Transportation

 Systems for people on the move

Bringing the power of ICT to a world of mobility

ETSI supports various transportation domains with standardization activities which are carried out by key industry players and therefore reflect true market demand.

Standardization for road transport is focused on wireless communications for Cooperative ITS, with a priority on the safety of life through the reduction of road fatalities and injuries, traffic efficiency with reduction of transport time and economic consequences, and polluting emissions.

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) add information and communications technology to transport infrastructures and to all types of vehicles in an effort to improve their safety, reliability, efficiency and quality. They also help to optimize transportation times and fuel consumption, thus providing greener, safer and more economical transportation. Road transport, railways, aviation and maritime services will benefit greatly from the deployment of ITS, whilst end-users will experience customized services. Connected vehicles will improve electronic toll collection and navigation systems, e.g. real-time maps that take account the current traffic situation derived from the Co-operative ITS. Knowledge of exact geographical locations is important to all these services, so the standardization of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GPS and Galileo also plays a vital role. Furthermore, the combination of communications and services can lead to smart handling such as the eFreight and the Single European Sky (SES) initiatives.

In aviation, ICT is gaining an increasingly important role for civil aviation. The continuing growth in passenger numbers, short and long-haul flights, and demands for advanced services require true harmonization. Applications such as air traffic control systems and services for passengers, e.g. on-board telephony and Internet access, are specified by ETSI.

In addition, ETSI supports the Single European Sky initiative which aims to replace the traditional, highlyfragmented air traffic control structures within Europe by means of greater harmonization and an assured interoperability.

• AERO (Aeronautics)
• RT (Railway Telecommunications)
• ERM (EMC and Radio spectrum Matters)
• ITS (Intelligent Transport and Systems)
• SES (Satellite Earth stations and Services)
• ERM TG 26 (Maritime and Radio Amateur activities)
• ERM TG SRR (Automotive and Surveillance Radar)

Standardization of Co-operative ITS is a global challenge and ETSI is collaborating with other standardization bodies in order to achieve worldwide interoperability and harmonized deployment. In road transport many companies actively contribute to the standardization work: these include vehicle manufacturers, the automotive supply industry, silicon vendors, telecommunications network operators, research bodies and test houses.

ETSI's aviation standards are developed by national regulators, air traffic management services, airport operators and aircraft manufacturers.

Much of the work performed in the cluster in support of European initiatives is done under Mandates issued by the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The cluster also co-operates closely with various organizations, including CEN, ISO, IEEE, IETF, ARIB, CAR2CAR, SAE, EUROCAE, EASA and ICAO

Co-operative Awareness Messages (CAM) will inform vehicles of the presence of a vehicular network which can then be used for Co-operative ITS communications. The Decentralized Environmental Notification Messages (DENM) will inform road users of relevant events in real-time by means of vehicular communications, e.g. traffic jams and location-based services such as available parking slots. Based on the CAM and DENM standards specific standards for longitudinal and intersection collision warnings as well as electric vehicle charging spot notifications are being prepared. The various ITS services require a large amount of specifications which complement the ITS communications architecture in a harmonized way. Furthermore, it is important to know which ITS-related applications and data are indeed available in a given geographic area. Therefore, standards for classification and management are required, for instance specifications for the facility layer. On the radio side, specifications for Harmonized Channel Usage and providing co-existence of ITS communications with other services using the 5GHz frequency band are on their ways. Since the need for secure and reliable Cooperative ITS networks has been recognized, Identity Management and Identity Protection are vital for those systems. Numerous conformance test specification that will contribute to interoperability are under construction for topics such as Co-operative Awareness Messages, Decentralized Environmental Notification Messages and radio testing. Most of this work is being produced for Co-operative Awareness Messages, Decentralized Environmental Notification Messages and co-existence of different ITS related services sharing the same spectrum allocation. Most of this work is being undertaken in response to the EC Mandate M/453 on Co-operative ITS.

ETSI's Aeronautics Technical Committee (TC AERO) has responsibility for preparing European ‘Community Specifications' (i.e. European Standards that acquire Community Specification status when listed in the Official Journal of the European Union) that provide essential requirements in support of the Single European Sky Interoperability Regulation for the European Air Traffic Management Network (EATMN). Two key topics are currently addressed by corresponding standardization activities: the Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS), to assure the safe movement of vehicles and aircraft on the ground at airports as well as the VHF air-ground Digital Link (VDL) radio equipment. The committee also develops other specifications related to the European Air Traffic Management Master Plan.

ETSI's Satellite Technical Committee (TC SES) performs an analysis of the possible technical issues associated to the deployment of GNSS pseudolites with operational GNSS systems. Pseudolites are ground-based positioning transceivers that are used to create a local navigational network. The main interest for the use of pseudolite networks is either to improve the accuracy of existing GNSS data (e.g. in harbours) or provide positioning parameter details inside buildings were regular GNSS services normally cannot be used, e.g. tunnels and shopping malls.