This newsletter is available online in an Adobe Acrobat Reader pdf file (516k). 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. On behalf of ITS Canada’s Board of Directors, I would like to wish you a very happy new year. From all indications, 2003 is shaping up to be another exciting year in the development of ITS in Canada. We wish you every success in your endeavours in the ITS arena. Joseph Lam ITS Canada is seeking a qualified professional for the position of part-time General Manager. This is a contract position for two to three days a week, in a virtual office environment. The position is in the Toronto area, with a requirement to travel. Interested candidates are requested to apply before February 17, 2003. Applications should include a covering letter, a detailed resume of experience particularly in the area of ITS, and any other relevant documents. Potential candidates will be short-listed for interviews, which will be held in Toronto during the weeks of February 24 and/or March 3. The tentative start date for the position is April 1. A call for nominations for Board members has been initiated. Closing date for nominations will be Friday, February 28, 2003. Members in good standing are invited to mail or fax in a Nomination Form. For details, see ITS Canada’s website at www.itscanada.ca Membership dues must be in good standing to participate in the nomination process OR to vote in the election. (A Thematic Long-term Approach to Networking for the Telematics and ITS Community) The ATLANTIC thematic network is an international forum linking ITS researchers in North America and Europe. ATLANTIC is an acronym for “A Thematic Long-term Approach to Networking for the Telematics and ITS Community”. The network is designed to stimulate active debate on key aspects of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), to benchmark research results on both sides of the Atlantic, and to identify opportunities for trans-Atlantic cooperation and research. The Canadian node has the additional goal of stimulating an active and self-sustaining ITS research community in Canada in cooperation with international partners in Europe and the United States. The University of Toronto and the Université de Montréal have jointly operated a Canadian node of ATLANTIC over the last 18 months. The Canadian node has begun to build a network of academic, public sector and private sector researchers in Canada, to seek sponsors for an expanded follow-up phase of the project, and to participate in the initial rounds of forum debates and benchmarking exercises. The Canadian partners convened a workshop in Montreal in March 2002 with key stakeholders, as well as participation by the European and U.S. partners. ATLANTIC maintains a website (see www.atlan-tic.net) to host ITS discussion forums and to communicate results to professionals and researchers in the academic, public and private sectors. ITS discussion forums are organized into three main themes with eight separate work groups. The work groups are as follows: Theme: 1.0 Integrated Transport Theme 2.0 Technologies and Services Theme 3.0 Assessment and Evaluation of ITS Canadian participation in ATLANTIC includes planned activity in all eight of the work groups in the next phase of the project. Up to the present, Canadians have participated most actively in Work Group 1.1, specifically on the topic “business models for traveler information services” led by the U.S. partners. These efforts have resulted in a benchmark study report and panel sessions at the TRB 2002 Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. and at the 9th ITS World Congress in Chicago. Canadian ITS professionals and researchers who would like to participate as ITS experts in the ATLANTIC thematic network are invited to contact the Canadian ATLANTIC Coordinator, Bill Johnson, at johnswf@attglobal.net to obtain further information and to apply for membership. Smart Moving International Congress ITS Canada is moving forward with organizing our mission to England in April, and we invite anyone interested in participating to contact us. Organized by ITS UK in association with ITS Canada, ITS Sweden, TTS Italia and ITS Malaysia, the conference will run alongside the Traffex 2003 exhibition, attended in 2001 by nearly 12,000. The program and registration information are now available. Canadians feature highly in the program, both as speakers and as moderators and session chairs. The overall theme of the Congress is “Applying new technologies for urban and regional travel and transport around the world”. With an international perspective, the Congress will consider Smart Roads, Smart Vehicles, Smart Travellers, Smart Ticketing and Payment, and Smart Freight. Smart Moving will address the management, technical, institutional, and legal issues that surround the introduction of new technologies to enable smarter methods of transport and travel. Smart Moving promises to be a first class event, attracting all levels of professionals involved in the rapidly growing field of ITS. The event provides an excellent opportunity for any organization interested in ITS to raise awareness by sponsoring. Sponsor information is