April 2013

In this Issue:

Interview with:Martin Russ, Managing Director AustriaTech and General Secretary of ITS Austria

Your ultimate guide to the ITS European Congress 2013From 4 to 7 June in dublin, Ireland

Cleaner and Greener drivingDeveloping eco-driving technologies and skills, from research to practice

ERTICO eMagazineWelcome to the

Contact us:pr@mail.ertico.com

Follow us on twitter:@ERTICO

Editorial

Welcome to our April edition

“We need to rethink the way we

function, the way we produce and

consume.”

These were the words of Janez

Potočnik European Commissioner for

Environment during a speech on the

‘sustainable economy’ in Geneva on

17April.

“Our future,” he said “taking into

account human population growth

and growing per-capita consumption

rate will be very much shaped by

how well we manage existing limited

resources.”

His warning was clear, and this

‘management of resources’ will be

vitally important for industries such

as travel and transport which count

for as much as 24% of the total

greenhouse gas emissions in the

European Union.

For this reason I am delighted to

introduce this month’s lead article

which examines a number of

pioneering EU projects which are

turning ‘eco-driving’ research into

fuel-saving technologies.

Next–up we have an article from

ERTICO’s hard-working American

Intern, Mollie M. Wagoner, which

tells you everything you need to

know about the up-coming ITS

European Congress in Dublin. Her

‘Ultimate Guide’ highlights the main

events and activities, lists the key

speeches and speakers and gives an

overview of the many workshops and

demonstrations.

If you are coming to Dublin in June,

be sure to read her article in full!

Finally, you will find the first in

a series of articles which aims to

explore ITS in Europe. With the 2013

ITS European Congress just a month

away, we thought it would be nice

to start our ‘Euro tour’ with a trip to

Austria, hosts of the World Congress

in 2012.

Martin Russ, Managing Director of

AustriaTech and General Secretary

of ITS Austria answers my questions

about his home country, while I

reflect on the excellence of an online

Austrian route planner.

As always, we hope you enjoy the

magazine and we look forward to

delivering next month’s ITS Congress

special edition.

The Editorial Team

pr@mail.ertico.com

@ERTICO

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7

11

Although newly manufactured

vehicles have integrated advanced

technologies focussed on lowering

environmental impact, new hybrid

and electric vehicles have not yet

replaced the current fleet of cars

and trucks circulating in Europe

and can’t, alone, address the

environmental impact issue. In

fact, between 1990 and 2010, the

CO2 emissions produced by road

transport have increased by nearly

23%. But fuel efficiency is only one

side of the coin and environmentally

friendly driving behaviour is also key

to reducing our fuel consumption.

Becoming a European priority, the

European strategy on clean and

efficient vehicles also contributes

to the Europe 2020 objectives of

smart and sustainable growth.

The “CO2 and cars” working group

of the second European Climate

Change Programme (ECCP II),

which is the EC’s main instrument

to discuss and prepare the further

development of the EU’s climate

policy, has identified eco-innovations

as an essential solution to reducing

emissions from cars, and incentive

for the automotive industry to invest

in them. The strategy was also

integrated in the 2011 ‘White Paper

on Transport’, defining a roadmap

and action plan to be implemented

by the European Commission in order

to achieve more efficient and less

polluting road transports. From this

perspective, a certain number of

EU funded research and deployment

projects focus on making transports

greener, also by optimising the

benefits of eco-driving.

But what exactly is eco-driving?

Eco-driving is based on driver

behaviour. By analysing and adapting

their behaviour, significant savings can

be made in terms of fuel consumption.

Protecting the environment is the

motto of this new driving culture.

Basically, by following certain eco-

driving principles, the same route

can be travelled using less fuel and

thus reducing C02 emissions, as well

as making savings and driving more

safely. The benefits of eco-driving are

indeed multiple. Climate protection

is the first aim of eco-driving but the

financial benefits can also become

an important incentive for private as

well as professional drivers. Public

transport drivers and road hauliers

for example have high interest in

eco-driving. Even more so as eco-

driving also improves professional

drivers’ comfort and safety.

