| V. | RFID (Radio Frequency ID) Microchip Tags: Vehicles |
| Posted: October 21, 2003 |
| A. | Urban Road Pricing in Europe: Project Duration: January 1999-June 2000 |
| PRIMA (Pricing Measures Acceptance)4 is one of 277 projects carried out in the Fourth Framework Transport Research Programme of The European Commission.5 PRIMA, with results related to the "Integrated policy aspects" theme,6 provided information related to electronic road pricing and privacy. PRIMA discussed "electronic road pricing based on GPS and other technical devices..." |
| 1. | Road Congestion Charging: PRIMA: December 11, 2002 |
| The PRIMA page of the Transport Research Programme Project Results site provided general information regarding road congestion charging. One policy implication noted was that implementation of road tolls could raise acceptance of congestion charging. |
| [QUOTE] | Congestion charging is seen as an economically efficient way of combating the build-up of traffic and consequently making road transport in urban areas reliable for both passengers and freight. This involves charging motorists at times and places where the roads are heavily used. Nevertheless, experiences show that it is difficult to gain acceptance for urban road pricing and hence to get it implemented... |
| The objectives for PRIMA were to identify the reasons behind the acceptance or non-acceptance of road pricing and to produce recommendations for the implementation of urban road pricing in Europe... |
| PRIMA found that, in general, public opinion is against congestion charging, although the polluter pays principle is broadly accepted as a general guideline for policy making. On the other hand, there is considerable support for road pricing as a way to finance investment in transport. This includes the funding of public transport and the construction of road bypasses, with some preference for the former. Therefore, implementation of road tolls can be a stepping stone to raising acceptance for congestion charging.7[UNQUOTE] |
| 2. | Electronic Road Pricing and Privacy: |
| A PRIMA "Final Report for Publication," entitled "Ways and Means to Increase the Acceptance of Urban Road Pricing," funded by The European Commission under the Transport RTD [Research and Technological Development8 ] Programme of the 4th Framework Programme, provided information about electronic road pricing and privacy. |
| [QUOTE] | Eventually electronic road pricing based on GPS and other technical devices may even make it practically possible to abolish toll-plazas and to charge individual vehicles momentarily according to the external effects they give rise to... |
| More and more people are daily using sophisticated electronic devices such as computers, mobile phones, smart cards etc. Vehicles are becoming increasingly computerised and road informatics will...be a growing business. |
| Few people seem especially concerned about the possibilities for others to trace which internet sites they have visited, which phone calls they have made or what kind of consumer products or services they have paid for with credit cards. This observation is in line with the information from the case cities. The privacy issues linked to road pricing do not seem to have played or to play an important negative role. Only a small minority of the 240 interviewees in the PRIMA cities considers protection of individual privacy as a major political issue. |
| This does not mean that privacy is unimportant to people. In one of PRIMA's case cities a leading transport politician named electronic road pricing "satellite police". There is no doubt that many people feel that the government (or the market for that matter) already knows too much about their doings. Some interviewees also think that the argument of dangers with regard to data protection would become useful in the political fight against road pricing. It is, however likely that the most emotionally oriented kind of arguments will lose in power. The more familiar urban citizens become of using various electronic devices and connecting with different networks, the more likely it is that their attitudes to electronic road pricing will become more positive. Furthermore, it seems likely that new techniques will also open up new possibilities for the protection of privacy.9[UNQUOTE] |
| B. | LoJack: Doppler Radio Direction Finding (RDF) |
| Consumer awareness of LoJack warrants a brief description of this device. LoJack utilizes both radio frequency transmissions and radio frequency receivers or readers. Global Positioning System (GPS) devices also are based on radio signals, that is, "high-frequency, low-power radio signals from the GPS satellites."10 |
| 1. | LoJack: Radio Direction Finding: WirelessReport: September 5, 2002 |
| Alan Wilensky, Reporting Analyst of WirelessReport, provides some technical information about Radio Direction Finding. |
