MAY–JUNE 2006
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A MOUNTAIN OF SUCCESS AT ITS CANADA'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN WHISTLER
By John Pump, ICBC / Co-Chair of the Local Organizing Committee
ITS Canada’s 2006 Annual Conference, held June 4 to 6 in Whistler, British Columbia, lived up to all of its expectations:
• "Thanks again for the perfect organization. I enjoyed the conference very much."
• "Excellent job.....It was a fantastic conference."
• "A quick note of appreciation for the outstanding delivery of ITS Canada's AGM. Great work!"
• "Thank you very much for all the kind arrangements and warm welcome for us at the ITS Canada Conference."
• "Let me congratulate you on an excellent Conference. It far exceeded my expectations."
• "Great work on getting ITS Canada out to the West Coast. Extremely important and productive for our community."
• "It was a good conference, just the right blend of work and pleasure. Well organized too."
These are samples of the feedback received after the event. With about 250 participants, the success of the conference resulted directly from the involvement and active participation of the members of ITS Canada and the ITS community in general. Without high-calibre technical presentations (now available on the website), relevant vendor displays and generous sponsorships, it would not have been possible. Thank you, all !!!
Thanks also to the keynote speakers, who took time out of their busy schedules to deliver relevant, timely presentations. Pat Jacobsen, CEO of TransLink, the Honourable Kevin Falcon, Minster of Transportation for B.C., Robert Cone, Director of Roads for Wales, and Michael Pitts, Director of Transportation and Logistics for VANOC (2010 Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee) all presented insights into their perspectives on ITS and its relationship to their sphere of influence.
Special thanks to the event sponsors: Transport Canada, TransLink, B.C. Ministry of Transportation, IBI Group, NAVTEQ, Delcan, ICBC, 3M, Fortran, Traficon, LEA, Imtech, Egis Projects, International Business Wales, Electromega, and RuggedCom. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
The Annual Conference included an International Forum, where guest speakers from all corners of the world spoke about ITS developments in their jurisdictions. This event was very well attended and proved to be very informative.
The Fairmont Chateau Whistler provided a grand venue, with spectacular views as a backdrop to the conference activities. From all accounts, attention to detail and quality of catering services proved to be excellent.
The annual banquet was held on the roof-top terrace of the hotel, under a large gazebo tent. Prefaced by a reception, guests enjoyed a delicious entrée of B.C. salmon. The resort also provided an exceptional venue for the first ITS Canada Golf Tournament, with 44 participants, a special guest in the form of a roaming black bear, and scenery to die for! Golf scores took a back seat to the spectacular views and natural beauty of the course.
John Pump and Rob Shirra – Co-Chairs of ITS Canada’s Local Conference Organizing Committee
Kudos to the Local Organizing Committee for an excellent job and raising the bar one more notch!
More photographs
NEWS FROM IMSA
By Chris Philp, IMSA
The IMSA school offers participants the opportunity to refresh their knowledge in many aspects of roadways and traffic signals. Courses provide instruction on:
- 170 controllers
- Roadway lighting
- Signs and markings
- Traffic signals
- Work zones.
Work zone safety must be taken by all students attending the school as a pre-requisite to all other courses. During the first week of April, the Ontario Section held the 2006 IMSA school in Burlington. A total of 145 people attended, with many students taking more than one class. In all 232 exams were written.
The courses are designed to cover a great deal of material in a short period of time. They are not structured to educate people on the fundamentals of each topic; rather they are designed as a refresher course to assist people who should already have a sound knowledge of the course material. The courses assist people in their preparation for the IMSA exams. IMSA certification requires the students to pass their exams.
Many municipalities require their staff to be IMSA certified (or to obtain certification within a specified period of time) as part of their job descriptions.
All in all, it was a busy but very successful week. Next year, the school will be held during the week of March 25 to 30 in Burlington.
The IMSA Annual General Meeting will be taking place on June 21 in Oakville. The AGM will be preceded by a golf tournament and lunch. The next IMSA Traffic Expo is scheduled for October 25, 2006, in Brampton. The Traffic Expo is an excellent opportunity for people to gather information about industry products from multiple vendors (all in the same room).
