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MONTREAL
... A GREAT SUCCESS!
ITS
Canada’s Annual Conference, held in Montreal
on June 1 to 4, 2008, was a resounding success, with
over 300 participants in attendance. Delegates have
provided extremely positive feedback about the value
of the technical sessions, and there has been significant
demand for access to the presentations (now available
to delegates online through ITS Canada’s website).
Highlights
of the technical sessions included workshops on vehicle-infrastructure
integration, intelligent bridges, and border information
flow architecture. A stakeholder forum regarding the
update of the ITS architecture, which forms part of
an ongoing consultation, was also well attended. Sessions
covered significant ITS developments and deployments
in Canada and the United States, including ITS benefits
and evaluation, safety and security, research and
innovation, traveller information, traffic management
systems and public transit. U.S. DOT representatives
participated as speakers, and ITS America hosted a
booth, strengthening ties and providing opportunities
for dialog and collaboration.
Featured
on the exhibition floor was a live ITS demonstration
zone, the first ever at an ITS Canada event. Exhibitors
installed a number of systems into the display, and
an electric car triggered the ITS components as it
passed through various zones on the track. Delegates
also enjoyed the opportunity to drive the electric
car themselves. The exhibitions broadened understanding
of ITS systems by focusing on wider opportunities,
including opportunities to collaborate with other
industries. Thirty-six exhibitors participated with
a wide range of ITS technologies, including a tractor-trailer
from Transport Canada that demonstrated technology
used for tracking of containers. A number of tours
were organized during the Conference, all of which
were well received.
Attendees
at the banquet were treated to a performance by illusionist
Alain Choquette. Comical and entertaining, Alain presented
a suite of magic tricks that included audience participation.
ITS
Canada’s Annual General Meeting was held in
Montreal on June 1, summarizing activities undertaken
by the Society over the past year. It was announced
that proposed bylaw changes will be ratified by the
membership through an electronic vote that will be
conducted in June.
ITS/VII
REGIONAL EVENT IN OTTAWA
By
William Johnson, TRENDS, and Barry Pekilis, Transport
Canada
A
regional event on the topic of vehicle-infrastructure
integration (VII) was organized in March on short
notice, to take advantage of the presence in Ottawa
of two distinguished members of the California PATH
(Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways) Program
at the University of California Berkeley.
The
invited speakers, Steve Shladover and Jim Misener,
had participated in a VII seminar earlier in the day
at Transport Canada and they willingly agreed to meet
with a broader audience in an informal setting at
the RA Centre in Ottawa. Steve and Jim are well known
for their work on advanced ITS projects in collaboration
with CALTRANS (California Transportation) and the
US DOT (U.S. Department of Transportation). In addition,
Steve is chair of the Transportation Research Board
ITS Committee and Jim is Chair of ITS California.
Both are active and well known in ISO and SAE standards
development circles.
The
speakers provided an overview of VII and its possibilities
(Steve’s presentation) and an overview of the
VII projects and real-world test bed along a major
transportation corridor in the San Francisco Bay area
(Jim’s presentation). California is a leader
in the field of VII research and development, and
a great deal has been learned about suitable technologies,
operational considerations and user acceptance.
VII
can be viewed as a return to basics, as exemplified
by the original name for ITS, “vehicle-highway”
systems. The focus of this emerging priority for research
and development is the emergence of effective, real-time
communication services for data and information exchange
between vehicles and the roadside infrastructure,
and between the vehicles themselves. The US DOT version
of VII uses the specific DSRC (5.9 GHz) communication
technology because its high quality is ideal for hard
safety applications (e.g., intersection collision
avoidance). However, other communication technologies
are also being researched, including WiFi, WiMax and
other wireless technologies to transmit messages under
the umbrella name ‘vehicle-infrastructure cooperation’
(VIC).
VII
and VIC can be used for user services such as soft
safety messages (e.g., incidents or conflicts ahead),
efficiency (e.g., routing advice to avoid congestion,
or data on vehicle-traffic flows to road operators),
and convenience (e.g., location of fuel and service
facilities).
By providing drivers and in-vehicle passengers with
a rich source of information on the roadway and the
road environment (e.g., weather and mobility services),
they can achieve their trip purposes with greater
safety and convenience. VII and VIC can also assist
road operators who need to communicate advice and
guidance to drivers in real time and in site-specific
circumstances, to avoid the buildup of congestion
and the possibility of collisions. As well, the flow
of information from vehicles to the roadside can provide
operators with a more complete and detailed picture
of the traffic flows on all road segments under their
jurisdiction.
The
VII event attracted 53 pre-registrants. It was organized
by Hugh Reekie, Chair of the Ottawa Chapter IEEE Vehicle
Technology Society in collaboration with the IEEE
Joint Chapter for Robotics and Automation and Control
Systems, IET-UK (formerly IEE) Ottawa Network, ITS
Canada (Eastern Ontario Region members) and Transport
Canada. The event provided an opportunity for attendees
to learn about VII and to network over light refreshments.
ITS Canada was recognized for its role in identifying
the speakers and spreading the word to the ITS community.
