ERTICO eMagazine - July 2012
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Transcript of ERTICO eMagazine - July 2012
In this issue:
July 2012
Interview with:
Prof. Dr Orhan Alankuş, Okan University
ERTICO Strategynew Supervisory Board & vision of new Chairman, Jean Mesqui, ASFA
Intelligent Transport Systems in Japan
a Farewell to a Renaisance Man
contents
Welcome to the July edition
According to surveys, Belgians are the happiest workers in Europe – although La Libre has an alternative explanation. Whatever the truth, we’ve taken great pleasure in producing this July edition of the ERTICO eMagazine, the last before the summer holidays. But never fear, we’ll be back in September.
In this issue, we take a look at the future for the ERTICO Partnership following the election of a new Supervisory Board and Chairman. ERTICO will continue to evolve to better serve its Partners, and to achieve our common goal of bringing intelligence into mobility for people and goods across Europe.
We also continue our occasional series of articles on international cooperation in ITS, this time looking at long standing partner Japan – the
relationship between ERTICO and ITS Japan goes right back to the early years of the ERTICO Partnership; the most visible manifestation is the ITS World Congress (also with ITS America), but there is much more!
Speaking of the Congress, we would like to remind you that our video competition is fully operational, with already 18 ITS videos submitted! You can submit as many ITS videos as you have; the winning videos in each category will be shown during the closing ceremony of the ITS World Congress in Vienna. Submissions are open until 7 September, to find out more, click here or visit the i-Mobility Network homepage.
Following last edition’s article on ITS and Turkey, we are pleased to interview a new ERTICO Partner from Turkey this month – Okan University, who have big plans and ambitions.
Finally, on a sadder note, we have a tribute to the late Job Klijnhout by Eric Sampson. Job contributed so much to ITS over the years, not least his infectious enthusiasm – he will be sadly missed.
The Editorial Team
Welcome!
The ERTICO - ITS Europe Partnership
Intelligent Transport Systems in Japan
A Farewell to a Renaisance Man
Interview with:Prof. Dr Orhan Alankuş, Okan University
2
3
6
9
12
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.
Much has happened in the 21 years that ERTICO has existed. Countries have appeared and disappeared, history ended, a new cycle of terrorism begun, a single European currency launched, China became the world’s second largest economy, mobile phones became ubiquitous, England were expelled from many football tournaments on penalties, flares came back – and went out again, televisions became flatter while the population seems to be going in the other direction…
3
The ERTICO - ITS Europe PartnershipA new chairman, a new supervisory board and new thoughts for the future
…and we have become connected…
ERTICO was set up to drive forward Intelligent Transport
Systems, a new industry made possible by ever faster
and cheaper computing – and made desirable by ever
increasing transport challenges. With about 1 car for
every other person in the EU1, and taking into account the
concentration of population in cities, ITS offers a new path
to tackle the ensuing congestion, safety, logistical and
environmental consequences. As an example, according
to Belgian’s Le Soir, in Brussels by 2015 the average
journey time will have increased by 45% (compared to
the 2001 figure) and the average speed of a car will be no
more than… 15km/hour!
ITS is not only a way to combat these transport challenges,
but also is economically attractive. Investing in ITS
produces a clear return, and provides skilled work for
Europe’s workforce.
However ITS is not straightforward. A public authority
can, for instance, build a metro line, roll-out a bike
sharing scheme, expand a motorway in a comparatively
straightforward manner. To take the latter example,
roads have been built for millennia, and while they have
improved, being able to bear ever greater weights etc., 1 Rates vary significantly between countries and counting methods, with Luxembourg generally top of the list – 7 cars/10*capita – Eurostat pocket book, Energy, transport and environment indicators, 2010 edition
the improvements are incremental and the number of
actors limited. ITS is not only a whole new ball game,
but also involves many different stakeholders from widely
divergent sectors, many of whom have no traditional
transport experience and limited experience in working
across sectors.
And it is here that ERTICO comes into its own. ERTICO
is a public-private platform for cooperation between ITS
stakeholders, working to ensure that Europe achieves
its political goals concerning safer, smarter and greener
transport - as underlined in the recent Transport White
Paper from the European Commission. The ERTICO
Partnership has evolved greatly in the past two decades,
with new Partners from new sectors, but has always had
at its core the public-private principle. It is this successful
marriage of the public
sector and the private
sector(s) that has proved
to be the key to ERTICO’s –
and its Partners’ – success.
