FOTSIS project finishes, exploitation plans don’t

After four years of activity, the FOTSIS final event marked the end of the project. It was held on 27-28 April 2015 at the OHL Concesiones premises in Madrid and it attracted around 70 people from all over Europe. It consisted of both presentations and demonstrations showcasing the 7 different vehicle-to-infrastructure (v2i) communication services tested in Spain, Portugal, Germany and Greece.

 

Emilio Cacheiro from OHL Concesiones highlighted the demonstration of an emergency management service that aims to give an added value to the eCall standard by including the infrastructure manager in the rescue process. If the eCall would reach the control services of public or private highways, these could immediately mobilize patrol cars to put traffic cones and control the area until the other emergency services arrive. In countries such as Mexico or Peru, where private highways count with their own ambulances, the arrival of medical assistance would occur much faster if this sort of system was applied.

 

Although the final review report from the European Commission will define recommendations for project partners, exploitation of results is already under way, particularly in Germany and Spain. In Spain, the project coordinator OHL Concesiones created a technological auxiliary 3 years ago. “Through this branch, we will employ the know-how acquired in FOTSIS to improve solutions to highways operations and control”, says Emilio Cacheiro. Moreover, OHL Concesiones is discussing with the Spanish Directorate General of Traffic the application of a variable maximum speed system tested during the project lifetime.

Along these lines, the Bavarian authorities have deployed the variable maximum speed and optimum route systems tested during the project in the ring around the Munich football stadium, which connects the northern part of the city with the centre. These systems help predict traffic flows and make recommendations in order to avoid bottlenecks. Thus, a driver might receive indications to take a longer but less congested route in order to improve mobility and avoid the stop&go situations, thereby improving road safety.

 

For more information, visit http://www.fotsis.com/