eNews 06 November 2009
eNews: November 2009
About eNews
The ITS Radar International project provides an intelligence service for the Highways Agency (HA) on ITS developments in Europe and around the world. It summarises key information for decision-makers and practitioners on activities related to Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and covers specific areas of key interest to the HA. This is carried out by TRL and AECOM on behalf of the HA.
Regular newsletters are being produced, covering information which is in the public domain. For more information about the project and the services provided, the web site can be reached at: www.highways.gov.uk/itsradar.
To contact us, please email us at: ITSRadarInternational@trl.co.uk.
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Index
European Policy
Green Corridors conference
A Green Corridors conference will be held on 9 December 2009, in Brussels to discuss main issues facing the implementation of green corridors for long distance freight across Europe and to launch new initiatives aimed at aiding the deployment of green corridors.
Opportunity to attend ITS UK Security Interest Group conference
The ITS UK Security Interest Group is holding a conference in London on 3 December 2009. The aim of the conference is to discuss wide range of topics relevant to ensuring the security of the ITS infrastructure and of travellers and goods in transit.
Summary of the third European eCall Implementation Platform meeting
During the third European eCall Implementation Platform meeting the Commission shared the results of the eCall Impact Assessment Study. The Commission also clarified its position towards possible future regulatory actions for eCall implementation.
Trans-European Transport Network Coordinators present their annual report and a common Position Paper
The coordinators of the TEN-T network have presented the Vice President of the European Commission with their final report for the first mandate, along with a Position Paper. Recommendations cover aspects such as intermodal nodes, interoperability, regulation and enforcement.
The European Commission adopts the Action Plan on Urban Mobility
The EC has recently adopted the Action Plan on urban mobility that presents for the first time a comprehensive support package in the field of urban mobility for local, regional and national authorities.
The EC launches a public consultation on the European Road safety Action Programme
The EC has launched a public consultation on the European Road Safety Action Programme 2011-2020 that will run until 20 November 2009.
European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) – EC “Clears the Way for a Single European Road Toll Service”
The European Commission has adopted a decision on the EETS that sets out the technical specifications and requirements necessary for the launch of the service. The decision also lays down the rights and obligations of toll chargers, service providers and users.
A sustainable future for transport
The European Commission has published a new communication outlining recent developments, identifying trends and stimulating discussion on how to address likely future challenges in the transport sector.
“Take your Seats” article
An article in ‘Thinking Highways’ discusses a number of relevant developments in the European Transport Policy, along with likely future actions and challenges. A splitting up of the DG TREN is proposed that would see the creation of a smaller, more transport policy focused Directorate General.
European Research
Opportunity to attend EasyWay Annual Forum - ITS on the TERN
The EasyWay annual forum will be held in Vienna on 17 – 19 November 2009 and is open to stakeholders with an interest in ITS on the Trans-European Road Network (TERN).
Call for Papers: IET Road Transport Information and Control Conference and the ITS United Kingdom Members’ Conference
The call for papers to the 2010 RTIC conference (Road Transport Information and Control) has now been issued. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 30th November 2009.
Intelligent vehicles to be tested across European roads
Eight cutting edge intelligent in-vehicle technologies will be tested in 2010 as a part of the euroFOT project. The project is aimed at evaluation of the performance and impact of various in-vehicle systems on safety, efficiency, driver experience and the environment.
The CVIS Application Innovation Contest 2009 winners announced
CVIS Application Innovation Contest 2009 winners were announced during the 16th ITS World Congress in Stockholm. The first prize was for the development of a pedestrian safety system that is capable of detecting erratic driver behaviour on approach to a junction and notifying both pedestrians and the driver.
UK ITS development and test facility given the go ahead
A new dedicated facility for testing and developing ITS technologies – innovITS-ADVANCE is in the process of being built in the UK. The innovITS-ADVANCE centre will provide an environment for testing ITS technologies and developing them into commercial products.
