AUGUST 2004 This newsletter is available online in an Adobe Acrobat Reader pdf file (457k). You can view it using the Reader plugin for your browser and/or download it for viewing offline. Free Reader software is available at the Adobe Systems Incorporated Website. ATLANTIC Network News  Regional Updates  Innovation Through Partnership  Excellent Business Opportunities in Central America  Trucking News from TTS Italia  ITS Canada Welcomes New Corporate Members  ITS Canada Member Benefits  Upcoming Events    ATLANTIC NETWORK NEWS By William Johnson, Director – ITS Canada The Canadian ATLANTIC Network has now passed a significant milestone with the release of its discussion papers on ITS research and development in Canada. These papers were prepared by eight work groups over the period January 2003 to May 2004, and represent an up-to-date inventory and commentary on the state of art and the state of practice of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in Canada. The discussion papers are available in two forms: the full paper and a synopsis version. The synopsis versions are also available in both English and French. The papers can be viewed and downloaded from the Canadian ATLANTIC website at www.crt.umontreal.ca/atlantic. The eight work groups cover the following ITS topics: 1.1 – Traffic and Travel Information Systems 1.2 – Network Monitoring and Traffic Management & Control 1.3 – Urban Public Transit ITS Research & Development in Canada 2.1 – Intermodal Freight, Pre-clearance and Logistics 2.2 – Intelligent Vehicle & Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems 2.3 – Electronic Road User Charging Systems and Smart Cards 3.1 – User Acceptance and Impact Assessment 3.2 – Human Machine Interface & User-Friendly ITS: Human Factors The focus in the papers on practice as well as research means that they will appeal to a wide audience of policy makers, academics and ITS professionals who are seeking a broad understanding of ITS in Canada. The Canadian ATLANTIC Network is a joint collaboration among Canadian experts at universities, public agencies and private firms who share a common interest in fostering ITS research and development in Canada. The University of Toronto, ITS Centre and Testbed, and the Université de Montréal, Centre de recherche sur les transports, manage the thematic network jointly. The eight work groups are lead by academic participants from the Universities of Toronto, Montréal, Calgary (Cognitive Ergonomics Research Lab), Carleton (Transportation Centre) and Sherbrooke (Auto21), with the assistance of rapporteurs from the ITS professional community. The Canadian network forms part of the international ATLANTIC network (www.atlan-tic.net) and works in collaboration with the ITS America Special Interest Group on International Research and Learning (SIGIRL). For further information about the Canadian ATLANTIC network and its plans for activities in 2004-05, visit the project website at www.crt.umontreal.ca/atlantic or contact William Johnson, Coordinator, Canadian ATLANTIC Network, at johnswf@attglobal.net (e-mail) or (613) 797-1489 (phone).   REGIONAL UPDATES Yukon Territory Reported By Wally Hidinger, Government of Yukon The Yukon Government has five projects in the preliminary or planning stages. The following details describe the projects and their current status: Remote Data Gathering – transport of data obtained by field installations to Whitehorse using satellite technology – beta site installed July 2004 – successful test will lead to automation of 18 traffic counter sites over the next three years   Road Weather Information System – three sites being considered for installation in 2005 – all sites near Whitehorse where traffic volumes are high enough to warrant installation, and electricity and telephone service is available   Highway Condition Reporting System – work is at the preliminary planning stage pending evaluation of systems available   Broadband Communications to Remote Highway Maintenance Camps – satellite-enabled communications technology may allow high speed voice and data communication with remote maintenance camps – a demonstration project will be carried out over the summer of 2004 – successful trials may be followed up with connection of six camps over the next two years   ITS Strategy for Yukon – development of a guidance document for future ITS work – most work by consultant resources – completion by mid 2005. British Columbia In June 2004, the TransLink Board of Directors approved proceeding with the Northeast Sector rapid transit line (NES project) for completion by 2010, and directed staff to secure a funding agreement with the Province for a grant of $170M in a contractual arrangement prior to entering into a Concession Agreement for the Richmond-Airport-Vancouver rapid transit line (RAV project). Staff was also asked to report back by September with a NES project implementation plan and schedule, and to consider a change to GVTA amortization policy and/or reduction of 2008-2010 Major Road Capital to close any NES funding gap. The Board also approved proceeding with the Richmond-Airport Vancouver rapid transit line (RAV project) for completion by 2010, and approved proceeding to the Best and Final Offer stage under the current procurement process. The RAVCO Board was directed to negotiate scope changes and efficiencies to reduce project costs including: (i) Reducing tunneling in Vancouver