The
success of the event and large turnout demonstrated
the value in organizing events of this nature in cooperation
with local chapters of other professional organizations.
Information about the VII event is posted online at:
http://members.allstream.net/~max-com/ottawa.vts.html.
Additional
links of interest are:
http://www.path.berkeley.edu/
http://viicalifornia.org/
http://www.its.dot.gov/vii/
WATERLOO
LEADING THE WAY WITH TRAVELLER INFORMATION
June
marked the official launch of the EasyGO traveller
information system for the Region of Waterloo, Ontario.
Funded by Transport Canada, the Government of Ontario
and the Region of Waterloo, EasyGO is a key component
of the region's iXpress service, which was initiated
under Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase
Program. The iXpress service provides quick travel
along a 35-kilometre central transit corridor in the
Waterloo region and now carries over 6,000 riders
daily. This service showcases the latest in transit
technology — an automatic vehicle location and
automatic passenger counting system, transit signal
priority and now the suite of EasyGO traveller information
systems. The project is a step towards a rapid transit
system in the Waterloo region.
Monitors
at iXpress stations display real-time information.
Next-station announcements are automatically displayed
and announced on iXpress buses. Monitors at the two
main transit terminals and at malls show real-time
information for iXpress buses and scheduled times
for all other bus routes. An interactive voice response
telephone system and text messaging service provide
the scheduled arrival times for the next three buses
at any bus stop selected by riders. A web-based trip
planner allows riders to select their best travel
option on Grand River Transit.
Grand
River Transit ridership has increased by over 50 percent
since acquiring transit operations in January 2000.
TRAVELLER
INFORMATION IN NEW YORK
Travellers
across the state of New York can now access up-to-the-minute
transportation information through short, electronic
messages regarding significant travel disruptions,
such as highway accidents or lane closures. The service,
called TransAlert, is distributed through the State
Emergency Management Office’s (SEMO) NY-Alert
system and is available through free subscriptions.
For information: www.its-ny.org.
ITS
TRAINING
ROAD WEATHER INFORMATION SYSTEMS TRAINING
Continuing
to be available on demand is a Road Weather Information
Systems (RWIS) Equipment and Operations Training
Course. The course includes: an overview of RWIS,
with an explanation of why these devices are important,
and their contributions to roadway safety and operations;
design and deployment issues; siting considerations
related to the larger RWIS network; financial considerations,
including benefit versus cost discussions, procurement
issues, and data value and ownership; operational
and maintenance issues. The course finishes with
a half-day workshop where local issues are overlaid
on sample case studies.
Full
details: www.itsrm.org/downloads/RWISUpfrontSecmod.pdf
WEBINARS: MANAGING TRAVEL DEMAND TO MITIGATE CONGESTION
The
Federal Highway Administration is hosting webinars
that provide a new perspective on demand management,
aiming to impart a new way of thinking about urban
travel that focuses on both the need for travel
itself and means to accommodate travel via new and
innovative choices. The webinars are designed for
transportation managers that plan and operate the
transportation system, including highway officials,
metropolitan planning organization staff, TDM professionals,
and others who assist regions in seeking ways to
reduce demand in order to address issues such as
congestion and air quality. Free registration is
available through the NTOC Talking Operations Web
Conference Series.
For
more information, visit: http://www.ntoctalks.com/web_casts.php
NEWS
FROM ACADEMIA
TRANSPORTATION
AT McMASTER
Noting that today’s transportation and logistics
industry has become knowledge-intensive and extremely
competitive, an announcement in May indicates that
industry leaders have come together with McMaster
University to establish a world-class institute: the
McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics
(MITL), to provide a resource to industry and government
by conducting applied research and education in transportation
and logistics.
The
institute will focus on three broad areas:
Performing affordable, objective research for public
and private partners, emphasizing the efficient and
sustainable operation of transport and logistics systems
Providing industry and government with trained personnel
and educational programs on transportation and logistics
Promoting interaction between industry, government
and academic experts to create benefits for industry
and society alike.
For
more information: http://mitl.mcmaster.ca
NEWS
bITS
CANADIAN TRANSIT STATISTICS
The
Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) has announced
highlights of 2007 ridership statistics. Records indicate
an increase of 3.1 percent nationally for a record
1.76 billion trips, the fifth consecutive year Canadian
transit systems have set ridership records. Examples
of communities that experienced double-digit increases
in 2007 include:
Charlottetown, PEI (25.5 percent)
Kelowna, BC (18.1 percent)
Saskatoon SK (17 percent)
Laurentides, QC (14.9 percent)
Whitehorse, YT (11.2 percent)
Brandon, MB (10.3 percent).
For
more information: www.cutaactu.ca
ITS AMERICA E-NEWSLETTER
Transportation Technology News, brought to you by
the Intelligent Transportation Society of America,
provides timely reports on news, events and activities
of ITS America and the intelligent transportation
systems (ITS) industry. Editorial staff monitors 8,000
newspapers, business publications, websites, national
and international wire services, and other periodicals
to summarize significant articles into an easy-to-read
summary. All of this information is presented in a
new HTML newsletter that now reaches ITS America’s
members and other transportation professionals, legislators,
and the media. For more information, visit:
www.itsamerica.org
ITS ALASKA LAUNCHES WEBSITE
ITS Alaska has announced the launch of its website,
www.itsalaska.org.
