Intelligent Transportation Systems: At A Glance
Intelligent Transport Systems is a combination of Information Technology and telecommunications, allowing the provision of on-line information in all areas of public and private administration.
There are many definitions of Intelligent Transportation Systems, but put simply, they are the use of technology to improve transport efficiency.
The concept of ITS is the application of sensing, analysis, control and communications technologies in order to improve safety, mobility and efficiency.
ITS include a wide range of applications that process and share information to ease congestion, improve traffic management, minimise environmental impact and increase the efficiency of transport to commercial users and the public in general
Examples of ITS application
Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) is the process of collecting fees via an electronic device, for the purpose of using infrastructure such as roads & bridges etc
This refers to the use of automatic measures to enforce traffic regulations.
In particular, red light cameras at signalised junctions and speed cameras are widespread in many countries, with fines being posted directly to the vehicle owner.
Other applications include camera enforcement for bus lane, passing railway level crossing when the warning lights are flashing (or weaving through the crossing barriers), evading toll payment and driving dangerously close to the vehicle in front
This categorie includes
- System for alerting drivers to the presence of oncoming emergency vehicles
- Post-crash safety systems improving information transfer between the trauma care physician and emergency medical service personnel, they aim for faster and more appropriate treatment.
Dynamic traffic light sequence refers to traffic signal improvements to solve part of traffic congestion problem. More precisely it refers to the management of traffic flow at the intersection in real-time.
Collision avoidance systems refers to many technologies already implemented such as:
- Forward Collision Warning (signal to let the driver knows that he is too close to the other vehicle)
- The Reverse Collision Warning System
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) (When the speed of the vehicle in front is slower than the adjusted speed, the ACC system adjusts vehicle speed to allow a safe distance to the lead vehicle for example)
- Braking system that increases headway by braking. These systems may also detect obstacles within the road and brake accordingly.
- Lane-Keeping Devices wich refers to electronic warning systems that are activated if the vehicle is about to veer off the lane or the road
Automatic number-plate recognition
License plate Recognition (LPR) is the capacity to capture photographic video or images from license plates and transform the optical data into digital information in real-time.
LPR is a widely used technology for vehicle management operations such as Ticketless Parking (off-street and on-street), Tolling, ITS, stolen vehicles detection, smart billing and any other applications in Europe and becoming a trend in the Americas.
LPR has to be implemented to ease the implementation of ITS
Market Size
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Market size is set to exceed USD 70 billion by 2027, according to a new research report by Global Market Insights Inc.
The rise in the number of road accidents coupled with traffic congestion issues in highly urbanized areas has prompted government authorities to deploy advanced traffic management solutions. This will foster the intelligent transportation system market growth in both developing and developed economies. According to the World Health Organization, around 1.3 million people die every year due to road traffic crashes. The United Nations General Assembly has put forth a target of reducing the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 50% by 2030.
Market Types
ITS is impacting every mode of transport
