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CRTC ASSIGNS 511 FOR WEATHER AND TRAVELLER INFORMATION
On
July 28, 2006, the Canada Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC) announced the assignment of the
three-digit dialing code 511 for weather and traveller
information in Canada, culminating over two years
of work by ITS Canada and other members of the Canada
511 Consortium. The initial application was developed
in 2004 and submitted to the CRTC on January 10, 2005.
Following further review, Canada 511 Consortium member
Environment Canada agreed to remove the requirement
for a user-pay format, paving the way for this successful
decision.
The
Canada 511 Consortium welcomes the CRTC’s decision
that will lead to a cross-Canada, 24-hour telephone
service providing Canadians with vital weather and
traveller information through one easy-to-remember,
three-digit telephone number. The goal of Canada’s
511 service will be to provide up-to-date information
about weather and travel conditions to Canadians so
that they can make informed choices for their travel
plans. A similar service is already available in more
than half the states in the U.S.
Once
Canada’s 511 service is in place, Environment
Canada will provide current weather information, including
warnings about major weather events. Each province
could contribute travel information that may include
advisories about congestion, road and lane closures
due to construction, winter maintenance and road conditions.
Various public and private transportation systems
could contribute information about scheduling and
delays for a variety of sources, including public
transit, inter-city buses, ferries, rail and air.
The
Canada 511 Consortium is now pursuing additional funding
in order to continue to address items relating to
governance, network design and the Canada 511 Consortium’s
mandate. For example, a network design subcommittee
is being formed, and will consist of technical representatives
from Consortium members.
It
is anticipated that a single point of contact will
be identified by the Canada 511 Consortium to act
as their agent. This agent will work with the 511
Service Provider(s) and other telecommunications service
providers, as required, and will also coordinate activities
of the Consortium members, including the identification
and resolution of any issues that may arise.
For
further details, please contact:
Colin
Rayman, General Manager
ITS Canada
Telephone: (905) 472-5319
E-mail: colin.rayman@itscanada.ca
WORKSHOP DEVELOPMENT – News from ITS Canada's Education and Training Committee
By
William Johnson, Chair of ITS Canada's Education and
Training Committee
Over
19 individuals representing a wide variety of public,
private and academic organizations have volunteered
to assist ITS Canada in the development of ITS training
workshops, resulting in a broad cross-section of skills
and capabilities to draw upon as the ITS training
workshop project moves forward. We are thrilled with
this response, which indicates that this is clearly
an area of interest for members. ITS Canada anticipates
there will be a continuing need to call upon additional
members of ITS Canada and the ITS community in order
to complete the agendas of individual events.
Two
events have begun to take shape as the initial 'pilot'
ITS training workshops. These are scheduled for late
2006 as follows:
- ITS Training Workshop in Ottawa
in late October or November – currently at
an early stage of development, a planning committee
will be formed in August and then work will begin
in earnest
- ITS Transit Training Workshop in Montreal in early December, to be jointly sponsored by ITS Canada, AQTR and CUTA (Quebec) – a planning committee has been formed and the committee has developed a list of potential topics and possible speakers.
Additional
events being considered include:
- ITS Training Workshop in southwestern Ontario (Hamilton-Windsor corridor)
- ITS Training Workshop related to border crossing issues, possibly in conjunction with the ITS Canada 2007 Annual Meeting in the Niagara region
- ITS Training Workshop in Vancouver.
Other
options are certainly possible and your suggestions
are invited.
The
content of these events will be planned by local planning
committees to serve local needs, but may also be designed
to have national appeal. The ITS Transit Training
Workshop is an example of this approach.
Some
interesting ideas for more ambitious training and
education activities have also emerged. For example,
AQTR has a methodology for developing transportation
courses that has resulted in highly successful staff
training. This could be used for ITS training courses
aimed at all levels of staff involved in ITS operations.
In another example, the academic community is interested
in developing educational materials and courses for
graduate level ITS programs. There is also an offer
to let ITS Canada use an online training facility
on a trial basis. This could lead to delivery of the
ITS training workshops and courses through the Internet.
These more ambitious activities could be the subject
of future Education and Training Committee projects.
To
summarize, we are making good progress in developing
the ITS Training Workshop Project. I am grateful for
the many offers to participate and pleased with the
response I have encountered so far. My thanks to all
who have taken the time to meet and/or speak with
me.
