High Tech Continues to Infiltrate Daily Life: Two More New Developments

Technology that seemed like science fiction only a few years ago has become part of our everyday lives. The low cost and availability of wireless networking, digital photography and global positioning system (GPS) technology has led to new and exciting applications apart from those originally conceived by their inventors. Here are two recent examples of new uses that may confront us in 2005. Not Your Average Parking Meter Wireless networking has been employed to address one of life's big frustrations – plugging money into the parking meter before time runs out. This past summer, the City of Montreal began installing a network of electronic meters that allow users to pay for parking from multiple locations. The system works by electronically tracking parking payment for a specific numbered spot. Payment for use of the parking spot can be made at any kiosk in the city. Receipts are not required to be left in the car, since the parking payment is tracked electronically through the kiosks. On the enforcement side, wireless PDAs carried by parking enforcement officials are updated constantly with information as to which parking spots have been paid for and which are overdue. Although not yet implemented, the system could accept parking payments from cell-phones, PDAs and computers over the Internet. It is expected that 6,000 coin-operated sidewalk meters will be replaced this winter with the new parking kiosks. Digital Photo Geocoding Following the mainstream adoption of digital cameras and GPS, interest is beginning to grow in the linking of digital photography to GPS data. "Geo-coding" of digital photos results in the electronic storage of the precise location where the photo was taken, along with the photo. In addition to use by consumers for a vacation travel log, on a commercial level such technology has also been used by real estate agents, archaeologists and crime scene investigators to pinpoint locations of graphic images. Because digital cameras able to communicate directly with a GPS receiver are quite expensive, most people interested in geo-coding use separate equipment such as a digital camera and a handheld or watch-based GPS. As both devices record the time and date, the photo and GPS data can be matched later manually or through available software. Software that can generate maps based on the data recorded is also now available. As the price of technology continues to fall and therefore becomes available to a wider spectrum of the public, look for such inventive uses of technology to become more common in 2005. The two developments noted above were the subject of stories in the technology online service of The Globe and Mail (www.globetechnology.com) on December 17 and December 30, respectively. Summary by: Sue Diaz