The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute is a national
University Transportation Center The University Transportation Centers (UTC) program is a federal program to improve transportation research and education in the United States and to strengthen the country's competitiveness in the global transportation industry.
History
The U ...
headquartered at the
University of Minnesota.
The ITS Institute researches activities to enhance the safety and mobility of road-based and transit-based
transportation, particularly in a northern climate and in rural environments.
The ITS Institute focuses on human-centered technology, such as computing, sensing, communications, and control systems.
History
The ITS Institute was established under section 6024 of the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (
ISTEA
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA, pronounced ''Ice-Tea'') is a United States federal law that posed a major change to transportation planning and policy, as the first U.S. federal legislation on the subject in ...
) of 1991.
It is currently funded through the federal
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) transportation bill.
Faculty and staff
Max Donath is the director of the institute. The multi-disciplinary faculty and research staff represent engineering, public affairs, computer science, and the law school.
Research activities
The ITS Institute publishes many research reports each year. Some recent topics were
distracted driving, teen drivers,
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
, and driver assistive technologies. The ITS Institute uses several labs and facilities to conduct research, including the Intelligent Vehicles Laboratory, the Minnesota Traffic Observatory, the Northland Advanced Transportation Systems Research Laboratories, and the HumanFIRST program. Research partners include the Research and Technology Innovation Administration (RITA),
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state' ...
, and Minnesota Local Road Research Board.
Education activities
The ITS Institute organizes the Advanced Transportation Technologies seminar series and co-sponsors an annual Transportation Career Expo, held at the
University of Minnesota. It also offers programs, events, and Web-based tools for K-12 students.
References
External links
* {{official website, http://www.its.umn.edu/
HumanFIRST ProgramMinnesota Traffic Observatory
Intelligent transportation systems
Road safety organizations
United States federal transportation legislation