EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The following executive summary is structured around the conclusions and recommendations made for the seven parts of the report in Chapter 26. The chief issues have been selected and are given immediately below.

ITS AND NAVIGATION RELATED TECHNOLOGIES

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is the new and emerging multi-billion dollar market over the next decade. The opportunities for Canadian companies are large for a combined Canadian and export market scenario. 

The following general summary and conclusions are made vis-à-vis the role for positioning and navigation related technologies in Intelligent Transportation Systems:

1. Positioning and navigation is regarded as one of the key enabling technologies, along with communications, computers and mobile information databases, in the development of ITS products.

2. Canadian activities in positioning and navigation, as well as mapping, have always been ranked at an international level and thus there is a solid foundation upon which to develop an ITS related industry utilizing this expertise.

3. Positioning and navigation hardware components are chiefly being manufactured outside of Canada by large international conglomerates; Canadian firms are largely performing system integration and software development. 

The following general recommendations are made vis-à-vis navigation and ITS:

1. Industry Canada and Transport Canada regard positioning and navigation (including digital map databases) as strategic to the economic development of Canadian Industry and initiate a focused program in this strategic domain.

2. Industry Canada and other Government Agencies support Canadian firms to create strategic alliances with local and international firms for the express purpose of developing ITS Navigation Systems related products for the domestic and international markets.

SATELLITE RADIO FREQUENCY (SRF) BASED POSITIONING SYSTEMS

The following main summary and conclusion items form the basis for recommendations dealing with satellite-based positioning systems:

1. Canada has numerous GPS product developers and system integrators who have and are developing a host of GPS related applications and are poised to introduce their products in the about to take off GPS market (see list in Chapter 3).

2. The two impediments to international exportation of Canadian GPS technology is the slowness of acceptance in Canada of this technology and the apparent inability of Canadian concerns to purchase it.

3. LEO systems are being launched as infrastructures with alliances made with solution providers - who will resell time and build applications for end users. Canadian firms have the possibility to be strategically positioned (via Teleglobe Canada and Orbcomm Canada) to be system integrators and solution providers of LEO-based positioning and communications systems worldwide. 

4. Canadian firms have an entry into global personal communications technology via Northern Telecom and Aerospace Ltd. who are participants in Odyssey.

Recommendations emanating from the above conclusions regarding GPS, GEOs, LEOs, MEOs and HEOs are the following:

1. Given Canada's prowess in GPS in both the governmental and corporate sectors, Industry Canada should foster innovative programs for getting this space-based technology into products for Canadian consumption and then for the export market. The specific sectors to be targeted are high-lighted in the GPS conclusions in the body of the report. 

2. Given Canada's leadership in GEOs via the MSAT of Telesat and TMI, coupled with the wholesaler network in place (Bell Mobility in Montreal, Glentel in Vancouver, and InfoSat in Burnaby), Industry Canada should work with the private sector in creating products that utilize GEOs.

3. Given Canada's leadership in LEOs via Orbcomm Canada and Teleglobe Canada, Industry Canada should work with the private sector in creating products that utilize LEOs. These are exportable, because these same LEOs orbit the entire Earth and are used by some 75 other jurisdictions (wholesalers) around the world.

TERRESTRIAL RADIO FREQUENCY (TRF) BASED POSITIONING SYSTEMS

The following main summary and conclusion items form the basis for recommendations dealing with terrestrial-based positioning systems:

1. Terrestrial paging-based communications and positioning systems are numerous and present a huge opportunity for Canadian firms, however, the competition is high.

2. Canada has a promising development of cellular positioning in Cell-loc, Calgary. There soon may be a ruling in the United States by the FCC, (911 cellular communications), that may require the position-location of the mobile caller to be known, i.e., its coordinates computed.

3. Given the soon to be available digital maps in Canada, the above mentioned new positioning technologies have all the necessary components - positioning, communications (uses a standard cellular phone or communications modem) and maps for product development.

Recommendations emanating from the above conclusions regarding terrestrial RF based positioning systems are as follows:

1. Industry Canada should support the relevant firms mentioned immediately above in exploring ways in which to integrate mobile communication of data and positioning (locating) information into future paging related products.

2. Industry Canada, in concert with the Canadian telecommunication companies, and the developers of positioning by cellular, (Cel-loc, Calgary) foster the development of applications of this core technology to an array of products for end users.

DIGITAL MAP DATABASES IN SUPPORT OF TRACKING AND NAVIGATION

The following main summary and conclusion items form the basis for recommendations dealing with digital map databases:

1. Locations relative to physical features are given by maps and thus are an indispensable component of ITS navigation systems along with the coordinates from positioning sensors.

2. The development of a seamless database of the Canadian road network is about to take shape as several governmental organizations and firms are poised to take advantage of the opportunity. The main federal agencies are Geomatics Canada, Canada Post and Statistics Canada. The provinces which has shown leadership are Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

3. Mapping firms poised to supply seamless Canadian road network databases are Etak (owned by Sony) and NavTech (partially owned by AAA and Phillips)- both have established offices in Toronto in 1996.