Should
you be interested in further information, please contact:
William
F. Johnson, Sc.D. (M.I.T.)
Transport Research, Education & Development
Services (TRENDS)
Telephone: (613) 797-1489
E-mail: johnswf@attglobal.net
INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATON SYSTEMS PROJECT FUNDING
In
January 2005, a total of $5 million in funding for
twenty-five new projects was announced under Transport
Canada's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
Plan. The winning projects will take place in various
locations across Canada. Details on all of the projects
are available at www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2005/05-h001e.htm.
Halifax
Regional Municipality (HRM) has received $250K in
funding from Transport Canada under the Strategic
Highway Infrastructure Program to support the rollout
of an integrated Vehicle Tracking and Communication
(VT&C) system. The VT&C system rollout will
initially meet the requirements of Metro Transit’s
bus rapid transit (BRT) vehicles (“The Link”),
followed by rollout to the entire fixed route fleet.
Metro
Transit has been an operator of sophisticated computer
aided dispatch/automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL)
and Traveller Information Systems since 1989. This
VT&C system constitutes Metro Transit’s
third generation deployment.
Metro
Transit has selected Aliant Telecom (and its subsidiary
xwave) to develop and deploy its next generation “Go-Time”
system. The system incorporates a CAD/AVL system to
manage transit operations of approximately 247 fixed-route
buses, including 20 BRT vehicles using Global Position
System (GPS) location-determining technology and on-bus,
touch-sensitive mobile data terminals.
The
updated traveler information system will provide real-time
departure predictions accessible to the public through
an interactive voice response system, remote display
terminals, and through the Internet. An online trip
planner will allow travellers to plan their routes
throughout the service area.
The
CAD/AVL system will interface the existing Hastus
scheduling system and HRM’s electronic Geographic
Information System database of detailed mapping and
stop data.
Three
methods of communications to the buses are being deployed,
including a conventional voice radio system enabled
through the mobile data terminal, 1x commercial cellular
service for real-time data communications, and an
HRM-owned Wi-Fi system intended for schedule downloads
to the buses at the start of the day, and uploads
of detailed logged data at the end of the transit
day.
Additionally, the VT&C system will provide a corporate
AVL solution for all municipal operations vehicles.
The AVL system will be integrated onto the same platform
as the Transit CAD, and be accessible to operations
managers via the corporate computer network. The AVL
system is expected to allow HRM to manage its resources
more efficiently, and to provide support to vehicular
accident investigations.
For
further information, please contact:
Glen
Hutt
Telephone: (902) 490-6554
E-mail: huttg@halifax.ca
WATERLOO REGION IMPLEMENTS TRANSIT TECHNOLOGY
Similar
to many communities across Canada, Waterloo Region
is facing the challenge of making transit a more attractive
choice so more efficient use is made of our road network
capacity. To help meet this challenge, Grand River
Transit (GRT), operated by the Region of Waterloo,
is currently working on several transit initiatives.
The Region’s Central Transit Corridor Express
Bus project was one of eight showcases across Canada
selected to receive funding through Transport Canada’s
Urban Transportation Showcase Program (UTSP). This
program demonstrates, evaluates and promotes effective
strategies to reduce transportation greenhouse gas
emissions. Funding is also being provided by the Province
of Ontario. The Region has partnered with the University
of Waterloo to help measure the effectiveness of the
project.
The
main component of the Region’s project is an
express bus service, branded iXpress, which was launched
September 6, 2005. The project is designed to continue
the ridership growth that can support a future rapid
transit system and achieve the compact urban form
envisioned by the Region.
The
implementation of a number of advanced Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies for the
iXpress and GRT’s conventional system is key
to the project. These include:
- A computer-aided dispatch
system and automated vehicle location system (CAD/AVL)
to monitor iXpress buses and provide real-time location
and arrival information for iXpress buses.
- Automatic Passenger Counters
(APC) will be installed on all iXpress buses (15)
and 19 other GRT buses. APC’s provide extensive
data that will
be used to better measure route performance, the
impact of the iXpress and to optimize service planning.
- Transit Signal Priority
(TSP) was implemented using 3M’s Opticom system
at 17 intersections along the iXpress route when
service began.
- Variable Message Signs
(VMS) installed at all express bus stations displaying
real-time arrival times for iXpress buses. On buses,
VMS and audio annunciators will give next stop information.
- Automated pre-trip planning
on the Internet to enable the user to easily identify
the best travel route and itinerary for all GRT
routes.
- Interactive Voice Response
(IVR) system providing telephone-based traveler
information.
- Flat panel displays at
main terminals showing all bus departure times and
other transit information.
