MARCH 2004
This newsletter is available online in an Adobe Acrobat Reader pdf file (390k). 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.
PAN AMERICAN ITS PROGRAM
Discussions are underway with ITS organizations in the Americas to develop and sign a Memorandum of Understanding to implement a Pan American ITS program. The intention of the MOU is to establish a multilateral relationship and to develop cooperation among ITS Argentina, ITS Brasil, ITS Canada, ITS Chile, the ITS Mexico Committee (as an observer member), and ITS America to organize and launch the initiative, with the objectives of promoting research, educational, and commercial cooperation among the ITS organizations of North, Central and South America.
ITS Canada’s Chairman, Joseph Lam, reported that a successful meeting was held with ITS America representatives on February 9 to discuss the proposal. Each of the parties will undertake to:
- Assign two representatives to participate on a steering committee or liaison task force to oversee Pan American ITS, including the development of an annual schedule of meetings, conferences and other activities
- Collaborate on the exchange and dissemination of ITS information, including on the Internet, for the benefit of authorities, association members, and the public
- Promote ITS training, including potential customization of exisiting training programs and online modules
- Promote business opportunities for ITS product and service providers
- Cooperatively promote each other’s principal ITS events in each home country
- Organize an annual Pan American ITS conference, rotating each year among the members, with efforts to attract participation from smaller countries in the Americas
- Provide cooperative assistance to those seeking to create new national associations in non-affiliated countries in the Americas
- Arrange funding for its own related activities.
All decisions relating to the nature of Pan American ITS and major activities associated with it will be decided based on consensus. The official language of the Pan American ITS MOU and supporting documents will be English. English will also be encouraged whenever possible for communications involving all parties, although individual parties are not obligated to provide interpretation services or translations at their conferences. Any ITS national organization in the Americas will be considered for membership in Pan American ITS.
Cooperation among the parties will be highly beneficial for all organizations, and expectations are that this agreement may lead to more effective and better organized development and deployment of intelligent transportation systems in all countries in the Americas. A signing ceremony, including ITS Canada, ITS America, and several ITS organizations in Latin America, is planned during ITS America’s Annual Meeting being held April 26 to 29, 2004, in San Antonio, Texas.
INNOVATION THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
Transport Canada’s ITS Research and Development Plan
Transport Canada provides support for strategic ITS deployment and integration model applications. In January 2004, Transport Canada announced the 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 complete list of the approved projects is available at www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2004/04-h001e.htm.
Reported by Stanley Hung, LEA Consulting Ltd.
Transport Canada Funding: $100,000
LEA Consulting Ltd., in partnership with the University of Toronto and Fortran Traffic Systems, will research Transit Signal Priority (TSP) operational concepts and the development of a TSP algorithm.
During the project, the team will identify a new TSP concept of operation that may be practically deployed with current and/or emerging technologies. The team will then design the algorithm, and evaluate and refine it through an appropriate simulation model.
The overall objectives of the project will be to:
- Develop a unique, innovative transit signal priority algorithm which has the potential to be deployed in the field
- Facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas between the academic research community and the industrial sector during the algorithm development process
- Provide a means to improve mobility and transportation efficiency
- Increase operational and regulatory efficiencies for system users and public agencies
- Encourage the development of products and services that will accelerate the growth of ITS knowledge and skills, and promote the uptake and commercialization of ITS technology.
To ensure that the research and development of the algorithm is of good practical value to the marketplace, a Steering Committee, comprised of traffic and transit representatives from select municipal regions and cities, have been gathered to provide input throughout the project. The team will also facilitate discussions with a Technical Advisory Group, comprised of invited traffic and transit agency representatives who are operating, or interested in operating, a TSP program.
For more information about this project, please contact Stanley Hung at shung@LEA.ca.
CANADA’S TRANSPORT MINISTER ISSUES CALL FOR PROPOSALS
A call for proposals for projects that advance transportation planning and enhance integration and connections between modes of transport was announced in late February 2004 by Transport Minister Tony Valeri, who indicated the call for proposals demonstrates Canada’s commitment to supporting innovative approaches that enhance the sustainability of Canada’s transportation system.
Full text of the announcement is available at www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2004/04-h006e.htm.
OPPORTUNITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA
Reported by Joseph Lam, Chairman of ITS Canada
During ITS Canada’s mission to the PIARC World Road Congress in Durban, South Africa, in October 2003, ITS Canada participated in an Industry Canada "Sustainable Cities Initiative" workshop with the City of Durban (eThekwini). As a result, several potential business opportunities for our members were identified.