south of West 49th Avenue (ii) Surface operation along No.3 Road in Richmond if a viable solution is offered. The Board advanced $25M from the approved capital funding of $300M to support expedited property acquisition and the procurement process, and authorized the RAVCO Board to complete the procurement process, including selection of the successful proponent and proposal, and execution of the Concession Agreement. TransLink’s Community Shuttles currently serve eight Vancouver neighbourhoods, and new service will be added this fall in Maple Ridge and North Surrey, with further expansion planned in December 2004. Community shuttle buses combine the reliability of regular buses with the efficiency and personal feel of smaller vehicles. TransLink will continue adding Community Shuttles across the region through 2007. Alberta Reported By Allan Lo, Alberta Transportation This year, 2004, is a year of ITS studies for Alberta Transportation. Earlier in the year, the Advanced Traveller Information and Traffic Management Systems Study (ITS Blueprint) for Highway 2 was completed. Several major bridges along Alberta highways have been assessed for potential Fixed Automated Spray Technology (FAST). Only one bridge is being pre-fitted with some of the FAST infrastructure during its ongoing construction. An ITS study will be conducted for the Edmonton and Calgary ring roads. A plan will be developed to address the immediate and long-term needs, and the staging options of ITS applications, including: assessing the immediate and future ITS needs for traffic monitoring, and safety and operational improvements analyzing the costs and benefits in adopting particular ITS systems that are relevant to the ring roads developing a strategy for monitoring and managing commercial vehicle operations on the ring roads integrating ITS solutions within the ongoing planning and design of the ring roads. The Road Weather Information System (RWIS) program for Alberta is about to begin. A federal-provincial agreement with Transport Canada has been signed, and the data sharing agreement with Environment Canada is being drafted. The plan is to issue a Call For Proposals for 70+ new stations to be implemented over four years in a “turnkey” fashion – that is, the successful contractor will design, build, operate, maintain and provide forecasting services in one package. The RFP document will be prepared for an open competition to be advertised by September 2004 at www.purchasingconnection.ca. Suitably, in conjunction with the RWIS rollout, another winter maintenance ITS application is almost underway. The department had recently issued an RFP for a contract to install 500+ Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) on the private maintenance contractors’ snowplow fleet over a three-year period. The objectives are to track and monitor the equipment for automated billing (the contractors are paid by hours of work, not by a lump sum arrangement), to increase the fleet’s efficiencies in responding to regular and storm events, and to mitigate legal proceedings and complaints. Reported by Doug Morgan, City of Calgary The City of Calgary is moving quickly to deploy ITS to meet our strategic goals and objectives. Calgary’s ITS vision is “To support the provision of a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly multi-modal transportation system for the Calgary Region through the application of the best technologies, practices, and partnerships.” Several projects are entering the construction phase, including: Shawnessy Traffic Management System – The City is working to deploy an incident detection system using Pan / Tilt / Zoom cameras and VisioPad technologies. DMS will provide travel information to motorists of any impending delays discovered through the incident detection system. The system covers a free flow link in the City’s skeletal road network.   Barlow Trail Rail Crossing Congestion Mitigation – This project consists of the development of a queue detection system near a rail crossing. The rail crossing is adjacent to a busy rail yard. Operations in the yard require the shunting of trains across Barlow Trail. Barlow Trail is an important goods movement route in the City, and provides the main access to a large industrial area. The system will run special signal timings during and after train blockages to mitigate congestion. The system is scheduled to be operational late in 2004.   Traffic Monitoring Camera Deployment – Deployment of a six camera system covering various locations across the city. Two cameras are operational with the final four coming online by the end of the year.   TMC Development – Calgary’s TMC will be moving from our downtown location to our campus in Manchester. The move will include merging our current signal operations centre with the City’s 24-hour operational dispatch centre. The move will include an upgrade to the City’s MIST Signal system and integration of our traffic monitoring technology. The RFP for the construction of the centre has closed, and construction should be completed late in 2004.   Transit Trip Planning – The City is in the midst of developing a transit trip planning application, which will help travellers plan their trips on Calgary Transit. The software will be integrated with Calgary Transit’s scheduling system. The application will be tested in Calgary Transit’s call centre and then deployed to the public via the web. The application will be ready for the public in 2005.   