4. The first opportunity for Canadian firms is to participate as sub-contractors in the development and preparation of the basic road network data for the major data holders listed immediately above.

5. The second opportunity for Canadian firms is to make strategic alliances with one of the two main suppliers - Etak or NavTech, and use their data to develop application specific products and deal with end users. 

The main recommendation related to the mapping area is the following:

1. Industry Canada declare that the soon to be created databases of the Canadian Single Line Road Network be regarded as a strategic data source upon which to develop ITS related products. IC and related agencies should foster the development of products by Canadian firms working in strategic alliances with international firms with the aim to launch their products in Canada but gain growth through exports.

SENSORS FOR RELATIVE POSITION DETERMINATION

The following main summary and conclusion items form the basis for recommendations dealing with dead reckoning relative positioning sensors:

1. Rate gyros require an initial reference heading and are extremely useful in ITS navigation systems for determining the change in heading of a vehicle.

2. Fiber Optic Gyros (FOG), with a decrease in cost, offer the greatest potential for future heading sensors. Vibration gyros are currently the lowest in cost and are being used in a number of automobile makes and models. Low cost sensors will most likely be manufactured in Japan due to their high level of electronic manufacturing capabilities. Delco and Rockwell are manufacturing gyros aimed at the automotive industry in the US. Bosch and British Aerospace and producing low cost gyros in Europe.

3. Japanese technology is apt to dominate low cost AVL systems in the future. They have had a much wider acceptance in Japan and they are much further ahead in terms of commercialization. Canadian companies will likely not be involved with the manufacturing of gyros, but may incorporate them into custom navigation systems. 

4. Many commercial navigation applications will be met using GPS alone, but significant number will need integration with dead reckoning or with inertial units.

5. For inertial units to be accepted in ITS circles, the target cost per axis for the automotive industry will have to be several dollars each; so that for a pair of two-axis units, two for rate gyros and two for accelerometers, the total cost will be about $25 in large quantities. Low cost inertial systems could be used to supplement GPS for AVL applications if the cost becomes low enough.

The following recommendations are made vis-à-vis relative positioning sensors:

1. As dead reckoning sensors are not manufactured in Canada, strategic alliances need to be made with international developers of this technology to assist system integrators, and Industry Canada should support Canadian firms in establishing these relationships.

2. Industry Canada is encouraged to sponsor market studies for determining the use of the up coming, low cost inertial navigation units( INUs) and how they can be integrated with GPS to develop products for new markets.

ITS NAVIGATION SYSTEMS BEING BUILT WORLDWIDE

The following main summary and conclusion items form the basis for recommendations dealing with ITS Navigation systems being built worldwide:

1. Japan is the leader in the development of Autonomous type systems with over 20 systems, while the USA is second with under 10 systems developed. Canada's position is weak in the development of such systems, however, the opportunity exits for Canadian firms to make alliances with Japanese and US firms to implement these systems now that the Canadian road network database will be available sometime in 1997-8 time frame.

2. Again Japan leads the world in the development of Advisory type systems with over 25, Europe follows with about ten and the USA trails with about 5. Canadian firms need to make alliances with companies from these three areas for both domestics implementation and then exportation to other parts of the world.

3. United States leads the world in the development of Fleet Management type systems. Europe is second and Canadian firms have been reasonably active in this domain. Japan is gearing up for entrance into this type of system via their autonomous and advisory type systems in which they have been very strong.

4. The Canadian opportunity is in the development and implementation of Fleet Management types of systems coupled with innovative use of new communications systems like GEOs and LEOs, cellular and two way paging.

5. The large United States showing in the category of Inventory type systems is due to GPS manufacturers producing hand held GPS-GIS units for coordinate tagging information. Canada has a reasonable showing which indicates that this is an area in which Canadian firms can compete domestically; expanding these products to the international market is where the growth will be.

6. United States firms dominate the development of the portable systems. Canadian firms should forge alliances with US firms and write software for specialized applications. Integrating GPS and GIS into palmtop and laptop computers is another niche for Canadian firms.

7. After the USA and Japan, Canada along with Germany and the UK are prominent developers of these types of ITS Navigation systems.

Recommendations for ITS Navigation systems are the following:

1. Industry Canada support market research for the purpose of developing of new systems for markets not covered by existing ITS navigation systems. As well, market research should be performed with an eye to match existing ITS Navigation systems to ready made markets in Canada and internationally.

2. Industry Canada declare ITS navigation systems (about 200 active products worldwide) as valuable ingredients for solving ITS related problems and support their introduction into ITS in Canada and for export.

Industry Canada foster the dissemination of information on ITS Navigation systems being built worldwide to Canadian firms so that they are aware of opportunities and competition.