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Microsimulation traffic modelling has supported a further roll-out of SCOOT adaptive traffic signal control in London, demonstrating a 13% reduction in travel delays. Development of a cost-effective traffic modelling system has led to a further major roll-out of SCOOT adaptive traffic management technology in London, says traffic and software programme director Gavin Jackman of UK transport consultancy TRL. The roll-out of SCOOT at 600 additional intersections, now at its midpoint, is a central plank in the

An IBEC working group session at ITS World Congress in Vienna in October was presented with an example of a very cost-effective means for reducing traffic travel time. There is no doubt that adaptive real-time traffic control is a very cost-effective ITS application”, Dr Ronald van Katwijk told an IBEC (International Benefits, Evaluation & Costs) working group session at the 2012 ITS World Congress in Vienna. The senior consultant with Netherlands consultant TNO and TrafficQuest, the Dutch Centre for Expert

David Crawford has been to the Irish capital to see a potent memorandum of understanding at work. An imaginative collaboration between the world’s largest IT company and one of Europe’s smaller capital cities is demonstrating a new approach to data handling that could have far reaching implications for urban public transport worldwide. A close working relationship between IBM and Dublin City Council (DCC) dates from 2010. The IT giant was looking for a local transport authority as partner for testing IBM’s

David Crawford has been to the Irish capital to see a potent memorandum of understanding at work. An imaginative collaboration between the world’s largest IT company and one of Europe’s smaller capital cities is demonstrating a new approach to data handling that could have far reaching implications for urban public transport worldwide. A close working relationship between IBM and Dublin City Council (DCC) dates from 2010. The IT giant was looking for a local transport authority as partner for testing IBM’s

The Artificial Vision and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (VisLab) of Italy’s Parma University has built itself a fine pedigree in basic and applied research which has developed machine vision algorithms and intelligent systems for the automotive field. In 1998, a VisLab-equipped Lancia Thema named ‘Argo’ travelled along the famous Mille Miglia race route and completed 98 per cent of it autonomously using then-current technology. In 2005, VisLab provided the vision element of the Terramax, a collaborative un

Many ITS and video surveillance systems are now migrating to High Definition (HD), something which has traditionally required high-resolution IP cameras and a complete system architecture overhaul. Euresys now provides a less expensive and seamless upgrade path with the Picolo.net HD4. “This allows users to connect four HD-SDI/HDcctv cameras through at least 100m of coaxial cable to a video surveillance IP network. It’s easy to integrate into video surveillance systems as it features an ONVIF Profile S-comp

It would be easy to fall into the trap of seeing machine vision as the vision-based solution for ITS and traffic, however Patrik Anderson, Director Business Development Transportation of Axis Communications, notes that many of the applications which are coming to be associated with machine vision – and, indeed, many of the characteristics, such as at-the-edge analytics and image processing – are also possible with open-standard networked video. Networked video brings a whole host of advantages, such as the

Specifiers and buyers of camera technology in the transportation sector know what they need and are seeking innovative solutions. Over the following pages, Jason Barnes examines the latest developments with experts on machine vision technology. Transplanting the very high-performance camera technology used in machine vision from tightly controlled production management environments into those where highly variable conditions are common requires some careful thinking and not a little additional effort. Mach

The European Commission’s SeRoN research project has drawn to a close, having developed a sophisticated method of identifying and quantifying threats to critical infrastructure. In December 2008 the European Commission published the directive 2008/114/EC on the identification, designation and assessment of the need to improve ‘European critical infrastructure’. In line with the objectives formulated in this directive, the SeRoN (Security of Road Transport Networks) research project was established in Novemb

A common assumption, even amongst informed observers, is that there’s but a handful of urban charging schemes in operation around the world and scant prospect of that changing any time soon. Larger city-sized schemes such as Singapore, London and Stockholm come readily to mind but if we take a wider view and also consider urban access control and Low Emission Zones (LEZs) then the picture changes rather radically. There is a notable concentration of such schemes in Europe but worldwide the number is comfort