Monitoring Stations – The City of Calgary has an active program to construct monitoring stations in conjunction with building new infrastructure. Three new stations recently went online and measure speed, classification and volumes. These stations will eventually move to real time operations. Currently a plan is being prepared for the development of an extensive system of stations.   Traveller Information – The City is pursuing Traveller Information on several fronts, including a Transport Canada Funding Partnership with the City of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta. The partnership is an evaluation of CARS for use in Alberta. It will target Highway 2 and a corridor in each of the major cities. Other Traveller Information work includes the development of an ATIS working group and hiring an ATIS engineer to begin to evaluate data requirements and system options. Ontario The Province of Ontario has announced that Ontario municipalities can use red light camera technology on a permanent basis, following a successful four-year pilot project in five GTA municipalities. The cameras photograph vehicles that enter an intersection after the light has turned red. At intersections with cameras, the pilot showed: A 26.2 percent reduction in angle-type collisions resulting in property damage A 48 percent reduction in angle-type collisions resulting in injury and fatality A 4 percent increase in all types of collisions resulting in property damage An 18 percent reduction in all types of collisions resulting in injury and fatality. “That means 101 people are walking around healthy because of red light cameras,” advised Mike Brady, manager of Toronto’s cameras. Toronto’s existing 10 cameras rotate through 38 intersections. Les Kelman of City of Toronto indicates, “Eventually, Toronto wants to have as many as 50 cameras rotating through 200 intersections.” Peel, Hamilton, Ottawa and Waterloo also have cameras, and Markham, Richmond Hill, York, Durham and Cambridge have also expressed interest in the technology. Ontario Reported by Doug MacKay, Region of Durham In November 2004, the Region of Durham will amalgamate its Traffic Engineering and Operations Division into a new facility. By moving both engineering staff and field staff into one centrally located depot in Whitby, services will improve, with better communication and co-ordination. Included in the Traffic Management Centre will be a traffic control room, which will be able to house upwards of eight operators facing a video wall comprised of ten 70" Christie cubes. Our expanding ATMS and ATIS programs have been the driving force to improve the operation of our traffic management function. The Brock Road Incident Management System, an initiative through Transport Canada, is near completion. The major initiatives include: Two additional PTZ CCTV cameras utilizing digital control and monitoring Seven fixed cameras at two intersections utilizing Citilog, a incident monitoring tool to identify anomalies within the right-of-way The Region’s first roll-out of fibre optic communication lines for the purpose of traffic control Advance traffic responsive control utilizing ramp data from the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) A database management system (central software) An evaluation initiative utilizing the services of the University of Waterloo. Expect an RFP for the Region of Durham’s ITS Strategic Plan in the fall. Ontario In a letter dated July 27, 2004, a letter to ITS Canada from Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal (PIR) David Caplan advised that Building a Better Tomorrow: An Infrastructure Planning, Financing and Procurement Framework for Ontario’s Public Sector has been released. The letter states that the purpose of the framework is to ensure that infrastructure investments in which the province has a material interest are planned, financed and undertaken in a systematic, principled and prudent manner. Under the framework, all infrastructure renewal will be based on five guiding principles: The public interest is paramount Value for money must be demonstrable Appropriate public control / ownership must be preserved Accountability must be maintained The process must be fair, transparent and efficient. Major projects will undergo a rigorous initial analysis and continuing oversight to ensure that the projects are consistent with the government’s priorities and are delivered in the most cost-effective way, consistent with the public interest. The framework will provide a comprehensive process of short- and long-term infrastructure planning, proper building and facilities management, and post-project evaluation. The document is available online at www.pir.gov.on.ca, or by calling 1-800-239-4224.   