Projects

EIRAC 
The European Intermodal Research Advisory Council (EIRAC) platform serves as an advisory body for the European Commission in setting up framework programmes with a strong emphasis on implementation. Innovation and change serve as the guiding principles, supported by research. Wando Boevé, a member of the ECT board, is Chairman of EIRAC. Connekt, together with several other parties, is responsible for EIRAC’s secretarial support.

All levels of intermodal transport are represented in EIRAC, including operators (road, rail, inland and short sea), terminal operators, service suppliers in the area of logistics, ports and terminals, IT companies and producers of cargo handling systems. Within EIRAC, these parties, mostly competitors, discuss common interests in the area of innovation and cooperation in Europe. 

To view EIRAC’s Strategic Intermodal Research Agenda (SIRA) click here and corresponding implementation plan, click here.

For more information, please contact Daniëlle de Bruin at debruin@connekt.nl.

The 'Van Laarhoven' Committee 
The ‘Van Laarhoven’ Committee is a task force originating from the combined initiatives of the Advisory Council for Transport, Public Works and Water Management and the Ministry of Public Works and Water Management’s consultative organisation on knowledge and innovation. The committee aims to stimulate logistics activities through innovation, with an emphasis on the economic importance of (innovation in) logistics, i.e. employment and added value.

2006-2009
In April 2006, the ‘Van Laarhoven’ Committee published a report entitled “Naar een vitalere supply chain door krachtige innovatie” (“Towards a more vital supply chain through strong innovation”). The report was co-signed by a large number of companies as a declaration of their affiliation with the report. 

In November 2007, the ‘Van Laarhoven’ Committee was invited to join the innovation dialogue under the leadership of the Minister of Economic Affairs. The committee members expressed their visions and ambitions to the minister in enabling the Netherlands to excel in the field of logistics and supply chains. International developments offer Dutch companies opportunities to strengthen their already strong position in logistics and the supply chain. By making every possible effort to successfully manage, control and develop dynamic and sometimes virtual logistics chains and networks, the Netherlands can maintain a unique position within Europe. Based on these goals, the ‘Van Laarhoven’ Committee was able to develop an innovation programme together with a large number of companies.

In April 2009, the Ministries of Transport and Economic Affairs officially launched the Logistics and Supply Chains innovation programme. This programme, developed by the ‘Van Laarhoven’ Committee on behalf of the Dutch logistical and supply chain parties and supported by the government, aims to achieve European market leadership in controlling the flow of goods through one or more EU countries.

The innovation programme focuses on research in and the development of knowledge and innovation within three innovation domains: Cross Chain Control Centre, Service Logistics and Logistical Junction Management. The Dutch Institute for Advanced Logistics (DINALOG) was also established to unroll the Research and Development Programme for Logistics and Supply Chain Management and to serve as a (physical and virtual) meeting place, where the private sector can cooperate with Centres of Excellence (i.e. universities) and post-experience education can be organised.
With the kick-off of the Dutch Institute for Logistics, the ‘Van Laarhoven’ Committee was dissolved and its governance tasks were handed over to the Strategic Platform for Logistics. The activities of promoting the committee’s logistical professions were assigned to the “The Netherlands is Logistics” association.

See www.dinalog.nl for more information on the Dutch Institute for Advanced Logistics. For more information, contact Machteld Leijnse at Leijnse@connekt.nl.
 

DINALOG
Innovation is necessary to realize this ambition, therefore the Dutch Institute for Advanced Logistics (DINALOG) was established to unroll the Research and Development Programme for Logistics and Supply Chain Management. DINALOG will be the (physical and virtual) place where the private sector will cooperate with Centres of Excellence (the Universities) and where post-experience education will be organized. Goals of the Institute for logistics are:

• To develop scientific knowledge on advanced logistics with worldwide acknowledgement, in both the academic and business community;
• To create an environment that attracts world-class researchers and where innovative companies are willing to base their key professionals to work on improving supply chain and logistics management;
• To provide interaction with world-class international researchers;
• To develop, organize and create markets for post-experience education in supply chain management and logistics, closely cooperating with its partner network.