| [QUOTE] | Commercial Geo-location products serve in a number of industries; many predate the availability of GPS. Some examples of these services include truck and freight tracking, maritime distress signaling, and wildlife management. Many of these services are GPS based, but several started as terrestrial-based systems built on the evolved Pseudo-Doppler radio direction finding method (DDF). |
| The wholesale conversion of practically all geo-location applications to GPS has made tremendous sense, as GPS obviates the need to build out terrestrial locator networks. It is incorrect to assume, however, that GPS is the best solution to all Geo-Location problems... |
| Many non-GPS based applications served in the past, and still serve us well. The Maritime Safety and Distress system, although now based on GPS, still has an operating counterpart in Doppler based EPRB beacons used by smaller commercial fishing and pleasure craft. The most popular stolen vehicle location system, Lojack, is not GPS based - it is a pure distributed pseudo-Doppler system. These aforementioned are two examples of current applications illustrating that GPS, in defined circumstances, confers no particular advantages over the earlier DDF technology.11[UNQUOTE] |
| 2. | Radio Direction Finding (RDF) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID): Joe Moell |
| Joe Moell, author of a "monthly column on RDF in 73 Amateur Radio Today magazine," notes the role of RDF and distinguishes between RDF and RFID. |
| a. | Radio Direction Finding (RDF) |
| Joe Moell notes some of the uses of RDF. |
| [QUOTE] | Radio direction finding is used to find sources of interference to any form of wireless electronic communications, including broadcast and two-way radio, television, and telephones. It is also used to track missing or stolen cars and other property. Search and rescue workers use it to find persons in distress. Emergency Locator Transmitters in downed aircraft are tracked with RDF techniques.12[UNQUOTE] |
| b. | Features of Radio Direction Finding (RDF) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) |
| Joe Moell distinguishes between RDF and RFID in response to a question about whether RFD can be used to help a construction company deal with the loss of small tools. |
| [QUOTE] | Radio Direction Finding (RDF) technology is typically done at considerable distance (from yards to miles and beyond). To do that, transmitters require long-term power sources (such as batteries) and antennas. They're usually too large to be placed on or in a hand tool. In addition, the transmitted signal can be detected by anyone with a receiver tuned to the proper frequency, so these systems are not covert. |
| RFID technology at the jobsite exit is probably more appropriate for this tool-detection application. RFID systems track property and objects at relatively close range with unique codes. For instance, chips (also called tags or transponders) can be implanted in pets to provide positive proof of ownership if the pet strays into the pound or is stolen. A reader device, passed over the chip, detects it and reads out the chip's unique ID code. Similar RFID systems sound an alarm when non-paid-for merchandise passes through the doors of a store... At one time, the FasTrack transponders for southern California toll roads could even be used to quickly pay for a McDonald's burger at the offramp. (This feature was discontinued because so many transponders were being stolen out of cars and then used for this purpose!) |
| In an ideal situation, the chips are "passive," meaning that they don't require battery power. They usually cannot be detected with conventional receivers, but only by a reader or polling device designed to be used with them.13[UNQUOTE] |
| 3. | LoJack History and Technology: LoJack |
| LoJack provided the following information about its history and technology on its Web site. |
| [QUOTE] | LoJack Corporation...[has been] the acknowledged global market leader in stolen vehicle recovery technology since 1987... |
| The patented LoJack system includes a small radio-frequency transceiver that is hidden in the vehicle at the time of installation. When the vehicle theft is reported to the police, the unit is automatically activated, which causes silent radio signals to be emitted from the transceiver. The police are able to follow the signal to locate and recover the vehicle.14[UNQUOTE] |
| 4. | LoJack Utilizes Police Radio Band Allocated by the Federal Communications Commission |
| LoJack provided the following information on its Web site about LoJack's use of a police radio band allocated by the Federal Communications Commission. |
| [QUOTE] | LoJack introduced its patented technology to the public in Massachusetts in 1986. In 1989, as LoJack expanded to other states, the Federal Communications Commission allocated a police radio band for the Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network, allowing the LoJack technology to operate nationwide.15[UNQUOTE] |
| 5. | LoJack Coverage |
| LoJack provides coverage both within the United States and internationally. |
| a. | United States |
| LoJack provides information about its coverage within the United States. |
