The project management considerations - Technical work responsibilities
Setting the Scene
The justification of such an investigation is closely linked to the potential proliferation of electronic devices, to be possibly mounted in vehicles, today and in the next future on the market. The risk of such proliferation mainly concerns problems of compatibility and ergonomics of on-board equipments on vehicles, and of course the risk of costs multiplication.
Therefore, in the coming years, professional drivers task profiles will be directly impacted by the introduction of new information technologies within their companies or even their vehicle, thanks to on board equipment.
A preoccupation for investigating a global on-board control (in the meaning of remote data provision from driver, vehicle and freight/passengers) and information systems architecture integrating more broadly the commercial vehicle in its environment is starting now.
To date a considerable number of on-board telematics applications for freight and public transport vehicles have been developed and it is likely that more will appear in the next few years (most of them are based on positioning systems and data exchanges between users). Some of these applications will be requested by commercial fleet operators, while others might be imposed by (supra) national governments. Some will be required to incorporate multimodal functionality, some to allow for infrastructures and traffic management. Moreover, shippers may also request them to be used by goods carriers.
Given all of these interested parties, as well as the individual interests of telematic suppliers, who each have their own product market standards, and truck/buses manufacturers who have to host the whole devices on board, there is a real danger of incompatible and/or overlapping on-board systems.
Therefore a real need exists for an integration of these systems and their data processes (and evolutions of existing data processes and doubtless new data processing developments), into a cost effective and harmonious operational entity.
In other words a systems architecture is needed, capable of providing consistency between functions and compatibility between tools involved. It aim is to provide a structured way of describing a system to ensure interoperability between its components. Whilst allowing for many different designs specifications. It groups a number of common views that allow identifying and describing the necessary commonalities or interoperability across these implementations.
The development of such an architecture starts with the identification of key user needs that must be addressed by the system and that will be rigorously traced across different views.
In order to achieve the main COMETA project objective which is a commonly agreed system architecture design in Europe, this has required:
First, the getting in contact of the different actors, the involvement and the adherence of the different users of such systems (Fleet managers, solution providers and truck manufacturers) -present at European level-
And, To take into account national and social regulations at European level as well as their future evolution through standardization and harmonization working groups led by European transport authorities, as well as the introduction at short term of the digital tachograph.
The project management
considerations:
The consortium size (7 contractors only), by the fact that these contractors have been accustomed to the management of TAP projects (some of them for nearly 10 years) and have been accustomed to working together in past projects or in present ones;
The fact that each main phase of the project (users requirements identification, architecture design, " simulation " of implementation through PILOTS) have been carried out according to already, for most of it, available and known related detailed methodologies;
The involvement of representative pilots or sponsoring partners (for the identification of the user needs and the development of the system architecture design) from different European countries (North, Mid and south of Europe).
Technical work responsibilities have been
distributed as follows:
AFT has been responsible for the general management of the contract, preparing, chairing and circulating the minutes and conclusions of PROJECT CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE.
CSST, NEI B.V., PTV, VIKTORIA Institute and AFT have been responsible for what can call their " National cluster ", with their sponsoring partners (suppliers and users), within which they have manage their PILOTS according to the rules and methodologies agreed upon by the consortium.
ERTICO has act as quality controller regarding architecture design and has ensure close interfacing with KAREN.
IRU has act as quality controller regarding users requirements identification and fulfilment.
The dissemination activities will be carried out by each project partner under the control of AFT who is the project manager and the representative of haulier organization in France, IRU (International Road Union) that represent institutional user groups and ERTICO through the role they play for the promotion of transport telematics implementation in Europe.