Ford Turns Metro Detroit into

Europe for SYNC Testing

Ford developers created a “mini” Europe in the Detroit area to test out new software for Europe’s version
of Ford SYNC 911™ Assist called Emergency Assistance. Europe presented unique software engineering
challenges due to its high concentration of languages, borders and its emergency services infrastructure.
The simulated Europe allowed developers to travel across made-up country borders to help prove out
the ability of Emergency Assistance to identify the correct country, region and language to speak to an
emergency operator as well as communicate with vehicle occupants in their native tongue in the event of
an accident.

How It Worked

Using GPS coordinates for locations

in the Detroit area, Ford engineers
generated pretend country borders
for France, Germany, Italy, the U.K.,
Spain and Dutch-speaking countries
France such as the Netherlands and
Italy Belgium. During computer-simulated
Netherlands
and real-world road tests, engineers
(Dutch) would cross the created borders
and monitor if the SYNC software
Germany accurately determined the correct
country, language and emergency
United Kingdom service protocol.

Spain

How SYNC Emergency

Assistance Works
Within Europe, drivers often cross SYNC prompts the
vehicle occupants
country borders where multiple Emergency Assistance SYNC uses GPS in their preferred
Airbag deploys or feature initiated and mobile phone
language and starts
languages are spoken. With Emergency fuel pump shut-off information to pinpoint
the emergency call
vehicle location
Assistance, if, for example, a German process

customer drives into France and gets in

an accident, the feature will make the
call (dial 112) to the local emergency
operator in French, yet speak to the
vehicle occupants in their native
LOAD LOAD

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

tongue, German.
DIRECT DIRECT
TUNE 7 8 9 0 CLOCK TUNE 7 8 9 0 CLOCK

Ford Focus
SCAN SOUND SCAN SOUND

SYNC leaves an A prerecorded Call and coordinates

SHUFFLE TRACK MENU
OK Feature counts down
SHUFFLE TRACK MENU
OK

open microphone message is delivered are delivered directly to before placing call
GENRE/FOLD TEXT GENRE/FOLD TEXT

connection allowing in the appropriate local 112 operator

AM / FM CD SAT AUX AM / FM CD SAT AUX

communication language selected

BUTTON BUTTON BUTTON BUTTON

PASS PASS
OFF OFF

between the vehicle by SYNC

BUTTON AUTO BUTTON
TEMP
BUTTON AUTO BUTTON
TEMP

BUTTON BUTTON BUTTON BUTTON

occupants and
emergency operator
Vehicle occupants can cancel the call at any
time by pressing and holding the phone button

Vehicle occupants can continue the call while

moving away from the vehicle

2/2011 for more information, go to WWW.media.ford.com