Developing Electronic Vehicle Identification (EVI)
A new Electronic Vehicle Identification (EVI) system has been developed that enables a more accurate and secure method of receiving information on the vehicle’s identification. In tests the system achieved a 95 percent success rate in identifying equipped vehicles.
Viajeo project – supporting data exchange
The recently announced Viajeo project is looking to create, demonstrate and validate an open platform which will enable information exchange among various traffic and transport information stakeholders. The project is funded by the EC and is supported by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea.
NEARCTIS
The Network of Excellence for Advanced Road Cooperative Traffic management in the Information Society project (NEARCITS) is aiming to bring together academic organisations across Europe in an attempt to create a virtual research institute that would enable a common and consistent traffic management research programme to be established.
ASSET
ASSET (Advanced Safety and driver Support for Essential road Transport) is a European project that is aiming to improve safety in the field of sustainable road transportation through activities such as developing a new System Theory of Traffic Safety and Holistic System Design.
Pilots
Washington fits infra-red systems to traffic cameras
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has replaced its traffic cameras on I-90 with eight low-light cameras equipped with infrared illuminators. New cameras provide 24-hour real-time views of highway conditions.
New cellular-based VMS system to be installed on Cape Town’s highways
New variable message signs (VMS) based on cellular communication technology will be installed in the South African city of Cape Town. They will warn drivers about accidents and show alternative routes, thus minimising congestion.
Delphi to lead Active Safety Car research project
Delphi, a leading supplier in the automotive industry, has been selected to lead the Active Safety Car Research project. The project is part of the Automotive North Rhine-Westphalia programme in Germany, aimed at improving road safety and fuel efficiency.
ISA trials meeting
Transport for London (TfL) officers have met with Lancashire City Council representatives to discuss the progress of the London Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) project.
Radar gains
The application of a millimetric-wave system as an operator support tool for hard shoulder management is being researched on the M42. The latest radar technology could automate the detection process.
Technologies
Connecting Australians
The Australian Intelligent Transport Systems Summit (ITS 09) will take place in the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on 18-20 November 2009. Under the theme “Connecting Australians”, ITS 09 will concentrate on ITS technologies, new innovations, road safety, congestion and sustainability.
iPhone app to guide Tokyo commuters
A Japanese “travel by train” planning application is now available for iPhones. Users are informed via their iPhone about the ticket price, estimated time of travel and required trains and changes to get to a given destination.
Solar Roadways to Prototype First ever Solar Road Panel
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has provided a grant for $100,000 to develop a prototype for the first ever energy-generating Solar Road Panel. The panel can provide lane markings and incident warnings as well as having the capability of being heated to prevent snow and ice from building up on the road surface.
ESRI improves Virginia’s VIPER system
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) has launched the Virginia Interoperability Picture for Emergency Response (VIPER), which enables an immediate emergency response and real-time event monitoring. Online emergency information is also available to the public.
Traficon’s Automatic Incident Detection System Deployed in 22 Tunnels around Paris
Automatic Incident Detection (AID) systems will be installed in 22 tunnels around Paris. This is the largest project of its kind in the world and is estimated to cost €600 million over a five year period.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Adaptive Cruise Control is a major safety system of the future. This “pedal free” technology can automatically brake or accelerate a vehicle to maintain a safe following distance.
The rise of GPS on mobile
According to the author, GPS-enabled mobile phones are more attractive to users than PNDs (Personal Navigation Devices). The major advantage of mobile phone technology is its connectivity to the Internet and provision of a wide range of online services.
Brake assist/ collision warning/ mitigation
Brake assist systems have recently been improved even further, producing a system that applies brakes automatically without human intervention. The latest tests show that one manufacturer’s emergency braking system reduces the vehicle’s speed in an unavoidable collision by 16 km/h on average.
Improving definition
The article explains how future networks will deliver a new real-time intelligence capability for CCTV.
Lane departure warning/ prevention
Lane Departure Warning systems are capable of taking control over the vehicle automatically and re-directing it to the original lane if a driver reacts too slowly. Research shows that if installed on all vehicles, they could reduce road fatalities by 15 per cent and road injuries by 9 per cent.
