New technology and economics at ITS World Congress 2011

ITS America prepares for the 18th World Congress on ITS and 2011 Annual Meeting, 16-20 October 2011, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

In the final moments of the 2008 6456 ITS World Congress in New York City, organisers and planning committee members quietly celebrated the conclusion of another extremely successful event for the ITS industry. In spite of the economic climate at the time, the 2008 World Congress was well attended by delegates from 66 countries and yielded impressive results thanks in part to the recognised need for smarter transportation solutions across the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Americas.

With sights now set on Orlando, Florida this October, we continue to face a tough economic situation and transportation agencies across the globe work to maintain and modernise their transportation systems with limited budgets.

To that end, the committee and sponsors are focused on continuing in the tradition of making the 18th World Congress on ITS the biggest gathering of transportation and technology experts in the world.

Florida: Conference host and ITS leader

The fact that this year's World Congress is in Orlando is no accident. Orlando is a dynamic city and the hub of one of the greatest centres of commerce and tourism in the world. Add to this the emergence of the state of Florida as a leader in integrating Intelligent Transport Systems and transportation planning. From toll roads to state-of-the art traffic management centres, Florida is leading the way in developing and implementing ITS solutions though strong partnerships between government and private sector agencies.

Award-winning programmes like Florida Turnpike Enterprise's SunWatch Center and the City of Orlando Traffic Control Emergency Management Center help to make it the perfect venue for this year's World Congress.

Florida is also fortunate to be the home of one of the most active 560 ITS America chapters in the country, ITS Florida. As the Host Chapter for the 18th World Congress, ITS Florida is heavily involved in all aspects of planning the event and helping shape the Technology Showcase, which will create the biggest-ever testbed for ITS deployments. While in Orlando, attendees can participate in cutting-edge technology demonstrations and a Safety Pilot initiative sponsored by the USDOT. Attendees will also be able to take several technical tours which showcase Florida's ITS deployments throughout the state. The ITS Florida Chapter is proud to welcome attendees to Orlando and looks forward to hosting them at a Caribbean-themed reception and dinner at Sea World's Sea Cove.

Demonstrating the value of ITS

ITS research and technology solutions will come to life in real time for attendees at the Technology Showcase. Set up in the large parking lot adjacent to the convention centre, the technology demonstrations will be organised into themes or 'villages' that highlight a specific use or application. The Village themes this year are: Safety, Mobility, Environmental, and Pricing. In the Pricing Village, for example, 588 SwRI will demonstrate Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) road charging by the use of prototype VMT instrumented vehicles and a central system that will collect and store pricing information in real time.

The VMT system will be demonstrated through ride-alongs and a display at the central demonstration pavilion. The VMT instrumented vehicles will include a head-up display that will show information to the driver about current prices and pricing policies, such as congestion or time of day. Attendees will see the central VMT system collecting in real time from a fleet of VMT instrumented vehicles.

There are around 20 planned technology demonstrations including Universal Collision Advisory, Teleport Real-time Journey Time Management, SafeGreen and Interoperable IntelliDrive Vehicle Priority. This is the most dynamic way to experience the World Congress, and attendees will be able to see a variety of technology solutions that are addressing major transportation challenges and impacting the economy today.

Getting down to business

The 18th World Congress will once again be combined with ITS America's 2011 Annual Meeting and feature a USDOT Plenary, 25 sessions focusing on domestic issues, and the ITS America Business Meeting. A highlight of the Annual Meeting is the 'Best of ITS' Awards reception which will take place in the Exhibit Hall. This is a special time set aside to honour some of the foremost innovators in the ITS industry. This year's expanded exhibit floor will showcase over 350,000 square feet of the latest technologies.

Enhancing the experience

The Technical Tours for the World Congress are being planned to enhance the interactive learning experience offered by the Technology Showcase and other demonstrations. This year, the focus is on Florida's diverse ITS infrastructure. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour transportation management and emergency operation centres in the Orlando area, Orlando research facilities, Tampa Bay area ITS facilities, the

I-4 Weigh Station & VACIS Imaging Inspection System and Southeast Florida ITS facilities including TMCs in Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and the I-95 Express Toll Lanes operations in Miami.

Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is also providing a rare opportunity to learn about SunWatch, its internationally recognised, award-winning operations centre that controls over 1,200 toll collection equipment lanes across the state. SunWatch is a technology command and control centre designed to meet the challenges of the future. With the move to such sophisticated technologies as All Electronic Tolling (AET) and OpenRoad Tolling (ORT), the ability to manage and support true 'lights out' technical

Special events

Special events are an important aspect of any trade show or meeting. Orlando is home to spectacular tourist attractions which will serve as a backdrop for one-of-a-kind networking opportunities for conference attendees and their guests. New to the conference this year is the World Congress Golf Tournament, a pre-event which promises to be a relaxing and fun way to catch up with old friends and a great way to get ready for the week's activities. Notable events include:

Saturday, October 15
World Congress Golf Tournament
- 8:00 a.m. Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course

Sunday, October 16
Opening Reception and Ceremony
- 5:00 p.m. Orange County Convention Center

Monday, October 17
Exhibitors Welcome Reception
- 5:30 p.m. Exhibit Hall at the Orange County Convention Center
Best of ITS Industry Awards
- 5:30 p.m. Exhibit Hall at the Orange County Convention Center
ITS Florida Welcome Reception and Dinner
- 7:00 p.m. Discovery Cove

Wednesday, October 19
'Coast to Coast' Finale Networking Event
- 7:00 p.m. Disney's Hollywood Studiooperations becomes more critical. From complex systems like SunPass dual-protocol RF systems and fibre-optic WAN networks, to security systems, back-up generator systems and climate control, the SunWatch manager will share with visitors how advanced technology supports a wide range of complex systems in real time. This is a real-world, behind-the-scenes look at an application of advanced technology used on Florida's Turnpike.

World Congress and beyond

As the preparations for the 18th World Congress continue, it has not gone unnoticed that the event may happen in the midst of long-awaited action on a new federal transportation reauthorisation bill. Should the timing coincide, the World Congress could serve as a singularly effective and visible demonstration of the value of ITS, just as the 112th US Congress debates the bill.

The Chairman of the US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, John Mica, represents part of Orlando and is expected to be very involved in the World Congress as well as in crafting the next federal transportation bill. We are also anticipating a strong showing by the USDOT, following two straight years of participation by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and other senior public and private sector leaders at ITS America's Annual Meetings.

The 18th World Congress on ITS could not come at a more pivotal time, and provides an ideal platform to raise the conversation about how valuable ITS can be in advancing the economy and solving our most critical transportation problems. The stage will be set in October in Orlando...