For more information: www.ontario.imsasafety.org
TAC ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Don’t miss the Transportation Association of Canada’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, being held in Charlottetown from September 17 to 20, 2006. The country’s premier transportation event offers a mix of more than 30 sessions, panel discussions and workshops on a range of topics around the conference theme of Transportation Without Borders. Two sessions will be of particular interest to the ITS community:
1. Road Monitoring and Traveller Information System Benefits for Maintenance and Construction
2. Canada-U.S. Border: Security vs. Prosperity – ITS Applications to Achieve a Delicate Balance, a panel discussion organized by ITS Canada.
“TAC’s Annual Conference provides ITS professionals like myself an opportunity to network with private and public-sector professionals in the transportation mainstream of Canada,” says ITS Canada Chairman Joseph Lam. “This helps us to advance new ideas in ITS and opportunities for partnerships. This year, ITS Canada is sponsoring a joint session, as noted above. The venue this year in Prince Edward Island is an excellent spot for connecting in a relaxed atmosphere, as well as enjoying amazing seafood! Every ITS Canada member would benefit from being there.”
TAC members save $160 on the full registration package and a further $80 by signing up before August 4. For full details and registration information: tac-atc.ca/english/annualconference/generalinfo.cfm.
ISO/TC204 MEETING AND WORKSHOP – BUSAN, KOREA
By William Johnson, Head of Delegation Canada
The 27th Plenary meeting of ISO Technical Committee 204 (Intelligent Transportation Systems) was held in Busan, Korea, at the Paradise Hotel on April 28, 2006. The meeting was hosted by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) and organized by the Korean Standards Association (KSA). There were 75 delegates from 16 countries at the Plenary and associated working group meetings.
A special workshop on ITS Standards Best Practices, hosted by KATS and organized by KSA, was held on April 24, 2006. The purpose was to present and discuss the results of the APEC-ISO World Report on ITS Standards (WRITSS) survey conducted in 2005. The presentations were organized into four sessions:
1. Perspectives on ITS standards by Korean standards experts
2. Perspectives on ITS standards by speakers from five countries (including one by William Johnson for Canada)
3. A panel of TC204 conveners
4. A final panel of representatives from standards agencies.
The workshop attracted over 100 participants. Based on the additional inputs and feedback from delegates, the KSA project team will finalize the WRITSS report for ISO balloting and publication in the fall of 2006.
The WRITSS report is the first attempt to measure progress to develop and deploy ITS standards on a global basis. It is a significant benchmark that will be of interest to all those interested in the evolution and adoption of ITS standards and, in particular, international standards.
At the Plenary meeting, it was reported that the secretariat support for TC204 is being moved from ITS America to the Telecommunications Industries Association beginning July 1, 2006. This change is expected to improve the overall efficiency of the ITS standards development process and bring a closer relationship to the private sector.
TC204 Working Group 9 has now completed a standard for data transfers between traffic control centres, and between control centres and the private sector. This ITS standard was sent for publication in December 2005 and will be available from both ISO and the Standards Council of Canada. The reference number is ISO IS 14827 Parts 1 and 2.
The Canadian delegation included three members of the Canadian Advisory Committee for TC 204:
• Dr. William Johnson, Head of Delegation
• Dr. Lewis Sabounghi, International Convener for Working Group 7 (General Fleet Management and Commercial Freight)
• Dr. Peter Burns, Canadian expert to Working Group 14.
A detailed trip report is available through ITS Canada’s website. Please refer to the section for the Architecture and Standards Committee www.itscanada.ca/standardscommittee/newsandevents.htm
For further information about the TC204 meeting in Busan or the Workshop on Best Practices on ITS/Telematics Standards, contact William Johnson at johnswf@attglobal.net.
ITS CANADA WELCOMES NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS
- Intergraph Canada
- MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates
- Siemens Canada
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
EIS Electronic Integrated Systems Inc.
In May, ITS Canada member EIS Electronic Integrated Systems Inc. announced the availability of the SPIDER™ RM (Rack Mount), an innovation in urban mid-block traffic detection. SPIDER™ RM increases the efficiency of traffic signal timing by adding advance detection to busy intersections at a fraction of the cost of loop detectors. SPIDER RM is fully integrated with internal wireless RF modems. It collects traffic detection data from up to eight wireless RTMS™ units, monitoring up to 32 remote lanes, and reliably delivers contact closure pairs into the controller cabinet without trenching and without stopping traffic. SPIDER™ RM is fully compatible with all traffic controllers.
