As 2012 comes to an end, I would like to provide ITS America members with a quick report on some of the highlights from the past year. There is no doubt that this year has been an extraordinary year for the ITS community, and we are looking forward to another exciting year ahead. The following is a partial summary of our many accomplishments throughout the year.
Government Affairs
The Campaign for Intelligent Transportation Solutions provided ITS America with the resources to engage in new levels of outreach and education to policymakers, the media and the broader transportation community, and to better leverage ITS America members and state chapters. Thank you to those whose contributions made this possible. We worked to build stronger relationships across the government and stakeholder community to influence the policy debate. We ramped up our legislative outreach, working closely with the ITS Caucus, key House and Senate committees, and hosted ITS events on Capitol Hill. As a result, ITS America successfully advanced the ITS community's legislative priorities in the surface transportation reauthorization bill (MAP-21) and positioned the community to engage in the new law's implementation. In addition, our Congressional Roundtable events provided a forum for our members to get to know key Congressional leaders like incoming House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, who has been a strong supporter of the ITS industry. With your help and partnership, we are looking forward to another successful year ahead.
ITS America Leadership Circle
ITS America is pleased to announce the formation of a new transportation thought leadership group, the ITS America Leadership Circle, which is being established to promote and enhance the use of technology to solve transportation problems. The founding members of the Leadership Circle represent an important group of public and private sector executives who will advise ITS America and the broader transportation community in their thinking on significant issues such as MAP-21 implementation and reauthorization, alternative transportation financing mechanisms, and evolving business models.
There are currently 24 founding members of the Leadership Circle. Private sector members include: CH2M HILL, Eberle Design, Econolite, IBM, Image Sensing Systems, Intel, Iteris, Kapsch TrafficCom, Schneider Electric, Siemens, and TransCore. Public sector members include the: California DOT (Caltrans), Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Carnegie Mellon University, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, Florida DOT, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Michigan DOT, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), University of California, Berkeley (California PATH), University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), Texas DOT, and Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) and Virgina Tech Transportation Institute. To learn more about the Leadership Circle, please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Research & Innovation
In 2012, ITS America assumed the secretariat for the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to the International Organization for Standardization's ITS Technical Committee 204 (ISO/TC204), which is responsible for the global ITS standardization. This is very important role as the U.S. DOT and industry work to harmonized ITS and connected vehicle standards.
ITS America also conducted a number of Reverse Trade Missions in 2012. These presented an opportunity to showcase our members, present new business opportunities, and engaged in international knowledge exchange and foster the development of business relationships with foreign delegations.
Throughout the year, ITS America also conducted several surveys and technology reviews for government agencies such as RITA, FHWA, and FTA to help facilitate the understanding of the status of technology deployment. , ITS America also conducted a number of peer reviews or charrettes for state DOTs, MPOs, and universities that highlighted our member's expertise and helped identify smart solutions to unique transportation problems.
Technology Scan and Assessment
ITS America continued its support of U.S. DOT in assessing the impact of new technology on their programs. The Technology Scan and Assessment is a series of ongoing studies that tracks trends, technologies, and innovations that could influence, or be leveraged as part of, next-generation intelligent transportation systems within a five to seven year time horizon. Technology Scan reports include Vehicle/Infrastructure Sensors, Fourth Generation (4G) Wireless, and Machine-to-Machine Networks. Technology Assessment reports are broader and thematic, with reports covering Vehicle Electrification and the Smart Grid, Cyber-security, and Advanced Driver Assistance and Autonomous Driving. As part of the effort to promote ITS technologies in the industry, the research team also hosts a technology scan webinar when each report is released.
Annual Meeting
Our Annual Meeting brought together public and private sector leaders whose vision and ingenuity is reshaping transportation as we know it today. The nation's top transportation and technology leaders gathered for a three day event entitled, "Smart Transportation: A Future We Can Afford" at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD. Ursula Burns, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xerox shared her views on the future of intelligent transportation industry in America. The Coordinating Council organized what was arguably the best Annual Meeting technical program to date. Building on the success of the inaugural Emergency Responder Day at the 2011 World Congress on ITS in Orlando, this year's ITS America Annual Meeting continued the new tradition by holding an Emergency Responder Day to emphasize the importance of incident and emergency management in our transportation system. ITS America and the Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS) hosted the fifth annual Women in ITS Breakfast sponsored by Keolis Transit America. Shelley Row, Director ITS Joint Program Office, served as the keynote speaker.
Membership
ITS America is proud to have added new 50 members to our family. We also retained more than 87% of our members -- a new high. To better serve the needs of our members, ITS America hosted over a dozen webinars on cutting edge ITS topics and launched an aggressive social media campaign to promote the value and growth of the ITS industry. The Policy and Business Council oversaw the development of a number of new market data analysis products and our first regional technology conference on Smart Parking, which was a success by all measures.
ITS America is also proud to announce the re-emergence of ITS New Jersey and is continuing to work with ITS professionals in North Carolina to establish another new chapter in 2013. There are currently 27 state and regional chapters covering more than 40 states, the largest network ITS America has seen since its inception in 1991. The State Chapters Council worked closely with the Board this year to develop a road map for greater mutual support.
Our accomplishments are attributable to the many dedicated employees at ITS America, our Board of Directors and our many volunteers who have worked hard to ensure that we are successful through any challenge we face. Thanks to each of you that have invested your time and energy in making ITS America successful. You are making a difference. While 2012 was a great year, I am convicted that 2013 will be even better. Please accept our best wishes for this holiday season and we look forward to working with you in the coming year.
Happy Holidays,
Scott F. Belcher
President and Chief Executive Officer
Intelligent Transportation Society of America