Technology Briefs - Dec. 14 - Dec. 20
The Latest Headlines:
- White House Plans Shutdown of GPS During National Crisis
- DaimlerChrysler, GM to Team Up on Engines
- GEOCOMtms Names New CEO
- DaimlerChrysler, GM to Team Up on Engines
White House Plans Shutdown of GPS During National Crisis
President Bush has ordered plans for temporarily disabling the network of global positioning satellites during a national crisis, the Associated Press reported.Any shutdown inside the United States would come under only the most remarkable circumstances, a Bush administration official told AP. GPS is used by many trucking and transportation firms to track vehicles and shipments.
The military increasingly uses GPS technology to move troops across large areas and direct bombs and missiles, AP said. Any government-ordered shutdown or jamming of the GPS satellites would be done in ways to limit disruptions to navigation and related systems outside the affected area, the White House said. Transport Topics
DaimlerChrysler, GM to Team Up on Engines
General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG said the would team up to develop hybrid technology for a range of vehicles, the Associated Press reported.The companies signed a memorandum of understanding and intend to enter into a definitive agreement early next year. No financial details were disclosed.
Hybrids draw power from two energy sources, typically a gasoline or diesel engine combined with an electric motor. The companies said the engines would achieve at least a 25% improvement in fuel economy in full-size truck applications, according to AP. Transport Topics
GEOCOMtms Names New CEO
GEOCOMtms, which builds software systems for fleet route optimization, said Dec. 7 it had appointed Michael Nark as its chief executive officer.Nark, who joined GEOCOMtms in 2003, brought 14 years of leadership experience in the information technology industry to the position, the company said in a statement.
Nark was with the company for more than a year as executive vice president of sales and marketing, said Scott Beaver, director of product marketing.
“We technically did not have a CEO for about the past year,” Beaver told Transport Topics.
The company’s optimization software is used by fleets to build more efficient routing and scheduling for the local pickup and delivery, less-than-truckload, retail home delivery, oil and gas delivery and other sectors, Beaver said.
GEOCOMtms is based in Atlanta and Quebec. Transport Topics