available. All sponsorship opportunities are negotiable packages, and guarantee the ultimate in promotional and marketing opportunities, high level media and delegate exposure, and informal networking opportunities. (TOP) ITS Canada invites all members and interested professionals to attend its “ITS: Intermodal Directions and Connections” April 27, 28 and 29, 2003 – Sheraton – Fredericton, New Brunswick Take full advantage of the opportunity to learn about recent ITS developments in Canada, contribute to the development of policy and plans for ITS in Canada, with ample opportunities to network with peers and potential partners. This year’s conference will focus on intermodal connections, and the role of ITS in helping people and goods get to their destinations through a variety of modes. Highlights of the event include a half-day Transport Canada ITS R&D Workshop on Monday afternoon followed by a reception sponsored by Transport Canada. Our understanding is that the timing of a major Transport Canada announcement may coincide with our event, and we look forward to providing an opportunity for this message to be delivered. The Honourable David Collenette, Minister of Transport, will provide the keynote address on Monday. Your Invitation to Sponsor this Event The ITS Canada Annual Conference and General Meeting promises to be an exciting event which will deliver high profile and visibility for those who want to promote their products and services. Canadian ITS industry participants will be gathered for the conference, and a sponsorship will increase your organization’s profile at this important event. A sponsorship package is available to suit any budget. Various sponsorship levels are available – please contact ITS Canada for details. Exhibitors Welcome Exhibit space for freestanding displays is available at the conference. Tables with skirts will be provided. Refreshments will be served in the exhibitor area, and exhibits will be available to attendees during free time over the three days of the conference. For more information, contact ITS Canada. February 23–25, 2003 – Bangkok, Thailand The STAR Conference will focus on policies and procedures to enhance security and efficiency in the APEC region's seaports, airports, and other access points. A table-top exhibition will offer companies from APEC member economies the opportunity to showcase their products and services. The conference also offers a unique networking opportunity, as it is expected to attract over 200 representatives from security technology and services companies, government departments, and multilateral development banks. Event information: www.trademeetings.com. Canadian delegation information – e-mail: jason.latorre@dfait-maeci.gc.ca. The Road Weather Co-ordination Committee (RWCC) was created as an outcome of the Road Weather Symposium hosted by the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) in February 2002. Meanwhile, Environment Canada has announced its intention to divest itself from providing forecasts for road weather information. The current RWCC includes representatives from the Road Weather Information System for Canada Working Group, Environment Canada, the Private Sector Committee of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS), the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), Le Centre de Recherche en Calcul Appliqué/Center for Research on Computation and its Applications (CERCA), TAC, Transport Canada, and ITS Canada. The mission of the Road Weather Coordination Committee is to create a partnership of entities from the public, private, academic, and volunteer sectors, which is dedicated to the provision of road weather information services to Canadian road authorities and the traveling public. The Committee’s mandate is to champion integrated applications of weather technologies and services to road transportation for the greater safety and security of Canadians and the protection of their environment by: The RWCC is now in the process of locating an appropriate ‘parent organization’, and assembling the resources necessary to initiatie its work. ITS Canada endorses in principle the work of the RWCC, and has committed to sharing information to keep members fully apprised of the current status. Any members interested in this committee are asked to contact Colin Rayman at 905-472-5319 or vicechair@itscanada.ca. The City of Dublin, Ireland, is recruiting for the following positions in the Office of the Director of Traffic: Closing date for applications is February 6. For more information, see www.dublincity.ie/services/jobs2.html. As part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Trade Commissioner Service has a primary role of providing in-market assistance to Canadian companies in the development of their international business. Services are designed to help clients assess their export potential, identify key foreign contacts such as buyers and distributors, and provide market intelligence and advice needed to succeed in foreign markets. The Trade Commissioner Service is the overseas arm of Team Canada Inc. – a partnership of 23 federal departments and agencies which offers both aspiring and experienced