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39th Annual UTSG Conference 19 - December - 2006 UTSG Community Showcases ITS Expertise 11 - October - 2006
A series of posters highlighting research in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems are available to download.
Further information about training opportunities and research within UTSG members is also available here.
Ph.D. Placement Opportunity 18 - August - 2006 Department for Transport ITS World Congress Visions Competition - deadline extension to 31 July 4 - July - 2006
The competition test is to create a computer-based representation showing how ITS techniques and services might contribute positively to daily life for all classes of travellers in 2015. Presentations can be built up using cartoons, animations, PowerPoint shows, videos, simulations sound, etc in any combination. Videos must use either Windows Media Player or QuickTime software and run for no more than 10 minutes.
Full details are available here Reflections on Forty Years' Evolution of Transport Studies 8 - February - 2006 ITS World Congress - Papers Deadline Reminder 22 - December - 2005 At the opening plenary session of the 12th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, that took place in San Francisco early in November, Dr Stephen Ladyman, MP Minister of State for Transport UK gave a presentation at the conclusion of which he invited delegates to attend the next 13th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems. This will be hosted by ITS (UK) and will be held in the Excel Exhibition Centre from 8–12 October 2006 in London. Don’t forget the deadline for papers is 6th January 2006 Speech Follows... 12th ITS World Congress
Speech by Dr Stephen Ladyman MP
7 Nov Thank you for inviting me to address you at the very start of this 12th Congress, and for giving me the chance to see this fascinating City even if it is only for a few hours. Advances in technology have an enormous impact on all our lives. But we take them for granted and rarely appreciate how fast technology is changing. Remember the tape recorder? – My 11 year old daughter probably doesn’t even know what a tape is. Do you remember the first mobile phones? – The batteries didn’t last long enough to ask a girl for a date and get her answer and you needed the muscles of an Olympic shot put champion – or the Governor of California – to carry one. Now we have cameras that are phones and phones that take pictures and none of them weigh more than a few ounces. And as for computers, in the 70s I was a biologist starting to branch out into the world of computers. The lab I worked in used a shared computer that we accessed by printing out punch cards that were collected twice a day by a lady on a bicycle who took them to the datacentre and then brought back the computer’s output. One year we got a 50% performance upgrade by buying her a new bicycle. Then around 1977 we got a new single user computer called a Data General Nova 3. It needed a room of its own and a cold air blower permanently pointed at the back of the keyboard to keep it cool. Now, less than 30 years later, the notepad I carry in my briefcase has two hundred thousand times more memory than that computer. That steady growth in computing power, and reductions in physical size, power consumption and above all price, have meant that the scope for using technology to help solve everyday problems has been expanding rapidly. And this is just as true in the area of traffic management and transport safety as in other parts of life. Twenty years ago a satellite navigation unit needed a boat to carry it. Now I can build one into my phone. So the scope for technology to give us cheaper and safer and faster transport is huge and that is why it’s a pleasure to be here with you at your 12th World Congress. And I’ve no doubt this Congress will be as memorable and informative as its predecessors and set a standard to give the United Kingdom something to aspire to when the Congress comes to London next year! But before you get on with your congress let me give you just a few thoughts to ponder on. Before coming here, I looked at the programmes for previous events and I noticed a clear trend. Year on year the emphasis of the Congress has moved away from purely technological issues towards issues of business and application. Perhaps that’s because today technology is so reliable.
Today’s most intractable problems are social, organisational, administrative or institutional and what we have to figure out is how technology can tackle those issues while recognising that sometimes it can make matters worse. For example, technology can help us address social exclusion. But if only the rich have access to it then it can increase that exclusion. Technology in transport can break down social exclusion by allowing people better access to employment, health, education, and cultural activities. But if access to it is limited by wealth then it will have the opposite effect and create another barrier to inclusion. Or another example, technology can help us sweat our transport assets and make better use of our transport networks – that is why in the UK we are looking so closely at national road pricing – but people simply won’t accept such a scheme if it means they lose their privacy and feel they are being tracked by the State. In other words, technology can offer us a lot but wrongly deployed it won’t hit the target and it might even create more problems than it is able to solve. The force, as every Star Wars fan can tell you, has a Dark Side. And that means those who develop technological solutions to today’s traffic problems have to work closely with governments and planners who have responsibility for those problems. It is Governments that provide the legal, economic, administrative and policy frameworks that enable industry to develop and deliver the best transport solutions for everyone. And it is people in Government who need to understand the full consequences of using that technology. And that means Governments need to ask what laws need to change to get the best out of any given technology or to protect us from its misuse? Will the technology do what it claims? Are the technologies being deployed backward compatible with the technology that’s already out there and are the systems we might introduce interoperable? And in a world where there is a growing concern about security and privacy a balance needs to be struck; and it is imperative that we understand the insitutional challenges this provides us with. Of course we need to remember why and for whom we are doing this – the travelling public. Private and business transport users can benefit enormously from Intelligent Transport Systems – but only if the cost is right and the solution chosen is fit for purpose – and I am sure I don't have to tell you that this isn’t always