make great advances over the next couple of decades. Current telematics systems, such as General Motor's OnStar, already provide several basic support services, such as location-based news and weather reports and the ability to remotely unlock VEHICULAR TELEMATICS inadvertently locked doors. But Ken Hopkins, director of product innovation for Farmington, Michigan-based Motorola Automotive, believes that that many more exciting telematics services are just down the road. He predicts that by 2025 vehicles will be able to drive themselves without human interac- tion, providing a much safer traveling environment as well as a true mobile office. "In other words, you'll get in, tell the vehicle a destination, and it will get you there," he says. In the meantime, Motorola is developing collision- avoidance technology that will automatically alert drivers to upcoming obstructions, such as debris in the road or another vehicle ahead. "We're going to enter into an era where we can actually prevent accidents," he says. The widespread acceptance of global position system (GPS) technology will be critical to telematics' overall growth. As consumer awareness of GPS increases, SO will product innovation and total market revenue. Roughly half of the GPS market today consists of automotive and asset-tracking equipment. These segments will still continue to grow at rates faster than that of the broader market for GPS equipment, according to ABI, a technology market research firm located in Oyster Bay, New York. Despite the strength of these markets, new GPS applications are constantly emerging, for example, people-tracking devices and GPS golf systems. The net result will be a GPS market worth over $22 billion by 2008, according to ABI figures. Companies like Garmin, Wherify Wireless, and Navman are synony- mous with integrating GPS receivers into innovative form factors. Advances in GPS integrated circuits (ICs) will fuel this trend across the entire industry. Sony's recent unveiling of a miniature, single-chip IC provides furthe