Aftermarket Insider Issue 66 - (Page 26)

MARKET RESEARCH laTeST anD greaTeST Telematics Trendline: following the Growth of Automotive Telematics B Y: DEREk kAu FMA N, C 3 NE TW O Rk , IN C. Telematics Trendline is a series of monthly articles by Derek Kaufman, C3 Network, Inc., designed to inform AAIA members about the trends in telematics applications for both the retail automotive and commercial trucking industries. For the full September article, or for more of the series, visit www.aftermarket.org. Map the Spill Formed in Silicon Valley in 1978, Trimble has grown to more than $1.1 billion in revenue by providing a wide range of location-based services. Through a long list of acquisitions, the company now leads the way in turning GPS technology into real-world applications that generate significant returns for their users. One of the ways Trimble has stayed current with the changing world around them, is to demonstrate new capabilities while providing assistance to charitable organizations and governmental agencies in natural disasters and accidents. Their latest offering, Map the Spill, is a great example of this philanthropic work. Map the Spill uses rich media and GPS technology in a mobile application that allows people affected by the BP oil spill in Alabama and Louisiana to chronicle the impact of the spill in photos, map coordinates, text updates and report logging. The “secret sauce” of the application is the fact that it allows users to collect this content in areas without cell coverage. The application was developed for the Android cell phone platform and is being expanded to work on Apple’s iPhone as well. Now governmental agencies, NGOs and scientists are using the data generated by Map the Spill to direct clean-up efforts on the coast. We applaud Trimble for both their altruism and their marketing prowess! http://www.mapthespill.org/ www.trimble.com GUi Toolkit Through television, computers and now video games, we have become an extraordinarily visually oriented society. We expect our electronic devices to have rich images and simple, straightforward controls that operate with the touch of an icon. Hence, the growth of the graphical user interface (GUI). In our opinion, getting the GUI right is more than half the battle in getting your product accepted by the buying public. Like anything else, the world of GUI has its own language. Here the talk is of per-pixel alpha blending, bitmap rotation and anti-aliasing of drawing primitives. Arrgh arrgh arrgh! But translate all that and you get – simple, intuitive button, icon and screen control. 26 | AFTERMARKET INSIDER | VOLUME 66 http://www.aftermarket.org/Publications/Telematics-Trendline.aspx

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aftermarket Insider Issue 66

Aftermarket Insider Issue 66
Table of Contents
President's Message
AAPEX News
AAPEX 2010: A Snapshot of This Year's Show
Member Profile
Trade Show Toolbox: Special Edition
International Focus
Government Affairs
Market Research
"Be Car Care Aware" Pilot Program
Campaign Update
Technology Update
Telematics Trendline
Market Research

Aftermarket Insider Issue 66