‘Hello, I need help’ – UN-backed forum to discuss automated car emergency calls

Cars with futuristic communications systems, ranging from warning nearby vehicles that they are skidding and advising appropriate action to automatically generated in-vehicle emergency calls that could save lives, will be the focus of a United Nations-backed workshop at next month’s Geneva International Motor Show.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is joining with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a network of national standards institutes from 140 countries, and the Geneva International Motor Show to host the workshop on the synergy between the information and communication technologies (ICT) and the automotive sector.

“The Fully Networked Car: A Workshop on ICT in Vehicles,” will be a unique meeting of key players from the automotive and ICT sectors from 2 to 4 March, offering both of them an opportunity to exchange ideas on the future of ICT in motor vehicles.

All major car manufacturers are looking to incorporate some level of ICT functionality into their vehicles. The fully networked car is a goal of manufacturers seeking to offer improved safety and a better experience for the driver.

One topic to be discussed will be systems that allow communication with nearby vehicles, for example to communicate that a car is hydroplaning and to advise nearby cars of the appropriate action.

Another session will focus on a pan-European emergency call system. Experts will discuss how automatically generated in-vehicle emergency calls (e-Calls) can speed-up emergency service response and potentially reduce the number of fatalities, severity of injuries and stress in post-crash situations.

Key to the focus of the event will be to show the value of establishing better communication between standards development organizations (SDOs), and how this type of collaboration advances the industry, and avoids counterproductive duplication of effort.

A panel of global experts will frame the major issues and engage the audience in discussion on this important topic. Among speakers are high-level industry representatives from BMW, Bosch, Cisco, France Telecom, Magna Electronics, Motorola, Nissan, NTT DoCoMo, Swisscom and Volvo.