The goal? Deploying ITS
not for its own sake but
to achieve societal and
political goals, strengthen
the competitiveness of
industry and optimise
by Henry Wasung and Rasmus Lindholm
services for the user. How? Through
creating win-win situations for all
stakeholders - or at least appropriate
solutions which take all positions into
account.
Indeed, the reason that the ERTICO
Partnership has evolved is that
ITS itself has evolved. ITS is in an
important transitional phase from
deployed island solutions with very
limited data exchange networks
and lack of interoperability towards
a comprehensive co-modal data
exchange network and seamless
mobility services, where people,
goods and vehicles are continuously
and ubiquitously connected receiving
or sending useful data/information.
Likewise, ITS is highly advanced
with respect to most technologies
to collect, provide, process and use
vehicle, traveller and infrastructure
data/information. Many ITS services
already exist supporting traffic
management, providing driver
navigation and traveller information.
These services can be further
improved and will have substantial
additional potential for serving
customers.
With the evolution of the ERTICO
Partnership, it should come as
no surprise that ERTICO itself has
evolved. While European (co-)funded
projects are still a very important part
of ERTICO’s service offering, ERTICO
is addressing the need to enhance
cooperation both within the different
sectors and between them through
the Sector Platform initiative,
through its Fora and workshops, and
through its productive relationship
with the European Commission.
Deployment issues are not neglected
either, through the ERTICO hosted
TISA and ADASIS organisation, and
through new deployment platforms
such as the Cooperative Mobility
Alliance. Likewise, ERTICO has
recently established Task Forces on
ITS issues of note, such as the Task
Force on ITS for ElectroMobility,
which is charged with developing
an ITS roadmap for ElectroMobility
and an implementation work plan
for the ERTICO Partnership, or the
Task Force on Safe and Secure Truck
Parking, initiated in 2012 to map
existing activities and identify short
and medium term goals.
Another related initiative already
bearing fruit is ERTICO’s efforts
towards certification, standardisation
and international harmonisation. In
this regard, ERTICO teamed up with
ETSI for the first Cooperative Mobility
Services (CMS) Interoperability event
in November 2011, the success of
which inspired the recent second
CMS Interoperability gathering in
June 2012 ERTICO’s portfolio of
MoU’s with its international peers
is also impressive, with cooperation
agreements signed with Russia and
China in 2011, to add to the existing
agreements with Japan and the
United States. These agreements not
only work towards the development
of international standards and
certain specific areas of interest,
such as eCall / ERA GLONASS, but
also provide opportunities for ERTICO
Partners.
Along with international cooperation,
ERTICO is also developing
partnerships with public authority
associations, such as EUROCITIES,
with whom a Forum on ITS for Urban
mobility was organised in May 2012,
and with public authorities generally,
recognising their importance in the
deployment of ITS.
Not to mention the European and
World ITS Congresses, which not only
Sector Platform Successes
The eight Sector Platforms were successfully launched in 2011, providing Partners with the opportunity to discuss issues within their sector, identify focus areas as well as to work with other sectors. All sectors met a number of times throughout the year with active participation from Partners. For many of the Sector Platforms, priorities focus around the issues surrounding eCall whilst the Public Authorities worked together with the Network of National ITS Associations in support of reporting activities for the ITS
Directive
Gunter Zimmermeyer wished the best of luck to Jean Mesqui, his successor as Chair of
the SB by saying “chairing the ERTICO Supervisory Board is a great honour and responsibility, ERTICO is increasingly taking on the role of providing a bridge between development and deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems. We have
made important steps towards realising ITS to the benefit of users and society”.
5
showcase the latest developments
in the ITS world but are also full of
demonstrations, highlighting to all
and sundry not just what
could be achieved
through the
d e p l o y m e n t
of ITS, but
what can be
a c h i e v e d
now…
This year’s
G e n e r a l
Assembly on
20 June 2012
was particularly
significant as it is
the first year following the
modification of the ERTICO Statutes.