| [QUOTE] | LoJack offers protection in high crime areas in the United States where auto theft is prevalent. LoJack works with local law enforcement agencies to ensure that sufficient coverage is provided in the major crime areas in each state... |
| LoJack continually expands and improves the coverage network, so there may be additional coverage available than what is shown here. |
| Statewide coverage (over 80% of the population) is available in [eight states and the District of Columbia]... |
| Major Metropolitan areas, cities and high crime area coverage is available in: [12 states or portions of states].16[UNQUOTE] |
| b. | International |
| LoJack provides information about its "International Network." |
| [QUOTE] | International Offices |
| Operational Countries [27 countries] |
| Licensed Countries (Not Yet Operational) [13 countries]17[UNQUOTE] |
| C. | Cargo Theft Prevention Exploring RDF, Cell Phone Network, GPS, and RFID: Fleet Owner: November 1, 2001 |
| A 2001 Fleet Owner article by Larry Kahaner reported on a number of technological approaches to the problem of cargo theft. |
| [QUOTE] | Cargo thefts in the United States are growing, with FBI estimates ranging up to $10 billion annually... |
| Seeing the rise in cargo thefts, Dedham, MA-based LoJack decided this year to transfer its expertise in retrieving stolen autos to retrieving purloined trailers. The product, dubbed "LoJack for Trailers," is a police-operated system that works the same way as the company's car-locating system... |
| For fleets interested in both trailer and cargo retrieval, the game becomes more challenging. Terion, Melbourne, FL, comes close with its FleetView device, which works off the nation's cell phone network... In concert with a cargo movement sensor, the unit telephones the company's data center when something is amiss and the owner is notified... |
| [John] Albrecht's [vice president of Transport Security, Waconia, MN.] company and an undisclosed truckload carrier are Beta-testing a device that is about the size of a pager and is aimed at high-value freight. "It's GPS oriented, but that won't give us line of sight, so there's also going to be a wireless (cellular) component, too," he says... |
| Another future possibility is so-called radio frequency identification or RFID tags. These are inexpensive chips that can easily fit inside a pallet or even in individual merchandise boxes. They operate like tags in retail stores. Walk through the doors without paying and the alarms goes off. For trucks, the units would always be on and transmitting a signal to a reader or 'interrogator' in the trailer or cab. When the reader no longer detects a signal from the RFID tag, an alarm goes off or a signal is sent to a remote location.18[UNQUOTE] |
| D. | "How E-ZPass Works": RFID; Electronic Readers: HowStuffWorks, Inc. |
| Kevin Bonsor explains how E-ZPass works. |
| [QUOTE] | Today, most toll roads are equipped with an electronic toll-collection system, like E-ZPass, that detects and processes tolls electronically. E-ZPass is used by several U.S. states, but most other electronic toll systems are very similar to E-ZPass. Basically, E-ZPass uses a vehicle-mounted transponder that is activated by an antenna on a toll lane. Your account information is stored in the transponder. The antenna identifies your transponder and reads your account information. The amount of the toll is deducted and you're allowed through...19 |
| Drivers usually have to pay a deposit to obtain a transponder, which is about the size of a deck of cards. This device is placed on the inside of the car's windshield behind the rearview mirror. A transponder is a battery-operated, radio frequency identification (RFID) unit that transmits radio signals. The transponder is a two-way radio with a microprocessor, operating in the 900-MHz band. Stored in this RFID transponder is some basic account information, such as an identification number. |
| Antennas, or electronic readers, are positioned above each toll lane. These antennas emit radio frequencies that communicate with the transponder. The detection zone of an antenna is typically 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 m) wide and about 10 feet long. These two devices, the transponder and the antenna, interact to complete the toll transaction. 20[UNQUOTE] |
| E. | Vehicles Identified through RFID: USA Today: April 11, 2002 |
| Kevin Maney, USA Today, observes that in various situations, vehicles are identified through RFID microchip tags. |
| [QUOTE] | These days RFID shows up in a few familiar places. The technology is in ExxonMobil's Speedpass - a key fob that works like a credit card, wirelessly identifying you to a gas pump. On highways across the USA, wireless toll booth systems such as E-ZPass work on RFID. |
| Singapore relies on the technology to control traffic. Its system, called Electronic Road Pricing, or ERP, charges different prices to drive on different roads at different times. Driving on one main artery between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. costs $3 (in Singapore dollars - about $1.60 in U.S. currency) but is free from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The pricing encourages drivers to stay off busy roads at busy times. |
