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14TH
WORLD CONGRESS ON ITS
By
William Johnson, TRENDS Consulting
The ITS Canada mission to
the 14th ITS World Congress in Beijing, China, was
an outstanding success. The delegation of 17 members
of ITS Canada plus accompanying persons and China-based
employees of Corporate members made an impact out
of proportion to their numbers. With support from
the Canadian Embassy in Beijing and Transport Canada,
the delegation was able to gain visibility and attract
attention to Canada’s ITS accomplishments and
capabilities. With a reported attendance of 5,000
delegates and exhibitors at the Congress, this help
was needed and greatly appreciated.
China
is an immense country and the statistics prove it:
1.3 billion people, 3.45 million kilometers of roads,
5.7 billion tons of freight moved through ports (including
3.6 million containers). China is committed to using
science and technology, and especially ITS, to ensure
these transport requirements are delivered efficiently
and are properly managed, safely and securely. In
fact, China has a long history of excellent engineering,
and this was evident in the scope and scale of its
participation in the exhibition hall. Compared to
China’s participation in previous World Congresses,
this Congress was an eye opener.
The
heart of the 14th World Congress was the exhibition.
Here, one could communicate directly with technical
experts from around the world and especially from
Asia. Located in six exhibit halls plus outdoor displays,
it was a daunting task to find one’s way around
to all 159 exhibit booths. The ITS Canada booth, although
modest, attracted a steady stream of visitors and
the complete supply of brochures was quickly snapped
up.
The
Special and Technical Sessions were housed in specially
constructed rooms, hurriedly assembled in time for
the Congress, and curiously positioned along the sides
of corridor-shaped halls. As the rooms were small,
the audiences had to be small. Still, with 60 Special
Sessions, 106 Technical Sessions and 6 Interactive
Poster Sessions, there were lots of presentations
to learn from.
The
Gala Congress Dinner was a treat! As the event took
place at the Sheng Fang Yi Yuan Ecosystem Restaurant
on the outskirts of Beijing, the two convoys of coaches
with delegates on board received a police escort to
whisk them through the impenetrable Beijing traffic
from the Exhibition Centre to the restaurant. Talk
about solving traffic problems!
China’s
long history has produced a fascinating culture and
delegates were able to experience a bit of it, both
in the Opening Ceremony and in the sights and sounds
of Beijing outside the confines of the Beijing Exhibition
Centre. Below is a photo taken at the Opening Ceremony.
ITS Canada’s website contains additional photos
taken throughout the mission to China and the World
Congress. Visit: www.itscanada.ca/english/WCBeijing.htm.
ITS
Canada once again hosted a highly successful hospitality
event, which included a cocktail reception followed
by dinner. The event, attended by 175 invitees, began
with a reception that included a photo opportunity
with Chinese in traditional costume. There was entertainment
throughout the meal. The actors were brilliant and
the arrangement of the raised stage and tables surrounding
it gave everyone a good view. Canadian Ambassador
Robert Wright, Susan Spencer, Transport Canada, and
Joseph Lam, Chairman of ITS Canada, welcomed guests.
The food was excellent, and compliments afterward
poured in from attendees as everyone had an excellent
time.
In
summary, perhaps the success of the mission to the
Beijing World Congress is best captured in the words
of Susan Spencer, Head of Delegation and Director,
ITS Office, Transport Canada: “This was a marvelous
opportunity to learn about the latest ITS developments
from around the world and to exhibit Canadian capabilities
to an international audience”.
At
the Closing Ceremony, the Globe was passed to the
United States to host the next Congress in New York
City in 2008. Hope you can make it!
ITS
CANADA MISSION TO CHINA
Following the World Congress,
ITS Canada led a mission to Shenyang, Chongqing, Nanjing
and Shanghai. Although not all mission participants
went to all cities, delegation members included representatives
from Delcan, EIS, IBI Group and Strategic Mapping,
along with ITS Canada General Manager Colin Rayman.
The mission was also supported and accompanied by
the Canadian trade commissioners.
Delegation with Student Volunteers in Chongqing
The
purpose of the mission was to promote Canadian capabilities
in ITS and to explore partnering and trade opportunities.
