Current and Future

Research Directions for

Intelligent Transport Systems
(ITS)

Professor John Preston

Director, Transportation Research Group,
School of Civil Engineering and the Environment,
University of Southampton
What is TRG?
Interdisciplinary group based in the School of Civil Engineering and the
Environment at the University of Southampton, U.K (RAE5*)
6 academic staff, 16 research staff, 4 support staff, 25 research students, 60+
Masters students.
Principal funding bodies include:
Engineering & Physical Research Council (EPSRC) (1.6M)
European Commission (EC) (1.8M)
Transport for London (TfL), Technology Strategy Board (TSB), Ministry of
Defence, Industry (1.0 M).
Also involved in the Transport and Environment IDC (www.soton.ac.uk/idc/), the
Institute for Complex System Simulation DTC (www.icss.soton.ac.uk/), Rail
Research UK and the LANCS initiative.
Who are We?

John Preston Director, TRG and Professor of Rail Transport

Neville Stanton Professor of Human Factors in Transport
Mike McDonald Professor of Transportation Engineering
Nick Hounsell Reader and MSc Transportation Planning and
Engineering Programme Director
Tom Cherrett Lecturer and Undergraduate Admissions Tutor CEE
Ben Waterson Lecturer and PGR Progressions Tutor
Research Emphasis
Emphasis on understanding the current and future opportunities and risks of
new technology applications to passenger and freight transport systems,
particularly ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems).
We view transport as a socio-technical system with the potential to deliver
sustainability.

TECHNOLOGY: SOCIETY:

Vehicles, Users,
Infrastructure, Operators,
Informatics. Government.

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT SYSTEM

Economic competitiveness, Climate change,

Safety, security & health, Quality of life, Equality
of opportunity.
TRG Research (2008)
Research Research

Projects Students

ITS: Traffic Control 3 5

ITS: Information 3 3

Bus Priority 1 2

Energy & Environment 5 4

Freight & Logistics 3 1

Future Technologies 4 0

Rail 6 5

Transport Policy 2 5
Instrumented Vehicle
Southampton University
Driving Simulator
under Development
ITS & Traffic Control:
Cooperative systems based
on V-I communication
COOPERS - one of the three IPs funded by European Commission under the
6th Framework Programme
Vehicles as mobile sensors for traffic monitoring
Road/weather conditions
Traffic conditions (e.g. location, speed,
acceleration/deceleration, journey time)
Incident detection
Direct communication links
Sharing vehicle sensor data
Dynamic data/information
exchanges
Two way communication
ITS & Traffic Control: Charging
Electronically by Distance
And Road (CEDAR)
CEDAR is a small-scale trial of Road User Charging using
satellite location technology
Objectives are to demonstrate that:
the technology can work reliably for different
charging regimes and location scenarios
the service delivered consistently meets the
requirements of the users
Trial includes:
On-Board Unit with link to
odometer to give more precise
positioning
User monitoring and surveys to
better understand changes to
driver behaviour
ITS and Information: Reading Area
Travel Information Network
UTMC Information Dissemination
Trial Secure Payment Trials
(Vehicle Navigation, On-foot (NFC Bus Payment, Car
Navigation, VoIP) Park Payment)

Radio Network
Wi-Max / Wi-Fi
3G Broadband

UTMC Communication Trial On Bus Communication Trial

( Traffic Signal Control, CCTV) (AVL Data Transfer, On-screen
Real Time Passenger
Information)
ITS & Bus Priority

iBus: GPS based AVL system

- 8000 buses, 3200 traffic signals
- Opportunity, flexibility, innovation
39m costs; 147m benefits
(estimated over 15 years)

TRG Research for iBus

Improved priority strategies
Differential priority to improve bus punctuality/regularity
Strategy evaluation: simulation & field trials
Automatic bus performance database
 Identify desirable driver behaviour
models from literature

Define characteristics of these

behaviours using objective indicators
(supported by subjective information from
the test drivers)

Feedback to drivers on how to

improve their driving style by
comparing their driver characteristics Improving driver behaviour in terms of:
to those of desirable driving style
Fuel consumption
Emissions
Assess impacts of feedback Safety
using extended set of indicators
13 UK partners

Academia
Automotive industry
Advanced driving organisations
Local Authorities (transport)
MESSAGE Project
(Mobile Environmental Sensing System Across Grid Environments)

Overall Project Aim....

Demonstrate the potential of diverse, low
cost sensors to provide data for the
planning, management and control of the
environmental impacts of transport activity
at urban, regional and national level.

University of Southampton Activities....

Leading technical scenarios on improving
traveller information systems
Investigating how travellers would use
improved air pollution information
Leading project-wide evaluation activities
Green Logistics: Locker
Box Operation
Service
Engineer

Customer

Spare part
Locker Management
Centre Service
Engineers
HO

Spare part
Carrier
manufacturer
 Role of ITS in Delivering
Rail User Needs
Limited (short-run) Level 1
Technology
Use technology
67%
Dont use technology
27%

effects in terms of Internet

Buyers
15%
Call centre
buyers
14%
FTM
4%
Use technology
for info only
34%
Travel centre/
train 20%
Travel agent
/someone
else 7%

passenger and revenue

Level 2
Purchase

Use technology And call And web And web/call Use web/call Dont use Dont use

growth for info only

Level 3
15%

Information
centre info
(not web)
10%
for info
4%
centre
for info
4%
centre for
info only
34%
technology
for info
20%
technology
for info
7%

Buy in Buy in Buy in Buy on Buy on Buy in Bought/

advance advance advance the day the day advance booked in

Greater potential for

15% 10% 4% 4% 12% 8% advance
7%
Level 4
When purchase ticket
Buy on the day Buy in Buy in advance

cost reductions (e.g.

train/station advance Travel agent
18% on station /someone else
8% 8%

retail distribution)

But mitigated by
fragmented market and
technology proliferation
Can ITS Deliver Transport that
has Zero Fatalties, Zero Emissions
and Zero Congestion?
The Future of ITS

Multi-modal, mobile, networked, pervasive

Automated technologies such as Collision Avoidance
Systems & Cooperative Vehicle Highway Systems offer
prospects of zero accidents & zero congestion whilst vehicle
technologies offer zero emissions at point of use.
But there will be issues concerned with the ironies of
automation, risk compensation, functional emergence.
The future is likely to involve mixed and hybrid
technologies with human factors integration being a key
research area.