Transport Regulatory Uses of Telematics in Europe -
Comparing Europe and Australia
Bernhard Oehry, Head of Traffic Telematics, Rapp Trans AG July 2008
A general conclusion when reviewing the material collected in the Transport Regulatory Uses of Telematics in Europe report is that in the European developments, new technologies were the focus, with applications standing in their shadow. People were looking for new technology, or were trying to sell advanced technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and Galileo. The focus was rarely on developing an innovative application. The failure to put the service in front of all other considerations, to think about business processes rather than about hardware has led to a number of European failures, and inefficiencies.
Some of the failures in Europe can be traced back to a basic misunderstanding. Often, technology and application are practically indistinguishable, the DVD Player and the mobile phone for example. Obviously, a DVD Player is made for playing DVDs and a mobile phone for mobile phoning. Not so for vehicle telematics. GPS, GSM and DSRC are technologies that by themselves will not improve traffic! Vehicle telematics is telecomm and informatics technologies applied to vehicles, if a clever and useful application for these technologies can be found. The focus is on the application, the business case and processes. The technologies are for once not the sexy part.
While the approach to regulatory traffic telematics taken in Europe has not been ideal, some noteworthy examples have emerged. There is good reason to remain convinced that traffic telematics is the best available tool for tackling the traffic problems that this century will bring. We are convinced that managing traffic will be one of the key issues that will shape our future. We therefore expect a continued growth of traffic telematics, especially for regulatory applications.
The Transport Regulatory Uses of Telematics in Europe report highlights the importance of proper application definition, of setting standards, and of driving the development of regulatory traffic telematics applications though a strictly process-oriented approach instead of rushing into or after technology. In Australia, and especially regarding the Intelligent Access Program (IAP), the approach has been better focused on creating applications for clearly defined regulatory needs. The IAP constitutes an excellent organisational basis on which to build other telematics applications. It is based on a functional specification and does not prescribe a certain technical solution. More applications can be added into the framework with additional specifications. What the applications deal with and what the exact nature of the applications should be are secondary matters, provided there is a regulatory body, such as Transport Certification Australia (TCA), that sets standards, certifies service providers and manages the overall organisational structure.
Some of the regulatory traffic and transport telematics applications in Europe presented in the Transport Regulatory Uses of Telematics in Europe report might well serve as a stimulus for developments in the Australia context. But regarding a suitable platform for delivering applications, the IAP is unmatched, and I personally hope to be able to import the IAP concept and business processes to Europe.
Bernhard Oehry,
July 2008
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