ITS Alaska was established in January 2008 as a chartered
state chapter of ITS America. ITS Alaska’s mission
is to elevate safety and mobility through leadership
and promote a strong, innovative ITS community in
Alaska. ITS Alaska membership is open to public agencies,
private companies, academic organizations, professional
associations or individuals with an interest in advancing
the purpose of ITS Alaska.
IN-VEHICLE
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
In
the United Kingdom, industry participants have been
considering some of the problems experienced with
the routing of vehicles using satellite navigation
devices, as well as concerns about Human-Machine
Interaction (HMI). The Department for Transport led
a consultation process, and a summary of results has
now been made available through the Department’s
website at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/archive/2007/ivisconsultationdocument/invehicleresponse
SENSOR TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP
ITS South Africa, in partnership with the ITS Centre
of Excellence, is hosting a workshop on October 23,
2008, on Sensor Technology. The goal is to solve real-world
problems using appropriate technology. The focus will
be on vehicle detection, data collection and processing,
and applications.
The
workshop will be of significant interest to:
Local/Transport/Roads Authority managers
Consultants
Research groups
Suppliers.
Technologies
that will be addressed include inductive loop, magnetometer,
microwave/radar, cellular, optical, infrared, acoustic
and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
Application
areas include:
Urban traffic control
Freeway management
Tolling
Public transport
Road infrastructure engineering
Enforcement.
For
more information, please visit: www.itssa.org
ITS
CANADA WELCOMES NEW MEMBER
SUSTAINING
CORPORATE
Agence
Métropolitaine de Transport
MEMBERS
IN THE NEWS
Galdos
Systems Inc. has announced the launch of
the KML Validator, an automated KML validation engine
designed as a public service to assist KML developers
and users to help produce higher quality KML files.
KML is rapidly emerging as the primary global mechanism
for the drawing and navigation of maps and images.
This service will make it easier to develop and test
KML tools and components, and will contribute to the
increasingly widespread adoption of KML. For more
information: www.galdosinc.com.
INIT
Innovations in Transportation, Inc.,
has received the Canadian Urban Transportation
Association’s “Corporate Recognition Award”,
acknowledging INIT’s achievement with their
advanced intelligent transportation system installed
on York’s VIVA Bus Rapid Transit system in Ontario,
Canada. After installation of INIT’s complete
CAD/AVL suite of products, including onboard computers
and real-time passenger information, as well as the
automatic passenger counting and traffic signal priority,
VIVA subsequently won the “IT Project of the
Year” award. VIVA’s technology award was
given by the Tri-Committee of Ontario, an organization
striving to create opportunities and partnerships
to further the use of information technology in the
public works sector.
UPCOMING
EVENTS
WORLD’S
LARGEST ITS CONFERENCE IN NOVEMBER
By
Sabrina Quirarte, Intelligent Transportation Society
of America
In
2008, the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport
Systems will be combined with the Annual Meeting
& Exposition of the Intelligent Transportation
Society of America (ITS America), making it the
largest event in the world for ITS leaders, policy
makers and other industry professionals. An expected
10,000 transportation, technology and business leaders
and ITS professionals from around the globe will
come together at the Jacob K. Javits Convention
Center in New York City from November 16 to 20,
2008.
Delegates
to the World Congress and Annual Meeting will have
access to more than 200 extraordinary policy and
technology sessions, exciting tours, more than 250,000
square feet of exhibits, and virtually limitless
opportunities to connect with an international audience
in one of the great cities of the world.
A
broad range of technical tours will be available
to delegates. These tours will feature both state-of-the-art
facilities, including the New York State Department
of Transportation's INFORM Center on Long Island,
as well as transport facilities of extraordinary
significance, such as the George Washington Bridge,
“the busiest vehicular crossing in the world."
This
combined event will feature the largest fully-integrated
demonstration of deployed and marketable ITS technologies
ever. Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside
communication technologies and applications will
be highlighted. This demonstration will include
innovative mobility solutions operating on the streets
and highways of New York, and will build upon the
success of the Innovative Mobility Showcase that
proved to be of enormous interest at the 2005 World
Congress on ITS in San Francisco. Live demonstrations
will showcase advanced ITS technologies that provide
effective management of public facilities, protect
public investment in transport infrastructure, and
enhance and expand mobility options.
The
second announcement is now available online:
www.itsa.org/itsa/files/pdf/WC082ndAnnouncement.pdf
This
24-page brochure contains information on technical
tours, technology demonstrations, exhibitors, networking
events, registration and accommodations, as well
as a preliminary schedule.
Discounted
registration rates are available for delegates and
speakers through September 1. Visit www.itsworldcongress.org
for registration information and the latest details
on the World Congress.
The
15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems
is sponsored by ITS America, ERTICO (ITS Europe)
and ITS Japan.
Jacob
K. Javits Convention Center
Newsletter
published by ITS Canada.
Submissions
or comments can be emailed to askus@itscanada.ca.
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