In order to optimise eco-driving,

several research and deployment

projects focus on developing ad-hoc

technologies supporting eco-friendly

driving behaviours by using Intelligent

Transport Systems (ITS) such as

Cleaner and Greener drivingDeveloping eco-driving technologies and skills, from research to practice

by Anouk Van den Bussche

Driving a car inevitably means consuming fuel and impacting the environment. According to the European Environment

Agency, 24% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union are to be attributed to the transport sector

in general and 17% directly to road transport.

Could the way we drive really improve these figures? Eco-driving experts believe it can and should.The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are solely those of the authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of ERTICO or its Partners.

contents

Editorial

Cleaner and greener driving

Your ultimate guide to the ITS European Congress 2013

Interview with Martin Russ, Managing Director AustriaTech

3

cooperative systems. The cooperative

systems used in the projects include

vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to

infrastructure communications

providing the driver with real-time

interactive information from the

road environment for example,

that he can take into account when

adapting his driving behaviour. Let’s

have a closer look at some of these EC

funded projects to understand how

they will to help us with becoming

efficient eco-drivers.

Research and assessment:

measuring impacts and defining

methodologies

To support ITS assisted eco-driving,

the first step was to assess its impact

internationally and develop common

measurements and methodologies.

That’s exactly the focus of the

ECOSTAND project. The project

started in December 2010, and

involves three international regions

(the European Union, Japan and the

United States) working together on a

framework for a common assessment

methodology to determine the

impacts of Intelligent Transport

Systems on energy efficiency and CO2

emissions. ITS assisted eco-driving is

only one among other ITS solutions

examined by the project but it is

nevertheless an important one.

Building on the ECOSTAND project’s

outcomes (providing guidelines on

what standard methodology should

contain), the AMITRAN project takes

the assessment methodologies one

step further by defining them for the

European territory.

The methodologies developed by the

Amitran project focus on the impact

of Intelligent Transport Systems on

CO2 emissions for both freight and

passenger transport. The means of

transport examined in the project

range from road to rail, and includes

sea and inland navigation shipping.

So of course eco-driving, here again,

is not the only focus of the project as

it examines a whole chain of effects

in multimodal transport but with

a specific view on user behaviour.

However an eco-driving style is indeed

at heart of Amitran’s methodology

development ambitions.

Research and deployment: new

technologies supporting eco-driving

You may be wondering: “What do

these new technologies supporting

eco-driving concretely do and what

does a vehicle equipped with them

look like?”. Well, to find out, one can

head to Helmond in the Netherlands.

This medium sized city close to

Eindhoven is actually equipped with

state of the art cooperative systems

as it hosted the now completed

FREILOT pilot project which focussed

on reducing energy consumption

of goods delivery vehicles in urban

areas. Today, the cooperative

systems already present in Helmond

are being continually developed and

the city provides a perfect setting

for eCoMove project testing and

validation (finalised March 2013).

eCoMove is an ambitious integrated

project, testing and validating

cooperative mobility systems and

services for energy efficiency in

various contexts and for various

users. Last month, we had the chance

to travel in one of the eCoMove

test cars for a live eco-driving

demonstration in Helmond. Although

from the outside the car seemed

quite normal, the equipment inside

the vehicle was intriguing. Several

screens and devices provided dynamic

green driving and routing guidance

as well as tips to tune the vehicle’s

functions for minimum fuel usage.

By following the virtual coaches’

“ecoSmartDriving” advice, we

actually managed to circulate the city

in a perfect flow of green lights! Once

at our destination, the “ecoPostTrip”

application also provided an analysis

of our eco-driving performance with

personalised recommendations.

eCoMove is not only targeting

individual drivers, but by creating

integrated solutions, eCoMove also

focuses on helping professional

drivers and fleet managers. Freight

and road operators driving trucks for

example, are provided with solutions

to optimise their routing, to save fuel,

and to manage traffic more efficiently.

The applications developed are

sending them information on the

current road context and they can

also benefit from eco-driving training

in order to adapt their driving habits

and use the cooperative technologies

to their full potential.

Optimising and demonstrating

the ITS supported eco-driving

technologies

One of the most effective eco-driving

feed-back tools used in the eCoMove

test car seen in Helmond was without

a doubt the haptic pedal, sending non

verbal information involving touch.

