Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and solutions for smart and sustainable mobility should strive to improving citizens’ quality of life. This was the key message of the 25th ITS World Congress that took place in Copenhagen last September. The event was organised by ERTICO ITS Europe in cooperation with ITS Asia-Pacific and ITS America. The Congress provided the ideal opportunity for all stakeholders to come together, discuss and make the necessary contacts to develop their business and future collaboration.
The theme of quality of life”, which was also the slogan of the event, was cross-cutting and linking technological and societal impacts. Two aspects of the event were particularly valuable, namely the scientific programme and the exhibition.
Conference presentations included connected and autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles or mobility as a service. The focus was not only on the technological innovations but also how these will affect citizens life and improve the quality of their lives. A core element of the sessions concerned the collection and processing of transport and mobility data, including Big Data. In this context, ERAdiate team member Martin Hudak provided an insight from the MoTiV project by giving a talk on “Using smartphones for something more than tracking only”. In particular, the main message was that smartphone capabilities should not only be exploited for the collection of quantitative variables (e.g. trip origin/destination, distance, duration) but also include qualitative ones to better understand travel behaviour and factors influencing the travel experience. This is in line with the general aims and activities of the MoTiV project. A related talk on mobile apps collecting the data for travel surveys was given by Trivector, a Swedish company that underlined the potential of smartphone-based technologies to replace the traditional forms of travel surveys. The expected benefits from this form of data collection are not only for citizens, but also for transport operators, transport authorities and other relevant stakeholders.
The exhibition area of the Congress consisted of booths, dedicated sessions/events and demonstrations, in which innovative activities, pilot projects or ITS technologies and products such as modern electric vehicles, intelligent cycling systems or autonomous buses (see picture) were showcased.
A very practical and useful aspect of the Congress, in line with its spirit, was the official mobile app, in which users could find all information about interactive programme, sessions, speakers, exhibitors, technical visits and many others. The app increased the participant experience by offering also the possibility to register for demonstrations or B2B meetings. Moreover, the all participants received an access to the “Mobility as a Service” (MaaS) solution via the mobile app MinRejseplan. This is a good example of improving the quality of live and making travelling much easier. People can use this app as a journey planner and buy a ticket for all transport modes in an easy way. The delegates were also authorized to use the public transport in the city of Copenhagen for free during the Congress with this mobile app.
More information on the conference available here.