Skip to main content

Developing open systems for Europe’s urban ITS

Europe’s POSSE (Promoting Open Specifications and Standards in Europe) is developing best practice guidelines for open urban transport systems, including case study examples, which will be open to all and which will set out the process for implementing open specifications and standards. POSSE believes open specifications and standards offer many benefits especially the ease with which different Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) can share and exchange information.
October 29, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Europe’s POSSE (Promoting Open Specifications and Standards in Europe) is developing best practice guidelines for open urban transport systems, including case study examples, which will be open to all and which will set out the process for implementing open specifications and standards.  POSSE believes open specifications and standards offer many benefits especially the ease with which different Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) can share and exchange information.

The six partners from the UK, Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Norway and the Czech Republic have undertaken to engage with their key national players in order to raise awareness and build consensus on open systems.

Intelligent transport systems (ITS) are widely implemented in cities and regions to manage traffic and influence travel behaviour through systems such as adaptive area-wide traffic control, real-time travel information, bus priority at traffic lights, smart card ticketing and car park management and guidance, among others. ITS have largely been implemented in an un-coordinated and incremental way, due in part to the multitude of organisations involved, the absence of a common set of open ITS standards and specifications in Europe, and the prevalence of closed, proprietary systems within the market.

To enable other public authorities with an interest in open systems to benefit from the knowledge sharing within POSSE and to interact with partners, an Open ITS Systems Forum will be established. The call for applications to join the forum is open now and will close on 7 December 2012.

Related Content

  • Visa and the power of mass transit transactions
    April 22, 2020
    Contactless payment is the hidden power behind efficient public transportation. Visa’s Ana Reiley tells Adam Hill why buying a latte should be a model for frictionless ticketing 
  • Enforcement needs automation and communication
    February 1, 2012
    TISPOL's Peter van de Beek questions whether the thought processes which drive enforcement technology development are always the right ones. Peter van de Beek sees an ever-greater role for technology in traffic enforcement but is concerned that the emphasis of technological development and discussion is not always in the right places. 'Old-fashioned' face-to-face policing remains as valid as it ever did, he feels, but adds that there should be greater communication with those engaged at the sharp end of saf
  • Cut vehicle access to clean up cities: report
    October 17, 2022
    Communication of benefits is key for acceptance of LEZ deployment, says EIT Urban Mobility
  • Virtual traffic management centres, a new direction in traffic monitoring
    January 30, 2012
    David Crawford picks up a new direction trend in traffic monitoring The surprise winner in the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) category of the recently-announced 2011 OSMOSE (Open Source for MObile and SustainablE city) Awards for European innovations in urban transport, is the Danish city of Aalborg - which doesn't have a TMC. Alternatively, one might consider its 'virtual' TMC as a signpost for the future in medium-sized cities.