The Municipality of Breda has reserved a well-positioned area of 14 hectares, along the main highway that connects the hinterlands of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp, as the location for the institute. This area will be developed into a Campus for logistics and supply chain related research and development activities.

The aim is to attract qualified industry and university innovators and provide a breeding place for innovative new companies / start-ups. It will also accommodate initial and post-education activities. A strict admittance policy will be maintained with the aim of optimizing the synergetic effects for DINALOG as well as the tenants and users of the Supply Chain Campus. 

Strategic Platform Logistics
Information will follow shortly.

Education Agreement for Logistics
The Education Agreement for Logistics was set up to achieve efficiency savings and to keep the Netherlands competitive, accessible, clean and safe. An important goal here is to bridge the knowledge gap between business and the institutes of higher professional education.
The Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management provides support for the Platform and participates in this, also on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science. The National Logistics Platform is involved in this initiative. Mr P. van der Meij (DHL) acts as chairman, and Connekt is responsible for the secretarial activities. Click here for more information over Education Agreement for Logistics (only available in Dutch).

For more information, please contact Machteld Leijnse.

IMPULS (Dutch acronym)
To ensure that the economy remains healthy, higher returns must be achieved in the logistics sector. This is the key message of the Policy Letter on Logistics and Supply Chains which the Government sent to the Dutch Lower House on 16 June 2006. Since September a project has been set up to ensure the rapid implementation of the Policy letter. The political priority project has been named: IMPULS (IMplementation Plans Of the Policy Letter on Logistics and Supply Chains).

IMPULS is primarily aimed at actions to improve the Supply Chain Management competencies and to establish preconditions. Important actions, for example, include the Round Table process and setting up a Nationwide Intervention team. This will help stimulate dialogue between business and government and supply chain thinking by the market, the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management and other ministries. Discussion subjects are - smart ICT solutions, seizing opportunities in the field of innovation and knowledge, for example organising a Dutch Supply Chain Valley. Connekt participates in this project.

For more information, please contact Machteld Leijnse at leijnse@connekt.nl.

Sustainable Logistics Programme
The Sustainable Logistics Programme supports 250 companies that are front-runners in the field of sustainable logistics in order to increase their profi-earning capacity and to reduce their CO2 reduction by at least 20% in 2012.

The Sustainable Logistics Programme is an initiative by the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management in co-operation with EVO, TLN, KNV, VNO-NCW, the Foundation for Nature Conservation and the Environmental Protection, and the Ministries of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, and Economic Affairs. For more information the programme click here.

For more information, please contact Annemieke de Leeuw at deleeuw@connekt.nl.

Accident Prevention Systems for lorries
In 2008 and 2009, the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Connekt/ITS Netherlands, TNO and Buck Consultants International conducted a comprehensive Field Operational Test on accident prevention systems for lorries, aimed at reducing accidents, improving safety and positively affecting traffic circulation. This was the most comprehensive FOT ever conducted with accident prevention systems.

The FOT tested five different driver assistance systems that can help to prevent accidents involving lorries and a separate registration system that recorded the driver’s behaviour while driving. The FOT addressed the three most common types of accidents: rear-end collisions, side collisions and single-vehicle accidents. This very special large-scale study involved more than 2,400 lorries supplied by 123 companies and lasted 8 months. Over a total of around 77 million kilometres driving behaviour was measured during normal daily driving on Dutch motorways. This fact generated both challenges and limitations as well as learning experiences about tackling such large-scale field operational trials and data processing.

Accident prevention systems fitted perfectly in the daily operation of a haulier. The robust systems contribute positively to the feeling of driving safely and the professionalism with which the driver performs the driving task. That there are also other effects on driving behaviour, traffic flow and safety than expected in literature or by experts is both surprising and, on the other hand, possibly a key influence on the very heavy traffic in the Netherlands.

Following this field study the number of accident prevention systems in the Dutch market has virtually doubled and more than 120 companies have had experience of them. A significant step forward.

The practical experiences with the various systems could be instrumental in future policy-making in the Netherlands and the EU. Dutch industry associations were very pleased with the Dutch Ministry of Transport’s initiative to conduct a comprehensive FOT in order to demonstrate the added value of these systems.
 

