ITS Korea Joins Forces with International Forum on Vehicle-Road Automation

[Financial News] An international forum of experts that has discussed links between autonomous vehicles and road infrastructure and a domestic intelligent transport systems (ITS) organization have opened a channel for cooperation.
According to ITS Korea, on the 18th, ITS Korea Chairman Heo Cheong-hoe and ITFVHA Chairman Tom Alkim signed an agreement in Room 106 of the Gangneung Convention Center in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. Experts in related fields from the United States, Europe, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Thailand and elsewhere attended the signing ceremony. The aim is to broaden international cooperation in vehicle-road automation and cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM).
Under the agreement, ITS Korea will share with overseas experts the technical and business experience it has built up in domestic ITS and digital road infrastructure, while supporting Korean experts in taking part in international discussions. In turn, it plans to introduce a range of overseas policies and technology trends in Korea, broadening the base for international cooperation in future mobility.
The two sides agreed on four broad areas of cooperation. They will share information on each country's CCAM policies and the extent of its road infrastructure deployment, support the operation of ITFVHA's annual meeting, and help Korean experts participate. The agreement also covers exchanging information about international events each side organizes and facilitating expert exchanges, as well as online knowledge-sharing activities such as joint webinars. They plan to make the annual meeting and joint webinars key channels of communication, establish regular exchanges among experts, and identify areas for collaboration on issues of shared interest.
ITFVHA is an international forum where experts from governments, research institutions and industry in various countries gather to share policies and technology related to vehicle-road automation, as well as the state of infrastructure development. CCAM refers to a future mobility concept in which vehicles and road infrastructure exchange information and work together to enable safe and efficient automated driving.
The forum has held its meetings in conjunction with the ITS World Congress. In 2013, it held its 17th annual meeting just before the Tokyo ITS World Congress opened, and this year's meeting was also scheduled for the day before the Gangneung congress opens. The list of 30 invited participants at its fifth annual meeting, held in Sydney, Australia, in 2001, included representatives from Korea alongside those from the United States, Japan, Germany and other countries.
The Gangneung congress will be held over five days, from the 19th to the 23rd, in and around Gangneung Olympic Park. The third ITS World Congress to be held in Korea, after Seoul and Busan, it is expected to draw participants from about 90 countries, with 449 papers to be presented across 193 sessions. To build the infrastructure needed to host the congress, Gangneung City opened the Gangneung Convention Center last August, with a gross floor area of 18,967 square meters.
Chairman Heo said, "As the use of autonomous driving technology on public roads expands, the importance of the systems and road infrastructure that support it is growing." He added, "I hope this agreement will provide an opportunity to discuss with the international community ways to link vehicles and road infrastructure and foster cooperation between them." He continued, "Drawing on a range of overseas examples and technology trends, ITS Korea will explore directions for ITS development suited to Korea's road transport environment and support the government and industry in responding to changes in the future transportation environment."

[email protected] Jeong Gyeong-su Reporter