exporters with a single point of access for comprehensive information and services on international business. For assistance in researching and selecting a target market, contact Team Canada Inc. at 1-888-811-1119 or visit www.exportsource.gc.ca In Canadian embassies, high commissions and consulates located in 140 cities around the world, 500 Trade Commissioner Service professionals offer a set of six core services, free of charge, to companies who have researched and selected their target market: The Trade Commissioner Service also supports international business development through a variety of programs and services, including: There are several other trade services, such as online information on procurement opportunities with UN agencies and international financial institutions; programs to develop markets in the United States; or activities to promote technology transfers. The Trade Commissioner Service provides personalized service to individual ITS companies and circulates information on Canadian ITS products to trade officers abroad. In conjunction with ITS Canada, an electronic promotional flyer is currently being developed highlighting the industry’s capacity to serve international markets. For more information about the Trade Commissioner Service, contact Georgina Wainwright-Kemdirim, at georgina.wainwright-kemdirim@dfait-maeci.gc.ca. Access market studies and network of professionals at www.infoexport.gc.ca. PEMD Export Funding Assistance The Program for Export Market Development’s goal is to increase the prosperity and competitiveness of Canadian businesses in the international marketplace. Canadian companies with annual sales between $250,000 and $10 million are eligible. Eligible costs are shared on a fifty-fifty basis (the company's share of the cost cannot be from public funding). Market Development Strategies provides assistance on the basis of a company's one-year international marketing plan. Eligible costs include market visits, incoming buyers, trade fair participation abroad, product testing for market certification, legal fees for marketing agreements incurred abroad, air transportation costs for off-shore company trainees, product demonstration costs and other costs necessary to execute the marketing plan. Annual contribution per application is a minimum of $5,000 and a maximum of $50,000. The contribution is repayable based on four percent of incremental export sales in the target market over a four-year period. New-to-exporting companies are regarded as having little or no export experience and lacking a consistent capability to export or even develop an international marketing strategy. A maximum contribution of $7,500 is available to such companies for either a market identification visit or participation at an international trade fair. The contribution is repayable at four percent of any export sales in the target market over the next two years. Capital Projects Bidding assists Canadian manufacturing, engineering, construction, architecture and management consulting firms in bidding or preparing proposals against international competition for major capital projects outside Canada. The bid value to the applicant must be greater than $1 million. Annual contribution is a minimum of $5,000 and a maximum of $50,000. The contribution is repayable in full if there is any contractual success in the target market, up to three years following the end of the activity period. PEMD funding for companies is available on a fiscal year basis. There is no specific “window” for the filing of PEMD applications by companies. Applications may be filed with officials of Canada Economic Development's regional offices in Quebec and, also, Industry Canada's International Trade Centres across Canada. They are responsible for administering the PEMD Program For Companies on behalf of DFAIT. For more information on the company component of the PEMD Program (and for PEMD contacts), please visit the website at www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/pemd/company-en.asp. Matching ITS Canada Members to International Business Leads The new database has been linked to DFAIT's International Business Opportunities Centre, which provides a matching service connecting foreign buyers with Canadian companies. The Centre provides timely, relevant and targeted business leads from the desks of foreign buyers directly to Canadian companies. Statistics: IBOC received over 6,000 leads in 2002. Over 50,000 Canadian companies have been contacted since IBOC opened in 1995, with over 27,000 business leads received from foreign buyers. More than 17,000 Canadian companies were put in touch with foreign buyers. Over 5,000 commercially successful matches were recorded between Canadian companies and foreign buyers. Several tens of millions worth of export sales have been reported to date. Many small businesses obtained their first-ever or new-to-market export contract, ranging from $10,000 to over $1,000,000. These statistics show that many of these business leads translate into export sales for Canadian companies – or potential future deals, new partners, new suppliers, and even opportunities to develop new products that will meet the