ITS is expanding into the next stage of mobility and society.
Starting with safety and traffic management as basic concerns, ITS is reaching out to three new domains: energy management, personalized mobility services navigated by big data, and resilient transport systems. The first two stem from the emergence of electrified vehicles and continuously advancing ICT technologies, and the third concept of resilient transport has become very important since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. At the same time, mobility in mega cities/regions is a major issue to be addressed in emerging economies, especially in Asia.
Open has been adopted as the key word for expanding the potential of ITS: open platforms for basic concerns, and open connectivity, opportunities and collaboration for the three new domains.
Congress Topics
1. Safety and traffic management
Every country is seriously concerned about traffic congestion and casualties, since they have great impact on the economy and energy resources. New innovative technologies along with law enforcement initiatives can achieve safer and smoother traffic. Various technical approaches and enforcements will be discussed.
2. Next generation mobility and sustainability
Regardless of mode of transport, society requires lower-emission mobility. More electrified vehicles including EV, HEV, pHEV and FCV are being launched, requiring closer information exchange between vehicles and infrastructure. Efficient energy management systems ranging from the home to community level will be discussed in relation to electrified vehicles as one component of such systems. New innovative personalized vehicles, including mobility for aging societies, will also be discussed as next-generation solutions.
3. Efficient transport systems in mega cities/regions
Many mega cities/regions are suffering from substantial transport stresses, many of which are caused by lack of transport capacity due to rapid urbanization and motorization. Possible measures to ease such strains will be discussed based on past experiences and best practices in various cities/regions.
4. Intermodal and multimodal systems for people and goods
Optimal mode combination is the key to transporting people and goods. Public transport combined with various personal modes of transport will be discussed in the context of human mobility. Another solution is harmonization of bus rapid transit (BRT) and light rail transit (LRT) with private vehicles, including safety issues. Discussion of goods distribution will focus on efficient and secure handling of goods and cutting-edge EDI technologies.
5. Personalized mobility services
ICT brings various new services/businesses into reality by deploying big data via information networks. Information is collected from and delivered to mobile devices. Some services are already in the market and this is an area with high potential for entry by business newcomers. Various possibilities and examples will be discussed.
6. Resilient transport systems for emergency situations
Transport systems must be robust enough to support daily life in disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes, including preventive approaches. Readiness training involving the general public and collaboration between relevant agencies is also important. Information on experiences and lessons learned will be shared to discuss various resilient transport systems in terms of concept, design, structure and evaluation.
7. Institutional issues and international harmonization
Various institutional approaches and cross-organizational cooperation will be necessary to ensure a livable society with enhanced mobility on a global scale in the future. This topic will cover a wide range of issues including regulation and enforcement, funding and costs/benefits, security and privacy, standardization and architecture as well as professional education and training.