ITS - Intelligent Transport Systems

Intelligent Transport Systems

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) describe technology applied to transport and infrastructure to transfer information between systems for improved safety, productivity and environmental performance. This includes stand-alone applications such as traffic management systems, information and warning systems installed in individual vehicles, as well as cooperative ITS (C-ITS) applications involving vehicle to infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

Intelligent transport systems apply information, data processing, communication, and sensor technologies to vehicles (including cars, trucks, trains, aircraft and ships), transport infrastructure and transport users to increase the effectiveness, environmental performance, safety, resilience and efficiency of the transport system. Traffic Management, and Traffic Transactions enable efficient real-time management, and smart fees and payments for multi modal transport.

The following important technology used to automotive the Intelligent Transport Systems:

• Global Positioning System (GPS) - Embedded GPS receivers in vehicles’ on-board units (OBUs, a common term for telematics devices) receive signals from several different satellites to calculate the device’s (and thus the vehicle’s) position. This requires line of sight to satellites, which can inhibit use of GPS in downtown settings due to “urban canyon” effects. Location can usually be determined to within ten meters. GPS is the core technology behind many in-vehicle navigation and route guidance systems.

• Wireless Networks - Similar to technology commonly used for wireless Internet access, wireless networks allow rapid communications between vehicles and the roadside, but have a range of only a few hundred meters. However, this range can be extended by each successive vehicle or roadside node passing information onto the next vehicle or node.

• Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) - DSRC provides communications between the vehicle and the roadside in specific locations (for example toll plazas). Applications such as Electronic Fee Collection (EFC) will operate over DSRC.

• Roadside Camera Recognition - Camera - or tag-based schemes can be used for zone-based congestion charging systems (as in London), or for charging on specific roads. Such systems use cameras placed on roadways where drivers enter and exit congestion zones. The cameras use Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR), based on Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, to identify vehicle license plates; this information is passed digitally to back-office servers, which assess and post charges to drivers for their use of roadways within the congestion zone.

• Cooperative-ITS (C-ITS) and its evolution to support full autonomous driving  including wireless short range communications (ITS-G5) dedicated to automotive ITS and Road Transport and Traffic Telematics (RTTT).

• C-ITS provides connectivity between road participants and infrastructure. We depend heavily on transport in our everyday lives. Yet continuously increasing road traffic generates serious problems in terms of congestion, safety and environmental impact. Fortunately, information and communication technologies offer new advanced solutions to today's transport problems.

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) embrace a wide variety of communications-related applications intended to increase travel safety, minimize environmental impact, improve traffic management and maximize the benefits of transportation to both commercial users and the general public. Stand-alone driver assistance can help drivers to maintain a safe speed and distance, drive within the lane, avoid overtaking in critical situations and safely pass intersections and thus have positive effects on safety and traffic management. However, benefits could be further magnified if individual vehicles were able to continuously communicate with each other or with the road infrastructure.

• Automotive Radar - Automatic Cruise Control 'long-range radar' operating at 77 GHz. This enables a vehicle to maintain a cruising distance from a vehicle in front.Anti-collision 'short-range radar' operating at 24 GHz and 79 GHz. This is being developed as part of a system to warn the driver of a pending collision, enabling avoiding action to be taken. In the event where collision is inevitable, the vehicle may prepare itself (for example by applying brakes, pre-tensioning seat belts) to minimize injury to passengers and others.

Technologies Associated with Real-Time Traffic Information Systems

What are the benefits offered by ITS technologies?

ITS technologies offer safety and efficiency benefits to users of all modes of transport. The benefits offered include:  

• Safety—for example reducing the severity of road crashes by helping vehicle operators maintain safe following distances and by minimizing the damage caused during a crash.
• Effectiveness—providing detailed information to transport network operators and planners to enable them to ensure that the transport system operates as effectively as possible — this could defer the need to invest in major infrastructure projects.
• Efficiency—increasing the efficient use of transport systems. Examples of this include:
• reducing congestion, with linked reductions in fuel consumption, air pollution and delays
• Enhancing public transport reliability and timeliness.
• Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) - ETC supports the collection of payment at toll plazas using automated systems that increase the operational efficiency and convenience of toll collection. Systems typically consist of vehicle-mounted transponders identified by electronic readers located in dedicated or mixed-use lanes at toll plazas. ETC has the potential to significantly increase mobility on the Nation’s transportation system
• Ramp Meter (RM) - Traffic signals on freeway ramp meters alternate between red and green signals to control the flow of vehicles entering the freeway. Metering rates can be altered based on freeway traffic conditions.
• Traffic Signal Coordination (TSC) - Traffic Signal Timing Manual, TSC provides the ability to synchronize multiple intersections to enhance the operation of one or more directional movements in a system. Some examples include arterial streets, downtown networks, and closely spaced intersections such as diamond interchanges.
• Enhancing mobility and convenience - ITS enhance driver mobility and convenience by 1) decreasing congestion and maximizing the operational efficiency of the transportation system, as described previously, and 2) providing motorists and mass transit users with real-time traveler information and enhanced route selection and navigation capability.

Challenges in Implementing ITS

Given the technical feasibility and significant benefit-cost ratios, why have ITS systems not been deployed more broadly, especially in lagging nations? One reason is that there are a number of Challenges involved in developing and deploying intelligent transportation systems. ITS face a range of challenges, including system interdependency, network effect, scale, funding, political, Institutional and other challenges.