Optimising technology supported eco-

driving definitely means exploring the

best ways to communicate the driving

advice to the drivers. The aim of the

ecoDriver project is to deliver the

most effective feedback to drivers on

green driving by optimising the driver-

powertrain-environment feedback

loop. It is easy to imagine the poor

results in eco-driving performances

obtained in a non user-friendly

feed-back environment. Being

overwhelmed with visual messages

would clearly put off any driver from

paying attention to the eco-driving

advice messages. In order to address

this issue, the ecoDriver research

project focuses on optimising the

feedback provided to drivers to

increase both the acceptance and the

effectiveness of green driving support

for all types of powertrains, including

hybrid and electric vehicles. One of

the strengths of the ecoDriver project

is its ambition to take into account

all scenarios (traffic conditions, type

of vehicle etc.) and individual driving

styles to adapt the human-machine

interfaces (HMI).

While upgraded HMI eco-driving

solutions are being developed, pilot

projects such as COSMO are already

using the existing technologies in

various real-life contexts. COSMO’s

aim is to demonstrate, in realistic

conditions, the benefits of integrating

advanced cooperative traffic

management services and to quantify

their impact in improving energy

efficiency and reducing the carbon

footprint. Experiments are carried

out in various areas including eco-

driving for private vehicles as well as

public transport vehicles.eCoMove test vehicle in Helmond

COSMO test site Salerno, Italy

Your ultimate guide to the ITS European Congress 2013From 4 to 7 June in Dublin, Ireland

After an intense review process the final papers for the 2013 European ITS Congress have been chosen. The papers

represent a wide array of ITS expertise and innovation from across Europe, the diverse topics and authors promise

interesting sessions for this year’s Congress. With almost 300 selected papers there are over 100 sessions planned for

the four day congress, including Executive Sessions, Special Interest Sessions, Host Sessions, Interactive Presentations,

Technical and Scientific sessions and Plenary Sessions.

Attendees of this year’s congress will

represent the multiple ITS industry

stakeholders including industry

leaders, top researchers, university

professors, local, municipal, and top

government officials, and European

politicians from all levels.

The 2013 ITS European Congress

schedule is now available on the

congress website. The online

schedule is interactive and offers

a brief description and overview

of the congress sessions. For more

information please visit the Congress

website: www.itsineurope.com

Plenary Sessions

At each ITS Congress three Plenary

Session are held over the course of

the programme. These sessions act as

a forum of healthy debate within the

ITS community in hopes of parking

new ideas and solutions in the ITS

field. Each year the Plenary sessions

host a unique group of VIPs who have

special and differing insights into the

world of ITS, this year is no different.

The first Plenary Session, set to take

place during the opening ceremony,

will look at ‘ITS deployment success

stories’. This Session will bring

together the European Commission,

the Member States and ITS supply

industries to review deployment

success stories, focus on the common

elements in delivery strategies,

and discuss how to ensure a lasting

cooperation between the various

actors for a successful implementation.

Speakers include Siim Kallas, EC Vice

President and European Commissioner

for Transport, Jean Mesqui, Chairmen

of ERTICO’s Supervisor Board, Martin

Friewald Head of the Department

of Road Transport for the German

Federal Ministry of Transport, Building

and Urban Development, Manfred

Swarovski Chairmen and Founder

of Swarco Holdings AG and Abel

Caballero Mayor of Vigo Spain.

The second Plenary Session will focus

on ‘Real ITS solutions for real city

needs’. Sustainable development of

urban areas is essential and requires

an integrated policy approach

using efficient and user-friendly

technologies and services for water,

by Mollie M. Wagoner

5Among the three COSMO pilot sites,

two are using eco-driving technologies

in urban contexts. In Gothenburg,

Sweden, bus drivers can follow

indications given by their onboard

display to get green lights and avoid

queues while in Salerno, Italy, it is

individual drivers who are using the

eco-driving technologies. In both

cases, the impacts on travel times,

traffic flow and emissions as well as

on user acceptance are all measured

and recorded to illustrate efficiency

and raise awareness. On 15 and 16

May 2013, all results and outcomes

of the project will be presented on

the occasion of COSMO’s final event

in Salerno. In addition to being

highly valuable to future research

and deployment, these results

also constitute excellent business

cases for the automotive industry

stakeholders.

