Cooperative Mobility

The results of three EU-projects were presented at an impressive showcase during Intertraffic which took place in Amsterdam from March 23 to 26. All three projects focus on cooperative systems, i.e. the communication between vehicles, infrastructure and traffic management centres. As part of these international research activities, PTV has integrated more than 20 partner applications. Several examples with live data from Amsterdam and its surrounding areas were presented on three large video displays.

How can cooperative systems help us improve traffic flow, effectively use road infrastructure and assist road users in arriving more quickly at their destination? Three EU-funded research projects have addressed and analysed these issues from various points of view: CVIS (Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems) and SAFESPOT, two projects PTV has been involved in, and Coopers (CO-Operative SystEms for Intelligent Road Safety). The main objective of CVIS is to improve traffic flow and to reduce the negative impact of traffic on the environment. SAFESPOT concentrates on the identification of potential critical areas, so-called black spots. And Coopers develops cooperative systems specifically designed for motorway traffic.

Cooperative systems enable vehicle-to-vehicle communication which helps to exchange safety-relevant alerts much faster. In addition, vehicles communicate with the infrastructure and the traffic management centre which contributes to a close cooperation between information services and control. The information exchange assists the traffic management centre in effectively accompanying the driver. Traffic management also benefits from additional data required for its information services and control. As a result, vehicles can be guided to their destination by choosing specific routes.

Strategic Routing
New routing procedures clear the way for alternative route recommendations, without routing traffic through residential areas.  The PTV AG transportation experts from Karlsruhe developed the trendsetting technology as part of the CVIS (Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems) research project. It was presented to the public with live driving demonstrations on the Dortmund test area in November 2009.  

In a final presentation, Siemens, the City of Dortmund, Ertico and PTV showed their results on cooperative systems. The implemented procedure is a technological milestone for cities, counties and regions. For the first time, public authorities are able to use PTV's new technologies and stored transportation strategies to influence route recommendations. As a result, traffic flows freely through specified routes, avoiding congestion. For example, navigation systems will no longer guide the driver through residential areas - meaning that congested city centres could soon be a thing of the past.

“The major advantage of strategic routing is the prompt availability of route information,” explains Dr. Michael Ortgiese, who is responsible for research at PTV. Until now, dynamic routing has been working with time delays, as it only comes into action after disruptions have occurred. The strategic version informs the driver in advance and traffic can be controlled as required. Michael Ortgiese is convinced: "This will create immense added value for traffic control, not only in city centres, but also in surrounding areas for roadworks or major events".


More information about the three research projects:

CVIS (Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems)
The aim of the research project is to use cooperative systems to improve traffic flow, increase safety and to minimise the negative effects of traffic on the environment. CVIS is sponsored by the European Union and runs from 2007 to 2010. Over 60 international partners from diverse industries are working on many sub-projects. Technology for cooperative traffic and transportation management in inner-city areas was developed and tested as part of the sub-projects COMO (Cooperative Monitoring) and CURB (Cooperative Urban Applications). More information at www.cvisprojekt.org.

SAFESPOT
The cooperative approach focuses on safety-relevant applications in which vehicles and infrastructure communicate with each other to perceive potential dangerous situations.  SAFESPOT provides a special "safety added value" with its search for and combination of information supplied by both vehicles and infrastructure. More information at www.safespot-eu.org.

COOPERS
COOPERS focuses on the development of innovative telematics applications for road infrastructure, in particular motorways.  The aim is to develop an innovative, cooperative traffic management between vehicles and infrastructure. More information at www.coopers-ip.eu.