Several opportunities were identified, with follow-up
being undertaken after the delegation’s return
to Canada.
Colin Rayman (with interpreter) addressing the
ITS Seminar in Nanjing
MORE
NEWS FROM CHINA: ISO/TC 204
The
30th Plenary meeting of ISO Technical Committee 204
(Intelligent Transportation Systems) was held in Qingdao,
China, on October 19, 2007. Qingdao is a city of three
million with nearby suburbs of seven million, located
an hour and a half by air east of Beijing. The Standardization
Administration of China (SAC) hosted the meeting,
and ITS China organized the meetings and a social
event. Delegates were welcomed by Dr. Bao Feng of
ITS China.
The Canadian delegates who attend ISO/TC 204 meetings
represent the Standards Council of Canada. The Canadian
delegation to the 30th TC 204 meetings in Qingdao
included three members of the Canadian Advisory Committee
for ISO/TC 204:
- William Johnson (TRENDS Consulting),
Head of Delegation (HOD) attended the Plenary and
CHOD meetings, the Working Group 7 meeting as rapporteur
for WG7, and the Working Group 9 meeting as Canadian
delegate to WG9.
- Dr. Lewis Sabounghi (Sabounghi
& Associates), International Convener for WG7
(General Fleet Management and Commercial Freight)
attended the Working Group 7 meeting and the CHOD
and Plenary meetings.
-
Dr.
Peter Burns (Transport Canada, Road Safety and
Motor Vehicle Regulation), attended the Working
Group 14 meeting as the Canadian expert to WG14.
A
detailed trip report is included on ITS Canada’s
website at:
www.itscanada.ca/standardscommittee/newsandevents.htm
Further
information is also available from:
William
(Bill) Johnson, Chair, SCC/Canadian Advisory Committee
for ISO/TC204
Telephone : (613) 797-1489
Email: johnswf@attglobal.net
TRANSPORTATION
DEVELOPMENT CENTRE ANNUAL REVIEW - Excerpts
Annual Review – Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2007
The Transportation Development
Centre (TDC) is Transport Canada’s centre of
expertise for technology research and development.
TDC’s professional staff work closely with stakeholders
to identify priority needs and map out directions
for research.
Intelligent
Transportation Systems Highlights
Traffic monitoring using cell phones
Researchers determined that cell phone technology
can offer a low cost and flexible alternative to installing,
maintaining and operating a network of expensive sensors
for urban traffic monitoring and control. By anonymously
tracking cell phones in moving vehicles, it is possible
to derive useful information, such as route, speed
and travel time.
With
the cooperation of a wireless phone company, anonymous
data was collected over several weeks on a stretch
of highway in Toronto and compared against the same
information derived from existing traffic systems
over the same road network.
Autonomous
monitoring station
To demonstrate that next-generation personal
communication services (PCS) data networks (1xRTT)
can be used for fast deployment of ITS in rural areas,
three remote, wireless monitoring stations were installed
along a rural highway in Ontario subject to severe
winter white-out conditions. To solve the problem
of power in rural areas, the stations were solar powered.
Visibility sensors provided a qualitative measure
of visibility, and vehicle detectors monitored the
speed and volume of traffic. The project demonstrated
the technical capability of deploying wireless data
communications and solar power with a low-cost interface
to different combinations of field devices and sensors.
Small
transit ITS
A study was launched this year into potential benefits
of and barriers to introducing ITS technology into
smaller public transit systems. None of the approximately
60 small transit agencies in Canada (operating between
10 and 100 buses) has been able to take advantage
of the benefits of ITS technologies. The study will
examine how ITS is being used by smaller transit agencies
in other countries, and make recommendations for R&D
to address the obstacles identified.
Advanced
traveller information system
Development has been completed of a functioning prototype
of a regional advanced traveller information system
(ATIS) for the Greater Vancouver Area. The project
aimed to create a one-stop public web portal that
provides multi-modal, multi-jurisdiction, static and
real-time traveller information, enabling users to
make better and more informed travel decisions. The
cornerstone of the portal is a feature-rich interactive
map that allows the user to view current incident
and congestion information in graphical form, with
toggle switches to include or exclude road, rail,
marine and air travel networks. The system is currently
being deployed and has been branded as ‘iMove’.
