[W3C Press Release] W3C and Automotive Industry Start New Web Standards Work for Connected Cars

Hello,

W3C issued a press today:
  
 W3C and Automotive Industry Start New Web Standards Work for Connected Cars   
 http://www.w3.org/2015/02/auto.html.en
  
There are links in the online version, and the text is below.

For any translations of the press release, see:
 http://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2015#auto

Media contact:
 Ian Jacobs: <w3t-pr@w3.org>, +1.718 260 9447

===========

3 February 2015 — In recognition of increased consumer demand for data
and services in Connected Cars, W3C announced today a new automotive
industry collaboration to bring drivers and passengers a rich Web
experience. The effort will focus initially on giving application
vendors standard and more secure access to vehicle data.

"Car owners want access to the Web and receive real-time updates about
their vehicles and the world around them, including weather, traffic,
and parking information," said Jeff Jaffe, W3C CEO. "They also want
smooth integration with their mobile devices. No other platform can
match the Web's ability to bridge the diversity of data that will come
from the car, user devices, the Web, and the Internet of Things. But
we need to enable Web access in a way that does not compromise safety,
and to provide secure access to data in a way that takes into account
user privacy preferences. The auto industry's support for this new
initiative is an encouraging sign that the Open Web Platform will help
make driving safer and more fun."

In February 2013 auto manufacturers, chip makers, browser makers, and
mobile operators began work at W3C on draft specifications for car
data, such as vehicle identification, acceleration and speed, tire
pressure, battery status, and personalization information such as seat
position and climate information. Today's new Automotive Working Group
is chartered advance those draft specifications to Web standards.

"Connectivity is transforming the car industry," said Matt Jones, Head
of Future Infotainment at Jaguar Land Rover. "We believe the Web is
the auto industry's best path forward to keep up with rapidly changing
consumer expectations and evolving technology, as well as addressing
challenges such as over-the-air updates and advanced
diagnostics. Using Web technology in the car will reduce time to
market for automotive apps, and allowing more innovation from existing
development teams."

Numerous automotive industry leaders participated in the Automotive
and Web Platform Business Group that created the draft specifications,
including: BSQUARE, BlackBerry, Continental, Ford, General Motors,
GENIVI Alliance, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence
(KI) Gmbh, Harman, Hyundai, iHeartMedia, Intel, JEITA, Jaguar Land
Rover, Japan Automobile Research Institute, KDDI, LG Electronics,
Mitsubishi, Neusoft, Nokia, OpenCar, Orange, Pandora Media, Porsche,
Samsung, Sharp, Telenor, TotalFinaElf, Verisign, Visteon, Vodafone,
and Volkswagen.

"GENIVI Alliance members represent broad interests in the automotive
industry, including leading OEMs, Tier 1's, OSV, Middleware, Hardware,
Service Providers, and Chip Makers," said Philippe Gicquel, GENIVI
President. "What unites them is the shared commitment to broad
adoption of an open platform for in-vehicle infotainment. We applaud
the launch of this new W3C standards effort, which will spur
innovation in our industry and make it much easier to bring those
innovations to market.”

"The W3C, through the Automotive Business Group, has provided an
excellent forum, bringing together a diverse set of stakeholders,
where traditional automotive businesses such as OEMs and Tier 1's can
openly collaborate with content and technology companies —not
typically associated with the automotive industry— on use cases,
requirements and draft specification reports," added Paul Boyes,
Director of Telematics & Standards, OpenCar, and Co-chair of both the
Business and Working Group. "With the creation of Automotive Working
Group, this collaboration will continue resulting in standards that
will pave the way for more rapid innovation in the connected car
space, benefiting the entire industry."

In parallel to the standardization effort, the Automotive and Web
Platform Business Group launched two years ago will now turn its
attention to developing requirements on a number of new topics,
including media tuners and speech interfaces.

"W3C represents the broadest range of interests in vehicle
connectivity encompassing car makers and the broader connected car
eco-system," said Roger C. Lanctot, associate director in the Global
Automotive Practice at Strategy Analytics. "There are no hidden
agendas, just a keen interest in enabling a platform for the rapid
deployment and advancement of vehicle connectivity. And because that
will increasingly include connectivity between vehicles, pedestrians,
devices and infrastructure, the work of the W3C will speed the
realization of a multiplicity of IoT applications and experiences."

In February 2015, W3C also launched new work on the Web of Things to
accelerate the development of open markets for products and services
based on tags, sensors and actuators, and other data on the Web.

-----------------------------------
About the World Wide Web Consortium

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium
where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work
together to develop Web standards. W3C primarily pursues its mission
through the creation of Web standards and guidelines designed to
ensure long-term growth for the Web. The Open Web Platform is a
current major focus. Over 390 organizations are Members of the
Consortium. W3C is jointly run by the MIT Computer Science and
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the USA, the
European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM)
headquartered in France, Keio University in Japan, and Beihang
University in China, and has additional Offices worldwide. For more
information see http://www.w3.org/

--
Ian Jacobs <ij@w3.org>      http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
Tel:                       +1 718 260 9447

Received on Tuesday, 3 February 2015 15:00:32 UTC