Becoming an eco-driver: training

and incentive

As individuals, we could all start trying

to apply the eco-driving principles

and golden rules but to achieve

significant and sustainable changes in

driving behaviours, nothing replaces

proper training; even more so when

it comes to driving in a professional

context, where other goals such as

rapidity and efficiency need to be

fulfilled.

Responding to the specific needs of

road transport professionals, the

ECOeffect project offers a high-quality

eco-driving programme combining the

latest technology, advanced training

techniques and safety behaviours

for the road transport sector. The

programme consists of theoretical

as well as practical training and is

accessible to both professional drivers

and driving instructors. The benefits

of the programme for transport

companies are clear and concrete:

saving fuel, time and money, but also

strengthening one’s market position

by boasting a greener corporate

image. The ECOeffect Training System

(EETS) enables trainers to individually

measure, improve and rate the driving

skills of each professional driver, a

critical point in the long run.

In order to maintain the benefits of

eco-driver training - incentives and

follow-ups are crucial. In this regard,

the eCoMove project carried out an

empirical study with professional

drivers to investigate motivators and

barriers to the use of eco-assisted

systems and to changing driving

behaviours. We know the financial

savings guaranteed by applying eco-

driving in the road transport sector are

a crucial incentive but the eCoMove

study demonstrates that money

alone will not keep drivers involved

in the long run. Without monitoring

and regular feed-back from their

employers, drivers seem to lose the

benefits from training. However,

involvement, empowerment and

regular feed-back from management

on good eco-driving performances

will help achieve more sustainable

results.

The psychological dimension of eco-

driving practices is undeniable and

has a direct effect on the penetration

rate of greener driving. Even the

best cooperative approach becomes

worthless without user acceptance.

Jean-Charles Pandazis, Head of the

EcoMobility Sector at ERTICO, points

out: “eco-driving has become an

important focus in the ITS projects

and technologies but the human

factor remains the key aspect” For

the Italian students involved in the

COSMO project for example, using

the car park and taking a shuttle

bus suggested by the COSMO smart

phone application results in getting

free coffees in the university bar!

Incentives should indeed be varied

and individualised according to the

target group. So what would it take

for you to change your driving habits

and become a perfect eco-driver in

the long-run?

Contact Anouk Van den Bussche

a.vandenbussche-EXT@mail.ertico.com

COSMO eco-driving bus in Gothenburg, Sweden

energy, transport, waste management

and ICT. The European Innovation

Partnership on Smart Cities and

Communities (SCC) aims to integrate

the Energy, Transport and Industrial

Technologies parts of the Horizon

2020 programme. This Session will

begin with an update on the SCC

programme. City policy-setters and

service providers will then describe

the state of the art integrating

services and how providing them can

improve a local economy, increase

the quality of life, allow businesses

to test new solutions, and improve

the wider economy. Speakers include

Robert Madelin - Director-General

of DG CONNECT, Matthias Ruete -

Director-General of DG MOVE, Michael

Phillips - Director of Traffic and City

Engineer for the City of Dublin, Ville

Lehmuskoski - Head of Transport

Planning for the City of Helsinki,

Lisa Amini - Director of IBM Research

Ireland and Hauke Jürgensen - CEO of

Intelligent Traffic Systems, Siemens

AG.

The third and final Plenary Session

will take place during the Closing

Ceremony of the congress. It will

focus on ‘Strategic views on ITS

innovation’. Chief Rapporteur (Eric

Sampson) will present the congress

conclusions based on inputs prepared

by a team of Rapporteurs.

Executive Sessions

Over the course of the congress

nine Executive Sessions have been

organised. Executive Sessions are

a chance for industry executives

and public officials to share their

experience of ITS deployment and

innovation. These sessions provide an

exciting chance to gain insight into

the future of ITS from those at the

forefront of the industry.

Some of the topics of this year’s

executive session include: addressing

ITS challenges in peripheral regions,

smarter travel, main drivers behind

the ITS industry, sustainable urban

and regional areas, delivery of road

charging systems, and ITS for personal

use.

