Fort Wayne, IN – Fort Wayne-based ZOOM Information Systems has been awarded a contract from the Iowa Department of Transportation to provide wireless internet connectivity at all 39 rest areas in the state. This technology allows motorists, fleets and Iowa DOT employees to connect to the Internet via their laptops or other wireless communication devices while visiting any of the state’s rest areas. The contract is the first state-wide implementation of ZOOM’s ARTIIS technology, funded from a State of Indiana grant. “This is the initial step in providing total connectivity for both travelers and fleets.” said Mike Fritsch, President of ZOOM Information Systems. “We are pleased to be selected by Iowa as the first in many states to come.”
ZOOM will be creating Wi-Fi hotspots that cover the geographical vicinity of each rest area and information kiosks inside the rest area for use by travelers without computers. Once a user connects, they will be directed to a custom Internet home page specific to each rest area. Travelers will see links to information regarding: road construction; winter road conditions; weather maps, forecasts and alerts; reports of major traffic incidents; Amber Alerts; food, lodging, and fuel available at nearby exits; and local tourism attractions and events.
Beyond the home page, users can visit other Web sites and access their e-mail accounts. This is of particular value to business travelers and commercial vehicle operators, as well as the leisure traveler. Iowa Department of Transportation employees will have a separate wireless channel to conduct business and create a “remote office”.
In the near future, ZOOM sees this connectivity expanding to include transfer of data from moving vehicles, including truck fleets, state police cars, snow plows and passenger cars. This is where the ZOOM ARTIIS (Advanced Real-Time Transportation Infrastructure Information System) system comes in. ARTIIS gathers and “fuses” real-time data from vehicles to determine traffic, road and weather conditions and report on vehicle status. The development of ARTIIS was partially funded with $2.75 million in grant dollars from the State of Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund. ZOOM expects the ARTIIS system to be sold to city, county, state and commercial customers as well as integrate with huge national transportation initiatives such as VII (Vehicle Infrastructure Integration).
ZOOM and partners will be taking this connectivity technology all across the country. “Many other states and cities are interested in offering the same kind of functionality and more.” said Darwin Dahlgren, CEO of ZOOM. “The ability to offer this service to travelers and create a high bandwidth connection to fleets at the same time is a tremendous benefit.”