DeviceGuru

A report published earlier this year by a Washington D.C. based think tank recommends that the U.S. significantly increase its investment in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) at the federal level, by $2.5 to $3 billion annually. The infusion of funds would go toward large-scale ITS demonstration projects, new ITS deployments, and ongoing operations and maintenance of existing ITS deployments.

The free 58-page report, “Explaining International IT Application Leadership: Intelligent Transportation Systems,” (PDF download) was published by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF). It provides an extensive overview ITS goals, requirements, and technologies, and reviews the current state of ITS research and deployments in selected countries. Topics covered in the report include:

• What ITS is, and why it is important
• Key underlying technologies
• Typical ITS applications and their benefits
• Benefit-cost ratio and the economic impacts of ITS
• Challenges in implementing ITS
• Assessment of ITS implementations in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the U.S.
• Why certain countries are ITS leaders, and why the U.S. Is lagging
• Recommendations for countries seeking to be ITS leaders
• Specific policy recommendations for the U.S. Department of Transportation

“In the leading nations in the world, ITS bring significant improvement in transportation system performance, including reduced congestion and increased safety and traveler convenience,” according to the report.

“Unfortunately, the United States lags the global leaders, particularly Japan, Singapore, and South Korea in ITS deployment,” the report continues (see graph, below).

Investment in ITS as a percentage of GDP
(Source: Technology & Innovation Foundation ITS report, 2010)

“For the most part, this has been the result of two key factors: a continued lack of adequate funding for ITS and the lack of the right organizational system to drive ITS in the United States, particularly the lack of a federally led approach, as opposed to the ‘every state on its own approach’ that has prevailed to date,” the report explains.

The ITIF’s complete 58-page report, “Explaining International IT Application Leadership: Intelligent Transportation Systems,” is available here (PDF download).

Additionally, the U.S.-based Council of State Governments (CSG) website has published a 9-page article briefly summarizing the ITIF’s ITS report. It provides additional background and perspective on ITS technologies in general, and on U.S. deployments in particular. The CSG’s ITS article is available here (PDF download).