INNOVATION THROUGH PARTNERSHIP Transport Canada’s ITS Research and Development Plan Transport Canada provides support for strategic ITS deployment and integration model applications. In 2004, Transport Canada has announced two sets of winning projects that will be awarded contracts under Innovation Through Partnership, Transport Canada’s ITS Research and Development Plan. One million dollars of SHIP funding has been allocated for research and development contracts, with a maximum of $100,000 awarded per project. The lists of the approved projects are available at www.tc.gc.ca under Media Room – Releases. Integrated Travel Services – Ride Points System Transport Canada Funding: $84,500 The team of IBI Group, Larsson Consulting Ltd., Redknee Inc., and the University of New Brunswick have been awarded funding to evaluate a real-time communications system for “ride-matching”. The concept of the Ride Points System entails leveraging technological advancements (mobile communication, location, computer processing, etc.) and the popularity of customer award programs to develop and promote a successful ride-sharing system that will positively impact traffic congestion and GHG emissions. The use of “reward” points has proven successful in other industries, and it is the intention of this R&D project to study its effectiveness as a basis for promoting environmentally-friendly transportation. A steering committee of interested stakeholders has been established, and progress to date on the project has included an industry review of: communications and location technologies that may enable real-time matching of potential users of the system existing ride sharing initiatives, and existing rewards programs. Current tasks include using focus groups to establish the needs and expectations of users from a ride-matching system, and to determine the demand requirements to support efficient matching within the system. Subsequent tasks will include the refinement of the concept design, relating to the system’s matching process, reward structure and system architecture. The final task and end product of the project will be the development and evaluation of the business case for the refined Ride Points System concept. For more information, please contact Geoff Knapp at gknapp@ibigroup.com or Pierre Bolduc at bolducp@tc.gc.ca. ITS for Variable Load Restrictions Transport Canada Funding: $99,225 The team of IBI Group, the University of Waterloo, and Manitoba Transportation and Government Services have been awarded funding to explore opportunities for using ITS to assist with determining when to implement and lift variable load restrictions, including Winter Weight Premiums and Spring Load Restrictions. Current practice for determining start and end dates varies across Canada, and includes fixed date as well as qualitative and quantitative methods. The potential opportunity for ITS to provide real time information to assist agencies with making decisions is the primary focus of this study. Opportunities for integration of existing Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) and other R&D initiatives such as the Remote Weight stations will be considered. A steering committee of interested stakeholders has been established, and progress to date on the project has included: Market scan to determine current Canadian practise and international best practises Definition of the parameters that would need to be measured to provide relevant information to transportation agencies Review of the equipment that could be used to provide the necessary data. The current focus is on the development of the system concept and the system requirements. The previous tasks and current task will be summarized in a final system report. For more information, please contact Mara Bullock at mbullock@ibigroup.com or Pierre Bolduc at bolducp@tc.gc.ca.   EXCELLENT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN CENTRAL AMERICA The Mexican Communication and Transportation Programme envisages an investment of US $9.18 billion at the end of 2006, in addition to the ten highway corridors identified in 2000. This will involve modernization of 90 percent of the strategic corridors, completion of the corridor linking the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico, and the construction of the Mexico City Metropolitan belt. The new program also includes the Puebla-Panamá master plan, an investment totalling more than US $3 billion. Aimed at enhancing regional development, this plan involves major investments in infrastructure. In 2006, the government plans to build 14 corridors of high quality highways, representing an investment of almost US $7.2 billion. In order to achieve this goal, alternate investment sources will be required, such as new highway concessions (at least 40 projects) and investments from domestic and international banks. The investment in rural roads will be maintained in order to improve the current network. The new Mexico City airport project concerns the extension of the current facilities via an investment of US $270 million. This project also involves the improvement of Toluca and Puebla, worth an additional US $37.4 million. The Federal Government has set up a joint venture with the State Governments of Mexico, Puebla and Hidalgo to build the Metropolitan Mexico City Belt. The investments here total US $470 million. According to a study published by the International Monetary Fund, the Central America region will require some US $4.75 million in investments in order to build 4,925 kilometers of highway. In addition, the Puebla Panama master plan envisages the construction of an Atlantic corridor, starting in Coatzacolcos Mexico and ending in the Fonseca Gulf in Honduras. This corridor will have a length of 1,174 kilometers inside the Central America region, with 400 kilometers of new highways and the remainder being improved. Investment for this project is close to US $453 million.   