Special Interest and Stakeholder

Workshops

This year’s European Congress will

host almost 80 Special Interest

Session. These special sessions are

created at the request of different

organizations or experts who develop

or deploy ITS. These sessions are

interactive and tailor-made to offer

the audience fresh perspectives on

the ITS industry. Hosts vary from

research institutions to universities,

to state transportation authorities.

Topics of the Special Interest Sessions

vary from energy efficiency, to

traveller information services to

urban mobility solutions, to pre-

commercial procurement to regional

tolling and hinterland transport for

European ports. The large number of

diverse topics ensures that there will

be something for everyone.

This year’s Host, ITS Dublin are also

putting on four unique sessions during

the congress. The first is aimed at

demonstrating real solutions where

policy-driven ITS deployments

have led to significant benefits in

road safety, reducing emissions

and improving journey times for

motorists. The second allows a chance

for Irish companies that participate

in research and development related

to ITS to present their findings and

case studies. The third will focus on

smarter travel specifically related

to how ITS deployment has lead to

significant socio-economic benefits

by encouraging individuals to adopt

alternative modes of transportation.

The fourth and final session deals

with policy-driven ITS deployment

and the positive impacts on public

transportation.

Technical/Scientific Sessions and

Interactive Sessions

These sessions are composed of

presentations by international

experts on different ITS related topics

encompassing all technical, economic,

organisational and societal aspects of

ITS. The aim of these sessions is to

encourage and enable the exchange

of information on deployment ranging

from improving the operational use of

systems and services on the one hand

to research and planning to support

new applications on the other.

Interactive sessions provide a unique

opportunity for the audience to

deepen their understanding of ITS

innovation. Interactive Sessions

are held in a two-stage workshop

format. The first stage is a regular

presentation in which technical and

scientific papers addressing the same

issue are grouped together, allowing

discussion on the topic. In each

90-minute session there will be at

least 10 three minute presentations

with no time for questions and

answers. This stage is meant to give

the audience a flavour of what the

authors have to present. The second

90-minute stage immediately follows

the presentations; all of the authors

will be available for a more personal

and in-depth question and answer

period between speakers, specialists,

and delegates.

Ancillary Events

There will be several ancillary events

at the congress, each focusing on

European co-funded projects. Some

events include a COSMO/Compass4d

workshop where partners will openly

discuss concrete deployment of

cooperative systems in European

cities, a stakeholder workshop

focusing on eCoMove and eCoDriver,

FOT-Net stakeholder workshop, and

many others.

From 4 to 9 June Dublin will also play

host to the European Space Expo, a

free interactive exhibit illustrating

the innovations in the European space

programmes. Delegates are more

than welcome to visit the exhibit in

addition to the congress.

Technical Visits

Delegates are invited to attended

technical visits coordinated through

the congress. These technical tours

take delegates to visit some of the

many examples of innovative ITS

deployment throughout Ireland.

Some visits include the Port Tunnel,

Discover the ITS European Congress 2013 programme and the new App that will guide you through the programme and around the Convention Centre!

Register for the webinar here: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/374223023

Friday 3 May 11:00 CET

In the webinar we will have two exceptional presentations:

Presentation of the Congress programme

Eric Sampson, Senior Congress Programme Adviser, will take you step by step through the exciting programme and highlight sessions and events you cannot miss. In addition to the grand Opening, Plenary sessions and Closing Ceremony, Mr Sampson will give tips of where and when you have to be to get the most of the ITS European Congress 2013.

Congress mobile App

The Congress team will introduce you to this year’s Congress App. The mobile application (available for iPhone and Android) will keep you up to date on all congress activities with a live newsfeed on events happening over the week. The app will help you find your way around the convention centre and the city of Dublin with ease by using the mobile maps and public transportation information. With the “My Congress” function you can bookmark events, speakers or sessions, exhibitors and organise your personal schedule.

Register now, space is limited!

Congress Webinar©ITS Vienna

Hermann Meyer (ERTICO CEO), Alan Kelly (Irish Minister of State for Public and Commuter Transport) and Jean Mesqui (ERTICO Chiarman) at

the ITS World Congress 2012

and a tour of IBM’s first Smarter Cities

Technology Centre.

