Roadmapper preliminary homepage

Roadmapper is the name of a project which goal it is to create a fully Open Sourced travel-assistant. Roadmapper consists of various pieces of standard hardware and (fully Open Sourced) software and data.

Roadmapper bases on standard PC hardware and other standard hardware components, like radio, mobile phone and a GPS receiver. It receives data from hardware inside your vehicle, e.g. GAL pulses from your speedometer and signals from your gearbox, oil-pressure sensor, on-board-computer etc.

Roadmapper will be able to process various dataformats, like RDS, SMS and (Open Source) digital maps on CD and hard-disk.

Roadmapper can be used for various tasks, amongst them:

• navigation - it enables you to find your way using a map and/or spoken directions, and additionaly uses a unique 3 dimensional map to show you where you are and which obstacles there may be on your way. It will inform you about traffic jams, detours, bad weather, speedlimits and more.
• fleet-control - this enables (authorised) people to find out where you are annex have been;
• theft-alert, car-alert - not only will your car be able to honk and beep if somebody moves it or breaks in to it; additionally the system will inform the outside world about it's location on a regular basis too. This enables easy retrieval of your property;
• automated cruisecontrol - you car is constantly informed about the the (current) maximum speed limit on a certain road, and about radar-posts, control-loops in the road etc. - it will adjust your speed accordingly. Also, it may be connected to radar-detection equipment and/or laser detection equipment (note: in as far this is allowed in your country);

Roadmapper is a bi-directional system: it is able to send and receive messages to and from various hardware- and software systems. It uses a standardized, open messaging format named Roadmapper Universal Messaging (RUM). RUM messages are handled by a set of (software-)modules. These modules in turn communicate with the various hardware components. RUM is able to use encryption and has authentication mechanisms built-in.

E.g. a RUM message could be sent to your car, originating from your dealer. Of course, the dealer would need to have your permission to send you this type of messages, and you, and only you, are in control of who is allowed to send/receive data to and from your Roadmapper box.

Say, the dealer has permission to read out the values stored in your car's board computer. Your car would transmit these, using RUM encryption/authentication, the dealer's computers would decrypt the data and analyze it. Perhaps they will send you a RUM message to inform you that you should visit the garage. Of course, your PDA will be informed too and the route to the garage is automatically calculated by the navigator in your Roadmapper box.

The same messaging system can be used to update the digital maps or to inform you about traffic jams and bad weather. They can be used to send you e-mail's too. And RUM enables you to sent messages yourself: peer-to-peer or to (sub-)groups of Roadmapper users e.g. to inform them about traffic jams, speed-traps etc, or simply to arrange a meeting during lunch. Gateways between e.g. Teletekst and RUM, RDS and RUM and e-mail and RUM are foreseen (and probably there will be many more).

The Roadmapper team will meet for the first time somewhere during this summer. Initiators are Henk Klöpping and Dirk-Jan Faber.

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