Canberra, Australia and Las Vegas, Nevada – April 16, 2013

Locata Corporation announced today that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) plans to install a Locata network as the core positioning technology in a US$30 million upgrade now under way at their famed Vehicle Research Center (VRC) near Washington DC. A LocataNet will provide the vitally important high-precision positioning required by the VRC to perform rigorous, consistent and repeatable scientific evaluation of new vehicle crash avoidance systems. VRC crash tests produce the famous TOP SAFETY PICK ratings, which  for years have helped consumers make informed decisions about buying safer cars. Now research into new systems that allow cars to actively avoid collisions will elevate the value of the Institute’s safety ratings to new levels.

Carrying out these new tests is not a trivial exercise. The VRC has to research and install new state-of-the-art robotic and positioning technology to enable the required level of precision. The LocataNet installation will furnish the IIHS with a locally controlled positioning system that is seamless over all of the VRC new test areas, enabling extremely reliable automated positioning of vehicles. The newly expanded facility includes a continuous vehicle test track that transverses not only open-air roadway areas but also a vast 300 x 700 feet (90 x 215 m) fully covered testing area. Locata’s unique ability to provide cm-accurate, locally controlled positioning across both outdoor and indoor environments gives the IIHS flexibility to design a positioning system to meet their vital test requirements, while also allowing easy upgrade and expansion in the future.