| Every car must have an RFID tag, which communicates with readers along every major road. The road readers identify each car and send information to a central computer, which adds up car owners' bills... |
| ...[I]nsurance companies might want to use the technology to know where you take your car, so they can charge more if you regularly park in high-crime neighborhoods.21[UNQUOTE] |
| F. | "HID Proximity Cards Integrated With Advanced Long Distance Automatic Vehicle ID Reader": HID Corporation |
| An HID Corporation Press Release presents information about "the introduction of proximity card-enabled Automatic Vehicle Identification Reader (AVI) technology." Fargo Electronics, Inc. provides a definition of proximity cards, which are a type of smart card. "Proximity cards or simply 'prox cards' communicate through an antenna similar to contactless smart cards except that they are read-only devices that generally have a greater range of operation."22 |
| [QUOTE] | HID and NEDAP, a leading Dutch RFID technology manufacturer and systems developer, announce the introduction of proximity card-enabled Automatic Vehicle Identification Reader (AVI) technology. This new dual ID, long distance, high speed AVI system integrates HID proximity cards with an in-vehicle mounted "Combi-Booster." The 2.45 GHz transmitter securely transmits both the driver's proximity serial ID number and an embedded vehicle ID simultaneously. |
| Extending the read range of a proximity card up to 33 Feet (10 Meters), the new AVI system can be read at vehicle speeds of up to 125 miles per hour (200 Km/h). The system can be configured to provide hands-free vehicle access to gated and secured areas, without the need to come to a stop. Eliminating the need to stop reduces the chances of an assault on the occupants of a vehicle and enables fast, convenient, and secure access for authorized vehicles and driver. |
| Benefits include the ability to substantially improve the level of security and operational efficiency while controlling access for vehicles which are commonly driven by many different drivers (e.g. buses, police, etc.). TRANS-IT AVI can be used for applications including automated parking payment, airport and seaport security, automated toll collections, and more... |
| As the largest manufacturer of contactless access control readers and cards for the security industry, HID has shipped over 150 million credentials to customers worldwide. HID pioneered the development of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for security.23[UNQUOTE] |
| G. | University of Michigan: Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI): April 26, 2002 |
| In a document entitled, "Access Control Using AVI Technology," The University of Michigan Parking Services provided an explanation of its use of Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) to control access to its parking areas. |
| 1. | "System Overview" |
| The "System Overview" section of the document provided the following information. |
| [QUOTE] | Parking & Transportation Services is now using Automatic Vehicle Identification Technology (AVI) to control access to Gold parking areas. AVI is the same technology used for years at toll roads for non-stop service by those who have prepaid fees. This same system may be used in the future to control access to the Blue parking in our structures and in a few larger surface lots. |
| The AVI system has been installed and is operational at five gated Gold areas. As of the end of February, over 350 Gold parkers have obtained AVI devices to access these locations. Use of AVI is voluntary through the end of this permit year (June 30th). As of July 1st, the existing card access system will be removed from service and AVI device will be required for all Gold parkers who use gated Gold parking areas.[UNQUOTE] |
| 2. | "System Overview: Why Use Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) Technology?" |
| The University of Michigan "System Overview" provided the following information in partial response to the question, "Why use Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) technology?" |
| [QUOTE] | The AVI system has been reliably used for control of parking areas at other organizations and universities and is in use at the City/University Forest Street structure and, as of February 2002, at our gated Gold areas.[UNQUOTE] |
| 3. | "System Overview: How Does AVI Technology Work?" |
| In partial response to the question, "Why use Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) technology?" the "System Overview" provided the following information. |
| [QUOTE] | AVI antennas are installed at entrance and exit lanes that emit an RF (radio frequency) signal. |
| AVI devices mounted in vehicles return the signal and an identification number back to the antenna. |
