Pattie Maes demos the Sixth Sense | Video on TED.com

Imagine “Minority Report” and then some.

via Pattie Maes demos the Sixth Sense | Video on TED.com.

Very close to the idea that we have in i-Travel.

Second workshop date annouced 16th June 2009 Brussels

i-Travel announces it 2nd workshop on 16th June 2009 in Brussels. The theme of this workshop will be:

“i-Travel From concept to reality”

This workshop will bring together i-Travel consortium members and key companies working in the private and public transport sector to hear about the efforts of the i-travel community in building a platform to support a contextually aware travel assistant. The aim of the workshop is to launch the next phase of the i-Travel concept, moving towards a reference implementation. The workshop will communicate the requirements needed to develop the i-Travel concept further and invites companies to express their interest in being part of this exciting concept.

The aim of the i-Travel project is to elaborate a platform for the exchange of information between content suppliers and service providers, allowing the “the connected traveller” to receive context-aware, mobile, on-trip event-based information and trip re-scheduling. As well as these technologies, organisational models and commercial tools are needed to support the integration of suppliers’ and buyers’ systems.

Companies involved in travel or public authorities involved in public transport can receive funding to attend the workshop, please indicate if you wish to be considered for funding when you register:
www.i-travelproject.com/en/events/events.htm

or by sending a mail to:

s.chaufton@mail.ertico.com

PhoCusWright – {Travel Daily News}

PhoCusWright – {Travel Daily News}.

PhoCusWright’s 2009 Technology Trends

• Despite Market Woes, Pockets of Investment Still Exist

“During economic downturns, innovation is the single most important condition for transforming the crisis into an opportunity.” (Sami Mahroum, Research Director of Britain’s National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts and a Visiting Reader at the School of Management, Birkbeck College, University of London) [IN].

• The Entire Trip Experience Will Be “Informationized”

In the past, the main focus of the travel value chain has been those components that resulted in a booking. Access to further information was a challenge because of limitations of mobile devices, lack of acceptable technology in hotel rooms, language barriers and no clear business model. This is all about to change.

• Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud Computing and Open Source Spawn a New Flock of Innovators

Open Source has matured to the point that many companies are fully dependent on it. It has become an enabler for startups, allowing them to rapidly accelerate their time to market. At the PhoCusWright’s November 2008 Travel Innovation Summit, demonstrator Home and Abroad explained that they would not have been able to bring their product to market if it had not been for Open Source.

• Suppliers (Finally!) Provide Personalized Shopping/Booking Tools

Today, most OTAs look much the same: Where do you want to go? When? Air only or hotel and/or car? To provide convenience and value to the customer, future learning and shopping screens will adapt to the users’ stated profiles, observed profiles and shopping style. Similarly, the content presented will be the most meaningful to the customer.

• Technologies Will Continue to Converge

Ten years ago, television networks were distinct from the Internet. Video was limited to TV and you went to see a movie at the theater. Now you can make a phone call anywhere to anywhere in the world using your laptop. You can watch movies and TV and browse rich content on your mobile device. You can watch content from the Internet on your TV and wirelessly network your house for all manner of content.

• A Flood of New Mobile Travel and Location-Based Applications Come to Market

Mobile usage in travel applications has languished for years with a poor technology capability and an even worse business model. The mobile platform finally has interactive capability that makes it the fully functioning “3rd screen” alongside the desktop and laptop. With the growth of 3G (broadband wireless) subscriptions and smartphone adoption, apps will embrace location and context in a new way, enhancing the travel experience.

• Advertising Technology Transforms Travel Distribution

Pure play booking fee models will become dinosaurs as blended models involving highly targeted ads, referral fees and fees for service establish peaceful coexistence. The technology convergence discussed in Trend 5 will enable the convergence of business models.

• Still Searching… for Better Search

Last year the trends were “Semantic Technology and the Semantic Web will drive the next wave of Internet technology” and “Search will evolve to become more effective.” These are still true. Lack of adoption of the formal semantic Web does not mean that search is not getting better. There are several instances where semantics are being used to improve search. As they begin to show differentiated business value over normal search, they will gain traction.

• Democratization of Supply Levels the Playing Field

In the beginning when the airlines created travel distribution, the GDSs (they were called CRSs then) controlled the distribution of travel content. This created an oligopoly. But times are changing. The implementation of standards for interconnection, the transparency of the Internet, Web services and mashups, new search tools and SaaS models have all contributed to the development of an open marketplace for travel distribution.

