Skip to main content

EC promotes ''against lock-in'' approach on ITS standards

According to the European Commission (EC), open standards for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) would save the public sector €1 billion a year US$1.5 billion a year, citing Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) as one of the standards being developed in the transport domain. Launched in 1997, the UTMC programme was the UK Department for Transport (DfT) main initiative for the development of a more open approach to ITS in urban areas. UTMC systems are designed to allow the different application
August 2, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
According to the 1690 European Commission (EC), open standards for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) would save the public sector €1 billion a year US$1.5 billion a year, citing 3549 Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) as one of the standards being developed in the transport domain.

Launched in 1997, the UTMC programme was the UK 1837 Department for Transport (DfT) main initiative for the development of a more open approach to ITS in urban areas.  UTMC systems are designed to allow the different applications used within modern traffic management systems to communicate and share information with each other. Thereby a more robust and intelligent system can be used to meet current and future management requirements.

At the end of June 2013, the EC released a new policy to help public authorities avoid dependence on a single ICT supplier, together with a Guide for the procurement of standards-based ICT — Elements of Good Practice, which lists UTMC in the sources of information appendix.

The EC states that following the recommendations in this new "against lock-in" approach could save the EU's public sector more than US$1.5 billion a year. For example, open tendering procedures can attract increased numbers of bidders with better value bids (doubling the number of bidders typically lowers contract size by 9 per cent).

The full story and a copy of the guide, aimed at officials responsible for planning and purchasing ICT systems and services for public authorities, can be found on the EC %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal webpage http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/open-standards false http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/open-standards false false%>.

Related Content

  • Need for co-operation highlighted at MaaS Market Atlanta conference
    April 23, 2018
    City authorities worldwide need to work more closely together to shape the future of on-demand transportation services. Such co-operation could help reduce congestion and pollution, and improve the lives of citizens - that is the view of leading international experts who will be addressing MaaS Market – Concept to Delivery – the third Mobility as a Service (MaaS) conference to be run by ITS International.
  • Webinar: integrating a new transport ticketing system with a smart city
    April 24, 2015
    A live webinar and Q&A session on 28 April at 1500 BST will discuss transport ticketing smart cards, smart city smart cards, mobile NFC devices and software development kits. It will look at how these elements can be used to contribute towards creating a smart city by integrating information with security and connectivity and take a look at how open data and easy to use software development kits make a smart city eco system accessible to a broad developer base. Speakers include Louis-Alban Batard-Dupré,
  • USDOT to host webinars on first phase of CV Pilot Deployment Program
    August 5, 2016
    The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) will host three free public webinars on the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program. Offered by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO), the webinars will explore the insights, challenges, and lessons learned from the Concept Development phase of each of the Connected Vehicle Pilots. In September 2016, three Connected Vehicle Pilot sites, (Tampa/THEA, ICF/Wyoming, and New York City Department of Transportation) will embark on a
  • Annual IBTTA meeting to showcase award-winning toll systems
    September 6, 2017
    With Atlanta becoming a test bed for new innovative transportation technologies and systems promoting enhanced mobility for drivers, the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) will focus on Georgia transportation during its International Mobility Connections 85th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, 10-12 September at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. The meeting will bring together a top-level list of Georgia elected leaders