Swedish parking services provider Cale Access has expanded its product offering with the acquisition of parking enforcement company Mobiway, manufacturer of Smartpark and Nice, a complete solution for enforcement queries and permits. Cale Access says this acquisition, and the addition of Smartpark to the current product offering, is a further step in the group’s ongoing strategy to offer complete parking solutions. “This solution is exactly what the industry needs to connect all payment suppliers on the mar

Public transport passengers in Spokane, Washington, US, are to get real time transit information both on and off the vehicle. Passenger transport systems provider Trapeze Group is to extend the current Spokane Transit Authority (STA) Trapeze transit enterprise system to include a comprehensive intelligent transportation system to help them better manage their fixed-route bus service and provide passengers with real time transit information. The Trapeze solution for STA includes computer-aided dispatch and

Singapore-based ST Electronics has been awarded transportation contracts valued at a combined total of US$156.21 million. The company is to implement the second phase of the Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System (EMAS) on major arterial roads under a contract awarded by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). Under this project, which is due to be completed by 2014, the EMAS will be expanded to four major arterial corridors in the island republic that serve as the expressways' alternative routes. In another

Selected 2013 Toyota and Lexus models will feature the first consumer facing real-time delivery of information and graphics inside a vehicle, thanks to a three-year agreement between real-time traffic data provider Clear Channel Media and Entertainment’s Total Traffic Network (TTN) and Toyota Motor Sales USA. Real-time traffic and the Weather Channel information will be integrated into the vehicles’ dashboards via an HD radio signal. Toyota and Lexus audio systems launched on selected 2014 models will feat

Revcon Technology Group, US-based turnkey parking systems provider, has installed licence plate recognition (LPR) systems from Hi-Tech Solutions (HTS), in several parking garages in Chicago. The LPR systems are integrated into a new overall parking management and revenue control system provided by TIBA Parking Solutions. Revcon says the HTS LPR system assists the garage operators to increase revenues with more accurate processing, auditing, control and billing functionality, as well as reduce loses due t

In the UK, rail operator First ScotRail plans to install 140 smartcard validation machines across seventy of the 350 stations in Scotland, focusing on the Aberdeen, Stirling and Strathclyde areas. The technology was installed in twenty-seven stations at the end of 2012, and should be implemented in the remaining stations in the next three months. Building on a pilot scheme for annual season-ticket holders that has been running between Edinburgh and Glasgow on the line through Falkirk since 2011, the move wi

The European Commission is supporting a joint effort between three regions – EU, US and Japan – to reach an agreement on a common assessment methodology for determining the impacts of ITS on energy efficiency and CO2 emissions. Ecostand believes that a standard methodology for assessing the impacts of ITS on CO2 emissions should have the following characteristics: • produce an accurate and fully reliable estimate of emissions, • be able to compare different ITS solutions operating under the same circumstanc

In a contract valued at around US$10.75 million, Chinese provider of automation and control technologies, Hollysys Automation Technologies, is to supply the ground-based signalling system for the 357 km Guangdong section of the Xiamen-Shenzhen high-speed rail line which has a designed travelling speed of 200 km/h. Hollysys will provide the ground-based high-speed rail signaling system, including train control centres (TCC), line-side electronic units (LEU) and other auxiliary equipments, which are expected

US-based designer and manufacturer of electronic components for traffic control systems, Eberle Design (EDI), has acquired Reno A&E (Reno) headquartered in Reno, Nevada. Reno specialises in the production of inductive loop vehicle detectors for the access and parking control, rail and traffic industries, as well as solid state load switches, power supplies, flashers and conflict monitors for the traffic industry. EDI says this highly complementary add-on enhances its product offering, provides greater indus

An IBEC working group session at ITS World Congress in Vienna in October was presented with an example of a very cost-effective means for reducing traffic travel time. There is no doubt that adaptive real-time traffic control is a very cost-effective ITS application”, Dr Ronald van Katwijk told an IBEC (International Benefits, Evaluation & Costs) working group session at the 2012 ITS World Congress in Vienna. The senior consultant with Netherlands consultant TNO and TrafficQuest, the Dutch Centre for Expert