Riding the Comet: ICT-auto sector poised for growth in Canada
Canadian high-tech business executives are already heavily involved in the ICT-Auto sector, and plan to double their activity in the coming 3-5 years, according to Riding the Comet, a new report and survey done in Canada on global trends and Canadian business involvement in the ICT-Auto sector. Networked Vehicle Association members can obtain a free copy by emailing RidingTheComet@NetworkedVehicle.org.
OVERVIEW
Riding the Comet is in three parts: a trends report an environmental scan of the global macro trends around the world that affect the speed and scale of adoption of the networked vehicle; a survey that asked Canadian executives both about their level of participation in the Networked Vehicle sector and their interest in a Networked Highway Test-Bed; and an analysis of the results.
Riding The Comet has been inspired by the recent global upwelling of activities in the ICT sector, aimed at the auto sector. “Just as the ICT sector itself underwent a revolutionary transformation in the 1970’s and 80’s with the advent of personal computing, so the auto sector today is being transformed as ICT becomes the most important component in the value web,” said Networked Vehicle Association President Andrew Penny.
While the Report focuses on Canada, the trends and momentum would apply to other countries, according to NVA Chairman and EVP Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) Barry Gander: “This is a global phenomenon, with the global ICT-auto value acknowledged to be more than $100-billion.”
Trends accelerating the adoption of ICT-Auto:
- Population increase: larger numbers of people world-wide lead to a need to use ICT to maximize the efficiency of traffic flow.
- Urbanization and aging: Increasing numbers have a preference for urban areas, putting even more stress on road systems, while the increase in numbers of senior citizens will put new pressures on highway systems.
- Dominance of ‘digital natives’: Rising proportions of people born within the PC generation mean that increased demand exists for continuous on-me communications – a trend that began with mobile devices becoming the single most-adopted technology in history.
- Energy shortages: Reductions in oil supply mean that intelligent systems have to find new efficiencies in engine design, alternative fuels, greener routing, and connected alternatives.
- Environment: Emissions-control measures will force the application of ICT to monitor adherence to regulations and make decisions on alternative technical platforms such as fuel cells.
- Technology: More powerful in-vehicle computing capability will be needed to optimize engine performance, in conjunction with higher bandwidth that makes interactive experiences more compelling.
The Survey revealed that some 30 per cent of the 85 executives who took part are currently active in ICT-Auto. This number will almost double in the coming 3-5 years. The companies are most active in the area of telematics, including safety and navigation, and internal vehicle diagnostics. The survey differentiated between applications for vehicle occupants, fleet management, and infrastructure. Most respondents, who plan to increase their activities in the coming years, will increase their level of spending – with six companies planning investments of more than $1-million.
The overwhelming majority of companies are in favour of the construction of an advanced broadband Networked Highway Test-Bed, run as an independent not-for-profit centre.
The full copy of the report is available to NVA members by request, and can be purchased by non-members for $450.
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