For more information, please contact Esther de Waard. 

eCall/eSafety
eCall is a high priority area within the European Commission. The use of in-vehicle emergency call (eCall) to deploy emergency assistance will save lives and reduce the social burden of road accidents by improving the notification of such accidents, speeding up the emergency service response and lowering the subsequent effects on fatalities, severity of injuries and traffic flows.

eCall is an emergency call either generated manually by vehicle occupants or automatically via activation of in-vehicle sensors when an accident occurs. When activated, the in-vehicle eCall system establishes a 112-voice connection directly with the relevant PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), which is a public authority or a private eCall centre that operates under the regulation and/or authorisation of a public body. At the same time, a minimum set of data (MSD) – including key information about the accident such as time, location and vehicle description – is sent to the PSAP operator receiving the voice call.

Connekt organises a number of knowledge and network activities involving the introduction of e-call and is involved in the international co-ordination in the eSafety programme which is carried out by order of the European Commission to reduce the number of traffic deaths using ITS.

For more information, please contact Paul Potters.

ICT Innovation platform MAIS
The ICT Innovation Platform ‘Mobility as ICT System’ (IIP MAIS) is an initiative of Connekt and TNO aimed at promoting innovation and research in the field of ICT and Mobility. MAIS aims to carry out ICT innovation and research, based on mobility applications, with the future vision:

• Traffic and traveler information is universally available on demand from the traveler
• The mobility world determines research and innovation in the field of ICT
• State of the art ICT results in effective solutions for mobility problems.

The availability of information on the present and anticipated traffic situation for all transport modalities will lead to:

• A better spread of the demand for transport over time, modalities and routes;
• Fewer traffic jams and delays, and a better connection with multimodal mobility;
• Greater reliability of the transport system;
• Better possibilities for the parties on the market to develop mobility services;
• Higher satisfaction on the part of travelers.

The aim of MAIS is to formulate the research questions which will be decisive for the research into ICT and mobility. This merely looks at one particular moment: the working field of mobility and ICT is constantly developing and research will have to respond to this. Four main lines have been drawn up in the research agenda and the research into ICT for mobility should focus on these.

The following challenges for ICT research have been formulated in MAIS, together with various different parties:

• Open and supported architectures and standards for the large scale, interoperable application of ICT-based systems and services;
• Reliable, cheap and universal ICT networks, tailor-made for the mobility sector;
• Information for the end user, depending on the situation and environment, focusing on usefulness, need and user experience;
• The development of facilities for large-scale testing of ICT-based systems and services for mobility.

Dowload here the English version of the Strategic Research Agenda.
 

For more information, please contact Marije de Vreeze.

BISON
BISON (platform for Process Management of Information Standardisation in Public Transport in the Netherlands) is aimed at redeveloping joint standards for public transport and fitting these into existing concessions. Connekt facilitates the platform and is responsible for the process management of the standardisation documents. The platform was officially launched on 16 September 2008.

The platform is responsible for drawing up, processing, harmonising and controlling all information standards that are able to facilitate the information exchange in public transport. BISON also functions as a knowledge centre for the standardisation of IT policies and proposals in e.g. concessions. Public transport, rail and road authorities, public transport operators, private companies and travellers are all represented in BISON.
Platform activities:
• Developing and processing information standards for purposes of a reliable and consistent information exchange between public transport parties.
• Exploring, assessing, monitoring and amending these standards.
• Stimulating continuity and market forces with regard to the information exchange in public transport.
• Advising on the information exchange in public transport, particularly dynamic travel information.
• Striving for co-operation and/or integration with European or international standards.
• Co-operating with organisations with common goals such as BISON.
 

For more information on this project, please contact Marije de Vreeze at devreeze@connekt.nl.

Data exchange route planners and navigation systems
The route choice of freight traffic and navigation systems has drawn negative attention for some time now. Complaints from neighbours and local authorities about through traffic on unsuitable roads are often found in the press and have led to political discussions in Dutch parliament.