All eight Sectors of the ERTICO
Partnership will be represented in
the newly elected Supervisory Board
(SB) from now on. In addition a new
Chairman of the SB, Jean Mesqui from
ASFA, was appointed. The expansion
of the SB will further guide
the activities of the
ERTICO Partnership
w h i l e
m a i n t a i n i n g
the necessary
focus to
ensure that
tasks are
met and goals
achieved.
ERTICO is an
initiative of ITS
stakeholders who are
willing to work together, share
information and develop common
positions. The combination of a
broad partnership base, targeted and
integrated activities as well as broad
involvement in related ITS initiatives
is the basis of its success in supporting
the development and deployment
of ITS. ERTICO is the initiative to
enable effective cooperation of
stakeholders towards intelligent
mobility. ERTICO’s professional team
are there to facilitate and support
effective cooperation of ERTICO
Partners and ITS stakeholders.
The ERTICO initiative has as its
ultimate goal to bring intelligence
into mobility.
Jean Mesqui stated: “I feel very privileged to have this opportunity and I thank my colleagues
for their trust; it is clear that the ERTICO public-private Partnership is most essential for Europe
to succeed with the development and deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems. The one major challenge I see is for ERTICO to use all the motivation and skills existing within the Partnership to achieve effective deployment on a
European scale and this will lead to saving lives, reduce congestion and protect the environment.”
ERTICO exists to serve its Partners. To
further discover how ERTICO can help meet
your companies goals, or to discuss possible new
initiatives, contact Rasmus Lindholm
Visit the latest ERTICO corporate publication online
The ERTICO Activity book 2012 - for full information on
the whole range of ERTICO activities
The ERTICO Annual Report 2011
Intelligent Transport Systems in Japan ITS lessons from the land of the rising sun
by Henry Wasung
“The information and communication technology (IT) revolution is in essence a revolution of sovereignty over
information” - Japan’s New Strategy in Information and Communications Technology.
Japan is facing interesting transport
challenges. Of course, every country
in world is facing transport challenges,
especially if you consult those working
in the transport industry, and perhaps
Japan’s challenges, like those in other
developed countries, cannot compare
in sheer scale with developing
countries, where urbanisation is
occurring at an unprecedented rate.
However, Japan does have a declining
yet ever more urbanised population in
a country with few natural resources
and thus, especially following on
from the earthquake in March
2011, a vested interest in energy
diversification and management.
So perhaps “interesting” is the mot
juste.
A technologically advanced country
with a strong manufacturing base,
and a coherent and resilient society,
Japan has bounced back from the
earthquake and subsequent tsunami,
although much has changed.
Perhaps the most prominent change
is the fact that all of Japan’s nuclear
power plants were shut down, due
to widespread public fears following
the failure of cooling systems in the
Fukushima nuclear power plant –
although some have restarted, as of
July 2012. However, Japan generated
30% of its electricity through nuclear
power, so clearly this has had a huge
effect, giving rise at one point to
speculation that there would be
rolling “brown-outs” – thankfully
avoided.
Energy was first on the list of transport
challenges faced by Japan, according
to Hajime Amano, President of ITS
Japan, who notes “in addition to
the reduction of CO2 emissions,
diversification of energy sources and
supply management are immediate
challenges”. Mr Amano went on to
underline that the electrification of
vehicles poses additional challenges
in this regard; “cars are no longer
simple consumers of energy but an
integral part of smart grid systems”.
This is an interesting insight, as
the full scale electrification of all
“By 2020 a smart grid network shall become a common practice. We shall also see the home and
business sectors spearheading the reduction in CO2 discharge as the IT-aided zero-energy architecture becomes a reality in typical new homes and in all new public buildings. Also by 2020, we shall accelerate reduction in automotive CO2 emission through the use of the intelligent transport systems (ITS) while aiming at reducing traffic congestion on major highways by 50% of the current level.” New Strategy in Information and Communications Technology (p3)
7vehicles would, if all other factors
remain the same, actually decrease
energy diversity – the switch from
petrol or diesel to electricity simply
means that more electricity has to
be produced at source. This may well
be good for a number of reasons, not
least city air quality and noise levels,
but would be an additional – albeit
manageable – factor in energy supply.