In February 2004, ITS Canada was invited by Industry Canada to participate in a follow-on mission to Durban, South Africa, represented by Joseph Lam, ITS Canada’s Chairman. The mission included an overview of the eThekwini area beginning with a tour of major congested areas, as well as key train and bus stations.
This was followed by presentations targeting the issues in these areas:
- Establishment/operation of a Transportation Authority: eThekwini is expected to become the first municipality in South Africa to establish a Transport Authority, which will have as its primary aim the development of a transport system to truly serve the needs of all users.
- Freight: Consultants will undertake a freight study to review the status quo which will lead to a freight plan for the eThekwini Area. As the Transport Authority is new and the eThekwini Municipality is dealing with freight for the first time, the planning and control of freight transportation is the basic topic. Flowing from this will be other topics, such as overloading of freight vehicles (with "weigh in motion" as a possible partial solution), use of electronics/GPS for vehicle tracking, and policy and strategy re transportation of hazardous goods.
- Passenger Information System: One of the first projects anticipated is a Passenger Information System. This system would cover all modes of transportation (minibus taxis, train, bus) and include various ways of providing the information, such as signage, website, automated information by telephone, schedule distribution, etc. The first requirement will be to determine what information passengers want.
- Through-Ticketing: A pilot project is being contemplated, following by possible implementation of through-ticketing systems in eThekwini. The basic premise is that the traveller would be able to purchase a ticket to travel on the train, for example, and use that same ticket to transfer to another transportation mode, such as a bus, in order to complete the journey.
eThekwini’s Integrated Development Plan contains a vision for the metropolitan area and, over the next few years, South Africa will be working to implement that vision. Initiatives in process place eThekwini at the forefront of municipal transportation planning and implementation in South Africa.
Canadians participating in this mission were invited to present information about the Canadian experience, along with suggested approaches to address the issues. During the mission, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ITS Canada and the South African Society for ITS (SASITS).Hosting in South Africa was directed by Victor Baloyi, the newly appointed CEO of the eThekwini Transport Authority, who is considering a visit to Canada to review our transportation facilities, possibly in May 2004.
MOU Signing
L to R: Seated are Darryll Thomas-Vice Chair, SASITS, and Joseph Lam, Chairman, ITS Canada. Standing are Victor Baloyi-CEO, eThekwini Transport Authority, and Ken Cumming, City Team Manager, Industry Canada
INITIATIVES IN FRANCE
Reported by Scott Stewart, IBI Group
In February 2004, the Government of France sponsored a lunch to introduce an initiative by the French government that highlights a new focus on encouraging foreign investment in France. A program of support has been initiated for companies that are investing, relocating, etc., assisted by the recently created Invest in France Agency. The purpose of the agency is to act as one central information source and authority related to foreign investment.
Increasingly fierce competition to attract expertise and investment means France must make policies that enhance its appeal, in order to lead the creation of new jobs and contribute to the development of industries with strategic importance for the future. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin indicated at a seminar held in December 2003 that he is committed to developing such policies, noting that new public policy would be guided by the recommendations of a national Strategic Council for Attractiveness whose membership was announced during the seminar. Members include French and foreign managers from leading international operations.
Priorities include:
- Attracting expertise and talent, including students, researchers, managers, artists and creative talent
- Attracting international investments
- Action in key sectors, such as the film industry.
About forty initial measures, concrete, targeted and pragmatic, have been adopted and will be implemented beginning immediately, such as enhancing French research by attracting internationally recognized specialists in targeted areas and building teams around them, with the possibility for research organizations to offer compensation in line with international standards and specific funding for top-level teams.
ITS DEPLOYMENT ANALYSIS
Reported by Mary Kim Cichocki-Beaudry, Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO)
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Office is implementing an ITS deployment analysis system known as IDAS, a computerized benefit/cost model that estimates the impacts of alternative ITS-based transportation solutions in urban, freeway and intercity situations.
The IDAS software provides the capability to calculate the relative costs and benefits of ITS investments for both transit services and services on highways and roads. IDAS uses output from traditional transportation planning models to replicate an existing or future transportation network. The user can then deploy ITS improvements directly on the links of the ‘network model’ or, in the case of some transit services, by districts, to generate cost/benefit impacts for various ITS scenarios. The benefit/cost impacts of different ITS scenarios can be generated and compared, either individually (against a base case with no ITS improvements), in combination (two or more ITS solutions at a time), or in trade-off situations with traditional highway and transit infrastructure improvements. Up to eight different ITS scenarios can be compared at one time and summarized by mode, by major facility type or by planning district as defined by the user.