| The identification number is sent to a computer database for verification. |
| The number is verified and the gate opens.[UNQUOTE] |
| 4. | "About the AVI Device" |
| A portion of the "About the AVI device" section provided the following information. |
| [QUOTE] | The AVI device is lightweight, battery-free and will function indefinitely. It is constructed of hard plastic and is approximately the size of a credit card. |
| Devices are mounted in vehicles on the front windshield in the lower left-hand corner using Velcro-like adhesive strips that will allow them to be transferred between vehicles.24[UNQUOTE] |
| H. | Houston's Traffic Monitoring System: Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI): 2003 |
| The Houston TranStar Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) Traffic Monitoring System provided an explanation of its use of Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) to address freeway congestion. |
| 1. | "Introduction" |
| The "Introduction" Web page provided the following information. |
| [QUOTE] | The Houston TranStar Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) traffic monitoring system is used to collect real-time information showing current travel conditions on Houston area freeways and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. This information is provided to personnel within the Houston TranStar Center for use in detecting freeway congestion. This travel information is also provided to the public through media reports, displays on selected roadside electronic message signs, and on the Houston TranStar Web Site.25[UNQUOTE] |
| 2. | Houston TranStar: "AVI Technology" |
| The "AVI Technology" Web page provided the following information. |
| [QUOTE] | The system uses Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) technology developed by the Amtech Systems Division of TransCore to collect the real-time traffic information. Houston was the first city to apply AVI technology for monitoring traffic conditions. |
| The AVI system operates through the use of AVI antennas and readers which are installed on structures along Houston area freeways. The AVI antennas and readers monitor the passage of vehicles equipped with transponder tags. The transponder tags are powered by a small battery which enables them to reflect signals transmitted from the antennas/readers.26[UNQUOTE] |
| 3. | Houston TranStar: "How It Works" |
| The "How It Works" Web page provided the following information. |
| [QUOTE] | The system uses vehicles equipped with transponder tags as vehicle probes. The main source of vehicle probes are commuters using the "EZ-Tag" automatic toll collection system installed by the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA). Transponder tag readers are placed at 1 to 5 mile intervals along freeways and HOV lanes. Each reader senses probe vehicles as they pass a reader station and transmits the time and location of the probes to a central computer over a telephone line. As the probe vehicles pass through successive AVI readers, software calculates average travel times and speeds for a roadway segment. The averages are made available to software which provides the data for the Houston TranStar web site.27[UNQUOTE] |
| I. | Oregon Task Force Considers GPS or AVI/Odometer Linked Technology |
| 1. | Declan McCullagh: "George Orwell, Here We Come": CNET News.com: January 6, 2003 |
| Declan McCullagh comments on the Oregon state task force's work. |
| [QUOTE] | Last week, The Associated Press reported that an Oregon state task force wants a law requiring all cars to sport GPS receivers and recorders. The stated purpose: To measure how far you drive and calculate how much you owe in road taxes. The Nov. 15, 2002 report from the task force envisions some privacy protections--but those could be eliminated if homeland security worries become more acute, possibly leaving all Oregonians tracked whenever they're on the road.28[UNQUOTE] |
| 2. | Road User Fee Task Force: Preferred Scenario for a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Fee: Oregon: November 15, 2002 |
| Following is Preferred Scenario information regarding Data Collection Technology, Data Upload Technology, and Privacy Protections. |
| [QUOTE] | (Note: The Preferred Scenario is based on Scenario Two in the Preliminary Report presented to the Oregon Legislative Assembly on September 30, 2002)... |
| Data Collection Technology |
| GPS or AVI/odometer Linked Technology. The task force prefers a policy that encourages or mandates installation of technology that facilitates electronic collection of VMT [Vehicle Miles Traveled] data for purposes of straight application of a fee amount per mile. In this respect, the task force chose the options of either a "simple" Global Positioning System (GPS) or an AVI/odometer Linked Technology, depending upon the interoperability of these technologies with other elements of the preferred VMT fee system and the extent the technology is retrofitted into older vehicles. |
| Data Upload Technology |
