TransCore, Novacom Gain Space-Based Container-Tracking Deal

The European Space Agency has selected TransCore and Novacom Services to lead the development of an asset-tracking prototype that will provide visibility of intermodal containers and eliminate the line-of-sight complications that hinder container tracking.

A prototype should be completed by end of next year, the companies said Tuesday.

TransCore provides satellite asset tracking on three continents through its GlobalWave technology, and Novacom is a subsidiary of French firm Collecte Localisation Satellites.

Worldwide container traffic by sea, rail and truck is estimated to reach approximately 19 million units by 2012, bit there is no way to track and monitor individual containers from the point of origin to the point of destination on a continuous basis, the companies said.