Safety is second on Mr Amano’s list of
transport challenges, which bring a
wry smile to Amaury Cornelis’ face. Mr
Cornelis, project manager at ERTICO,
having lived in Japan for several
years through his time at Toyota, was
kind enough to give his insights and
anecdotes regarding transport, ITS
and Japan for this article. Mr Cornelis
stressed the uniqueness of many of
the safety related regulations to be
found in Japan, including the fact
that every car sold there must have
an electronic speed limiter, albeit at
a generous 180kph, or the mandatory
third mirror for vans, MPVs and SUVs.
Logically, drink driving is a strict no-
no.
On the other hand, this is far from
a paradox, as Mr Cornelis goes on to
explain that, certainly in comparison
with many European countries, Japan
prioritises safety, with companies
organising road safety meetings and
trainings on a frequent basis, and
road signs exhorting the driver to
drive in a conscientious manner. So it
should come as no surprise that even
with a good record in road safety, Mr
Amano brings our attention to it.
Specifically, Mr Amano, acknowledging
the success in continually bringing
down the number of fatalities,
identifies vulnerable road users
(pedestrians and cyclists, especially
the elderly) as an area for action,
as they make up about half of road
casualties. “Market penetration of
already available safety technologies
is important to bring the full benefit
to society” underlines Mr Amano,
who further highlighted that the
scope of cooperative services must
be expanded to include people, as
only in this way could VRUs – who by
definition are not in connected cars –
can benefit from the proven potential
of these services. The promotional
film for the 2013 ITS World Congress,
to be held in Tokyo, gives some nice
examples of the latter.
An interesting consequence, also to
be found elsewhere in the developed
world, of urbanisation, especially to
Tokyo, and an aging population, is
third on Mr Amano’s list, under the
title “enhanced mobility”. What does
this mean? The depopulation and
increased age of Japan’s
rural communities mean
that “…public transport
operators stop services one route
after another because of financial
difficulties.” This has a downward
spiral effect for those communities,
and seriously affects the standard of
living of their remaining populace,
who may have other transport
limitations.
But Mr Amano is upbeat. “With
new modes of transport, such
as on-demand bus services and
Personal Mobility Vehicles, coupled
with efficient management of the
multimodal network, we will be
able to provide all the population,
with decent and sustainable means
of transport for a better quality of
life and the revitalisation of those
communities.
Fourth on Mr Amano’s list is another
direct consequence of the March 2011
earthquake, that of resilient transport
chains. The whole world had another
wake-up call about the dangers in
relying on just-in-time delivery and
supplier concentration, although of
course Japan was most affected. Mr
Amano emphasises that “rebuilding
global supply chains… will also
“We shall also advance the adoption
and deployment of cooperative driving safety support systems using IT to reduce traffic accidents.” New Strategy in Information and Communications Technology (p14))
Observing these challenges (see main text), ITS Japan defined its mission for the current
midterm action plan (2011-2015) as follows:
• Accelerate innovation in transport with rapid progress of the mobile network and its penetration in the society
• Establish sustainable and enhanced mobility in line with changes in energy sources for automobiles and supply structure
• Lead international collaboration among existing regions and emerging countries, who have crucial potential for the entire world to grow
• Create competent and efficient mobility to support affluent and vigorous society with diversified styles of life
strengthen agile global operations to
respond to top radical fluctuations of
the global market. Dependable and
efficient transport networks is one of
the key factors”.
In this regard, Mr Amano highlighted
the role that ERTICO and ITS Japan
has to play. “ITS is the key technology
to effectively and efficiently manage
such global systems and international
harmonisation is a very essential
enzyme for the systems to evolve.
Cooperation between ERTICO and ITS
Japan will play substantial roles to
sustain such development.”
The Japanese government is also
responding to these challenges, set
out in a New Strategy in Information
and Communications Technology on
11 May 2010 followed by its roadmap
on 22 June 2010. Mr Amano explains
and emphasises that “…under the
strategy, national projects on ITS have
been initiated targeting deployment
around 2014 in the following areas:
• cooperative driving safety support systems
• greening the transport of people and goods
• consolidating and distributing wide-area road traffic information
• advancing traffic control technology”
Japan has been quick to deploy ITS
technologies. Mr Amano highlights
the relatively quick development
of standards and private sector
cooperation as key factors, thanks
to the uniform nature of Japanese
society. In Europe, consensus building
takes longer, as befitting a club of 27
sovereign countries.