| Radio Frequency Upload to Service Station. VMT data would be uploaded from GPS device or AVI/odometer linked technology within the vehicle via radio frequency to a gasoline service station for purposes of calculating the fee based upon actual VMT... |
| Privacy Protections |
| Task Force Preference - Design Limitation. State would be required to build into the data collection system a design limitation that prevents state from accessing a GPS device to locate passenger vehicles in real time or to determine detailed travel history of vehicle other than to upload summary data. AND |
| Task Force Preference - Legal Prohibition. A civil and/or criminal law statute would prohibit anyone connected with a state agency from using accessing a GPS device to locate passenger vehicles in real time or to determine detailed travel history of vehicle other than to upload summary data.29[UNQUOTE] |
| 3. | "Technology Evaluation For Implementation Of VMT Based Revenue Collection Systems: Final Report": Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University: November 2002 |
| David S. Kim, David Porter and Robin Wurl of the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University authored a November 2002 Final Report for The Oregon Department of Transportation Road User Fee Task Force. The Abstract of the Report notes the technologies explored. |
| [QUOTE] | Technologies explored include, but were not limited to, GPS-based devices, Radio-Frequency Automatic Vehicle Identification devices, and different means of electronic data transfer.30[UNQUOTE] |
| 4. | Oregon Consideration of Vehicle Mileage Tax: Associated Press: December 31, 2002 |
| A December 31, 2002 Associated Press article reported on Oregon's consideration of a vehicle miles traveled fee. |
| [QUOTE] | The Road User Fee Task Force set up by the 2001 Legislature plans to ask the 2003 session to authorize testing the feasibility of a vehicle mileage tax... |
| [Jim] Whitty[, the task force administrator,] said the task force at this point wants a charge per mile... |
| "We also have to have a way to track mileage only within the state," Whitty said... |
| "Technology has improved to the degree that this can be done, with an electronic device," he said. The device, in a car, would be linked to the Global Positioning Satellite or GPS system, which allows pinpoint navigation by bouncing signals off satellites... |
| Whitty said there are several options for collecting fees. One is to send vehicle owners a monthly bill. |
| Another is to outfit gas stations so they can read the vehicle transponders and collect the tax at fueling stops... |
| To protect drivers' privacy, using the system to track cars in real time would be illegal. New cars would be required to have the GPS technology. Owners of older cars would be allowed to take part by retrofitting them.31[UNQUOTE] |
| 5. | "State Tracking Of Auto Movements By GPS Called 'Nutty' ": CNSNews.com; January 2, 2003 |
| Mark Morano, CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer, provided further perspective on the vehicle mileage tax considered by Oregon. |
| [QUOTE] | If a proposal by an Oregon State task force becomes law, the government would be able to use satellite equipment to keep track of each driver's mileage and tax that driver accordingly in order to pay for road repairs. |
| Even the state administrator who proposed the plan thinks citizens "should be concerned" about the possibility of civil liberties violations. And Chris Edwards, director of fiscal policy at the free market Cato Institute, told CNSNews.com, "I think it's nutty and I don't think it's ever going to happen. |
| "I don't think Americans are ready to be subjected to that type of civil liberties intrusion," Edwards explained, "where government tracks them around wherever they drive"... |
| Jim Whitty, administrator of Oregon's Road User Fee Task Force, in an exclusive interview with CNSNews.com, called the GPS mileage tracking tax proposal necessary because "it costs a certain amount to drive on the road per vehicle and people ought to pay their fair share of their usage." |
| Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber and the state legislature set up the Road User Fee Task Force in November 2001 to explore methods of financing transportation costs... |
| "You go to technology and you look and say we can calculate mileage electronically, so it can be paid electronically ... That is where the GPS device came in," Whitty said. |
| Whitty envisions a system that would either send auto owners a monthly bill for their miles or set up gas stations so they could read the GPS transponders and collect the tax during fueling stops. The new tax per mile would be called a VMT fee or Vehicle Miles Traveled fee. |
| Whitty would also like to see other technologies besides GPS considered. |
| "There is an odometer sensor which can calculate mileage and then data can be transferred by radio frequencies to a fuel pump. We are going to be looking at both," Whitty explained. |
