In-vehicle telematics has gone from being an obscure option to a customer expectation. What’s more, the scope of telematics, which originally focused on safety and security, has grown dramatically. Automakers are now creating telematics systems that provide turn-by-turn navigation, automated concierge services, hands-free calling, fuel economy displays, pay-by-use insurance, teenager geo-fencing, vehicle firmware upgrades, eCall capabilities and many other functions.

Building a telematics platform that can perform these functions and still execute flawlessly is a serious challenge. The platform may need to process gigabytes of vehicle data in real time, collecting sensor information for “big data” and catching safety-critical events without dropping a single byte. It must be available immediately after ignition and run on minimal stored power, yet be built as inexpensively as possible. And it must be designed with flexibility in mind, to support downloads of yet-to-be-imagined content and services.

To deliver compelling features, a telematics system requires an OS that can react to critical events, quickly and predictably. An OS that offers a proven track record in reliability, preferably supported by certifications. An OS flexible enough to let automakers add new features, yet secure enough to help keep out intruders. An OS backed by a company with the expertise and experience needed to minimize safety certification efforts. Telematics developers also need to deliver reliable, bug-free products on time. QNX Software Systems provides the tools and services to help.

QNX Software Systems is a recognized leader in telematics software, providing the OS behind OnStar, the world’s largest telematics provider. The QNX^® Neutrino^® RTOS has been independently verified as a deterministic realtime OS, and controls mission-critical and safety-critical applications throughout the world. Our powerful networking stack provides everything needed to bring the best in LTE and 3G connectivity to telematics services. In OEM acoustic bakeoffs, our hands-free and noise cancellation software wins top marks for audio quality, every time. And the same OS security features trusted to protect millions of phones can help telematics systems prevent unwanted access.

On the development side, our award-winning QNX^® Momentics^® Tool Suite brings a powerful arsenal of tools to customers’ engineering groups. The suite’s system profiler acts as a software logic analyzer, helping developers diagnose system behaviors that would be otherwise impossible to see. And the memory analysis and profiling tools help developers ferret out memory leaks and squeeze every ounce out of the CPU.

On the services side, the QNX automotive solutions team has been behind many of the automotive industry’s most lauded products. For over a decade they’ve worked hand-in-hand with customers to ensure their success, with an on-time start-of-production (SOP) track record of 100%.

At QNX, we also have extensive experience in functional safety certification. The QNX Neutrino RTOS, which forms the foundation of most QNX products, has a long history in realtime safety-critical systems and has been certified to multiple international functional safety standards including the widely-applied IEC 61508 and the new favorite of the automotive market – ISO 26262. We have supported many customers in various markets through their certification efforts and can provide valuable guidance and assistance to manufacturers to control certification cost.

The QNX OS for Safety is a product designed to answer the needs of functional safety for automotive OEMs and Tier 1's. Its predecessor is the QNX OS for Automotive Safety assessed to ISO 26262 ASIL D. The product can be used as a reliable platform for driver information systems that have safety-critical requirements. The certification is provided by TUV Rheinland, an international leader in the sustained development of safety and quality. QNX OS for Safety not only delivers a pre-certified operating system, but also includes the qualified tool chain that can be used to develop safety-critical applications with ISO 26262 requirements. Please refer to the QNX OS for Safety product page for product details.

Automotive companies building a telematics system can’t do it all themselves, which is why we partner with the best. Our ecosystem includes the technology leaders that customers need to build tomorrow’s telematics systems. For example:

• Freescale, TI, Renesas – Telematics-grade silicon
• OpenSynergy (iAnywhere), Cybercom – Bluetooth stacks
• Nuance – Voice recognition
• Elektrobit – State machine management
• Vector – Vehicle bus stacks