Self-organised transport system
This report investigates a simulation model for a self-organised transport system, inspired by the collective behaviour of insects.
The remote future – wireless communications
The author discusses the pros and cons of a range of wireless communication techniques and explains the impact of their development on vehicle detection.
Forces of change
In this article, leading producers discuss the effectiveness of the application of GPS/ GNSS-based technologies for road tolling. Experts say that all technologies will survive and, if combined, can contribute to better performance of the entire system.
Standards
ITS World Congress 2009, Stockholm – Standards
The annual ITS World Congress was held in Stockholm 21-25 September 2009. Standardisation and Interoperability were key topics in several conference sessions.
Viajeo project – supporting data exchange
The recently announced Viajeo project is looking to create, demonstrate and validate an open platform which will enable information exchange among various traffic and transport information stakeholders. The project is funded by the EC and is supported by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea.
European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) – EC “Clears the Way for a Single European Road Toll Service”
The EC has adopted a decision on the EETS that sets out the technical specifications and requirements necessary for the launch of the service. The decision also lays down the rights and obligations of toll chargers, service providers and users
EC issues Mandate for European Co-operative Systems Standards
The European Commission has issued a mandate inviting three European standardisation bodies to develop a “coherent set of standards, specifications and guidelines to support European Community wide implementation and deployment of Co-operative ITS systems”.
ISO standard for cruise control systems promises safer and more enjoyable driving
ISO has recently published a new standard, ISO 22179:2009, “Intelligent transport systems – Full speed range adaptive cruise control (FSRA) systems – Performance requirements and test procedures”. The ISO website says that it “will improve safety for all highway users by automatically adjusting vehicle speed”.
Location Positioning
GAARDIAN project announced
A new project titled ‘GAARDIAN’ is aiming to gather and analyse Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) signals from GNSS satellites and eLORAN in order to better understand sources of interference.
GIOVE-A repositioned as launch of future GIO satellites is delayed
GIOVE-A has undergone a series of precise manoeuvres that have repositioned the test satellite in order to make way for future operational Galileo satellites. The test satellite has completed all of its original mission objectives and remains operational beyond its 2-year planned life cycle. Launch of the next four IOV (in-orbit validation) satellites was delayed to November 2010 and early 2011.
EGNOS Open Service is now available
The European Commission has declared operational use of the Open Service of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). This event marks the beginning of the EGNOS exploitation phase.
Launch of latest GLONASS-M satellites delayed
The launch of the three latest GLONASS-M satellites was delayed due to an ongoing problem with one of the previously launched GLONASS-M satellites. The launch has been rescheduled for February 2010. Three more satellites are scheduled to be launched before the end of 2009 and it is currently unclear if those launches will go ahead.
Ground tests completed for second GPS IIF satellite
GPS IIF Space Vehicle 2 (SV2) has recently completed a successful consolidated system test (CST) in preparation for the launch, which is scheduled for April 2010.
International symposium on GNSS/GPS 2009
The international symposium on GNSS/GPS 2009 will be held over 4 to 6 November 2009 in the Jeju Province, Korea. Topics such as GNSS modernisation and GNSS policies and services will be covered during the event.
Invitation to visit GALILEO test bed and Galileo control centre
The Galileo Test and Development Environment (GATE) is the open-air test and development site for ground-based Galileo applications. On 26-27 November 2009, companies and organisations with an interest in Galileo applications are invited to visit both GATE and the Galileo control centre in Bavaria, and to attend a programme of presentations.
IGNSS conference 2009
The IGNSS 2009 event will be held in Australia over 1 to 3 December 2009 and will focus on topics such as status of major GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) policy issues, and non-satellite based alternatives for navigation.
LORAN-C on the brink of termination?
The LORAN-C signal appears to be a step closer to termination following a recently approved bill for the Department of Homeland Security that allows for the termination of the LORAN-C signal on which eLORAN is based.
