IBEC: Busy time for new secretariat

IBEC, the International Benefits, Evaluation and Costs working group for ITS, has a new secretariat in the ERTICO/ITS Europe offices in Brussels, with Paul Kompfner, ERTICO head of smart urban mobility, as secretary.

An early priority is a more dynamic website, offering better communications channels for news and encouraging wider dialogue and collaboration.

The 2015 6456 ITS World Congress in Bordeaux, France, (5 - 9 October) will provide IBEC members the opportunity to put ITS evaluation firmly in the spotlight. Apart from the IBEC general assembly (open to all IBEC members), there will be four special interest sessions:

Tuesday 06 October:

'How to identify the right ITS evaluation methodology'. Organised by 4793 AustriaTech, this will explore choosing the most suitable key performance indicators (KPIs) for ITS. It will also consider how far harmonised KPIs can make results comparable and the requirements and scope for global harmonisation.

'Reliable data for ITS deployment'. Organised by 374 ERTICO and the UK's Leeds University, examines the need for accurate data to effectively evaluate current ITS impacts and new technologies such as cooperative ITS and the Internet of Things. It will compare developments in Europe, Asia and the Americas and show that 'big data' can help deliver direct insights into, and robust assessments of, ITS deployments.

It will also give an overview of the EU's new ITS Observatory decision-making software tool for ITS deployment, a repository for examples of best practice throughout Europe with a catalogue of the latest technologies.

Thursday 8 October:

'Evaluation of connected automated driving'. Organised by European transport consultancy 491 TRL, will acknowledge that the technologies needed to support the connected car (and fully automated driving) are advancing rapidly. Meanwhile, questions on traffic safety, congestion, vehicle emissions, energy use, user behaviour and acceptance are becoming more pressing. The session will include case studies from Europe, Australia and the US.

'Is evaluation really being used by decision makers for deployment?' Organised by AustriaTech, this recognises that ITS R&D projects typically include requirements for evaluation and results sharing – but little is known about how far these results are used.

Forward from Detroit

Kompfner is keen to update IBEC members on the 'Framework for a White Paper on ITS Evaluation', presented at last year’s ITS World Congress, which highlighted four priority work areas:

• The definition and use of harmonised indicators for ITS evaluation;
• Determining principles and procedures for monetary evaluation of primary ITS benefits;
  
• The need for a commitment to robust ex-post evaluation as a funding requirement for all ITS implementation projects; and
•  Promoting additional studies to assess ITS impacts on travel, mobility and driving behaviour.
  

He told ITS International that IBEC’s management committee will progress each topic to create a “valuable guidance document able to find its place in the planning, execution and follow-up of every future ITS deployment”.