DeviceGuru

The U.S. will spend a total of $1.4 billion on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) deployments during 2010, according to a new report from IMS Research. While California and Florida lead the states in ITS investments, 26 other states significantly expanded the scope of their ITS deployments this year.

“With such a large amount of spending, a more focused approach is required to unpick where major opportunities lie,” suggests report author and IMS research director Paul Everett.

“With a total spend of close to $170 million and more than 1,200 video surveillance cameras and 400 digital message signs deployed on its major freeways, at first glance the state of Florida looks full of opportunity,” Everett says. “However, our research into individual counties showed that ITS in the state of Florida is in fact driven by seven major cities: Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, and Fort Myers.”

According Everett, the deployment of ITS across the U.S. will be an ongoing process. “The Southern states currently lead the way in terms of deployment, with close to 5,000 video surveillance cameras, 40,000 road sensors, and 1,500 DMS in operation,” he says. “However, when you relate deployment with penetration, what you actually find is often a different story. Despite having close to 5,000 video surveillance cameras deployed in the region, the largest penetration is in fact in the North-East where 2,740 video cameras relate to a penetration of 4.9 percent.”

“When you take this regional data and look state by state, the information becomes even more intriguing,” continues Everett. “With 1,651 cameras deployed, the state of Texas is the largest in terms of an installed base. However, in terms of penetration, Texas is eclipsed by Utah where 669 cameras equate to a penetration of 17.4 percent.”

Meanwhile, a 58-page report released earlier this year by a Washington D.C. based think-tank recommended that the U.S. significantly grow its ITS investments at the federal level, by $2.5 to $3 billion annually. The report, produced by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), suggested that the infusion of funds be allocated toward large-scale ITS demonstration projects, new ITS deployments, and ongoing operations and maintenance of existing ITS deployments. (A pdf of the ITIF report is available for free download here.)

About the IMS report

IMS claims its new Intelligent Transport Systems report to be the first to identify key market opportunities for product development in each of the 50 individual states and major cities across the U.S. Further information is available on the firm’s website.