In response to these complaints on undesired routing, Minister Eurlings has promised to further professionalize the data exchange between road owners and market parties. An important solution to undesired routing lies in the effective exchange of information between road owners and parties involved in navigation. In addition to designing a database in which road owners can store their data, common agreements need to be made regarding these inconveniences, agreements on the exact format and use of the data.

At the Ministry’s request, Connekt has taken the initiative in 2008 and 2009 to assist in the process of co-operation and determining information and data exchange needs. This initiative will be continued under the name of “Data exchange route planners and navigation systems”.

A number of meetings took place in 2008 and 2009 in order to create commitment and a sense of urgency. The participants were representatives of national and regional road authorities, map and navigation providers, road users and transport and shipping companies. They established an acceptable joint approach and endorsed the collective interest of providing appropriate travel information. This means guiding traffic via roads that are desirable in the eyes of road authorities and/or road users and avoiding unnecessary inconvenience caused by recommended routing provided by navigation systems and route planners.

The following actions will be placed on the agenda for the coming months:
1. Organising regional meetings
2. Setting up a central counter for data exchange
3. Ensuring continuity with parallel sections
4. Establishing agreements
5. Progress communication and reporting 

For more information on the ‘Data exchange route planners and navigation systems’ project, please contact Ward Koopmans at koopmans@connekt.nl.

TRADUVEM
Transumo project TRADUVEM (Transitions towards sustainable traffic management) focuses on the transition from the current approach to/organisation of traffic management to a more sustainable approach/organisation. Connekt is responsible for a number of network and knowledge distribution activities.

The main target of this project is the realization of a knowledge infrastructure and a cooperation in such a way that all relevant parties, government, industry and science, communication and cooperate, in order to come to a solution for sustainable traffic management collectively.

Over the last few years, traffic policy has, especially in The Netherlands, shifted from construction to better utilizing and pricing of existing infrastructure first and then construction. Traffic management plays an important role in better utilizing the existing infrastructure. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in developments that can improve traffic management, in order to realize a sustainable traffic performance in the near future.

The project Transitions to sustainable traffic management has the following main targets:
• Gaining knowledge: on transitions to sustainable traffic management.
• Applying knowledge: creating a testing environment in which projects (and all participating stakeholders such as authorities, knowledge based institutions and companies) from the clusters Traffic Management and Transition Management communicate with each other and with the third parties, and cooperate to realize these transitions.
• Spreading Knowledge: (further) developing and expanding a structure in which the spreading of knowledge can take place (inter)nationally, even after the Transumo period.

Every stakeholder in the traffic management process, including the users of the traffic infrastructure, will be involved in this project. The result should be that, in sustainable traffic management, the interests of various parties is taken into account, and carefully balanced, and a degree of involvement will be created. In sustainable traffic management, various interests are constantly balanced, so that in the managing of traffic a carefully balanced decision can be made. This way, mobility can be facilitated in a responsible manner. 

For more information, please contact Marije de Vreeze.

Regional Mobility projects

 Mobility projects in the run-up to kilometre taxation and improved accessibility
In anticipation of the introduction of kilometre pricing, the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management has formulated a plan of approach for mobility projects. This plan is the result of consultations with regional governments, social organisations, employers and technology providers.

The goal of the mobility projects is twofold: 1) to enable the State to contribute to improving regional accessibility and 2) to give private parties the opportunity to gain practical experience with the most important components of kilometre pricing, namely technology, data processing, organisation and the application of innovative ideas.

Minister Eurlings promised parliament on November 2007 that he would carry out mobility projects in the run-up to the implementation of the kilometre tax from 2008-2011. Eurlings is providing a government grant of 100 million euros to this end. The mobility projects are in line with the activities undertaken by the Mobility Management Task Force under the direction of Lodewijk de Waal and provide an extra incentive to improving the accessibility of the task force regions.

