Nissan Motor Co Ltd will launch a "slip hazard alert service" and a "real-time road-camera service" through "Carwings," a data distribution service for car navigation systems.
The new services use ITS and are aimed at the reduction of slip accidents in cold regions.
The test run of the "slip hazard alert service" will begin in December 2008, starting from Sapporo City in Hokkaido, Japan, and its vicinity. The pilot program of the "real-time road-cam service" will start in November 2008.
Road images of main mountain passes in Hokkaido, which are provided by the Civil Engineering Research Institute for Cold Region belonging to the Civil Engineering Research Institute, will be displayed on navigation monitors that support Carwings.
The slip hazard alert service analyzes the information on the vehicle's location and the probe information such as ABS operation transmitted from vehicles. When the slippery condition is confirmed, a slip hazard alert is distributed to drivers near the slippery point via navigation monitor and voice. In addition, the drivers can check for slip-prone areas or the points where slip accidents occurred in the past.
A proving test has been conducted from November 2007 by using 100 vehicles. And it demonstrated that the service is effective in helping drivers become more aware of road conditions and drive more carefully at lower speeds. The service also helps the driver maintain safe driving even in areas where there is no slip information, Nissan said.
The "real-time road-camera service" provides real-time road-camera images that are updated every 15 minutes through "information channels" and aren't obtrusive to the operation of vehicle. All the Carwings users can use the service in the pilot program.
Nissan has been conducting researches on hazard alerts to drivers and effective road maintenance in winter time through utilization of slippery area information, jointly with the Cold Region Road Research Group at Civil Engineering Research Institute for Cold Region.
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