#driving data

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute will share massive trove of driver research data as part of $16 million program

But the next generation of in-car technology will get much more interesting, with embedded systems making a comeback of sorts, in more sophisticated form. Such systems may focus on collecting data that only the car can provide — and transferring it to Web-based systems to large numbers of drivers. If cars signaled that their windshield wipers were on, for instance, that information could be fed into a navigation system that could warn other drivers of a rainstorm ahead. Or your car could tell an app on your phone how much gas you have left in the tank, so the app could find the cheapest gas station on your route. The electronics could also trigger on-board cameras to take instant photos if sensors detect that the car was about to be in a crash, enabling drivers to document the sequence of events leading to the accident. "Right now, it is just one way, with your phone connected to your car," Eisnor said, "but the really interesting things begin to happen when the information goes from the car to your phone."