Commercial Operations

In 2003 the European Road Information Center (ERIC), a pan-European federation of organizations exchanging cross-border dynamic traffic information on a real-time basis, consisting actually of 22 membering and partner organisations in 22 European countries exchanging more than 1,5 mio. messages per year, started a quality management process with the aim to improve the message quality of its partner organisations. Main elements of this permanent process are the definition of different quality-levels for message providing, the implementation of an “incident-definition”, the implementation of Key Performance Indicators for regularly quality-checks as well as a benchmarksystem. Further components of the whole process are a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with an agreed position of cooperating partners regarding the quality-management-process and a clear defined feed back – process for improvements of the current situation.

European Road Information Center (ERIC), General Management, c/o The Content Company, Austria

Presented at the 12th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, November 6-10, 2005, San Francisco, California

The paper aims at elaborating on pricing and business models for forthcoming innovative ITS
devices, limiting its scope in particular to in-vehicle driving assistance systems and suggesting
the various possible innovation and pricing strategies with theoretical discussions.
The methodology is based on a comprehensive literature review of the major contributions made
by the fields of managerial economics and management sciences to the study of pricing
strategies and practices and, in particular, the pricing of innovative goods or services, in order to
identify the strengths and weaknesses of the various schools of thought. The paper also gathers
and analyzes the available data on two innovative navigation and safety devices for cars, namely
ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) and navigation systems, in order to put forward an initial
interpretation.
It concludes that there is no formula or even a vague method for determining “acceptable” price
levels or “trigger points”. There are two options, i.e. disruptive innovation which is by essence
very risky and incremental innovation with each major model renewal.

CNRS & GEM, France

Presented at the 12th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, November 6-10, 2005, San Francisco, California

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) has entered into an
agreement with the City of Portland, Oregon to enable its transit buses to use the low Transit
Priority request of the signals within the City’s jurisdiction. The three primary goals for the use
of transit priority are: 1) to increase throughput within specified traffic corridors; 2) to reduce
transit run times; and 3) to improve transit schedule reliability. This paper will focus on methods
TriMet employs to evaluate the effectiveness of its transit signal priority effort on transit
operations, and to determine if its goals have been met. The paper will also include some
preliminary results. As of July 2005, signal priority was implemented on over 300 signals and on
portions of seven transit routes.

Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon

Presented at the 12th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, November 6-10, 2005, San Francisco, California

In fall 1999, the USDOT facilitated a workshop at the Sacramento Area Council Of Governments
(SACOG) entitled National ITS Architecture, Tier I. The Workshop provided the region with
assistance in associating local ITS elements with National ITS Architecture framework so that
ITS elements could be documented for future integration. This Tier I Workshop was the first of
two held in Sacramento and overseen by the Sacramento Region ITS Partnership. In spring 2000,
the Tier II Workshop was held, and one of the latest teaching tools, a software program entitled
TurboArchitectureTM 1.0, was utilized to document regional ITS elements.
With the completion of the Tier I and II workshops, SACOG and the Partnership initiated a
project to complete the Regional ITS Architecture based on the information gathered during the
workshop process.
This paper discusses the process, which was followed throughout development of the Regional
ITS Architecture, focusing on the inclusion of stakeholder consensus within the region. The
Paper also provides a high-level graphically representation of the completed Regional ITS
Architecture, and covers some of the benefits relative to the deployment of ITS technology and
solutions. Finally, the paper recommends an approach for maintaining the Regional ITS
Architecture, and local funding sources for the implementation of ITS.

Meyer, Mohaddes Associates, Inc.

Sacramento Area Council of Governments

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 29-May 2, 2002, Long Beach, California

Wireless communication applications in transportation have recently received
much attention of government, researchers and the public. Wireless technologies present
a number of benefits as well as risks when used in a vehicle. Cell phone users are able to
place emergency calls directly from their motor vehicles and save lives. Travelers can
get information about services or map instructions in any possible location by using
wireless innovations in their cars. However, along with these benefits, many sources
indicate that in-vehicle electronic devices, cellular telephones in particular, can present a
significant safety concern1. Inattention and distraction created by cellular phone use
while driving can increase the risk of a crash2. Federal and state governments have
started legislative activities to ensure road safety is preserved in situations where cell
phones may be used.
This article will conduct a comparative analysis of legal norms regulating a use of
cellular telephone while driving a vehicle in five states that were active in addressing the
safety issues: Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, Florida, and New York. The article
will then consider a role of private and public regulation of data security and privacy
issues on the national and international levels, and conclude that while the current efforts
at private self-regulation may be the most useful at this time, government regulation may
eventually have a proper role as well.

University of Minnesota

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 29-May 2, 2002, Long Beach, California