| Whitty believes that despite the fears of potential civil liberties violations, the new method of calculating road taxes is needed to make transportation taxes fairer... |
| When asked about possible civil liberties violations, Whitty admitted that people should be cautious about the state's use of the mileage tracking technology. |
| "They should be concerned and they should watch this and make sure that is doesn't turn into such a thing," Whitty said. |
| However, "that is not the purpose of this fee," he added. "The state transportation department has no interest in knowing where people are going either currently or after the fact." |
| Whitty believes police may ultimately end up using the GPS data for criminal investigations. |
| "If there was a police necessity perhaps, but we are not looking at that. That is not our concern," he said. |
| Edwards remains unconvinced. |
| "You can say it's not the purpose, but later on, it will be abused and expanded," Edwards said. |
| "We don't need the government to have Big Brother precise tracking systems to make sure the highways are precisely paid by precisely the right people who use them," Edwards continued. "The gas tax now is roughly efficient."32[UNQUOTE] |
| 6. | Road User Fee Task Force New Release: Oregon: January 2003 |
| James M. Whitty, Administrator of Oregon's Road User Fee Task Force, wrote an opinion piece News Release commenting on the Task Force's work. Following are excerpts from that piece. |
| [QUOTE] | The Road User Fee Task Force believes the best user fee is based on the amount of mileage driven... |
| The way a mileage fee would work is every passenger vehicle in Oregon would be equipped with an electronic means to calculate miles driven over specific time periods. A device would transmit the number of miles driven since the last reading to a reader at a central location or a service station. A fee rate of between 1.25 and 1.5 cents per mile would be charged as part of the gasoline fill up payment or in a monthly bill. |
| Early on the task force decided that it did not want Oregonians to pay fees for miles driven out of state. This led to researching electronic means of calculating miles driven. |
| Some people have expressed concern about the potential use of one particular device with the ability to calculate mileage, the Global Positioning System, and condemned the whole concept out of a legitimate concern for privacy. |
| While this concern is understandable, it is misplaced. Any GPS device used would be a simple version manufactured to calculate and record mileage data and send information no more than a few feet - from a vehicle to a reader at a fuel pump, for example. It would not record vehicle location data or transmit to a wider area. The task force is certainly not recommending the state of Oregon track the whereabouts of individual motorists. |
| Furthermore, at this point the task force has not settled on any particular device to gather the mileage data. GPS devices will not be recommended if privacy concerns are not able to be resolved. Fortunately, other options exist for electronic calculation of mileage, such as an odometer sensor tag. |
| As required by law, ODOT is undertaking a pilot test of the task force recommendations. The pilot test will take approximately three years.33[UNQUOTE] |
| 7. | Industry Uses RFID to Identify Vehicles: RFID Journal; March 13, 2003 |
| RFID Journal reported that the German company, Siemens, "has added real-time locating technology from WhereNet to its RFID product line." |
| [QUOTE] | Siemens is filling out its MOBY line of RFID products by licensing WhereNet's real-time locating technology. The agreement with WhereNet gives Siemens the ability to offer customers products that can track assets from a few feet away to hundreds of feet... |
| Siemens is filling out its MOBY line of RFID products by licensing WhereNet's real-time locating technology. The agreement with WhereNet gives Siemens the ability to offer customers products that can track assets from a few feet away to hundreds of feet... |
| WhereNet, which is based in Santa Clara, Calif., says a large European carmaker has agreed to pilot the Siemens-branded technology. The carmaker will hang an active locating tag on the windshield of each vehicle as it rolls off the assembly line. Each tag will have a unique serial number that will be used to identify the vehicle. |
| ...With this system, the automaker can locate the specific cars with the problem and ship the others to a dealer. Ford Motor Co. has been using Wherenet's system this way at a facility in the U.S.34[UNQUOTE] |
| 8. | "Low-Cost Tags for Vehicle ID": RFID Journal; March 18, 2003 |
| RFID Journal reported a new development with regard to low-cost vehicle identification. |
| [QUOTE] | Sirit [Technologies']...new offering, to be part of the company's Identity Flex product line, will allow for read ranges of 15 to 20 feet, according to Fred Veinot, Sirit's VP of marketing and strategy. The tags are typically placed on the driver's side of a car's windshield. |
