The ITS EDUNET was founded in 2005, after a European project named ROSETTA, and formally instituted in 2008. In that year it was legally registered as not-for-profit association, within the German right, with all the consequent activity reports and financial duties that this implied. A steering committed was defined, including TUM, CTUV, POLITO, TUG, EURECOM, TRG, LIU, KTH, FHTW.
Sessions of conferences were organized during different events (e.g., ITS world congress, London in October 2006, ITS congress in Lyon, in 2011).
Short courses on ITS were organized in 2009 in Munich (TUM), in 2012 in Wien (FHTW), in 2013 in Turin (POLITO) and, again, in 2015 in Munich (TUM).
It has allowed – in the years – a number of agreements and exchanges od students among universities, tutoring of M.Sc. theses, selection of members of commissions for various educational purposes, and the like.
In 2018 it was decided so contain the administrative obligations and it was decided to interrupt its registration as no-profit association, deliberating however to continue it as a free association, without economic implications.
So far is has been fruitful for interacting, for comparting ideas on the evolution of the innovation and technologies in the transport domain, for preparing commissions of Ph.D. final dissertations, for preparing special issues, for submitting proposal of the Erasmus+ projects, and the like.
A definition of ITS was prepared in 2009, which reads as:
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) integrate telecommunications, electronics and information technologies – in short, ‘telematics’ – with transport engineering in order to plan, design, operate, maintain and manage transport systems. This integration aims to improve safety, security, quality and efficiency of the transport systems for passengers and freight, optimising the use of natural resources and respecting the environment.
To achieve such aims, ITS require procedures, systems and devices to allow the collection, communication, analysis and distribution of information and data among moving subjects, the transport infrastructure and information technology applications.
Specification about related terms: as far as ITS deal with information technologies and mobility of people, may also be defined as “Infomobility”; it may involve road transport or any other mode as well as their interactions.
[ITS-EduNet, 2009]
More recently, the definition has been renewed, so as follows:
Intelligent comes from the Latin inter-lego, which means “I link together” or “I link with or through”; another meaning of inter-lego is “I read through”, which signifies being able to read between the lines, in other words being intelligent.
The deep comprehension of “intelligent” implies a wide and long-lasting path for ITS, thereafter intended as interconnected transport systems suitable to include both humans – travellers, drivers or supervisors of a control rooms, who contribute with their intelligence – and goods, allowing also for motionless communication during the travel, when needed.
In this context, rail systems, undergrounds, ropeways are already ITS being conceived as an integration of the drive – in present –with the vehicles and the infrastructure, with a supervision control room presided over by expert staff. Road transport is not interconnected since its appearance, though it is going in that direction gradually.
ITS have the purpose to improve safety, security, quality and efficiency of the transport systems for passengers and freight, optimising the use of natural resources – including those for traction and propulsion of vehicles – and respecting the environment.
To achieve such aims, ITS require procedures, systems and devices to allow the collection, communication, analysis and distribution of information and data among moving subjects, the transport infrastructure and information technology applications.
As far as the Members of ITS EDUNET may demonstrate the relevance of their activities to pursue ITS so as described, by selecting and integrating ICT, electronics and electrics with transport engineering in order either to plan or to design, operate, maintain and manage transport systems, including the technical or economical evaluation of results, their contributions fall within the expectances of ITS EDUNET.
IET ITS has the goal to ferry present transportation to ITS so to possibly consider one day ITS as “ordinary Transport Systems”.