IMAGES: Available at www.media.ford.com.
SUMMARY:
- Ford's Service Delivery Network (SDN) brings together best-in-class service providers to power Ford's latest SYNC application, Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI)
- The first iteration of SDN includes routing, mapping, traffic and data-over-voice services by companies such as deCarta, Telenav, INRIX, Airbiquity and Tellme
- Through service partner relationships, Ford SYNC TDI application pings six data centers for real-time information for turn-by-turn driving directions, traffic reports, business searches and favorite news, sports and weather – in 30 to 45 seconds
- Ford SYNC retails for $395; TDI services are included for the first three years of ownership
CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:
Ford acclimates to the fast-changing technology landscape by creating a plug-and-play architecture that allows it to leverage six data centers for real-time information. Leveraging its Service Delivery Network, Ford enables its customers to access real-time turn-by-turn driving directions, traffic and business searches, and favorite news, sports and weather without a full navigation system.
DETAILS:
The five companies that make up Ford's SDN include TellMe, INRIX, deCarta, Telenav and Airbiquity. Ford leverages a total of six servers residing in Mountain View, Calif.; San Jose, Calif.; Sunnyvale, Calif.; Tokwila, Wash.; and Sterling, Va.; as well as Dearborn, Mich. Information is transmitted in approximately 30 to 45 seconds.
One of the key advantages of creating such a network is the access to real-time information that appears seamless to the consumer. Ford's new approach to connected in-car navigation and information services enables it to be integrated, affordable, up-to-date and easily upgradeable.
Providers within the Ford Service Delivery Network include:
- Microsoft Tellme – The voice portal that interprets the "services" voice command made by the SYNC TDI user and readies the request for routing to the appropriate SDN provider.
- INRIX – Requests for "traffic" or "directions," for instance, are routed by Tellme to INRIX, which gathers real-time traffic data to build the most efficient, fastest route.
- deCarta – Linked to INRIX, deCarta offers up its routing engine – used by many Internet mapping sites – to help create that route, accessing its database of more than 800,000 miles of roadways.
- Telenav – The route then is sent to Telenav's servers, which packages the route created by INRIX and deCarta for consumption in the vehicle.
- Airbiquity – The provider of SDN's data-over-voice technology, Airbiquity allows information to be sent to the vehicle over the voice channel without the need for a data plan from the SYNC TDI user.
Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI)
Leveraging the voice connection, SYNC TDI uses a customer's existing mobile phone and vehicle-integrated GPS receiver to connect drivers to deliver real-time turn-by-turn driving directions, traffic and business searches, and favorite news, sports and weather through voice-activated Ford SYNC.
According to CEA's "Technology Enthusiast Driver Population – Driving the Future of In-Vehicle Technologies" study, the inability to easily update maps is the primary consumer complaint for more than 60 percent of vehicle owners using installed or portable navigation systems.
Through the network, Ford can add the latest map and business data plus hot-list features – new network providers, for that matter – without having to touch the vehicle or inconvenience its owner. In contrast, customers with DVD-based or hard drive-driven navigation systems or PNDs must purchase costly replacement discs or pay to download maps to keep current.
The TDI application is available on all 2010 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with SYNC, including the all-new Ford Taurus, Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKT.
TDI comes with no monthly subscription fee for the first three years.
QUOTES:
"With the debut of Ford's Service Delivery Network, Ford has applied best practices from the technology and telecommunications industries and has fundamentally changed the way auto companies will view the automobile over the next century. This plug-and-play architecture enables Ford the same flexibility as some of the greatest consumer technology companies and allows us to bring services to our consumers more quickly and affordably."
"We're seeing industries collide and convergence happening everywhere. You will no longer just make phone calls on your mobile phone, just as you will no longer just watch movies on your television. Today, with the introduction of Ford's Service Delivery Network combined with the power of Ford SYNC, you are witnessing a collision between the wireless, technology and auto industries that will enable people to drive safer, smarter and more efficiently."
– Doug VanDagens,
Director/Ford Connected Service Solutions
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
Sept. 30, 2009