The world of Intelligent Transport Systems is full of innovation. Precisely then it is good to look through the issues of the day to tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. How does Compass see the future of ITS? And also: how does Compass see its own future role? Ruben van Ardenne, Strategy and Innovation manager at Compass, says:

What all ITS parties are currently working on is just a prelude to a dynamic future. At Compass we look at innovation with the 3-Horizons Model. Horizon 1 is: where are we now? Horizon 2: what is a logical, adjacent next step? And finally horizon 3: what does the long term look like? If we apply that to ITS, we see that we are still relatively static with technology. This tells you, for example, whether you can drive 50, 70 or 90, and shows where a red cross stands above the road.

The Cooperative ITS Corridor (C-ITS) project, in which the Netherlands cooperates with Germany and Austria to develop cooperative ITS services, is a next step. All kinds of Smart Mobility solutions are given a place on a route that starts in Rotterdam and leads to Vienna. An example is the Road Side Units that we have developed and installed along the A16. These are beacons that pass on traffic information to passing vehicles. We are all on our way to a future that is characterised by self-driving and decisive cars that communicate with each other. But also a future with even more silent roads. It will be the biggest challenge to prevent the latter.

At Compass we think about the third horizon. What position do we play in this? Are we going to focus on the data holidays? Or that of communication technology, such as 5G, WiFi-P and the like? As far as I’m concerned, the technology remains important for Compass. But subordinate. Because what distinguishes us most is our entrepreneurship, our role as a system integrator. In the C-ITS project we already have a lot of experience with bringing all relevant, mutually very different parties together at the table. Governments, car manufacturers, system suppliers, data suppliers and so on. In the exciting ITS future that lies ahead, in my eyes that will be the added value of Compass.

Finally: I would like to invite those who are interested in our vision, or who want to spar about the future of ITS, to contact me.