[March 03, 2015] |
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Arpent Technologies: Your Roads, Connected
Rivada
Networks today announced the formation of Arpent
Technologies, a new business that will revolutionize the way our
roads and bridges are used and paid for.
"Arpent leverages Rivada's highly accurate location-finding
technology and dynamic pricing to change the paradigm for infrastructure
finance," CEO Declan Ganley said, speaking from the floor of Mobile
World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
Prof. Richard Geddes, Director of the Cornell Program in Infrstructure
Policy, explained the need for a new approach: "We tax fossil fuels to
pay for our roads," Prof. Geddes notes. "But with rising fuel economy
and ever-more electric vehicles, this model is unsustainable." He adds:
"Arpent's technology has the potential to provide a reliable, adequate
funding source to transform the way our road infrastructure system is
funded."
Arpent's patent-pending technology can replace fuel taxes, tollgates and
even transponder-based systems with real-time information on road use,
accurate down to specific lane use. Thanks to Rivada's patented Enhanced
Location-Based Services, this precision is possible even where no GPS
signal is directly available. Location can be keyed either to a driver's
cell-phone or to the growing number of "connected cars," which have
mobile-network radios built in.
Accurate real-time information about road use facilitates dynamic
road-use pricing that can both intelligently manage demand at peak times
and provide the revenue needed to maintain and expand aging
infrastructure.
"Roads and highways are keys to the economic growth of all nations,"
says Dr. Juan Jose Daboub, Former Managing Director of the World Bank
Group and Former Minister of Finance of El Salvador. "For emerging
economies it is particularly crucial for poverty alleviation and social
well being. Competitiveness of the private sector depends on a
well-built and -run infrastructure." Dr. Daboub adds: "Arpent is
positioning itself as a trailblazer in terms of planning, paying for and
financing roads and highways in a way that is fair, practical,
transparent, competitive and technologically savvy. I look forward to
their progress."
The idea of replacing our current fuel taxes with a road-use charge or
mileage-based user fee has been around for some time. But Arpent's
approach goes beyond the simple mileage-based approaches in use or being
trialed in certain locations. It uses real-time data about road use to
manage congestion and help keep traffic moving and ensure that those who
use our most valuable infrastructure help pay for its upkeep.
"Roads are the original network technologies," Mr. Ganley says. "It's
only natural that we take advantage of the wireless networking
revolution to start treating our roads like the networked systems they
are. We at Arpent look forward to the day that the toolbooth seems as
quaint as the corner phonebooth."
Note to reporters: Messrs. Geddes and Daboub are members of the board of
directors of Arpent Technologies. Arpent is a subsidiary of Rivada
Networks.
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