ITS
R&D Plan for Canada
TDC is responsible for technical management of research
projects on behalf of Transport Canada’s ITS
Office under the ITS R&D Plan for Canada, which
is aimed at stimulating the development and deployment
of intelligent transportation systems in Canada. The
program is composed of R&D contracts, contribution
agreements and federal / provincial / territorial
bilateral agreements.
One
project completed this year examined the use of
smart cards to pay for trips on public transit.
Smart cards offer a variety of benefits to operators,
including greater ease of use and accessibility for
passengers, and the ability to collect precise data
on ridership and travel patterns. Researchers explored
the technical specifications and standards that would
be required to meet transit operator needs while maximizing
the interoperability of smart cards among a wide variety
of service providers, particularly financial institutions,
which are already exploring the introduction of smart
cards.
Another
project developed a system to provide secure, wireless
remote access to a central traffic control system
through a personal digital assistant
to allow traffic engineers and technicians to update,
troubleshoot and maintain traffic signal timing operations
in the field. The remote access system developed in
this project enables field crews to monitor the system
in the field, providing better and faster diagnostic
operations without the need for support from control
centre staff. It also allows field crews to modify
signal timing data at an intersection.
Reprinted
with permission from Transport Canada
STRIVING
FOR EXCELLENCE IN ITS IN SOUTH AFRICA
By
Paul Vorster, CEO – ITS South Africa
Re-entry into the global marketplace has seen South
Africa’s economy expanding consistently over
the past decade. A growing middle class has resulted
in record numbers of new private cars on the roads,
and the resulting increase in congestion has emphasized
the business case for the deployment of ITS technologies.
Hosting
the FIFA Soccer World Cup in 2010 has helped to move
the contribution of ITS to the top of the transport
agenda.
To
play a vanguard role in this rapidly growing market
has seen the SA Society for ITS (SASITS) re-branding
itself. Now known as ITS South Africa, it plays an
active role in the domestic and international ITS
industry.
ITS
Canada and ITS South Africa have previously signed
an MOU and several Canadian companies are participating
in the South Africa market.
In
striving for excellence in ITS, ITS South Africa recently
announced the launch of the ITS Centre of Excellence.
The ITS CoE will be a virtual entity to encourage
multi-stakeholder cooperation and will have five focus
areas:
Knowledge management
Training and skills transfer
Education
Research support
Innovation and development.
Companies
interested in participating in the South African market
are invited to contact ITS South Africa to facilitate
local agreements or joint ventures. Visit www.itssa.org or contact paul@itssa.org.
NEWS
bITS
TAC
Publishes Road Features Inventory
The Guidelines and Best Practices
for Road Features Inventories publication is now available
from the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC).
The
document covers the entire road features inventory
process. The national guidelines are meant to assist
practitioners in the design, development, implementation
and maintenance of road inventory systems.
In
the document, a road features inventory (RFI) is considered
to be the process of collecting information on road
features and attributes in terms of physical characteristics
(such as length, condition, location, etc.) by using
a variety of data collection methods, and storing
the collected data in ways to ensure data availability
for inventory purposes, statistical reporting and
decision-making processes.
The
140-page publication emphasizes that the development
of an RFI should be carefully thought out, involve
input from all stakeholders, and include well-documented
methodologies and procedures. Its ten chapters introduce
the reader to basic and more complex aspects of RFI,
including the RFI inception, development, structuring
and use. The key chapters conclude with a summary
of guidelines and best practices. A primer, in both
English and French, is also included to provide users
with a comprehensive methodology for the development
of the road features inventories.
For
full details, please visit:
https://mediant.magma.ca/tacatc/bookstore/products.cfm?catid=9&subcatid=18&prodid=204
Government
of Canada Launches $33-Billion Infrastructure Plan
On November 6, 2007, the Government of Canada announced
the details of a $33-billion infrastructure plan.
