ROAD TRANSPORT TELEMATICS - TECHNIQUES, EFFECTS AND ASSESSMENT

Telematics is the part of information technology that consists of both data communications and data processing. The term road transport telematics covers a large number of applications for collecting and processing data about road conditions, traffic and travel, as well as using these data in traffic control, informing travellers, controlling transport fleets and single vehicles. Transport telematics is a means of traffic management, which, in turn, aims at affecting travel demand, modal split, route choice and trip timing, and users' behaviour in a way that improves the effficiency, economy and safety of the traffic system and reduces harmful environmental impacts caused by trafffic. This literature study gives an overview of international research programmes like ATT and IVHS, applications of transport telematics, their effects, and assessment methods. The report also includes an English-Finnish glossary of road transport telematics terminology. In transport telematics, Finland is focusing on weather related traffic management, radio and cellular network based information services, public transport management, integrated payment systems and logistics applications.