The IDAS software contains an extensive library for the more than 60 types of ITS deployments, an associated file of equipment costs, a direct benefits file and default values file, all grounded on the collective ITS experience of jurisdictions in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The library of "typical" ITS deployments and associated "average" equipment costs and benefits were derived originally from a nation-wide survey conducted by the US. DOT for the ITS National Architecture which is being updated on a continuing basis from case studies being collected in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
The aim for implementing IDAS at MTO is to assist with annual capital planning. The Ministry’s ITS Office, together with Transport Canada’s ITS Directorate, is working to bring the U.S. FHWA IDAS Training sessions to Toronto and Ottawa. Additional details will be available in the near future through MTO’s ITS Office.
IDAS
More information about IDAS software: http://mctrans.ce.ufl.edu.
Case studies and model documentation: http://idas.camsys.com.
Contact Mary-Kim Cichocki-Beaudry, MTO, telephone: (416) 235-5352.
NEWS bITS
ITS International Focuses on Canada
The January-February issue of ITS International contains an article on ITS in Canada.
Don’t miss this interesting update: "Canada Commits to ITS" (PDF).
System Costs Added
The ITS Joint Program Office has announced that system costs of sample ITS deployments are now being included in the ITS Benefits and Costs Database, as well as unit cost information for more than 200 ITS elements, and summaries of the benefits found in over 200 ITS evaluations. Unit cost is the cost associated with an individual ITS element. System costs consist of multiple ITS elements, and typically represents the total cost of an ITS project. System costs of more than 60 ITS deployments are now available. For more information, visit the ITS Cost and Benefits website: www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov.
ERTICO Newsletter
Every two months, ERTICO – ITS Europe produces a newsletter (both a printed version and an online version) about its activities, those of its partners, and ITS in general. To view the latest issue, visit www.ertico.com/newsroom/newslett.htm.
ARTIST: The Italian ITS Architecture
In January 2003, the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport published the first version of the National ITS Architecture called ARTIST. The main objective was to provide public authorities, standardization bodies, transport operators, infrastructure managers and private companies with general guidelines for steering ITS projects towards solutions that are compatible with national and European systems. For further information, visit their site (click on the UK flag icon for English): www.its-artist.rupa.it.
New Economic Indicator in the United States
Recently announced in the U.S. is the Transportation Services Index (TSI), a new indicator that will measure performance of the economy based on the movement of freight and passenger traffic by land, water and air. The TSI is expected to join the ranks of other monthly indicators as a benchmark on the overall strength of the American economy.
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Reported by Bob Richter, NAVTEQ
In an effort that took just over 11 months and 22 full-time NAVTEQ field analysts to complete, NAVTEQ (previously Navigation Technologies) recently launched a full coverage digital map of Canada.
NAVTEQ’s full coverage map of Canada provides customers and end users with the map data necessary for turn-by-turn routing into and throughout Canada’s ten provinces and three territories. The full coverage map offers more than 1.1 million kilometers (more than 700,000 miles) of roadway and 100 percent population coverage.
The product features approximately 150 attributes, such as street names, address ranges, turn restrictions, and speed limits, that help people efficiently reach their destinations. It also offers more than 160,000 points of interest (POIs) in up to 46 categories, including ferry routes and national parks. Some cartographic features such as major lakes and rivers are also included in the product.
Critical to the success of this initiative was Canada’s GeoBase and Federal Department of Natural Resources (NRCan). NAVTEQ turned to GeoBase and NRCan for digital topographic data of Canada’s detailed city areas and much of the arterial Canadian road network.
Using GeoBase and NRCan’s base data, NAVTEQ field analysts captured the road network information necessary to create a navigable map of Canada that meets NAVTEQ’s global quality standards. Recognizing NAVTEQ’s need to reach its broad customer base with a high quality map product, GeoBase and NRCan extended an unrestricted licensing agreement to all users, making the GeoBase and NRCan-based full coverage map of Canada available to all NAVTEQ customers.
NAVTEQ’s full coverage map of Canada will be available in select navigation systems and portable, wireless devices within the next few months.
SMART CARD NEWS FROM ACT CANADA
GO Transit Takes First Step Toward GTA Smart Card Fare System
GO Transit has now hired the person to lead the Greater Toronto Area’s various transit systems toward integrated, smart card service. Robert Hollis, previously part of the Mondex Canada pilot, was introduced to GO’s board. Mr. Hollis said in an interview later that, as project manager, he has one year to "get the design done, get the business case, get the municipalities to sign on, so we’re able to go to market ... to get these type of smart card systems."
"It’s a very clean design," said Hollis. "The hard part isn’t in the design. It’s working out all the fare policies that each of the municipalities wants to implement and be able to code that into the system."
