ITS EcoMobility
Sustainability is about fairness – fairness to the people of tomorrow as well as the people of today and fairness to the planet. It’s also about sustainable profit, with investment that creates a balanced approach to the economy, where environmental protection co-exists with economic growth and maintaining our quality of life.
It means that we all need to work together to improve the efficiency of transport networks, reduce congestion, cut pollution and raise awareness of how individuals and organisations can support these beneficial changes.
This is a big cultural shift that will involve altering mindsets. It will also demand the intelligent use of new technologies, so that people not only change their behaviour but also see the impact they’re having on the environment when they travel. And we’re at the heart of it.
Take our work with five leading universities on the MESSAGE project, which is exploring the use of nanotechnology sensors to detect and report the emissions of individual vehicles. The data is then sent by wireless technologies to processing centres. This is a pioneering use of pervasive sensors to support developing environmental needs.
Road transport is one of the fastest-growing contributors to greenhouse gases. Vehicle manufacturers are making strides in reducing engine emissions but growth in congestion and the number of vehicles on the road is cancelling out many of the gains. We therefore need to make it easier and more attractive for people to use public transport, cycle or walk.
Our ITS solutions support this modal switch and include advanced road tolling, real-time travel information and smart retailing, all of which make public transport networks easier and more attractive to use.
We’re focusing on three topics:
- Modal shift – making it easier to switch from one mode of transport to another through the use of real-time traffic and travel services
- Energy management – especially for train operators using asset management platforms
- Network efficiency – helping make supply chains as efficient and streamlined as possible to reduce the number of near-empty vehicles
Our greenhouse gas reporting systems underpin the carbon emissions programme of a leading global automotive manufacturer and we’re demonstrating that carbon trading schemes are an effective way to reduce overall emissions.
We’re already delivering systems and services to industry and the public sector that enable them to manage, report and comply with emissions and energy management regulations, while at the same time improving their efficiency and increasing their economic growth.
