Overview
- The ATLANTIC project is a ‘thematic network’, the main aim of which was to bring together recognized experts working in Transport Telematics and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in Europe (including Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic States), the United States and Canada.
- The main trans-Atlantic activity was to review the coverage, content and results of European, American and Canadian ITS research and development programs as a benchmarking exercise.
- To facilitate this, the project operated a website and associated Forum, where discussions took place. Face/face meetings and workshops with participants have also been arranged to coincide with international events such as the ITS World Congress, Sydney in October 2001, Transportation Research Board Conference, Washington D.C. in January 2002 and the ITS World Congress, Chicago in October 2002.
- To stimulate an active debate amongst experts on research taking place on Transport Telematics and ITS for surface transport.
- To distil the lessons of experience of ITS research to inform decision-making among policy-makers, practitioners and other stakeholders concerned.
- To identify barriers to progress with ITS research and make recommendations on the level at which it is most appropriate to address them.
- To identify subjects where trans-Atlantic co-operation on ITS research would bring added value.
- To make available to principal players and stakeholders the results of these discussions.
- Within Europe, to support the eEurope Transport 2002 Initiative by the development of best practice and policy on Telematics-based information and services for cities and regions.
- The ATLANTIC ITS Forum was organised and coordinated via 3 geographically based Network Coordinators, one for each of Europe, Canada and the US.
- Forum Working Groups (8 initially) have been set up around the 3 main ATLANTIC themes. Each Working Group has addressed a program of topics in its own specialist field:
- Integrated Transport, including Travel and Traffic Information
- Three Working Groups:
- Telematics-based Traffic and Travel Information Services
- Network Monitoring and Traffic Management and Control
- Intermodal Collective Transport Information
- Three Working Groups:
- Technologies and Services
- Three Working Groups:
- Intermodal Freight Information Pre-clearance and Logistics (logistic chains)
- Intelligent Vehicles and Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems
- Electronic Road User Charging and Integration with Other Payment Systems
- Three Working Groups:
- Assessment and Evaluation of ITS
- Two Working Groups:
- ITS User Acceptance and Impact Assessment
- Human Machine Interface/User Friendly ITS
- Integrated Transport, including Travel and Traffic Information
- The project’s Policy Advisory Group has reviewed output from the Working Groups and helped to provide strategic direction.
- Contributions to the Electronic Forum were summarised and the resulting documents were made available to registered members. Some documents have also been made available to the public.
Funding
Results
The project had given rise to two new ‘spin-off’ organisations – first, the Special Interest Group for International Research and Learning (SIGIRL), sponsored by ITS America. This group is promoting the international networking on ITS issues on behalf of the USA. ITS America, in conjunction with the UK’s Department for Transport, is also backing the second ATLANTIC spin off, the International Benefits, Evaluation and Costs (I-BEC) Group, established during the ITS World Congress in Chicago in 2002.
Although set up as a European/N. American project, ATLANTIC had attracted worldwide interest, with National ITS organisations in a number of other countries, such as Australia and S.Africa, interested in participating. The project’s high profile had also attracted interest and support from the POLIS network of city-regions.
Eight Working Groups, each specialising in a separate ITS-related subject area, had been established at the outset of the project. Dr Miles reported that the success of the internet-based discussions held by these groups had been mixed. The two ‘top performers’ were the groups on advanced traveller information systems and ITS benefits, evaluation and costs. Intermodal transit , Intermodal freight , Intelligent Vehicles and Road User Charging had attracted slightly less interest from expert contributors. Two groups - Human Machine Interface and Traffic Management - had struggled to attract sufficient interest and the former had closed mid-project as a result.
Technical Implications
The technical objectives of the ATLANTIC Thematic Network are therefore to:
Stimulate an active debate amongst a key group of experts on the research taking place on Transport Telematics and ITS for surface transport by sharing information, experiences,knowledge, results and best practice, from North America and Europe;
Distil the lessons of experience of ITS research to inform decision-making among policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders concerned;
Identify barriers to progress with ITS research and make recommendations on the level at which it is most appropriate to address them;
Identify subjects where trans-Atlantic co-operation on ITS research would bring added value.
Policy implications
The ATLANTIC project is in dialogue with another Thematic Network project, STELLA, managed by Prof. Peter Nijkamp of the Free University of Amsterdam and funded by the EC Directorate General on Transport and Energy (DG-TREN). STELLA is looking at common issues of transport research between European and North American countries across a broad front, including the impact of Information and Communication Technologies on transport in general.