Amsterdam Group turn ITS theory into practice

ASECAP’s Marko Jandrisits discusses the Amsterdam Group’s efforts to bring a sense of order to cooperative ITS deployments.

When an issue arises which is deemed to require a technological solution governments and public-sector agencies around the world all too often tread the same sorry path. A decision is made to research and develop said technology to the production-ready stage, the work is done and the technology realised but then the money for deployment runs out and the technology is left on the shelf to gather dust. The transport sector is no exception and the recent economic slowdown in some regions has resulted in many infrastructure projects being cancelled or postponed. As a result, and in retrospect, the original timetables for the roll-out of next-generation ITS technologies, and especially Cooperative ITS (C-ITS) systems, now look hopelessly optimistic or even naïve.

C-ITS development

Over the last few years, the 1690 European Commission (EC) has funded a series of very successful C-ITS projects, including CVIS, COOPERS, SAFESPOT, COMeSAFETY, DRIVE C2X and FOTSIS. These have developed and demonstrated both the supporting technology and numerous applications for cooperative infrastructures involving two-way communication of data between vehicles and road networks. The results of various projects were showcased in a series of demonstrations at the 6456 ITS World Congress in Vienna in 2012 and at SIM-TD, the German test-bed for C-ITS in Frankfurt.

Therefore the 1816 European Union (EU) has viable C-ITS solutions and larger-scale field operational testing has continued both at national and European levels. However, we have yet to see systems deployed in the real world in any appreciable form. As EU Member States have wrestled with recession and banking crises, the prospects for major C-ITS projects have slipped further down the agenda - especially on the on infrastructure side. Meanwhile, vehicle manufacturers have continued to develop products and the technology emphasis has shifted with, for example, the emergence of smart phones. Nevertheless, the developments which provide the underlying backbone, such as the 802.11p stack of protocols and the applications they support, remain valid.
The deployment strategies and business cases for C-ITS have not gone entirely unconsidered. For instance, the EC’s iMobility Forum provides a platform for European ITS stakeholders to discuss, define, coordinate and support activities to further innovation, research, development, deployment and the use of ICT-based transport systems and services between 2010 to 2020. Work on C-ITS has been undertaken within the Forum’s Intelligent Infrastructure Working Group but it was felt that a new group was needed to build upon this.

A new forum

Such thinking led to the setting up of the 7024 Amsterdam Group. Named for the venue of its first meeting 18 months ago, the Group is intended to address what is seen as a chicken-and-egg situation in terms of who invests in C-ITS first; the automotive industry or the infrastructure owners and operators. The Group includes representatives from the Car-to-Car Communication Consortium, POLIS, CEDR and 486 ASECAP, each of which acts as an umbrella organisation for a larger number of members. Therefore the Group can represent the broad spectrum of C-ITS stakeholders, and those who have to take investment decisions.

Marko Jandrisits chairs the Permanent Committee on ITS at ASECAP, the professional association of European tolled motorway operators and is also his Association’s member of the Amsterdam Group. He notes that the Group has some unusual ways of working when viewed from an EU context which has a top-down approach to matters such as ITS standardisation and deployment. In the case of the Amsterdam Group, market forces are in many ways dictating the agenda and setting out to achieve results while the EC acts in a supporting role.

The Group is taking advantage of the extensive development work carried out in the projects listed above, Jandrisits continues: “Effectively, we’re saying that we have results, now we need to agree on the next steps. We need to look at a range of use cases or applications to be deployed and to an agreement on common marketing strategies. How are we going to sell cooperative systems? Do we, for instance, have to standardise with Japan and the US?

“These are all open issues which are reflected in a road map document currently being ratified within the Amsterdam Group’s partner organisations. ASECAP has already given its approval and the end result will be a ‘menu’ for the various stakeholders to follow.”

Proceeding with caution

It is important, he says, to think in terms of evolution and not revolution. ‘Day One’ go-live should not be a deluge of use cases and data as there is a significant possibility that this will confuse rather than inform the driver. A four-staged ramp-up is envisaged: an initial launch of basic warning services with more advanced warning services following on, then sensor fusion and, in about 25 years time, the full deployment of more advanced services. The recently announced C-ITS corridor running from Rotterdam to Vienna via Frankfurt provides an illustration of what Day One will look like – an initial road works warning application and anonymised data gathering services for road operators is envisaged.

“We need to take care at the very start of this new market because we really only have one chance to get the launch right,” Jandrisits says. “If we make it too complicated it will fail and failure, given the high cost associated with deployment, would make it far less likely that people would give it a second try. Also, we need to ensure that there are benefits to be had from C-ITS for all concerned.”

With provision of better services for customers a key differentiator for toll scheme operators, it is important for C-ITS to have the support of organisations such as ASECAP. Its participation in the Group is an affirmation that the support is there, even if there is no explicit statement that toll concessions will be Day One implementers. There is a desire for implementation to be market- rather than legislation-led, albeit with an understanding that safety is paramount. It should be noted that the shifting dynamics of C-ITS leaves infrastructure owners and operators in particular facing something of a dilemma. They need to remain technologically current and have a say in how, where and when C-ITS technology is deployed, even if they themselves are not among the early adopters.

“Take floating vehicle data as an example – if road operators can receive data from a significant proportion of the vehicles using their facilities they will experience a tremendous increase in their ability to detect and monitor traffic conditions. If cooperative systems are available as a tool there’s no doubt that concessionaires will use them but it’s the car companies which will take many of these developments forward,” Jandrisits continues. “From 2015 we’ll see 802.11p fitted for vehicle-to-vehicle communications but the infrastructure operators are going to be looking to ensure their slice of the cake. It’s not so much a technical question of ‘which’ but ‘how?’  Cellular, internet and RDS-TMC service providers are all included in the current discussions.”

First impressions

A Special Interest Session at ITS Europe in Dublin gave attendees an initial look at the Amsterdam Group and at first use cases. 5874 Volvo Trucks also gave a presentation on conformance procedures. This issue will be of particular importance in the future as vehicle manufacturers, keen to differentiate by imposing some form of branding on their C-ITS offerings, will still have to meet agreed standards. This is a situation has been encountered by navigation system suppliers in recent years as many have claimed to adhere to set standards but when tested their products have been shown not to distribute all the information provided by traffic management centres.

However, Jandrisits sees the tri-national Rotterdam/Frankfurt/Vienna corridor as the most significant step, as the Netherlands, Germany and Austria look to position themselves in the C-ITS market. He believes other corridor initiatives connecting to the Austria/Germany/Netherlands corridor, will follow.

In outward-facing terms, the next step for the Amsterdam Group will be a workshop, which will take place in Brussels in September 2013.

“So far, the Amsterdam Group has been something of a closed shop because the key stakeholders have needed to get on and make decisions but we’re now at a stage where we need to discuss our work with the wider industry,” Jandrisits explains.


Those interested in developments to date and the Brussels workshop can contact the Group via its website:
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