Demonstrations

There will be a number of different

demonstrations put on by companies

and research groups on the cutting

edge of ITS. Stop by and witness

some of the innovations and advances

made in ITS this year.

Exhibition

The exhibition will be open every

day of the congress. Come by to see

some of the biggest players in ITS

and what they have been working

on. See the main themes of the

congress; sustainable city regions,

smarter travel, knowledge-sharing,

competitiveness through innovation,

and peripheral regions; come to life

at the exhibition site. Meet and talk

to enthusiastic representatives from

a variety of fields within ITS.

For the press and media

Press and media professionals can

attend the congress free of charge on

the presentation of their press pass

and have free access to the exhibition

area and congress sessions. As every

year, ccongress organisers have

arranged a fully equipped press room

with free Wi-Fi access devoted solely

to journalists and media.

Irish Night

Come and see what makes Ireland

unique! Our Irish Night allows you to

enjoy Ireland’ s famous hospitality,

food, music, conversation, and ‘craic’

at the Guinness Storehouse – home of

the drink that is famous around the

world. You can enjoy some of the best

in Irish traditional music and dance as

well as get an in-depth appreciation

of how Guinness is made. You’ll also

get the chance to pour or ‘pull’ your

own pint and even learn a few Irish set

dances. The night offers you a chance

to discuss work with colleagues in an

informal setting with areas available

for networking.

Mobil App

Download the new “ITS Congress App”

for this year’s congress! This app will

keep you up to date on all congress

activities with a live newsfeed on

events and access to the interactive

programme in your pocket. Find

your way around the convention

centre and beyond with ease by

using the mobile maps and public

transportation information. You will

even be able to construct your very

own schedule so you can be sure to

attend all the sessions that take your

interest, with additional information

on the speakers provided. Want to

set up a meeting with a speaker you

just heard? Using the mobile app’s

networking abilities you will be able

to connect with speakers and other

delegates. Get the most out of this

year’s congress, download the mobile

app!

and why his country was able to

become an early pioneer in this area.

“ITS Austria was originally established

in 2004, but the network was not as

tight as it is today. Obviously the most

visible activity was to bring the ITS

World Congress to Austria together

with the Ministry of Transport,

Innovation, and Technology. During

the preparation of the Congress

the network strengthened its

cooperation, which finally led to

a new structure and a new form of

strategic alliance. Our approach was

to build a strong network of national

mobility platforms together with

national and regional infrastructure

operators and mobility providers. This

explains already our focus, which is to

force multimodal mobility. So it is all

about changing minds and connecting

modes.”

Were there any specific factors

playing a major role in defining

ITS in Austria?

As Austria is a small country ITS got

on the agenda very early: it was more

promising to invest in intelligent

systems than to build streets. Already

in 2004 ITS Austria developed a

telematic framework, which became

a European benchmark. Based on

this first approach – and in close

cooperation with the platform –

the Ministry of Transport published

Austria’s national ITS Action Plan in

2011. It includes first measures to

be taken to get improved mobility

services – in terms of safety, efficiency,

and sustainability. Specific working

groups foster the deployment of key

services. A main task for ITS Austria

is to bring ITS to the political agenda

and represent a common position of

the Austrian stakeholders. Our focus

is national and regional deployment

– of course based on European

standards and specifications. To be

Interview with: Martin Russ, Managing Director AustriaTech and General Secretary of ITS Austria

Not many people know, but the

Austrian Rail operator ÖBB provide

one of the most useful travel websites

in Europe.

Known as SCOTTY, this is an online

route planner that lets you plan a

train journey anywhere in Europe.

Available in English, the site is clear

and easy to use and even when it

can’t find you a train – it provides

information about local busses.

I discovered the site about five years

ago and fell in love with it, both as

a service and as a concept. At the

time I was travelling a lot in Europe

and it provided the perfect solution

to the endlessly frustrating process

of trying to arrange trips using out-

dated timetables or foreign language

websites. Since discovering SCOTTY I

have planned hundreds of trips around

Europe and this includes journeys

in otherwise challenging places like

Ukraine and Turkey.

