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TMC-ALERT launched

TMC-ALERT was launched at a European Conference held at the Jaarbeurs Conference Centre in Utrecht on Monday 29^th September 1997. This conference had previously been "billed" as the RDS-TMC Informal Standing Conference" but any element of the idea embodied in that phrase was dropped, in favour of the single item: launching the "European Memorandum of Understanding for RDS-TMC services with ALERT functionality"

The very smart information folder distributed at the meeting contained: an agenda, the draft MoU version EU_MoU3.1, dated 17^th September 1997, the RDS-TMC Newsletter No3, a four page FORCE/ECORTIS paper titled: European traffic and travel information services - RDS-TMC, slides used by Maarten Bouwer and Paul Burton and lastly a similar styled brochure entitled RDS/TMC today and tomorrow - Prospects and progress in the Netherlands.

Programme:

The Conference Programme shows how the day was structured, so we just provide a few quotes noted from the speakers:

Mr H Luikens, Rijkswaterstaat Research Director said: " RDS-TMC is not yet ready for commercial exploitation."; "RDS-TMC will be successful if it is pan European."; "There is still a need to find a mechanism to tell the users about RDS-TMC."

Hugh Rees, EC said: "We wanted a seamless European wide service."; "The MoU is OK but not very strong, however it may be more advantageous than the usual legislative approach."

Paul Burton, UK Department of Environment, Transport and Regions said: "ALERT replaces Pan European Service because there are many other PES covering other issues"; "There has been a rigorous process of consultation on the MoU".

Volker Lauke said: "The Blaupunkt Viking RDS-TMC receiver will go on sale in Germany on 2^nd November."

Fritz Bolte said: "BAST will be co-ordinate updating the German Location Database."

Maarten Bouwer said: "Travel times are not ALERT. ALERT is not aimed at ALERT Plus, the core will be a free European service."; "The Compendium is not a book - it is a Web site."

Willy Maes, DG XIII said: "This poses a problem for signatories to the MoU, because the Web site will change/develop, so a paper dated edition will be needed."; "At least, the MoU confirms the use of the RDS-TMC standards and the launching of services - the EC is not pushing on dates, but wants to encourage."; "The EC would have liked it to be stronger, in the way we suggested, but conceded that some member states did not agree, so better something, than nothing."

Several times, people talked about PES, but it was explained that ALERT now covers the PES concept -it was just that PES is used in many other fields, so ALERT is more distinctive. It seems to be agreed that ALERT is about the service, whilst ALERT-C and ALERT-Plus are the protocols.

Bethan Bostock, DG VII, asked how the signatories to the MoU could control the Compendium development, given that it would be an ever changing web site? David Bowerman replied that the European Co-ordination Platform would be the way to discuss and agree changes (Is this the Informal Standing Conference?) Nevertheless FORCE will continue to manage the MoU for the next 18 months.

Summing up the Conference, Mr Luikens said: "The MoU is a way of breaking the "chicken and egg" conundrum. The MoU is necessary to deliver RDS-TMC which has strong road safety reasons, so public funding is needed. The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers should also invest too. Since RDS-TMC will be a social benefit to all citizens, they should be persuaded to buy the products."

Issue date January 03, 2000
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