Don't count on it

Traffic Technology reports:

Working with the US Department of Transportation, Lockheed Martin will refine and validate the requirements and architecture for the new IntelliDrive communications infrastructure, which will ultimately permit safety and traffic systems to communicate. This 15-month contract is valued at approximately US$2.6 million.

IntelliDrive is a multimodal initiative that aims to enable safe, interoperable networked wireless communications among vehicles, the infrastructure, and passengers’ personal communications devices.

“This program leverages our extensive experience in developing wireless network architectures,” said Jim Quinn, vice president with Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems and Global Solutions-Defense. “We look forward to helping the DOT establish a new vision of preventative vehicle safety and mobility within the United States.”

 Government is better off funding an Open Source consortium.  Lockheed has zero experience with civilian wireless networks.  They have likely already spent the $1.5 million and will plan on coming back for lots more, and little will result.

To the Open Source community.  We need to move forward with an Open Source implementation of Navigation Logic for the autobots.  Suggest we usurp this Lockheed contract, and contact Jim Quinn and force him on board an Open Source version of the Black Box.  Like this effort described in the Linux Journal.