18th World Congress on Intelligent Transport systems-Orlando

November 4, 2011

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America, ERTICO-ITS Europe, and ITS Asia-Pacific has commensed the world’s leading transportation policy makers, technology, and business professionals in Orlando, Florida, from October 16-20, 2011 for the 18th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, which featured ITS America’s Annual Meeting & Exposition.

Indian Tollway’s Views From Orlando, Florida, USA

One senses a certain quiet excitement, a kind of diffused hurriedness about the place. And lots of people. With attendance estimates between 8,000 and 10,000, one thing that is not apparent are empty exhibit floor isles.

The five-day ITSWC conference began on Sunday, October 16^th with an evening kickoff event that featured Florida Governor Rick Scott and General Motors VP of R&D Alan Taub. While their speeches conveyed all the usual bits about reducing congestion, a cleaner planet, increasing safety and ITS funding, the emerging theme is decidedly high-tech. with emphasis on real-time telematics, in-vehicle ITS, and connected vehicle technology.

The conference offered more than 300 sessions, focused on topics such as highway & vehicle safety, next generation traveler information, consumer apps for in-vehicle and smart devices, congestion management, performance measurement, analytics, eco-management and many more.

The exhibition hall comprised two main areas. The first was a single hall layout of more than 35,000 square meters of exhibition space with more than 200 companies manning stalls. The second area was an impressive outdoor pavilion themed into four areas: Safety Village, Environment Village, Pricing Village, and Mobility Village. These areas featured live demonstrations of connected-vehicle technologies, smartphone driver awareness, first responder vehicle movement, V2I/V2V, collision avoidance through smart systems, intermodal tracking & clearance, interoperability, and a host of other live demos.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this conference was that it was perhaps the most clear indicator of ITS industry trajectory of any ITS conference this year. As expected, there are all the traditional components of ITS here, from software & communication systems to cameras, detection equipment, and VMS. These are certainly the backbone of ITS systems. But the clear stand-out in emerging components of ITS is Connected Vehicle Technology (CVT).

CVT may be seen as the next generation of ITS, one which will allow vehicles and roadway environments to communicated directly with each other. The US DOT estimates that CVT has the potential to mitigate (at least to some degree) a huge number of driver related crash scenarios – as much as 81%. In addition to reducing accident rates, CVT has the promise of lowering driving costs, reducing traffic congestion, and lowering individual vehicle emissions.

Few pieces on the same has been shown .