needs of the foreign buyer. With a note of praise for ITS America from Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced a restructuring of the organization’s external advisory function within the Department’s intelligent transportation systems (ITS) program, beginning in March 2003. DOT will not renew ITS America’s designation as a utilized Federal Advisory Committee. “The Department expects to have a close and important ongoing relationship with ITS America,” stated Deputy Secretary Michael P. Jackson in a letter to ITS America chair Dr. C. Michael Walton. “This organization has played an important part in the many successes that have been achieved by the ITS program. This step does not mark an end to our relationship with ITS America, rather a natural and appropriate evolution.” “This marks a new era for ITS America. Clearly, DOT’s leaders will continue to place great value on the expertise and advice of our members and volunteers,” said Walton. “Many such relationships must embrace productive change in order to grow and, after 10 years, our relationship with DOT is no different. DOT officials have asserted they will continue to rely on ITS America’s counsel on transportation technology issues and initiatives.” “While change always presents challenges, we definitely see the benefits,” Walton continued. “ITS America will be at liberty to pursue a wider variety of programs and partnerships to more broadly represent our members and the ITS community worldwide. We will explore the opportunities to expand our scope, embrace new sectors and broaden the definition of ITS.” As details of the transition are still being discussed, ITS America expects to maintain its full level of programs and activities going into 2003. Headquartered in Washington, ITS America promotes development and deployment of surface transportation technologies. It has more than 500 public and private sector members. More information is available at www.itsa.org. The e-Safety Initiative Last November, the European Union (EU) held its second high-level meeting on e-Safety in Brussels, to discuss the final report of the e-Safety Working Group and plan future e-safety activities. The e-Safety report contains recommendations on how to improve road safety through active safety systems based on information and communication technologies, termed Intelligent Integrated Safety Systems by the EU. Recommendations included prioritizing future research efforts, developing test methodologies for human-machine interfaces, promoting in-vehicle emergency calls (e-Call) and examining legislation. The e-Safety initiative will lead to preparation of a Commission Communication on “Information and Communications Technologies for Intelligent Vehicles”, and the creation of an e-Safety Forum. The Forum will monitor Working Group recommendations and promote open platform development, open architecture and standard software, and other projects that promote e-Safety systems. The e-Call initiative is a partnership including private industry and other stakeholders to introduce an emergency call system that will automate communications to Public Service Answering Points in the event of a vehicle accident. At the same time, a voice call is also originated. Further information about the e-Safety program is available at europa.eu.int/information_society/programmes/esafety/index_en.htm. The Sixth Urban Traffic Management & Control Annual Conference on “Delivering Sustainable Integrated Traffic Management” was held on December 5, 2002, in the UK. The papers presented at the conference are now available at www.utmc.dft.gov.uk/2002conf/index.htm. Newsletter published by ITS Canada. Submissions or comments can be emailed to itscanada@itscanada.ca.
JANUARY 2003
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ITS CANADA!
Chairman, ITS Canada
ITS CANADA IS HIRING FOR THE POSITION OF GENERAL MANAGER
2003 ITS CANADA BOARD ELECTIONS:
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
ATLANTIC – A UNIVERSITY-BASED R&D PROJECT
1.1 Telematics-based Traffic and Travel Information Services
1.2 Network Monitoring and Traffic Management and Control
1.3 Intermodal Collective Transport Information
2.1 Intermodal Freight Information Pre-clearance & Logistics
2.2 Intelligent Vehicle and Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems
2.3 Electronic Road User Charging and Integration of Payment Systems
3.1 ITS User Acceptance and Impact Assessment
3.2 Human Machine Interface/User-Friendly ITS.
ITS CANADA MISSION TO ENGLAND – SMART MOVING
April 7 to 10, 2003 – Birmingham, England
DON’T MISS ITS CANADA’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE
6th Annual Conference and General Meeting
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO PARTICIPATE IN DFAIT’S CANADIAN DELEGATION TO THE SECURE TRADE IN THE APEC REGION CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW
ROAD WEATHER COORDINATION COMMITTEE
RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITIES
EXPORT ASSISTANCE TO CANADIAN COMPANIES
FUNDING ASSISTANCE FOR ITS EXPORTERS
ITS CANADA MEMBER SERVICES ENHANCEMENTS
U.S. DOT RESTRUCTURING AFFECTS ITS AMERICA
NEWS FROM ITS AMERICA
WEB SITES OF INTEREST
UPCOMING EVENTS
