New innovative transport facility opens in UK

Date: 29/6/2011

Innovations in transport are set to receive a boost in the form of a new facility that has been opened in the West Midlands.

In collaboration with TRL (the Transport Research Laboratory), innovITS and MIRA, innovITS ADVANCE - the UK centre for excellence in intelligent transport systems - was formerly opened this week (June 27th) by innovITS Chairman David Pearson.

Chief Executive Officer of innovITS Phil Pettitt and George Gillespie, Chief Executive of MIRA - the Nuneaton headquarters of which is the centre's home - were also in attendance as the facility opened for business, following government funding of £10 million.

One of the main attractions is the first-ever purpose-built intelligent transport systems (ITS) centre, where engineers from a broad range of sectors will be able to collaborate on innovative technologies that may otherwise never make it to market.

There is also a virtual city that can be configured to replicate the navigational coordinates of a variety of street environments, including those similar to Manhattan and those resembling a more suburban area.

Individuals visiting the site will be able to make use of a dedicated and secure testing facility, along with a controllable private communications network, which is able to copy almost all signal attenuation and denial scenarios.

"[The centre] will facilitate the development of ITS products and services aimed at delivering benefits ranging from the more efficient use of road space to increased safety through the mitigation or avoidance of road traffic collisions," said Mr Pearson.

Established in 2005, innovITS was set up in response to recommendations made by the industry-led Automotive Innovation and Growth Team and aims to put the UK at the top of the table for transport telematics for sustainable mobility.

Posted by Mary Treen