“We are working hard on connected
vehicle systems using vehicle-to-
infrastructure communication and
vehicle-to-vehicle communication.
The first phase of deployment was
completed in 2010, with about 1,600
roadside antennas installed along
the highways. To further expand the
applications including congestion
mitigation, government and industries
are conducting field evaluation tests”
explains Mr Amano.
An integrated ITS information service
platform is also being developed,
drawing on the lessons learnt in the
Great East Japan Earthquake.
“We are building regional information
centres in some model cities. In
addition to traffic management
centres, a platform is being set
up where other information, such
as weather, public transport and
infrastructure status is also shared
on a cloud network system. Daily
services are provided by both public
sector and private sector. Dynamic
route guidance for shortest time
or lowest energy consumption,
promotion of local events, and
other local community services are
anticipated. In an emergency, the
information network is turned into
crisis management mode. Local
government takes control to deliver
evacuation orders, guidance to
shelters, information on safety of
community members, and relief
goods supplies” explains Mr Amano.
For more information on the benefits
of ERTICO-ITS Japan cooperation,
please contact Vincent Blervaque.
For more information on the recent
EU-Japan Cooperation Workshop on
ITS and ITS Spot Demo, click here
“The ITS World Congress in Tokyo
2013 will be the best opportunity for you to experience the new set of connected vehicle applications on the field” Hajime Amano, President of ITS Japan
ITS World Congress 2013 - Tokyo
ITS enters a new stage:
technological evolution helps
create safe, comfortable,
sustainable societies
The theme for the 20th ITS
World Congress Tokyo 2013
is “Open ITS to the Next.”
While retaining a focus on
resolving transport problems,
this theme aptly conveys the
expansion of next-generation
ITS into new domains. We
hope to welcome as many
participants as possible from
emerging countries in Asia
and elsewhere, which face
a growing array of transport
issues.
“The ITS World Congress 2013
in Tokyo is not a Japanese
world congress but an Asia-
Pacific world congress.
Transport network investment
Decision makers from all the
Asia-Pacific member counties
and regions will get together
to share challenges and
ITS visions to maintain the
growth of their society, which
is driving the world economy.
I would like to strongly
encourage our European
colleagues to join and
share your technologies and
experiences with participants
from rapidly growing
countries.” Hajime Amano,
President of ITS Japan
“Call for Papers” for Tokyo
2013 is now open!
A Farewell to a Renaisance Man
Job Klijnhout 1941 - 2012
by Eric Sampson
Many people are able to tell you exactly where they were when they heard the news of President Kennedy’s
assassination. I can tell you exactly where I was when I first met Job Klijnhout and where I was when I heard the
news of his terrible illness and the awful inevitability. Richard Harris and John Miles have written a lucid account
of Job’s numerous contributions to transport; this note records some more personal memories.
Way back in 1987 I had gone to the
old Berlaymont building for my first
meeting of a Transport Officials
Working Group and over coffee before
the start had committed the UK Civil
Servant crime of having a public
argument with another Department.
I was unimpressed by support for a
proposal to fund a particular line of
work on the grounds that it would
contribute little if successful and
I was certain that I had seen some
results from similar work elsewhere
but I hadn’t been able to find any
evidence. The meeting started
and after a short time an envelope
travelled round the room addressed to
me c/o the UK delegation. Inside was
a note saying “hope you don’t mind
but I heard what you said earlier. You
are quite right; a waste of time and
money as the Netherlands project in
this area showed that you spend lots
and get littles(sic) “ It was signed
‘J J K’. Armed with this I grabbed
the microphone at a suitable point
and torpedoed the proposal saying
loftily “And I believe the Netherlands
Government has conducted some
trials in this area which support my
point of view”.
Afterwards I went to thank him and
we ended up sitting together in a
group over dinner and formed a
friendship that lasted 25 years. For a
lot of that time we served on various
EC Committees and I would like to
think we enabled progress in many
difficult areas by assembling small
groups of experts outside the formal
proceedings to take problems apart.
