SOCRATES-progress towards commercial implementation

During the DRIVE 1 and DRIVE 2 programmes, the SOCRATES research projects developed the concept of using cellular radio for providing digital data into on-board computers to provide a range of applications, including dynamic route guidance and emergency call. The major achievements during DRIVE 2 provided the foundations upon which commercial services can be established. They include; the formulation of a commercial framework for SOCRATES services and an analysis of the SOCRATES business case; the promotion of the General Packet Radio Service in the GSM specification to include SOCRATES requirements; the publishing of the SOCRATES Application Data Protocol and its acceptance as the basis for a draft standard by CEN Technical Committee 278 Working Group 4.3. This paper presents a review of the DRIVE II SOCRATES projects, identifies some of the research topics which are still being addressed in the development of SOCRATES systems and services, and describes the way in which these topics are being included in the European Union Fourth Framework Programme. It also describes plans for the commercial implementation of SOCRATES services, the way in which these are integrated with other transport telematics applications, and the prospects for widespread implementation of advanced transport telematics (ATT) services based on cellular radio.