Interoperability essential to take advantage of C-ITS, says EU-funded review

According to a new report (link http://www.transport-research.info/c-its) from the European Commission-funded Transport Research & Innovation Portal (TRIP), there remains a significant body of work to be done and to address different approaches amongst stakeholders on certain aspects of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS). The latest research report has drawn its findings from the analysis of over a decade’s worth of C-IT
June 21, 2016
According to a new <%$Linker:2External<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary />000oLinkExternalreportVisit transport Websitefalsehttp://www.transport-research.info/c-itsfalsefalse%> from the European Commission-funded Transport Research & Innovation Portal (TRIP), there remains a significant body of work to be done and to address different approaches amongst stakeholders on certain aspects of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS).
                                                                      
The latest research report has drawn its findings from the analysis of over a decade’s worth of C-ITS projects submitted by academics, policy makers and private sector organisations to the online TRIP portal. The report provides a comprehensive review of C-ITS progress and points to standardisation and principles of interoperability as the biggest barriers facing the widespread adoption of the technology in Europe. To avoid a fragmented approach to deployment, the report makes a number of scientific and policy recommendations to help transport researchers overcome the barriers in C-ITS implementation and create safer and more sustainable transport systems.
                                                                      
C-ITS is a process of communication and data sharing between components of transport systems - such as vehicles, infrastructure and pedestrians - which can be used to avoid collisions, reduce vehicle emissions and enable traffic to operate more efficiently. C-ITS has been identified as a core technology to move beyond the capacity of stand-alone transport systems in Europe; however the rate of development and implementation varies widely depending on technology and application.

The new report explores the scientific advances required to make implementation of CITS feasible and the political, legal and ethical issues that must be addressed during development. These include the compatibility of highly automated vehicles with existing legislation and the consequent effects on personal liability and culpability. Despite these challenges, the review identifies that there is already ‘plenty of best practice at the implementation level’ to support C-ITS, and recommends closer collaboration between stakeholders, academia and the private sector to bridge gaps in capacity.

“C-ITS is an exciting technology with the potential to greatly improve transport systems not only in Europe but throughout the entire world,” said Gareth Horton, TRIP lead analyst. “The new report provides a comprehensive review of C-ITS research in Europe to date, and has only been made possible through the open sharing of knowledge and research stimulated by the TRIP portal. I hope that the recommendations made will provide direction for Europe’s academics, policy makers and businesses to turn this exciting technology into reality.”