The Impact of Wireless Data Systems on Transportation Systems of the Future.pdfVIP

The Impact of Wireless Data Systems on Transportation Systems of the Future Ghazi M. Magableh, Scott J. Mason, Erhan Kutanoglu Department of Industrial Engineering University of Arkansas 4207 Bell Engineering Center Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA Abstract The explosion in the capability and number of applications for wireless data systems has allowed both personal and business consumers to become better connected to the world around them. The entire transportation industry is starting to benefit from this improved connectivity, as trucking companies are now able to communicate with their drivers more effectively. Improved fleet connectivity may result in other potential benefits to the transportation infrastructure as well as to the industry’s carriers and shippers. We present an analysis of the transportation marketplace to assess current applications of wireless data systems and potential future directions of wireless data system implementation. 1 Introduction The landscape of information technology is constantly changing, as witnessed by the recent explosion in the use of wireless communications. Wireless data systems (WDS) have allowed personal and business consumers to become better connected. As information processing is a crucial component for an effective operation in any company, transportation providers are now exploring the advantages of advanced wireless data system for better management of their transportation data systems as a part of their supply chain initiatives. According