After joining ERTICO last year, I

learned that SCOTTY actually has

brothers and sisters. In fact he comes

from a family of systems known

as ‘multimodal travel planners’.

I also discovered that there are

many people working hard to bring

the simplicity and benefits of such

systems to the masses. This is great

news, and there are many exciting

developments underway in this area,

but for me, it all started in Austria.

For this reason, I was delighted to

be able to interview Martin Russ,

Managing Director of AustriaTech and

General Secretary of ITS Austria. He

explained the history of ITS in Austria,

11

Ribbon cutting ceremony ITS World Congress 2012 in Vienna

honest, solutions on a European basis

are too complex and inhomogeneous

to be realised in a short term. As

we need solutions immediately to

meet today’s challenges in mobility

we pursue a national and regional

approach. We are in the lucky position

that our Ministry is responsible for

transport as well as innovation which

makes the deployment process much

easier. AustriaTech as the national

mobility agency supports this process

vitally.

You hosted the World ITS

Congress in Vienna last year.

Was this an enjoyable experience?

And what were the main highlights

for ITS Austria?

First of all, we want to thank

everybody for this great experience.

The participation of all the

representatives of politics, economy,

and research made this congress a

huge success for our common cause.

The World Congress was a great

possibility to present the Austrian

approach on ITS too. We hope that

we were able to convey to the

community our approach to involve

infrastructure operators as well as

the mobility providers, the industry,

and the political actors. To mention

the most important achievements:

the Geographic Information System

GIP, the Austria-wide Traffic

Information System VAO, and the

Testfeld Telematik. Infrastructure

operators as well as Austria’s industry

– with Kapsch, Siemens, Swarco, and

Efkon leading the way – have strong

competences to meet the challenges

of the global markets.

If you could invent one new ITS

gadget or system next week,

what would it be?

I would invent a seamless and personal

mobility service. Let’s call it mode

connector. It would have features

which would meet my daily mobility

needs in terms of convenience and

seamlessness. Only mention two

things: with the mode connector

I could shake my mobile phone in

order to ask the bus driver to wait

for me. It provides green wave when

I go by bike. If you have a look at

www.mobilotse.at you can see that

we already have all these services

in Austria. The challenge now is to

connect them in an intelligent way.

Will you attend the European

ITS Congress in Dublin in June?

Of course, we will. It’s our duty to

be where the biggest ITS community

meets. Under the umbrella brand

of ITS Austria we will be present

with selected partners representing

the key players in Austria and

the cooperation between the

stakeholders. Our aim is to show the

main topics of the transport policy

and the strong competences of ITS

Austria and its partners.

I hope many of you will also join us,

and if you need to book a train for

your journey, you know where to look!

The interview is the first in a

series of articles that explore the

ITS industry in different European

countries.

13

ERTICO Partnership events

Other dates for your Diary!

Dublin, Ireland, 4-7 June 2013, 9th European ITS Congress, www.itsineurope.com

Tokyo, Japan, 14-18 October 2013, 20th ITS World Congress, www.itsworldcongress.jp

Helsinki, Finland, 16-19 June 2014, 10th European ITS Congress

Detroit, USA, 7-11 September 2014, 21st ITS World Congress

Bordeaux, France, 5-9 October 2015, 22nd ITS World Congress

2013 2014 2015

World Congress2013 2014 2016

Melbourne

19 April 2013 ERTICO Supervisory Board Meeting

Brussels (BE)

21-24 May 2013 2nd TPEG Testfest

Munich (DE)

ERTICO is recruiting!We are currently seeking to recruit a full-time (m/f)

• Communications Manager

• Partnership Services Officer

For more information on our current vacancies and to apply for a job, please visit the ERTICO job page on the website.

Our approach was to build a strong network of national mobility platforms together with national and regional

infrastructure operators and mobility providers. This explains already our focus, which is to force multimodal mobility. So it is all about changing minds and connecting modes.

Contact Ian Bearderi.bearder@mail.ertico.com

@ERTICO_Ian

For further information, please contact us:

Avenue Louise 326, B-1050 Brussels Belgiumt +32 (0)2 400 07 00f +32 (0)2 400 07 01pr@mail.ertico.com www.ertico.com