Case Studies
Automated emergency response systems (eCall / ERA-GLONASS)

Automated emergency response systems are projects to bring rapid assistance to motorists involved in a road accident. The projects aim to provide local emergency agencies, i.e., fire brigade, police force, etc., with the information about road accidents including precise positions of the accident via an emergency call center, which, in its turn, receives such information from a hardware black box installed in a vehicle. The transmission of the information is automatically done so that the rescue operation for casualties, who cannot make emergency calls by themselves due to their adverse conditions such as coma or heavy injury, can be arranged.

The automated emergency response systems are called "eCall" and "ERA-GLONASS" in Europe and the Russian federation, respectively. As a result of eCall project, duration of time required for rescue operations has been reduced by 60 per cent in urban area and by 50 per cent in rural area. Also, it is estimated that approximately 2,500 people may be saved from fatal injury or death from road accidents by eCall system.

On top of its benefits in terms of safety and security matters, eCall and ERA-GLONASS are expected to become a system that can bring about next-generation telematics services for drivers and fellow passengers.

Exceptionally high reliability is required for these systems as infrastructure. In the case of ERA-GLONASS, use of GLONASS is mandatory for the system so that it can run based solely upon the infrastructure indigenous to the Russian federation.

FURUNO's GNSS receiver lineup includes Galileo-compliant as well as GLONASS-compliant receivers, and they will be incorporated into the automated emergency response systems.