Also in May, EIS announced that it has signed a contract with Transdyn Inc. to supply 65 RTMS™ traffic sensors for use on Route 202 in North Philadelphia on behalf of The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, another order to supply 70 RTMS™ traffic detection stations for the second phase of the Nashville Area Traffic Management System, as well as new orders from Belgium, Italy and Turkey.
NAVTEQ and CBS Radio to Broadcast New NAVTEQ Traffic™ Service
NAVTEQ and CBS Radio have teamed up to begin offering a new traffic information service via the Radio Data System (RDS) protocol. Through the use of CBS Radio’s transmission facilities in major metropolitan markets across the country with a combined population of more than 120 million people, NAVTEQ Traffic RDS™ is displayed on Portable Navigation Devices (PND) and PDAs.
TSH HOSTS WORKSHOP
In March 2006, a free workshop was hosted by Totten Sims Hubicki Associates in Ottawa to promote ITS knowledge and information exchange in the region. The forum was intended to create new opportunities for cross application, cross discipline, cross jurisdiction, cross mode and even cross border exchange of information. The goal is to work towards improving the overall efficiency and safety of the road network and improve the benefit to the end-user by integrating ITS network solutions. The workshop included participation from 38 people representing 19 public agencies/branches from 3 levels of government, demonstrating a high level of interest. For further information, please contact Mark Pinet at Totten Sims Hubicki at (613) 820-8282 or via e-mail at mpinet@tsh.ca.
511 NEWS FROM THE U.S.
The 511 Deployment Coalition is planning the National 511 Conference on July 17 – 19, 2006 in San Diego, California, at the Westin Horton Plaza Hotel. The Conference theme is: 511…Where Travel Starts.
For details, visit:
www.transportation.org/meetings/74.aspx
The usage statistics for 511 telephone services nationwide in April 2006 reported to the 511 Deployment Coalition are as follows:
• 1,390,440 total calls
• Over 53 million calls nationwide since inception
• 20 consecutive months with over 1 million calls
• 511 was available to over 93 million Americans (32 percent)
• Systems deployed for one year saw a 14 percent increase in April 2006 call volumes compared to April 2005
• Peak usage was experienced due to incidents, fires and weather conditions
• April saw the three-year anniversary of the service launch in Alaska.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- ITS America’s 2006 Annual Meeting and Expo
May 7 to 9, 2006 – Philadelphia, PA
www.itsa.org/annualmeeting.html
- Traffic and Road Safety Third International Congress and Exhibition
May 17 to 19, 2006 – Ankara, Turkey
www.trodsa.org
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CUTA 2006 Annual Conference
May 27 to 31, 2006 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
www.cutaactu.on.ca
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- ITS Canada’s Annual Conference
June 4 to 6, 2006 – Whistler, B.C.
www.itscanada.ca/whistler2006
- 1st International Symposium on Freeway and Tollway Operations
June 4 to 7, 2006 – Athens, Greece
www.citycongress.com/1_ISFO
- ITS New York Thirteenth Annual Meeting and Technology Exhibition
June 8 and 9, 2006 – Saratoga Springs, NY
www.its-ny.org/whatsnew.html
- International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Associations Spring Technology Workshop
June 11 to 13, 2006 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
www.ibtta.org
- Canadian Telecom Summit
June 12 to 14, 2006 – Toronto, Ontario
www.telecomsummit.com
- ITST 2006 – 6th International Conference on ITS Telecommunications
June 21 to 23, 2006 – Chengdu, China
www.itst2006.uestc.edu.cn
- 8th Asia-Pacific ITS Forum 2006
July 10 to 14, 2006 / Hong Kong, China
www.itshk.org
- 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
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TAC Annual Conference & Exhibition
Charlottetown, PEI – September 17 to 20, 2006
www.tac-atc.ca
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- 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 ö 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
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CUTA 2006 Fall Conference and Trans-Expo
November 4 to 8, 2006 – Toronto, Ontario
Trans-Expo – November 7
www.cutaactu.on.ca
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- 5th Chilean Congress / 2nd Pan American Congress on ITS and Exhibition
November 15 to 17, 2006 – Santiago, Chile
www.itschile.cl
Newsletter published by ITS Canada.
Submissions or comments can be emailed to itscanada@itscanada.ca.
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