Called "Building Canada", the plan focuses
on building a stronger, safer and better Canada by
providing stable funding for municipalities over a
longer period of time (2007 to 2014) than any previous
federal infrastructure initiative. The announcement
indicated that results will include cleaner air and
water, safer roads, shorter commutes, and prosperous,
livable communities. For full details, please visit:
www.buildingcanada-chantierscanada.gc.ca/index-eng.html
511
in the United States
The usage statistics for 511 telephone services nationwide,
as reported to the 511 Deployment Coalition, are as
follows:
Almost 85 million calls nationwide since inception
36 consecutive months with over 1 million calls
511 was available to over 119 million Americans
(41 percent).
The
following services launched since the last update:
Jacksonville, Louisiana, San Diego, Southwest Florida,
St. Louis, Georgia and Massachusetts.
MEMBERS
IN THE NEWS
As
an official sponsor of the 15th World Congress on
ITS, to be held November 16 to 20, 2008, in New York
City, Daktronics will provide a video
wall that will consist of a nearly 200-inch screen
that will use high-resolution, high-visibility LED
technology, capable of video in high definition. The
state-of-the-art video wall will feature a 20-minute
continuous loop video, showcasing the ITS industry’s
latest technologies developed by some of the world’s
leading suppliers of services and solutions. Visit
the Daktronics website at: www.daktronics.com.
On
October 31, 2007, Delcan Corporation
hosted a grand opening of the Los Angeles Regional
Traffic Management Centre, a California Department
of Transportation’s (Caltrans) District 7 project
that relocated the existing Traffic Management Center
to the new Los Angeles Regional Transportation Management
Center (LARTMC). The LARTMC facility was created to
gather regional transportation data from diverse transportation
agency systems and integrate it into one system, aimed
at better coordinating mobility and response services
between all routes and modes of transportation. The
project goals are to reduce congestion by at least
20 percent, improve travel reliability by at least
20 percent, increase safety on highways, improve the
ability to respond to natural disasters and increase
security preparedness. The LARTMC serves 43 distinct
government functions and will act as the center for
Intelligent Transportation Systems and Emergency Response
operations for the next 30 years. Visit Delcan’s
website at: www.delcan.com.
Novax
Industries Corporation has been selected
as the technology supplier to design, supply and install
Transit Signal Priority, an integral part of TransLink’s
Main Street Showcase Project. Utilizing municipal
mesh broadband, this innovative technology will improve
the quality of life for residents of the Lower Mainland
and will be installed in time for the 2010 Olympics.
TSP provides transit vehicles with a green light at
a traffic signal, reducing bus travel times, vehicle
congestion, operating costs and contributing towards
a green and sustainable transportation environment.
For information:
www.novax.com.
In
November 2007, VIVA Bus Rapid Transit, the first of
its kind in the Greater Toronto Area, accepted the
IT Project of the Year Award from the Tri-Committee
of Ontario for the advanced technology installed on
their BRT vehicles. INIT, Innovations in Transportation,
supplied VIVA much of the technology that contributed
to the award. INIT technology enabled VIVA to provide
real-time passenger information to their customers
through automated stop announcements, variable message
signs displaying next-stop information in the vehicles
and next-bus information at all VIVA stations. All
vehicles were equipped with INIT’s Windows XP
embedded on-board computer. Other INIT products included
mobile data terminals, automatic passenger counters
and traffic signal priority installed at 141 intersections.
INIT facilitates the use of 802.11 wireless LAN for
secure mass data transfers. In the York Region Transit
control centre, INIT’s MOBILE-ITCS system provides
CAD/AVL functionality with a map display (GIS) and
incident management, as well as communication control
and service information. INIT also interfaced with
and facilitated third-party applications to provide
trip planning and other information services to passengers.
In addition to the 85 BRT vehicles, York Region Transit
contracted INIT to equip an additional 270 conventional
fixed-route buses.
UPCOMING
EVENTS
15TH WORLD
CONGRESS CALL FOR PAPERS
Online submission
opens November 1, 2007
Theme:
“ITS Connections: Saving Time, Saving
Lives”
Full
Details: www.itsworldcongress.org
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ITS
CANADA ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND GENERAL MEETING
2008
June
1 to 4, 2008
Montreal ~ Quebec ~ Canada
www.itscanada.ca/montreal2008 |
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| For
all upcoming events, please visit the online Events
Calendar |
Newsletter
published by ITS Canada.
Submissions
or comments can be emailed to askus@itscanada.ca.
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