The national iMove CRC, a consortium of 45 industry, government and research partners, has been officially launched and will use data, systems and emerging technologies to combat Australia’s complex transport issues.
The iMOVE CRC will complement existing and future activities by providing an Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) collaborative research hub that brings together industry, government and research in a ten-year effort.
These projects will look for innovation and outcomes to:
- Reduce road congestion, fuel use, emissions, accidents and fatalities
- Improve freight co-ordination
- Improve productivity and international competitiveness
- Improve lifestyle and wellbeing
One of the key concepts of everything iMOVE is working on is connectivity. While the technology aspect of this under discussion at the workshop was about future aspirations, the social aspect was evident.
Workshop participants from different companies, with vastly different backgrounds jumped headlong together into a sharing and refining of ideas on what the problems with transport in Australia are, and proposed solutions and future project ideas.
It bodes well for what iMOVE CRC can accomplish, and speaks to the calibre of the transportation community, and the power of collected and directed wisdom, innovation, and enthusiasm.
iMOVE Managing Director, Ian Christensen, defined iMOVE and its path forward.
“The progress that we’ve enjoyed in recent years, in sensor technology, algorithm development, and computing power, now enables us to apply computers to the issue of movement in its own right.
“Rather than thinking about about driving trucks, buses, trains, and trams, we can instead think about moving people, moving boxes, getting things to happen in a way that we all want it to happen, without having to wrestle with a timetable. We now have the possibility for all of that all to be optimised, and to work for us, rather than us working for it.”
Mr Christensen said there is a very distinct chance of iMOVE not only advancing the picture within Australia, but for it to also contribute on the world stage.
“Because the problems that we face are the same problems that are faced nearly everywhere in the world, there is a huge opportunity for Australia to develop products, technology, solutions, methodologies, that will apply everywhere.”
