GPS

VMT Fee May Replace Car Taxes In Netherlands

Imagine this: Replacing the sales tax on purchasing a new vehicle and annual, 'fixed' fees with a VMT fee based on size, weight, and CO2 emissions of the vehicle. This is the plan of the Dutch government to reduce congestion and greenhouse gases.
16 November 2009 - 11:00am
Breitbart.com

An iPhone in the City

Mon, 09/07/2009 - 05:37

What's better than Twitter in the city? An iPhone. With a connection to the Internet, built-in camera, location-awareness, 3-access accelerometer and colorful display, the Apple iPhone has become much more than a mobile phone: it's a sophisticated mobile computing platform. Combine this technology with a library of thousands of programs and growing ecosystem of developers, the iPhone is powerful and versatile tool to transform how people interact with their surroundings.

A growing number of iPhone apps are taking advantage of the phone's functionality to allow people to navigate, measure, observe, and interact with cities in new ways. This post describes some I have come across for e-government, urban sensing and interaction, and navigation. First, a caveat: I don't actually own one of the devices myself and haven't tested the apps (yet). I've certainly missed many, so leave your favorites in the comments below.

New York City Bus Tracking System Delayed

A long-help plan to install GPS-ready bus tracking equipment to New York City buses has been pushed off indefinitely.
3 February 2009 - 10:00am
NY1 News

Oregon To Introduce VMT Fee Legislation

Oregon was the first state to study replacing state gas taxes with a Vehicle Miles Traveled fee in 2007. Now Gov. Kulongoski is taking the next step - introducing legislation to replace the 24-cent gas tax with a VMT fee that applies GPS technology.
5 January 2009 - 8:00am
Corvallis Gazette Times

'Pay As You Drive' Insurance

'Pay as you drive' insurance will soon be a reality in California, surviving the state senate as a voluntary program that environmental groups say will encourage people to drive less by saving them money on their car insurance.
2 September 2008 - 1:00pm
San Francisco Examiner

Using Web Mapping For the Public Good

The use of geographic information systems for the public good is a rapidly growing field. The technology shows great promise for discovering unequal distribution of resources and environmental racism, writes Peter Manzo.
18 June 2008 - 10:00am
Stanford Social Innovation Review

Using Cellphone GPS, Researchers Prove We're Homebodies

GPS from cellphones is enabling exciting research into human behavior, but European studies show that our behavior is rarely exciting.
7 June 2008 - 9:00am
International Herald Tribune

Trusting the Local (but double-checking with GPS)

Sun, 09/30/2007 - 19:19

I live a ten-minute cab ride from the airport. I love it. Many a morning, I have stumbled down the porch steps in flip-flops and a business suit, carrying an overnight bag and high heels to make a flight in an hour’s time. Several weeks ago, I stepped into a cab and chirped my usual, “Good morning—National Airport, please!” and settled back into the seat, ready to finish applying eyeshadow.

“Do you know how to get there?,” the driver asked.

Communist China's GPS congestion management capitalism

Thu, 05/10/2007 - 05:46

BEIJING, 9 MAY 2007--Anyone questioning China's potential to become the dominant player in the 21st century and beyond need look no further than the Beijing Transportation Information Center. The entrepreneurial leader of the center, Mr. WANG gang, has lead the development of the most innovative system for managing traffic congestion I've seen, putting U.S. systems to shame and leapfrogging over London's cutting edge signal coordinatin system. Rather than try to regulate congestion by limiting automobile use, they have figured out a way to use technology to make its use more efficient.

Syndicate content