Plenary Session I (September 25th, opening ceremony)
Prof. Cristina Olaverri-Monreal
Chair holder Intelligent Transport Systems / BMKEndowed Professorship and Chair for Sustainable Transport Logistics 4.0
Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria
Title: CONNECTED AND AUTOMATED VEHICLES: IMPACT ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES RELATED TO ROAD SAFETY AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION
Abstract: Decisions related to transport systems and infrastructure not only affect transport efficiency, but can also make a significant contribution to achieving climate neutrality. Through the use of sensors for physical and virtual interconnection and interoperability of objects in the field of intelligent transport systems it is possible to respond to changing transport needs. In line with this, intelligent vehicle technologies have experienced a great improvement in the last couple of decades aiming at improving the perception of the road environment and reducing road accidents. In this context not only the interaction between networked system elements is important, but also the effect of these technologies on human behavior. These dynamic scenarios are crucial for decision-making processes related to road safety and will be discussed at the conference.
Plenary Session II (September 26th, 8:30)
Dr. Angelos J. Amditis
Research and Development Director of the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems, Director of the I-SENSE Research Group, ERTICO-ITS Europe Chairman
Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS), National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Athens, Greece
Title: SMART MOBILITY: BUILDING A HOLISTIC ECOSYSTEM FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Abstract: The mobility ecosystem is growing each year, fueled by the accelerated digitalization, and highly shaped by the European agenda and the ambitious climate goals and action plans. Policies, innovation, disruptive technologies, social trends, shifting sources of value are changing the dynamics of the industry. Smart mobility, for both people and goods, becomes a main pillar of building the smart societies of the future and reducing the environmental impact of transport. Accelerating automation, connectivity and integration, delivering seamless mobility for all, creating the digital infrastructure, also for freight and logistics, integrating electric mobility and alternative fuels, building holistic multimodal ecosystems incorporating concepts like MaaS or DaaS, all become the enabling factors for smart mobility. In this setting, data acquire growing importance and are becoming the gold mine for the future of mobility, posing in the same time enormous challenges for cities, local authorities, manufacturers, service providers, but they also hold the key to the future of the sector.
Plenary Session III (September 27th, 8:30)
Prof. Serge Hoogendoorn
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Distinguished Professor of Smart Urban Mobility, Honorary Professor in the School of Transportation at South East University in China
Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
Title: WHAT CROWD TEACH US…
Abstract: The varying phenomena that characterize a pedestrian flow make it one of the most challenging traffic flow processes to manage and control. In the past three decades, we have started to unravel the science behind the crowd. This has led to some important insights that are not only needed to reproduce, predict, and manage pedestrian flow, but will also provide potential avenues to managing other phenomena. In this talk, we will provide a historic perspective on pedestrian flow theory and crowd management. We show some of the key phenomena that have been observed (in controlled experiments, in the field), and how these phenomena can be explained, used or prevented. We will also highlight some of the recent contributions in the field, including the role of AI, novel monitoring technology, and digital twins. We round up the talk showing how the finding can be generalized. We show how the game-theoretical modeling proposed for pedestrian flow models can form a basis for controlling connected autonomous vehicles. Using various examples, we show how self-organization, omnipresent in pedestrian flow, can inspire decentralized control approaches of other flow processes (e.g., autonomous vessels, drones). We show how approaches to reduce flow breakdown for pedestrian flows can be generalized for other flow processes.
Plenary Session IV (September 27th, 14:00)
Prof. David Cebon
Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Engineering and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
University of Cambridge, UK
Title: FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR ROAD FREIGHT DECARBONISATION
Abstract: Heavy duty road freight is one of the sectors of the economy that is difficult to decarbonise. Urban and regional deliveries, which generally involve moderate daily mileages, can be performed fairly easily using battery electric vehicles. However, the energy and power requirements of long-haul heavy goods vehicles are high, making battery-electric operations challenging, particularly in parts of the world with very long journey distances. The solution to the problem lies not in the vehicle, but in the electricity charging infrastructure. This has to be fitted to the logistics operations of the vehicle and the transport fleet. There are various options, including Hydrogen, Electric Road Systems, big batteries, battery swapping and hybrid electric vehicles. In all cases, vehicle and logistical efficiency must be maximized to minimize carbon emissions. This presentation will review the issues.