TRUCKING NEWS FROM TTS ITALIA CSST Develops Truck Guard Truck Guard, a system for the telematic monitoring of technical aspects of vehicles, is based on an on-board info-telematic device able to store data through a Vehicle Data Interface in order to check vehicle and driver behaviour (speed, fuel consumption, temperature, etc.) All data are collected, processed and stored on the vehicle, with download via GSM/GPRS to the workstation. Easy graphics and reports support fleet manager decisions. For further information, please visit www.csst.it. FATA DTS: “Fleet Management Suite” Fleet Management Suite provides integrated solutions aimed at optimizing transport planning, with a powerful mission/dispatch management product integrated directly with vehicles/trailers that provides routing optimization, resource allocation, geofencing, and real time transport advance for fleet managers. Furthermore, Fata DTS can monitor and localize both truck and trailer with GPRS connectivity, incorporating modular telematic vehicle units “Aplicom F & C” with or without touch-screen display, monitoring within the truck, transport activity, driver style, speed, etc., and on trailer speed, location, fridge temperature, back door security, and parking anti-theft. Updating mission details during transport, communicating with drivers via voice/text, and sending navigation details can be invaluable. Finally, a powerful reporting engine can churn vehicle trip data and publish standard trip reports daily. For further information, visit www.fatadts.it. Logosystem Launches Navmaster2004 Navmaster, an on-board computer for fleet management, features a colour touch display, many interfaces (such as tachograph, CAN bus, voice messages, anti-theft devices, USB, compact flash, Smart Card, GPS, GPRS) and application software. For further information, visit www.logosystem.com. SET – Sistemi e Telematica develops SIMROAD SIMROAD is a system allowing users real time information exchange in order to monitor cargo vehicles flowing towards harbour areas. The system can be integrated with an Automatic Access Control to port gates able to read the plates of the vehicles and of conveyed containers. For further information, visit www.set-network.com.   ITS CANADA WELCOMES NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS Humansystems Incorporated Mark F. Pinet & Associates Ltd. Deliver “E” Sentinel Inc. Groupe CGI Intelligent Mechatronic Systems   ITS CANADA MEMBER BENEFITS Interested in what ITS Canada is doing to improve member benefits? The Member Services Committee has been working hard to review and improve services and benefits provided to all members. Minutes from Member Services Committee meetings are now available online (to ITS Canada members only).   UPCOMING EVENTS Rural ITS Conference August 22 to 25, 2004 – Duluth, Minnesota Heather Dorr, Tel. 612-625-5267 hdorr@umn.edu   III Chilean Congress of Intelligent Transport Systems and II International Exhibition September 1 to 3, 2004 – Santiago, Chile www.itschile.cl   TRANSTEC 2004 September 1 to 5, 2004 – Athens, Greece www.transtec.gr   Urban Mobility Advanced Transportation International Forum September 15 to 17, 2004 = Tremblant, Quebec September 18, 2004 = St. Jerome, Quebec www.muta2004.com   TAC Annual Conference Transportation Innovation – Accelerating the Pace September 19 to 22, 2004 – Québec, Québec www.tac-atc.ca   XIII Pan-American Conference of Traffic and Transportation Engineering September 26 to 29, 2004 – Albany, New York www.eng.rpi.edu/panam   The Future of Canada’s Infrastructure Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2004 – Toronto, Ontario www.strategyinstitute.com – select Conferences   TechExpo 2004 October 5, 2004 – Ottawa, Ontario www.fptt-pftt.gc.ca/events/2004techexpo/main_e.shtml   Infrastructure 2004 October 6 to 8, 2004 – Warsaw, Poland www.expoproof.com/Infrastructure/Infrastructure.html   Smart Move – The Middle East’s Only Dedicated Public Transport Show October10 to12, 2004 – Dubai www.smartmoveme.com   11th World Congress on ITS October 18 to 22, 2004 – Nagoya, Japan “Second Announcement” and “Call for Papers” now available – e-mail your request for copies of these documents to itscanada@itscanada.ca, or visit www.itsworldcongress.org for event information   Conference: Advanced Transport Systems for the City of Tomorrow October 25 and 26, 2004 – Cardiff, UK www.cardiff.gov.uk/traffic/internet/jondutton/edict/current/CONTENT/pdf.pdf (pdf)   Intertraffic Latin America October 27 to 29, 2004 – Mexico City, Mexico www.mexico.intertraffic.com/intertrafficmexico2004/e   CUTA Fall Conference & Trans-Expo 2004 November 6 to 10, 2004 – Montréal, Québec www.cutaactu.on.ca   III ITS Brasil Congress November 17 to 19, 2004 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil   Sixth Annual Workshop on Highway-Railway Grade Crossing Research November 22 to 23, 2004 – Montreal, Quebec www.tc.gc.ca/tdc/events/sixth.htm   Saudi Traffic December 5 to 7, 2004 – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia www.saudi-traffic.com   Smart Moving 2005 April 19 to 21, 2005 -Birmingham, England smartmoving@its-uk.org.uk   ITS Hannover 2005 – 5th European Congress and Exhibition on ITS June 1 to 3, 2005 – Hannover, Germany www.itsineurope.com/hannover   12th World Congress on ITS November 6 to 10, 2005 – San Fransicso, U.S.A.   Gulf Traffic December 12 to 14, 2005 – Dubai, UAE www.gulftraffic.com Newsletter published by ITS Canada. Submissions or comments can be emailed to itscanada@itscanada.ca.