Job would lead the dissection and I
would break pencils taking notes to
write up the results as a “bout de
papier” to be given to the Commission
officials the next day. During this time
I became aware of Job’s love of the
English language and in particular
English humour and television comedy
shows. I doubt there are many Dutch
folk who today could recite the words
of the Monty Python “Cheese Shop” or
“Dead Parrot” sketches. Some years
later I introduced him to the works of
Tom Stoppard and he telephoned me
at home to enthuse about the section
in “Travesties” where four characters
each make sensible coherent speeches
but they are interleaved so that the
result is a series of limericks. “You
can only do this in English!”
He was also an enthusiastic fan of A
9
A Milne and could recite long tracts
from “Winnie the Pooh” with no
difficulty. He was fascinated by what
he saw as the precision of English
and said to me once “The Inuit are
supposed to have 30 different words
for snow but only in English are there
30 ways to write something nice about
someone while being rude in a way
they do not understand”. From time
to time an e-mail would arrive from
Job asking me to look at his English
and if necessary change it so that he
could be apparently nice to someone
while delivering a severe reprimand.
He relished puns and I borrowed his
official envelope routine in an FP4
meeting sending the Netherlands
Delegation the question “What’s
brown and sticky?” I returned his
reply “Hunny” [a Winnie the Pooh
quote] and he laughed out loud to
the Chairman’s bewilderment after
he read “No; a stick”.
I can’t recall when I became aware
of his love of music. He followed the
Royal Concertgebouw and Haitink
around the world and I remember
sitting in the Festival Hall in London
waiting for their concert to begin
when my wife whispered “there’s a
man with amazing hair waving at you
as if he knows you”. I used to think
that he listened only to Bruckner and
Marler and occasionally would send
him a CD to widen his tastes. He
responded to receiving Hilary Hahn
and the Bach Partitas with “I used
to think only American men could
play the violin properly; now I know
better”. Paul Lewis’s Beethoven
sonatas were rewarded with “I think
it’s time for another visit to the UK.
Where have you been hiding him?”
He was very knowledgeable about
art and history too. When we had
the ITS World Congresses in Chicago
and Turin those of us intending to
make cultural visits asked Job first
for recommendations and among the
treasures he revealed are the ‘canal
boat’ trips and Monet collection in
Chicago and the underappreciated
artist Morandi in Turin.
I haven’t mentioned his professional
work. As Richard and John have
illustrated he was a pioneer; a
visionary; an evangelist for a new
way of thinking. In a world where too
many are worried about the trivial
consequences of failure he focused
on the much larger benefits from
success and constantly argued “let’s
try it. If it turns out not to work as
we predict then we stop it”. And it
did work: the standard Netherlands
intersection controller, the Motorway
signalling system, the section control
system for speed enforcement
in the Netherlands, the small
national architecture experiment
that developed into the European
standard. The Netherlands excellent
road safety record rests hugely on his
innovations.
Job believed in cooperation especially
international cooperation and he was
a founding member of ITS America,
ERTICO and ITS Netherlands. During
a spell working with Minnesotan
colleagues he attended a Rural
ITS Congress in Colorado where a
surgeon explained the benefits from
immediate trauma help after traffic
accidents and introduced the term
‘Golden Hours’ – no trauma help
within 2 hours is invariably final.
Job immediately recognised the
significance of this which led him
to press the case for changes to the
management of emergency services
which we all now take for granted
and which are visible as the globally
accepted 911 and 112 numbers. The
ITS World Congress was his idea as was
“ITS in Europe”. He was disappointed
that the original title as used in
Amsterdam of “IT’S in Europe” was
suppressed on the grounds that it
didn’t translate into French. His
comment was the somewhat acerbic
“French isn’t the language of Europe;
English is”.
And suddenly he is no longer with
us. He announced last year that he
intended to retire “properly” so
would not work on the Austrian World
let’s try it. If it turns out not to work as we predict then we stop it
Congress and we sent him off with our
best wishes. He was planning various
trips with Tineke including tastings
at selected Scottish distilleries and
we exchanged mails about which
ones should be included and in which
order. Suddenly in early May we had
the news that he was “seriously” ill
and it soon became clear that this
really meant “terminally”. I gather
that the doctors estimated three
or four weeks but Job was in good
general health and he had the last
laugh in proving them wrong by more
than doubling their estimate.