The regions are working intensively on implementing the ‘Anders Betalen voor Mobiliteit (ABvM)’ (Different Payment for Mobility) mobility projects at varying rates in every region. The activities are consistent with the intended goals of the ABvM mobility projects and include the following:

a) ABvM mobility projects aimed at improving the accessibility of major cities in the short term and prior to the implementation of the Kilometre Price (KMP) were launched this year and will continue in 2010.

b) The regions of Utrecht, Rotterdam, Arnhem-Nijmegen, Eindhoven-Den Bosch and Amsterdam have announced tenders or are in the tendering process. 

c) Thanks to the mobility projects, private parties can gain practical experience in establishing a pricing service and Value-Added Services (VAS). The parties can also contribute these experiences to the ABvM certification process that is currently underway. The mobility projects stimulate the development of a Multiple Service Providers (MSP) market in anticipation of kilometre pricing.

d) Both employees and employers are made more aware of their mobility choices as drivers (such as home-based working, leaving home earlier/later, taking public transport) through the ABvM mobility projects and measures taken within the framework of the Mobility Management Task Force in anticipation of the introduction of the kilometre tax.

e) The initial effects and behaviour-related learning experiences are expected by the end of 2009. These experiences will be published every six months in monitoring reports, the first of which is expected in the spring of 2010.

Connekt serves on a number of tender boards.
 

Showcase 2010
 A world-class showcase of innovative communication technologies in vehicles and on the road called ‘i&CDrive’ will take place in and around the Amsterdam RAI from 23 to 26 March. The focus will be on new innovative communication technologies that are used to create safer, more efficient and more sustainable transport.

In obtaining the opportunity to organise this European showcase event, a task force led by the Ministry of Transport succeeded in bringing a prestigious demonstration on cooperative systems to the Netherlands. The demonstration, called ‘i&CDrive, connecting vehicles with infrastructure’, consists of a three-day conference, live demonstrations and an expo. This event will give traffic and mobility professionals the opportunity to learn about and experience the latest developments in the field of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication technologies, applications and services.

‘i&CDrive’ will take place in association with Intertraffic Amsterdam, the world’s leading exhibition for infrastructure, traffic management, safety and parking at the Amsterdam RAI from 23 to 26 March 2010.

Three European projects as starting point
The three European research projects on which the showcase event is based are CVIS, SAFESPOT and COOPERS. These projects are financed in part by the European Commission.

CVIS (Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems) is a major new European research and development project aimed at designing, developing and testing the technologies needed to allow cars to communicate with each other and with nearby roadside infrastructure. Numerous applications can be produced based on real-time road and traffic information. With CVIS, drivers can influence the traffic control system directly and receive guidance in plotting the quickest route to their destination. Information shown on road signs will be available wirelessly and shown on a display inside the vehicle.

The SAFESPOT project entails designing cooperative systems for road safety based on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. SAFESPOT aims to prevent road accidents by developing a Safety Margin Assistant that detects potentially dangerous situations in advance and heightens driver awareness of his or her surroundings in both space and time.

The COOPERS (CO-OPerative SystEms for Intelligent Road Safety) project focuses on the development of innovative telematics applications for road infrastructure. The long-term goal of the project is to attain ‘Co-operative Traffic Management’ between vehicle and infrastructure in order to reduce the critical gap in the development of telematics applications between the car industry and infrastructure operators. The goal of the project is to increase road safety by enabling direct and up-to-date traffic information communication between the infrastructure and motorised vehicles on a motorway section.

ITS Test Beds

Test beds for safer and more efficient traffic
There is an urgent need in the mobility sector to test Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITS). These systems benefit users by means of, for example, innovative systems for parking without searching and warning signals inside vehicles that alert the driver to obstacles on the road.

On 18 June 2009, TNO and Connekt signed a three-year contract to build a test environment for complex ITS, aimed at investigating the significance of these systems for traffic safety, the environment and smooth traffic flow, as well as how users will respond to them. The focus will be on driver acceptance.

Simulation is an inexpensive and reliable method for evaluating applications at an early stage and enables suppliers to modify designs if necessary. Now that cooperative systems have been incorporated into Dutch traffic and transport policy in order to improve safety and traffic circulation, it is important to create appropriate test facilities. TNO has access to numerous test facilities and would like to use these facilities together with Connekt/ITS Netherlands to advise authorities and companies on the further implementation of ITS applications.

