INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS) R&D FOR WINTER TRAFFIC AND ITS IMPACT

The Hokkaido Development Bureau (HDB) is currently developing a research program which focuses on ITS technology R&Ds for winter traffic. Known as the "ITS/Win Research Program", it includes 17 research projects, such as the development of Intelligent Delineator System and Intelligent ITV-Camera, and highway information system using Internet technologies. The program is categorized by the following three concepts: 1. Directly avoiding danger by introducing intelligent ancillary road facilities (IWHS: Intelligent Winter Highway System); 2. Indirectly reducing accidents via advanced highway information systems, thereby decreasing anticipated dangers (WHITE21: Winter Highway Information system for Traffic safety and Efficiency of the 21st century); and 3. Building a comprehensive highway disaster prevention information system. In the Intelligent Delineator System, the car halt surveillance radar using millimeter wave immediately detects troubled vehicles ahead on the road even during severe blowing conditions. It also warns the vehicles following. Because millimeter wave is not affected by snowfall, it is strongly expected to be indispensable as a basic ITS technology for a winter safety support system. In a 1995-96 winter experiment, a mini, a sub-compact, a recreational vehicle and a bus which were set 110m away from the radar were all detected in about 20 meter visibility conditions caused by blowing snow. The Intelligent ITV-Camera has been developed to detect unexpected phenomena through image processing and to transmit messages widely and efficiently on the computer network in conjunction with E-mail and WWW server system. Digitized image information will be transmitted in various forms, and will change the ITV-Camera from a simple monitoring tool to a part of a monitoring network with an operator. Winter driving conditions are very severe because of the slippery road surfaces and poor visibility conditions caused by snow. However, these conditions may be alleviated by the advanced technologies and information systems of ITS, which have the potential to significantly increase safety by supporting safe driving.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Full conference proceedings available only on CD.
• Corporate Authors:

  ITS America

  1100 17th Street, NW, 12th Floor
  Washington, DC  United States  20036
• Authors:
  • Kajiya, Y
  • Ishimoto, K
  • Honda, M
  • Kawamura, K
• Conference:
  • Intelligent Transportation: Realizing the Future. Abstracts of the Third World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems
  • Location: Orlando, Florida
  • Date: 1996-10-14 to 1996-10-18
• Publication Date: 1996

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: n.p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Development; Digitized photography; Disaster preparedness; Driver information systems; Driving; Fans; Image processing; Information systems; Intelligent transportation systems; Internet; Millimeter waves; Radar; Research; Safety; Snow; Surveillance; Technological innovations; Traffic safety; Visibility; Winter
• Uncontrolled Terms: Research and development
• Old TRIS Terms: Blowing
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00741559
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 11 1997 12:00AM