Transportation

Explaining International IT Leadership:

Intelligent Transportation Systems



I
magine knowing real-time traffic conditions for virtually every highway or arterial roadway in the country and having that in- formation available on multiple platforms, both in-vehicle and
out. Imagine driving down an expressway with a telematics unit that, combining GPS with real-time traffic information, could audibly alert you that you are approaching a blind curve with traffic backed up immediately ahead and that you need to brake immediately. Envision enjoying a mobile device that can display real-time traffic informa- tion (while simultaneously helping to generate that information), op- timize your route accordingly, and electronically pay tolls when you’re on the highway (or fares when you’re using mass transit). Imagine a performance-based transportation system that makes capital invest- ment decisions regarding competing transportation projects based on a detailed understanding of their cost-benefit trade-offs enabled by meticulously collected data.

I T I F

Information technology (IT) has al- ready revolutionized many industries, and now appears poised to transform countries’ transportation systems. In- deed, IT is likely to emerge as the ma- jor tool to solve surface transportation challenges over the next several de- cades, as an “infostructure” gets built alongside countries’ physical transpor- tation infrastructure. In fact, the sce- narios described above are not vision- ary or futuristic; they are real, already exist in several countries today, and are

available to all countries that focus on developing and deploying them. The scenarios describe applications of in- telligent transportation systems (ITS), systems that deploy communications, control, electronics, and computer technologies to improve the perfor- mance of highway, transit (rail and bus), and even air and maritime transporta- tion systems. Intelligent transportation systems include a wide and growing suite of technologies and applications such as real-time traffic information

systems, in-car navigation (telematics) systems, vehi- cle-to-infrastructure integration (VII), vehicle-to-ve- hicle integration (V2V), adaptive traffic signal control, ramp metering, electronic toll collection, congestion pricing, fee-based express (HOT) lanes, vehicle usage- based mileage fees, and vehicle collision avoidance technologies.