His funeral / cremation was a sad
but not a despondent event. Karen
and Inger, his daughters, each gave
a short address about “my dad” –
and huge thanks to whoever secured
their texts and translated them for
the considerable number of overseas
mourners – accompanied by a short
piece of music. They were followed
by Tineke and Jette, a longstanding
family friend, who likewise spoke
with associated poetry and music.
And then at the end we were spared
the artificial ‘transition’ involving
conveyor belts, curtains, descending
coffins and instead had a quiet,
civilised moment to pay personal
respects with Bruckner’s Fifth, one of
his favourites, in the background.
How we miss him. He contributed so
much in so many areas. He was truly
a Renaissance Man.
written by
Eric Sampson 29 June 2012
11
ITS for Urban Mobilityat the 19th ITS World Congress, Vienna, AustriaWednesday 24th October 2012
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Logistics optimisation and public
transport optimisation systems
represent another area where Okan
University engineers have a certain
level of experience.
The University collaborates also with
Prof. Dr Umit Ozguner from Ohio
State University who is involved
in the autonomous vehicle and
communicating vehicles projects of
Okan University too.
Why have you joined ERTICO - ITS
Europe? What are your expectations
for this Partnership?
ITAS has a vision to be one of the
best “Centre of Excellences” in the
world on intelligent transport systems
by the end of 2020. Such a vision
requires being in the network of the
best companies and research centres
in the field. After investigating,
we have seen that ERTICO is one of
the best networks for intelligent
transport systems that bring together
the research performing companies
and universities. We intend to be
actively participate at meetings
and contribute to the sharing and
extension of knowledge - and projects
- in the field.
As a university which has many
departments and specialisations
in industrial engineering, civil
engineering, computer science
engineering, mechanical, electrical/
electronic, automotive and
mechatronics engineering and who
has a vision on Intelligent Transport
Technologies, all related departments
organise their research to support
this field and achieve the related
objectives. This will provide a unique
and innovative contribution to the
joint projects.
Are there any projects, activities
or sectors within the ERTICO
Partnership you are particularly
interested in? Which ones?
Cooperative mobility, autonomous
vehicles, electromobility and
comprehensive energy management
are subjects in which Okan University
can make a valuable contribution.
Logistics optimisation and integrated
personal transport in smart cities are
also subjects that Okan University
can support. Okan University
has experienced researchers in
technology and innovation strategies
who can support the research and
innovation activities of ERTICO and
Europe.
Okan University has recently
organised and hosted a workshop
on ITS which focused on research
priorities in the ITS field. Can you tell
us more about these priorities and
the future trends Okan University and
Turkey in general intend to invest in?
Okan University is part of
National Automotive Technology
Platform of Turkey. The Technology
Platform has come up with a strategy
plan in the Automotive Field for
Turkey. Okan University ITAS has
decided to detail the ITS part of the
general strategic plan. We organised
two workshops to develop the ITS
Interview with: Prof. Dr Orhan Alankus, Okan University
Can you describe Okan University
activities in the ITS field?
Okan University has an “Intelligent
Transport and Automotive Systems
Research Centre” (ITAS). In this
centre there is research going on in
different areas.
The first area is autonomous vehicles.
Using GPS information and the LIDAR
system, Okan University autonomous
car can follow a certain path,
checking for any obstacles on the
road. Today, the work is on-going
for the improvement of the system
for different traffic scenarios and
the integration of environmental
perception.
Another important area is
communicating vehicles, V2V and
V2X systems. Okan University is
participating in a joint project
between TOFAS-FIAT, Ford Otosan and
Koc System in Turkey. The University
participated in the Grand Cooperating
Driving Challenge, held in Holland in
May 2011.
Electric vehicles are another area of
Okan University research. There are
joint projects with OEM companies for
the development of efficient electric
motors, drive systems and also energy
optimisation control systems.
Strategy of Turkey. One in 9 December 2011 and the
other on 15 May 2012. There were participants from
around 50 different companies, state organisations,
associations and universities to both meetings.
On 9 December 2011, after the presentations from
experts and the state organizations, working groups
were formed and special sessions were organised to
determine the strategic plan priortiies.