The
benefits of implementing this technology include improved
service reliability, increased customer convenience,
enhanced operational effectiveness and more accurate
and comprehensive system and route performance monitoring.
These benefits are expected to result in increased
ridership and more effective service delivery.
Presently, the Region is finalizing the system design
specifications with our vendor and collecting necessary
data. Equipment is expected to arrive over the fall
with installation by March 2007 and final testing
during the spring. The main components are being provided
by INIT Innovations in Transportation while GIRO Inc.
is providing the trip planner, MCS Office Technologies
is providing the flat panel displays and LogicTree
Corporation is providing the IVR system. IBI Group
is assisting the Region with project management.
With
experience gained from this project, the Region will
decide whether to roll out the equipment to the rest
of the almost 200 vehicles in the bus fleet. Other
ITS initiatives may be used to further enhance this
system, such as the introduction of smart cards and
expanding the TSP system.
For
further information, please contact the project manager
for the ITS implementation:
Blair
Allen
Telephone: 519-575-4022
E-mail: ablair@region.waterloo.on.ca
13th WORLD CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION ON ITS
What
many consider as the most important international
event for promoting fast, reliable and safe transport
systems – the World Congress and Exhibition
on Intelligent Transport Systems and Services –
will be taking place October 8-12 in London, UK, at
ExCeL. The 13th annual event, which rotates between
Europe, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region,
will be taking place in the UK for the first time
under the theme “ITS: Delivering Transport Excellence”.
The worldwide ITS community is expected to converge
in London and actively participate in significant
numbers, counting high-level decision makers, opinion
formers, policy makers, leading experts, technical
specialists and many others from both the private
and public sector who are concerned with the development,
deployment and support of Intelligent Transport Systems
and Services.
The
ITS World Congress is organized in Europe by the ITS
Congress Association on behalf of ERTICO, in co-operation
with four key UK partners: the Department for Transport,
Department of Trade and Industry, Transport for London
and ITS United Kingdom. Such events have, in the past,
received the highest level of support throughout the
ITS world from government, industry and other organizations
and this year’s World Congress is no exception,
with a Ministerial level Opening Plenary on Monday,
October 9.
“The
sharing of knowledge, experience and best practice
in the ITS community contributes to the development,
implementation and deployment of ITS systems and services.
The ITS World Congress is an ideal opportunity for
all players to come together and make the necessary
contacts to move initiatives forward,” notes
ERTICO CEO Arnold van Zyl.
The
Congress will run alongside an Exhibition that has
proven to be one of the most renowned trade fairs
in promoting ITS-related technologies, services and
specific projects to an experienced audience.
It
will provide a unique opportunity to meet the key
buyers from around the world and see the latest ITS
innovations on display.
The
Preliminary Programme, also available online at www.itsworldcongress.com,
provides a comprehensive handbook about the entire
event, including the specifics about the Congress
program. The Congress content ranges from the strategic
to the technical, from improving the operational use
of systems and services to research and planning to
support new applications. Presentations, interactive
stands and both formal and informal discussion sessions
will cover all ITS applications.
The
London ITS World Congress and Exhibition will be held
at ExCeL London, one of the most modern conference
and exhibition facilities in Europe. London is poised
to be the largest ever ITS exhibition, with 7,000
square metres of floor space and over 150 exhibitors
already confirmed, including UK Department for Transport,
Transport for London, Honda, NAVTEQ, Serco, Siemens,
and the European Commission to name a few. The event
is widely acknowledged as the most important global
happening for promoting ITS-related technologies and
services, and over 4,000 exhibition visitors are expected
to visit.
There
will be two exciting outside demonstration areas to
showcase technologies that reflect the Congress theme.
The Static Vehicle Display, located within a five-minute
walk from the Congress centre, will showcase leading-edge
technologies that can be demonstrated static or at
low speed. The purpose-built test-track facilities
at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre, just over
an hour’s drive from ExCeL via courtesy coach,
will allow high-speed displays of ITS technology in
action. There will be technical visits available at
ten venues during the Congress week to demonstrate
ITS applications across a wide range of industries
to suit everyone’s area of interest.
Please
register online via the website at www.itsworldcongress.com.
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
News
from ITE
As recently announced on the ITE website (www.ite.org),
Alf Guebert of Totten Sims Hubicki Associates Ltd.
(Calgary, Alberta) has been named International Vice
President of ITE (Institute of Transportation Engineers).
His term of office on the Executive Committee will
begin January 1, 2007, and will run for three years.
