List of Final Round Winners

Gold Prize Winner:

Vehicle Information Systems Integration Framework

This product is a framework designed to facilitate the integration of independently developed software components into a coherent vehicle information system. The framework provides an open software component interface, which allows the components integrated within the framework to interact with the underlying platform and with each other. By making addition and deletion of components easy, the framework enables the users to customize their vehicle information and entertainment systems with minimum effort. The framework also provides templates to guide developers of new software components in interface design. In addition to several existing open source vehicle information and entertainment software components, the prototype framework contains a new safety component called V-box. Like black boxes on airplanes, V-Box can keep track of vehicle and driving information and allow authorized persons to reconstruct scenes leading to incidences of interest. This open source software product is selected to win the first prize for its well thought out integration architecture, a passenger friendly user interface, easy to use development aids, effective use of existing open source software components and a relative mature prototype. Its source code and documentation can be found at http://rt.openfoundry.org/Foundry/Project/?Queue=666.

Silver Prize Winner:

Messenger On-the-Drive

Messenger On-the-Drive (MOD) is a vehicle-to-vehicle voice/text communication system. It enables passengers in separate vehicles to communicate smoothly through multiple wireless networks. Based on SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) protocol, MOD features low latency hand over: When the present path is no longer available, MOD handles the change over to a usable path automatically and seamlessly. MOD can be used to support group trips, military operations, safeguard escort, commercial transports, etc., where a flight of vehicles move together toward the same destination. MOD is selected to be the second place winner for its effective use of SCTP socket power, support for multiple handover policies, user friendly graphic interface for dialing, setting and adding new IP, and portability to a variety of Linux platforms. The source code and document of MOD are available at http://mod.0rz.net/.

Bronze Prize Winners (shared by two teams):

Distance and Direction Awareness System (DDAS)

Information on directions and distances of nearby vehicles can help to reduce collisions, especially during lane changes and turns. DDAS is designed to generate and deliver such information via an auto PC or other on-board unit. The product is a proof of concept prototype. It integrates an auto PC with robot cars, each equipped with a smart antenna, to demonstrate the feasibility of reliable direction and distance detection and prompt delivery of proximity information and warnings. It is selected as a co-winner of the third prize for its high practical utility and good use of available technologies. DDAS source code and documentation can be found at http://rt.openfoundry.org/Foundry/Project/?Queue=651.

Real-Time Traffic Monitoring and Reporting

The goal of real-time traffic monitoring and reporting is to produce and deliver to cars and motorcycles information on current traffic conditions of nearby streets and neighborhoods, as well as on major roadways and highways. This product makes use of cars and motorcycles that are equipped with Bluetooth GPS units. The unit on each car computes the speed, location, and direction of the car and sends the data wirelessly to a central server. The server collects the speed and location information from all the units and creates an up to the minute map of the current traffic conditions. A user can pick up this information via a browser during trip planning. A user on a car or motorcycle equipped with an on-board unit with a small display can pick up real-time updates during the trip. This useful system can be deployed incrementally and by user communities on a non-commercial basis. The product is selected as a co-winner of the third prize for this reason and its effective use of Linux-based open source software and solutions. Its source code and document are available at http://www.yaleroad.com/update/.