University of Stuttgart project will support development of electronic motor vehicle systems, including powertrain and driver assistance systems that enable the reduction of CO2 emissions
DENVER & Stuttgart, Germany Intermap Technologies — a worldwide 3D digital mapping and geospatial solutions company, and the University of Stuttgart — amongst other research fields, a leading provider of in-vehicle research and simulation technology, today announced that Intermap´s highly accurate and uniform 3D road geometry has been selected for the university's interdisciplinary research project VALIDATE — effective immediately.
As part of the Germany federal government's high-tech strategy and IKT2020 research program, the University of Stuttgart initiated its VALIDATE research project in July 2008 with the goal of reducing vehicular CO2 emissions. The 3.7 million euro project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) through June 2011 — enabling the design of a powerful research platform that drives the analysis of benefits associated with future electronic control and assistance systems for motor vehicles.
The cornerstone of the VALIDATE project, in which several departments of the University of Stuttgart are participating, consists of building a driving simulator that will help develop intelligent driver assistance systems to increase fuel efficiencies and reduce CO2 emissions. The driving simulator is planned to be taken into operation in early 2011.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Christian Reuss (director chair of automotive mechatronic), University of Stuttgart said, "A driving simulator is a safe and economical way to test new systems in a virtual environment using actual drivers. In particular, this research will focus on assistance systems that can create an indirect reduction in fuel consumption by influencing driving style. We are very pleased to be leveraging such good road coverage and accuracy in the form of Intermap 3D road data. This will certainly help us achieve useful results."
"We are proud to be an integral part of a project that is capable of providing a solid foundation for automotive systems that reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiencies," said Eric DesRoche, senior vice president, automotive, for Intermap Technologies. "Intermap believes in creating mutually beneficial relations with leading universities and this project with the University of Stuttgart will ultimately lead to the production of new vehicles that are simply better for the planet."
Intermap is a global digital mapping company creating uniform high-resolution 3D digital models of the earth's surface. The Company has proactively remapped entire countries and built uniform national databases, called NEXTMap®, consisting of affordably priced elevation data and geometric images of unprecedented accuracy. Demand for NEXTMap data is growing as new commercial applications emerge within the GIS, engineering, automotive, GPS maps, insurance risk assessment, oil and gas, hydrology, renewable energy, environmental planning, wireless communications, transportation, aviation, and 3D visualization markets.
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Intermap has offices in Calgary, Detroit, Jakarta, London, Munich, Paris, Prague, and Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.Intermap.com, www.mobile.AccuTerra.com orwww.TerrainOnDemand.com.
NEXTMap® and AccuTerra® are registered trademarks of Intermap Technologies Corporation.
About University of Stuttgart
The main emphasis of the Universität of Stuttgart with its 20.000 students is on engineering and the natural sciences. However, combining these areas with the humanities and the social sciences adds something special to its profile.
Indicators of the excellent status are the two projects that were successful in the recent "Excellence Initiative" sponsored by both the Federal and the State governments. One project is the Cluster of Excellence "Simulation Technology" and the other, the Graduate School "Advanced Manufacturing Engineering". The research activities are concentrated around eight interdisciplinary areas, "Modelling and Simulation Technology", "New Materials", "Complex Systems and Communication", "Concepts of Technology and Technology Evaluation", "Energy and the Environment", "Mobility", "Integrated Product Design and Production Organisation" as well as "Building and Housing". The Universität Stuttgart is going to strengthen its research through interdisciplinary networks of cooperation in order to continue to expand the cutting-edge position in these fields.
For more information about the VALIDATE project, please visit: www.validate-stuttgart.de/english
Contacts
Intermap Technologies
Kevin Thomas, Vice President, Marketing
Phone: +1 303-708-0955
kthomas@intermap.com
University of Stuttgart - Institute for Internal Combustion Engines and Automotive Engineering / IVK
Dr. Anne Piegsa, VALIDATE project leader
Phone: +49 (0)711 — 685 68524
anne.piegsa@ivk.uni-stuttgart.de
University of Stuttgart — Department for Press and Public Relations
Keplerstrasse 7, D-70174 Stuttgart
Phone: +49 (0)711 — 685-82297, -82176, -82122, -82155, -82211
Fax +49 (0)711 — 685-82188
presse@uni-stuttgart.de