day. The grant will only be availabl

RAI Amsterdam is to explore the feasibility of a drone hub corridor, a place where electrically-powered unmanned air vehicles can take off and land. The initiative is part of the Urban Air Mobility Demonstrator project, which seeks to explore how drones can contribute to a sustainable, safer and more accessible city. RAI Amsterdam will work with the municipality of Amsterdam and Dutch stadium Johan Cruijff Arena to investigate how this might work. Paul Riemens, CEO at RAI Amsterdam, says the partn

Baron has launched a weather forecasting model which it says can be used for ITS and traffic applications. According to Baron, the solution offers predictive parameters 66 hours into the future at 3km resolution at hourly intervals. It can also run a second set of parameters 90 hours into the future at 15km resolution, the company adds. Bob Dreisewerd, vice president of development at Baron, explained the idea behind the new launch: “First and foremost was accuracy. We wanted a more accurate weather mod

Viettel Post has developed a ride-hailing app for riders in Vietnam called MyGo for car, motorbike, delivery and transport services. A report by Vietnam+ says the postal and delivery company will add transport services by truck to its app and will aim to avoid increasing prices during peak hours. The company is now seeking driver partners on the run-up to its official launch in July. South-east Asia is fertile ground for mobility services: in January, FastGo launched its ride-hailing, delivery and cater

Via has launched an on-demand shared transit system for people over the age of 60 in the City of Newton, Massachusetts. Via says the service replaces a taxi voucher system which required passengers to make reservations at least 72 hours in advance. The company will also offer trips to a range of medical facilities outside the city’s boundaries. Using the Via app, riders can hail a vehicle from their smartphone. The company’s algorithms allow riders to share the vehicle and directs users to a nearby pick-

Vitronic is to deliver 750 Poliscan Redlight systems to an unnamed client to help improve safety at road junctions in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. Vitronic says the laser-based system can simultaneously monitor infringements such as jumping red lights and speeding while removing the need for sensor installations within road surfaces. The Poliscan Connect software carries out the automatic transfer of case data and allows users to monitor the systems online while offering remote access to

Panasonic North America has entered into a $50 million partnership with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDoT) to develop an advanced transportation data network. Panasonic says the network will improve safety and mobility on the road by sharing data between vehicles, infrastructure, roadways and traffic operators in real-time. The network is expected to provide the UDoT traffic operations centre with insights into crashes, severe weather or stalled vehicles. Personnel working at the centre wi

Iteris is to acquire Albeck Gerken, a traffic operations engineering company in Florida, for a total of $10.7 million. Iteris will use Albeck’s traffic management facility to develop its Intersection as a Service offering, which helps users monitor signalised operations to improve safety. Aleck’s facility includes a traffic management centre, traffic operations lab and training centre, from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Aside from Tampa, Albeck has a second office in Orlando as well as other offic