Transit officials believe commuters will welcome smart card technology. GO is tracking the areas around the world that have introduced it. Asia and Europe have employed the technology for years, and it has taken off recently in the U.S.
GO is leading the way on the smart card system because its current fare collection system is aging and difficult to maintain. Hamilton Street Railway, York Region Transit and Ajax-Pickering Transit are also planning to switch fare systems. Others, such as Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington and Oshawa, would join GO’s system as they decide to replace current fare collection systems.
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which carries almost 90% of all transit users in the GTA, may have a funding problem, as costs of converting collection boxes on all buses, streetcars and subway stations has been estimated at between $120 million and $150 million.
The previous provincial government earmarked $40 million last summer for GO to implement smart cards, while the new federal government has pledged that smart cards would be the cornerstone of a GTA-wide fare system.
Toronto Parking Authority to Implement Corporate Parking Card
The Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) has signed an agreement with a Canadian mobile payment firm to launch and implement TPA’s new Corporate Parking Card program, expected to roll out in early 2004.
The Corporate Card marks an important first in the parking industry – customers will be able to use a card that is transferable between specified parking lots at any time. Under this particular program, customers will be able to park in any of the 200 TPA off-street car parks or 18,000 on-street spaces and pay simply by tendering their activated TPA parking card.
"The chief benefit of the card and its corresponding expense management service is that it increases convenience and reduces costs for businesses for which parking is a significant part of their day," explains Frank Maduri, President of Mint Inc., the organization launching the new program for the TPA. "Sales people, mobile professionals and mobile service businesses will all benefit from having a single card that gives them access to all of TPA’s parking spaces, thus reducing the need for cash. Furthermore, the consolidated statements and web views will enable businesses to more efficiently submit and reconcile business-related parking expenses," he comments.
About ACT Canada
ACT Canada is an international non-profit association for the advancement of card technologies, working on behalf of members to promote the awareness, understanding and use of all advanced card technologies including optical, smart, capacitive and emerging technologies.
To learn more about ACT Canada, visit www.actcda.com, telephone (905) 426-6360.
ITS CANADA MEMBERS UPGRADING TO THE SUSTAINING CORPORATE LEVEL
ITS Canada would like to acknowledge with gratitude the following member who has upgraded to the Sustaining Corporate level:
City of Calgary
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 12th International Conference on Road Transport Information and Control
April 20 to 22, 2004 – London, UK
www.iee.org/oncomms/pn/auto/RTIC.cfm
- 2004 ITS America Annual Meeting
April 26 to 29, 2004 – San Antonio, Texas
www.itsa.org/annualmeeting.html
- ITS Canada Annual Conference and General Meeting
May 9 to 11, 2004 – Calgary, Alberta
Preliminary program now available
www.itscanada.ca/alberta2004
- Hong Kong and Shanghai Symposium on Science and Technology
May 17 and 18, 2004 – Hong Kong
www.hkie.org.hk/hk-shanghai
- 7th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo
May 22 to 26, 2004 – Beijing, China
www.expo-china.org/index-e.htm
- ITS Congress: Moving Towards an Integrated Europe (Congress and Exhibition)
May 24 to 26, 2004 – Budapest, Hungary
www.itsineurope.com
- Telematics Expo
May 25 and 26, 2004 – Detroit, MI
www.telematicsupdate.com/detroit2004
- SURF 2004 – The PIARC 5th International Symposium
on Pavement Surface Characteristics – Roads and Airfields
June 6 to 10, 2004 – Toronto, Ontario
www.jegel.com/surf
- ITS New York 11th Annual Meeting & Technology Exhibition
June 17 and 18, 2004 – Saratoga Springs, NY
www.its-ny.org
- 14th Canadian Multidisciplinary Road Safety Conference
June 27 to 30, 2004 – Ottawa, Ontario
www.cmrsc.ca
- GML Days 2004 Conference
July 25 to 29, 2004 – Vancouver, BC
www.gmldev.org
- 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 2nd International Exhibition
September 1 to 3, 2004 – Santiago, Chile
www.itschile.cl
- TRANSTEC 2004
September 1 to 5, 2004 – Athens, Greece
www.transtec.gr
- 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
- Smart Move – The Middle East’s Only Dedicated Public Transport Show
October10 to12, 2004 – Dubai
- Upcoming World Congresses
Nagoya, Japan – October 18 to 22, 2004
"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
San Francisco – November 6 to 10, 2005
- Saudi Traffic
December 5 to 7, 2004 – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Gulf Traffic
December 12 to 14, 2005 – Dubai
Newsletter published by ITS Canada.
Submissions or comments can be emailed to itscanada@itscanada.ca.
|
