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

  • New IEEE standard supports connected vehicle deployment
    May 3, 2016
    The IEEE has published is 1609.3-2016 Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) - Networking Services, which defines network and transport layer services that support secure WAVE data exchange, including addressing and routing.
  • US DOT announces vehicle-to-infrastructure guidance
    January 20, 2017
    The US Department of Transportation (US DOT) has announced new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) guidance (link http://www.its.dot.gov/v2i.) that aims to improve safety and mobility by accelerating the deployment of V2I communication systems. The guidance complements the Department's efforts to reduce crashes by advancing vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology announced in a proposed rule in December. V2I communication is an important component of a connecte
  • Swarco features Solidplus glass beads and Eurotherm markings
    March 19, 2018
    Visitors to the two Swarco stands are in for a ‘fireworks of innovation’ and a scintillating virtual reality (VR) experience where they can enter a three-dimensional Swarco World, based on advanced gaming technology. Swarco improves quality of life by making the travel experience safer, quicker, more convenient and environmentally sound, and the company’s stands and presentation will fully underline these objectives.
  • Call for ITS World Congress in Copenhagen now open
    October 11, 2017
    The Call for Contributions for ITS World Congress in Copenhagen 2018 are now open with a deadline for 15 December 2017. Leading up to the event, the City of Copenhagen and the Danish Industry Foundation have hosted the first ITS Hackathon, which aims to motivate Danish businesses to test new ITS solutions in the urban environment.