| Sirit has been supplying vehicle identification and electronic toll collection systems for several years. It provided the system used at the Golden Gate Bridge...Veinot says the company is also looking to market the system as a payment option for drive-thru establishments. |
| Sirit embarked on a pilot with McDonald's in 1999 for just that purpose but McDonald's has since decided not to pursue a full-scale rollout. Cost of implementation was a factor in that decision, says Veinot, who is hoping the new offering will break the price barrier for some hesitant customers.35[UNQUOTE] |
| 9. | "Low-Cost Tags for Vehicle ID": RFID Journal; March 18, 2003 |
| An RFID Journal news story reported on Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s approach to address the "TREAD (Transportation, Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation) Act, passed by the US Congress in November 2000." Goodyear "has teamed with Siemens VDO Automotive to build the Tire IQ System." |
| [QUOTE] | The Automotive Industry Action Group's B-11 standard for North America calls for a reading distance of 24 inches and a 915 MHz frequency. The Goodyear system, which uses RFID and sensor technology from Siemens, has a reading distance of just six inches... |
| What makes Goodyear's system unique is its ability to automatically detect the type of tire on the vehicle, whether it's a winter or summer tire or a spare, for example... |
| The TREAD (Transportation, Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation) Act, passed by the US Congress in November 2000, requires new motor vehicles from 2004 onward to be equipped with a system that will warn the driver when a tire is significantly under-inflated. |
| Goodyear's pressure monitoring system is expected to be available on new vehicles in 2006... |
| Texas Instruments and Philips Semiconductors have also introduced RFID-driven tire pressure and temperature monitoring systems (see RFID Chip To Monitor Tire Pressure). And Michelin has announced plans to offer automakers a system for tracking individual tires using RFID tags (see Michelin Embeds RFID Tags in Tires).36[UNQUOTE] |
| 10. | Possible for Computers to Identify Every Car Axle Anywhere in World: Auto-ID Center Lab at the University of St. Gallen: April 8, 2003 |
| An invitation to the April 8, 2003 opening of the Auto-ID Center Lab at the University of St. Gallen suggests the possibility of identifying vehicles via computer worldwide. |
| [QUOTE] | Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a simple concept with enormous implications. Put a tag on a can of soda or car axle, and suddenly a computer can «see» it. |
| Put tags on every can of soda and every car axle, and suddenly the world changes. No more inventory counts. No more lost shipments. No more guessing how much material is in the supply chain. |
| The Auto-ID Center is designing, building, testing and deploying a new global infrastructure-a layer on top of the Internet-that will make it possible for computers to identify any object anywhere in the world instantly... |
| This is the next computer revolution.37[UNQUOTE] |
| J. | "New 'Pay As You Go' RFID System": RFID Journal; May 29, 2003 |
| Jonathan Collins reported in an RFID Journal news article that, "TransCore will make it possible for people to use RFID toll collection systems to pay for parking." |
| [QUOTE] | TransCore, a privately held transportation services company based in Dallas, Texas, hopes to cash in on the popularity of RFID toll payment systems by launching a pay-as-you-go system for the parking industry. The new program takes advantage of battery-powered transponders already installed on many vehicles... |
| Currently, most wireless parking and RFID toll collection systems require that you set up an account and deposit money in it. The account is then debited each time you park or pass through a toll, and the account is replenished automatically. TransCore says it can now link RFID and other vehicle tags to a subscriber's credit card or bank account, so that they can be used for a range of larger and less regular payments. |
| "Road toll fees can be as little as 25 cents, whereas five days' parking at an airport can be $125," says Frank Dittoe, director of sales, Western US at TransCore. "That would be well over the threshold of existing toll credit"... |
| ...According to TransCore, the new system is the first of a number of additional applications that can leverage the growing tag subscriber base across the country. |
| "Houston and Dallas, for example, both have 1 million toll tags in use and that installed base can be used for multiple commercial applications," says Dittoe. "With so many subscribers in such high concentration, there [are] clearly uses beyond parking and toll payments"... |
| The first deployment of its system is set to be at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. "We already have 300 lanes using our automatic vehicle identification system in downtown Chicago, which will be brought online as well," says Dittoe.38[UNQUOTE] |