easy to demonstrate! But if Government Ministers like me need to ask these key questions to understand the challenges ahead, it is for engineers and manufacturers to ensure we can find the answers we need. In other words we have to forge a partnership – government and transport planners on the one hand, engineers and manufacturers on the other – we all need each other. We can all benefit from sharing information and experiences. And partnership must involve manufacturers at an early stage too – not just assemblers of complete systems but component and sub-systems companies as well. And last but not least these partnerships cannot be parochial – they have to be international and inter-disciplinary. Thankfully, we only have to look at the level of attendance at this and preceding World Congresses to see that this partnership working is already becoming a reality. The fact that the Congress has been running for 12 years proves that this international collaboration is both valued and key to the growth and acceptance of Intelligent Transport Systems. And let us not for a second lose sight of the fact that transport technologies and Intelligent Transport Systems, have a massive role to play in expanding the transport sector. If I can advertise for a moment, my Department in the UK is about to publish an ITS Policy Framework for the Roads Sector, which brings together details of the various ITS strands and initiatives underway in the UK and illustrates Government's role in facilitating and enabling deployment. I also hope that the Strategy will aid the ongoing debate on harnessing technology. ITS is key to the UK Government’s transport vision and I suspect it will be vital all around the world. And I want the UK to be seen as a leader in ITS and pivotal in building the partnerships needed to understand and deploy it. We very much look forward to demonstrating that achievement and ambition both here and at the 2006 ITS World Congress in London. And if I can have another advertisement – in London we want to encourage a new generation of ITS experts by holding an International University ITS Challenge. A competition for the best depiction of how ITS will benefit transport in 2015. More details later. Mayor Newsom ( + Gov Schwarzenegger if he attends), Harry Voccola and the Board of Directors; distinguished guests – thank you once again for inviting me and may I wish you all a very successful Congress. I know you are going to have a great time and a productive visit here in San Francisco and I look forward to seeing you all in London next year where we will keep this important work moving forward. And I promise we will do our best to make sure you an equally good time. EPSRC Showcase follow on - 'Watching Walkers' 9 - September - 2005 Best Practice in Delivering Transport Teaching Shared 24 - June - 2005
The first session (Greg Marsden, ITS Leeds) covered the potential to develop nationally shared resources – challenging the way we deliver information and suggesting that we could save both time and money (in the medium term…) by working together. Roger Bird (TORG, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne) then discussed innovation in tackling the assessment burden. A particular highlight was a self-marking coursework program for highway alignment freeing up time for Roger to enjoy the international cricket at the Riverside this year. In the afternoon, Tom Cherrett (TRG, University of Southampton) discussed the many issues arising from increases in the numbers of overseas students, including understanding the differences in the student-teacher relationship in some cultures where apparently academics are well respected… The final session looked at the requirements of professional bodies (Charles Roberts, Liverpool John Moores University) and the role of the UTP and Transport Planning Skills Initiative (Frank Montgomery, ITS Leeds) in shaping the courses we deliver.
There appears to be an appetite to take this initiative on further and to share best practice and to discuss approaches to solving shared problems. Possible themes for future workshops include:
We would be very interested to receive further suggestions for topics, presentations and venues for hosting such an event, e-mail Dr. Greg Marsden (UTSG Hon. Sec) with your thoughts and comments.
Finally, we are very grateful to the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport for sponsoring the refreshments at the event and to Julie Mallinson of ITS for her administrative support.
New Online Paper Submission System 10 - June - 2005 UTSG Conference raises £370 for Tsunami relief appeal 10 - January - 2005 Chair for Stephen Potter 10 - January - 2005 EPSRC's 10 - January - 2005
The event was part of a week long International Review of UK Engineering Research, which is being jointly organised by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Royal Academy of Engineering. EPSRC described the event as "an exciting, high profile publicity event aimed at showcasing the best of UK engineering research and innovation. This event is a unique opportunity to celebrate our world class engineering research through a range of innovative themed displays, developed by the academic community in conjunction with a wide range of industry and stakeholder groups".
The UTSG contribution was co-ordinated by Professor Howard Kirby of Napier University. Short descriptions of the transport exhibits (including those prepared by non UTSG members) can be
found here (pdf). A Celebration of UK Engineering Research - How can you get involved? 6 - July - 2004
The event is part of a week long International Review of UK Engineering Research, which is being jointly organised by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Royal Academy of Engineering. EPSRC describe the event as "an exciting, high profile publicity event aimed at showcasing the best of UK engineering research and innovation. This event is a unique opportunity to celebrate our world class engineering research through a range of innovative themed displays, developed by the academic community in conjunction with a wide range of industry and stakeholder groups". The event will be held in London at The Excel Exhibition Centre, Docklands, London on Wednesday November 17th 2004.
Professor Margaret Bell is co-ordinating the UTSG response to this initiative. EPSRC welcomed a co-ordinated response but it was not possible to capture everyone's research projects and interests at the expression of interest stage due to the short timescales. However, it is not too late to get involved. If you have a recently completed project (not necessarily funded by EPSRC but within their funding remit) that has a demonstration that could form part of the exhibition then please get in touch. More details can be found on the UTSG Exhibition web page.
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