The vote was a record high of 4,021 (approximately
35 percent of those eligible to vote). Alf becomes
the third Canadian in the 76-year history of ITE to
hold this office. Congratulations, Alf!
NAVTEQ
and BMW Team Up
NAVTEQ
has announced that it will be teaming up with BMW
to provide a technology innovation to assist drivers
in better judging their opportunity to pass a vehicle
in front of them. This patented technology, called
‘Electronic Horizon’, uses the NAVTEQ
digital map to ‘view’ the road ahead.
Standards
News
As reported on the Standards Council of Canada’s website, Lewis Sabounghi is being recognized for his efforts in ITS standards, working towards ensuring that technologies for commercial transportation vehicles are compatible and effective worldwide. For full details, visit: www.scc.ca/en/news_events/features/featuresindex_86.shtml
IRD
Wins Contract
International
Road Dynamics (IRD) has been awarded a contract by
Transport Canada to supply Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) and
Traffic Data Collection Systems at various locations
throughout Canada. This is a two year contract with
the option for a third year. The contract is part
of the National Roadside Surveys (NRS) initiative
by Transport Canada and the Provinces to collect heavy
truck data to determine intra and inter-provincial
National Highway System (NHS) infrastructure and Canada-U.S.
border crossing traffic flows. IRD
will install, maintain, collect and report data from
63 WIM sites and 17 non-intrusive sensor sites under
this contract. A major portion of the contract will
be the deployment of WIM and non-intrusive sensor
technology in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Other
installations will be at border sites with the United
States and in provinces across the country. The contract
includes both permanent and temporary installations.
ITS CANADA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
SUSTAINING
CORPORATE
Sno Shu Systems
CORPORATE
The Rivershore Group
Stinson Equipment
Thermal Eye Technologies
NEWS bITS
The TDC Annual Review 2005-2006 (for the period ending March 31, 2006) is now available, and contains a section highlighting Intelligent Transportation Systems projects. View the details online at www.tc.gc.ca/tdc/publication/areview/2006/programs.htm#its
UPCOMING EVENTS
- National Rural ITS Conference
2006
August 13 to 16, 2006 / Big Sky, Montana
www.2006nrits.org
- 11th IFAC Symposium on Control
in Transportations Systems
August 29 to 31, 2006 – Delft, The Netherlands
www.rws-avv.nl/ifac-cts2006
- 9th International Level Crossing
Safety and Trespass Prevention Syposium
September 10 to 14, 2006 – Montreal, Quebec
www.levelcrossing2006.com
| TAC
Annual Conference & Exhibition
Charlottetown,
PEI – September 17 to 20, 2006
www.tac-atc.ca |
- 9th Annual International IEEE
Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference
September 17 to 20, 2006 – Toronto, Ontario
www.itsc2006.org
- XIV Pan-American Conference
of Traffic and Transportation Engineering
September 20-23, 2006 – Canary Islands, Spain
www.panam06.com
(in Spanish)
- World Roads Conference
September 27 to 29, 2006 – Singapore
www.worldroads2006.com
13th
World Congress and Exhibition on Intelligent Tranport
Systems and Services
October 8 to 12, 2006 – London, UK
www.itsworldcongress.com |
- IMSA Traffic Expo
October 25, 2006 – Brampton, Ontario
www.imsa.ca
- 6th International Conference
on Transport Systems Telematics
October 25 to 27, 2006 – Katowice, Poland
www.tst-conference.org
| CUTA
2006 Fall Conference and Trans-Expo
November 4 to 8, 2006 – Toronto, Ontario
Trans-Expo – November 7
www.cutaactu.on.ca |
- 5th Chilean Congress / 2nd
Pan American Congress on ITS and Exhibition
November 15 to 17, 2006 – Santiago, Chile
www.itschile.cl
- First Middle-East
ITS Conference
December 4 and 5, 2006 – Dubai, UAE
www.its-arab.org
2007
TAC's
Spring 2007 Technical Meetings
April 11 to 18, 2007 – Ottawa, Ontario
www.tac-atc.ca |
- Smart Moving Conference
2007 / Traffex 2007
April 17 to 19, 2007 – Birmingham, UK
Theme: “SMART Solutions for Today”
www.its-uk.org.uk
- ITS
America 2007 Annual Meeting and Exposition
June 4 to 6, 2007 – Palm Springs, California
www.itsa.org
Newsletter
published by ITS Canada.
Submissions
or comments can be emailed to itscanada@itscanada.ca.
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