• Business Intelligence and Analytics Move to the Forefront

In tight times, you need to squeeze as much as possible from your existing operations and capabilities. This involves understanding what your competitors are doing, how efficient and effective your own operations are and what your customers are saying.

Work Package 3 delivers

Work pacakge 3 deliverable on the business process is now avaialble on the main i-Travel website and on the blog.

Work package 3 had the remit to analyse the main business and user processes that are relevant for the market launch of i-Travel services. The analysis provides relevant information for ramping up the business network as well as for the development of an eMarketplace. The description of the business process encourages a common understanding between the partners in order to eliminate obstacles and to stimulate challenges.

Download the document here.

Podcast on ITS

Not related to i-Travel directly but this will be discussed, your i-Travel project manager is co-host on a new ITS based podcast which can be found here.

BBC NEWS | Health | Tracking dementia patients with GPS

BBC NEWS | Health | Tracking dementia patients with GPS.

Interesting application that uses GNSS to provide health benefits.

Add-on software apps make iPhone a great travel partner – USATODAY.com

A good overview of the applications available for the i-Phone to help your travel.

By Roger Yu, USA TODAY

Tech-savvy road warriors are enjoying a new era of handheld computing as more sophisticated smartphone software floods the market.

The iPhone, in particular, has amassed more than 900 applications targeting business or leisure travelers. Many applications are free, and others range from 99 cents to $19.99.

Unlike desktop software, iPhone applications are relatively simple tools that don’t require hours to learn. Most rely on the phone’s embedded GPS chip to tailor information to a traveler’s current location, such as spotting nearby Starbucks, Wi-Fi hot spot, police radar, restaurants and taxi companies. Others transform traditional travel tools — foreign language phrase books, city guidebooks, restaurant tip cheat sheets — and render them digitally.

We recently tried several of the most popular iPhone travel applications…….

via Add-on software apps make iPhone a great travel partner – USATODAY.com.

“I’m on the plane” is here to stay | Gulliver | Economist.com

“I’m on the plane” is here to stay

Posted by:

Economist.com | LONDON

Categories:

Ryanair

Technology

GULLIVER shudders to learn that in-flight mobile-phone services are now available on 20 Ryanair planes. Other European airlines such as bmi and Air France-KLM have trialled the technology on single craft, but Ryanair is the first to provide mobile connections on so wide a scale. Within six months 50 planes will be kitted out. If it proves popular, the service will be rolled out across the whole 170-strong fleet.

via “I’m on the plane” is here to stay | Gulliver | Economist.com.

Apart from the most annoying behaviour of people shouting into their phones aside, as a side point there is a nice little gadget that i found here although I guess using that on a plane would defiantly cause some issues. I digress yes the annoying behaviour part aside this does solve an problem in i-Travel of what to do when people are not connected when say flying, at least now they will be able to opt into having information pushed to them while flying.

So when you are stuck in the air flying around in circle because of snow, rain and wind below i-Travel will be able to rebook your flights with out any problems!

BBC NEWS | Technology | Tech rivals follow app store lead

The success of Apple’s AppStore for iPhone and iPod Touch has prompted two major rivals to follow suit.

Handset giant Nokia and Microsoft have announced their own versions of the online markets for mobile device application software, or apps.

From May, Nokia’s Ovi Store will offer apps as well as multimedia content specific to a user’s location.

Microsoft’s new “Windows Phones” will feature Windows Marketplace, launching in the last quarter of 2009.

via BBC NEWS | Technology | Tech rivals follow app store lead.

Interesting to see that rivals will offer soon thier own version of the Apple store.

For nokia the key feature for its apps store is the ability to provide content personalised to the user. An interesting development I hope and one to bring us closer to having a seamless travel assistant.

Travel: TripChill Alerts You in Real Time of Delays, Itinerary Changes

Travel: TripChill Alerts You in Real Time of Delays, Itinerary Changes.

Another interary building applications launches based aorund long distance travel, again a uses has to forward thier email booking details to the application similar to Tripit and WorldMate.

Within the TripChill application you can set up how notifications about delays can be handled even requsting that notifications are pushed to others, such as you pick up from the airport.

You can even give the application your credit card details to book flights and hotels on your behalf.

These applications I feel are the first step in a truly seemless travel interary planner that incoporates urban and local transport, which is the goal of the i-Travel project.