ITS Test Beds
TNO will be working with its project partners on establishing the test environment in order to enable the proper evaluation of intelligent transport systems in field operational tests. This will include effect analyses, cost-benefit analyses and the detailing of business models. The most effective manner to introduce these systems on the commercial front will also be identified, along with those steps that will have to be taken to introduce intelligent transport systems. The ITS Test Beds project entails close cooperation between the SME sector, knowledge institutes and network organisations. SMEs will have the opportunity to test their ITS applications. Companies wishing to take advantage of the test environment should contact TNO.

Partners
The ITS Test Beds project is part of the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme and has a budget of 3.5 million euros. The following partners are cooperating in the project: Connekt/ITS Netherlands, ITS Belgium, ITS France, ITS Norway, TNO, DLR, INRETS, IMEC, SINTEF, NXP, Technolution, Q-Free, TC-Matix and IBBT/TINC.

FOT-Net
Field Operational Tests (FOT) are large-scale testing programmes aimed at comprehensive assessments of the efficiency, quality, robustness and acceptance of ICT solutions used for smarter, safer and cleaner and more comfortable transport solutions, such as navigation and traffic information, advanced driver assistance - and cooperative systems.

In recent decades, a large number of ICT-based transport applications have been successfully developed and demonstrated in collaborative research projects throughout Europe. Their positive impact on traffic safety and efficiency are now widely recognized. However, market penetration is lagging behind, probably due to a lack of awareness and understanding of their societal benefits.

Today, a limited amount of data is available regarding real life operation of ICT-based transport applications in ordinary traffic. Yet, there is a growing need to understand several key questions which are crucial for market introduction and penetration of mature technologies: How does the driver use the system? What are the short and long term effects? How can the systems performance be further improved?

The primary aim of this network is to spread and feed-in the common FESTA methodology which has been developed for Field Operational Tests. The FESTA project has developed a comprehensive manual which described the various steps to be taken when organising a Field Operational Test. It walks the reader through the whole process of planning, preparing, executing, analysing and reporting a Field Operational Test, and it gives information about aspects that are especially relevant for a study of this magnitude (administrative, logistics, etc.).

Connekt is associated partner of FOT-Net because of the comprehensive Field Operational Test on accident prevention systems for lorries that was conducted in the Netherlands in 2008 and 2009. This FOT generated both challenges and limitations as well as learning experiences about tackling such large-scale field operational trials and data processing. Learning experiences for which there is much (international) interest.

See www.fot-net.eu for more information.

Parking Information Exchange
The goal of the ‘Multimodal Travel Information Approach’ submitted to parliament by the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management on 3 July 2009 is to enable travellers by 2015 at the latest to make optimal and deliberate decisions at all times and places based on current, reliable and national multimodal travel information from door to door.

To this end, agreements have been made in various sectors (public transport, road infrastructure, parking, etc.) on quality, management, data exchange and provision of information to travellers.

Parking and P+R have become increasingly more important links in the mobility chain. The availability and quality of data and relevant information, however, is still fragmented and poorly organised. Connekt is contributing to the process of establishing a joint long-term vision regarding a more optimal organisation of Parking and P+R information.

For more information, please contact Marije de Vreeze at devreeze@connekt.nl.

Blind Spot Detection and Signaling Systems (DDSS - Dutch acronym)
In a letter to parliament dated 28 November 2008, the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management stated a number of measures to further reduce the number of victims of blind spot-related accidents. One of these measures is to study systems that can detect these vulnerable traffic participants by means of the ‘Blind Spot Detection and Signaling Systems (DDSS)' project.

The primary goal of this project is to gather knowledge on the behavioural component of drivers and on vulnerable traffic participants in this situation, on innovative detection and alerting systems, as well as on the interaction between systems, drivers and their surroundings. Connekt will be actively approaching organisations to participate in this study in the coming period.

Connekt is also extending an invitation to organisations, both national and international, that are directly involved in this area to contribute to strengthening the study. So if you are an organisation or know of an organisation that develops or has developed these types of systems, that has gathered research data or possesses field data, we would love to hear from you. All information and insights obtained will be made public in mid-2010 through a website.

For more information, please contact Herman Wagter at wagter@connekt.nl.