The main results were:
Research on
• Energy efficient, effective, safe public
transport and logistics systems
• Full electric and hybrid vehicle technologies
• Communicating vehicles and systems
• Autonomous vehicle systems
For the objectives of
• Zero accidents
• Safe and clean transport
• Effective public and goods transport
On 15 May with Paul Kompfner from ERTICO, Fraunhofer
Inst, Siemens, TOFAS, and Ford, another workshop
was organised. Mr Kompfner made an interesting
presentation explaining the priorities of Europe in the
ITS field. Other participants have also explained the
strategies and applications. The workshop consolidated
the strategic priorities developed previously.
In Turkey the intelligent road infrastructure and
effective exploitation of traffic information are also
very important and a lot of work is being carried out in
these fields.
With these priorities in mind, who are the other
stakeholders in Turkey that should be part of future ITS
deployments?
Okan University is keeping close contacts with
stake holders in Turkey. The Transport Ministry is
one of the main actors. The Istanbul Municipality also
believes in intelligent transport and has many plans
and investments in the area. Electronic and software
companies, telecommunication companies, automotive
industry both OEM’s and suppliers, logistics organisations
and companies are all part of the stakeholders with
whom Okan University is in contact. There are also
many innovative companies in Technoparks in Turkey.
Okan University, one of the youngest and the most dynamic universities of Turkey, was founded in 1999 and began its academic life in 2003-2004. Since the 2006-2007 academic year, the rapidly growing university has been located in its new and modern Akfırat campus.
True to its motto, “The University Closest to Business Life”, Okan University effectively combines theory and practice by employing an academic staff who are experts in their own fields, adopting a contemporary approach to education, and focusing upon practice-oriented studies which prepare the students for business life, starting from students’ very first year of study. The University, which had the pleasure of presenting its first graduates with their diplomas in 2006-2007, has fulfilled the promise of its motto, as all members of its first graduating class of graduates have found employment. Okan University aims to build a bridge between the academic and the business world.
ITS enable elements within the transport system to become intelligent by embedding them with microchips and sensors and enable them to communicate with each other through wireless technologies. Interest in and development of this technology results from the problems caused by traffic congestion and a synergy of new information technology for simulation, real-time control and communications networks. Congestion reduces efficiency of transport infrastructure and increases travel time, air pollution as well as fuel consumption. ITS maximise the capacity of infrastructure, reducing the need to build additional highway capacity. Okan University has therefore decided to create an Intelligent Transport Technologies Research Centre in 2009 as the R&D potential is not sufficiently explored and must be activated to contribute to intense ongoing research activities in Turkey and in Europe in order to improve the efficiency and cleanliness of transport globally.
Okan University is located near to a
few big technoparks and is working to
establish a research network in ITS.
What policy/political issues do
you think the European Union should
address or need to consider in order
to strengthen the cooperation with
Turkey and other international actors?
Basic science, related to
intelligent transport and
automotive systems exist. Now, the
major challenge is the development
of value added new technologies
and innovative products. In order
to satisfy the challenge, innovation
is very important. For innovation,
we have to tap all the innovative
potential in different countries.
Therefore an “open innovation
system” is vital. Turkey should be
involved in research projects to a
greater extent. An open innovation
channel and network should be
established encompassing all actors
in the field from all over the world.
Proprietary rights will be one
important issue for such a system to
be addressed in detail.
ERTICO Partnership events
ERTICO Events @ Vienna
10-12 September 2012ERTICO-TISA TPEG TestFest - Munich, Germany
27th September 2012Public Authority Meeting
11th October 2012Strategy committee meeting
22-26 October 2012ITS World Congress
23rd October 2012ERTICO – ITS Europe & ITS China Bilateral meeting
24th October 2012ITS for Urban Mobility
26th October 2012ITS Standardisation for harmonised and effective deployment
www.ertico.com
www.itsworldcongress.comwww.itsworldcongress.com
Open day for the public on 25 October 40 demonstrations on public road, closed demo area and parking zone300 exhibitors from all over the world3000 delegates to the conference10000 international participants...
For further information, please contact us:
Avenue Louise 326B-1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0)2 400 07 00 +32 (0)2 400 07 [email protected]
www.ertico.com
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