The 19th ITS World Congress in Vienna,
Austria, will be focusing on the theme smarter
on the way. The new European Space Expo will make an
appearance this year as part of the exciting
programme.
Personalised traffic information is a key theme at the annual
ITS World Congresses, and the advantages of ITS for private and
commercial users are at the heart of the event. Around a thousand
technical lectures will be held, along with an accompanying
industry exhibition, organised by ERTICO - ITS Europe in
cooperation with the other regions' organisations, ITS America and
ITS Asia-Pacific. There will also be a large-scale demonstrations
programme, coordinated by AustriaTech on behalf of host BMVIT
(Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology). As
part of this demonstrations programme, the hosts are delighted to
announce that the European Space Expo will be present.
The Space Expo
This unique interactive exhibition aims to
promote the European Space infrastructure (Galileo, EGNOS and GMES)
and provide congress visitors with concrete information on the
benefits, applications and services that the infrastructure will
bring to citizens. The market for global satellite navigation
applications will reach €240bn by the end of the decade, with about
7% of gross domestic product - equal to €800m in Europe - reliant
on satnav services. Independent studies have shown that Galileo
could contribute up to €90bn to the European economy in its first
20 years.
The European space manufacturing industry is worth €5.4bn per year
and employs a highly qualified workforce of more than 31,000. The
11 major satellite operators in Europe run 153 communication
satellites, represent 6,000 employees and have a €6bn annual
turnover, with a downstream effect on over 30,000 employees. It is
estimated that, already, 6-7% of GDP in Western countries (€800
billion in the EU) is dependent on satellite navigation. There is
no doubt that, while spending on space research and technologies
can sometimes seem like a luxury, the benefits are significant and
the positive economic ripple effect is undeniable.
The potential is huge, the presence of the Space Expo project at
the ITS World Congress is a vote of confidence in the role and
relevance of ITS for Galileo and space technology in general.
With a surface of 300 square metres the Space Expo will have
already welcomed visitors in Copenhagen, Toulouse, Helsinki and
Brussels and will land in Vienna in October.
The structure will host 12 application demonstration kiosks with
multimedia touch screens enabling visitors to explore video,
animation, images and information explaining and demonstrating how
GNSS and GMES bring benefits to specific areas such as economy,
environment, safety and transport.
A large globe with a self-contained, high-intensity LCD projector
called 'OmniGlobe' will be placed in the Space Expo. This
360-degree display hosts an interactive Earth and illustrates
beautifully many of the applications and services space
technologies offer our planet.
Austria's Skies Wide Open
This Europe-wide project will also have an
Austrian flavour, focusing on home-grown projects and activities in
space, and will describe some of the uses on which space technology
is being focussed. Many current space missions are dependent on
Austrian companies and the significance of the country's industry
is ever increasing. Austrian institutions are also carrying out
cutting-edge research and development, making improvements to these
globally-significant systems.
At ITS Vienna 2012, visitors to the Expo can see, touch, and
experience the wide range of innovative technologies and services
that space offers to the Intelligent Transport sector. For example,
delegates will learn more about the future of vehicle navigation
and experience new space-powered concepts for interactive driving
and traffic management. As part of the Public Day during Congress
week, 200 primary school children will also have the opportunity to
visit the Space Base as part of the international competition
"Mission X - Train like an Astronaut".
The European Space Expo at ITS Vienna 2012 is built in cooperation
with GSA, Austrospace - the association of Austrian space
industries and research institutions, AustriaTech, the Ministry of
Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT), GeoVille Information
Systems and Data Handling, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency
(FFG), the Austrian Institute of Navigation, RUAG Space GmbH,
Siemens AG, and TeleConsult Austria.
Queries:
Ms Donna Reay, Head of
Communication, European GNSS Agency (GSA), donna.reay@gsa.europa.eu
Mr Martin Russ, Managing Director, AustriaTech, martin.russ@austriatech.org
Ms Rita Michlits, Communications Manager, ITS
Vienna 2012, rita.michlits@austriatech.org
T +43 1 2633444-43, F +43 1 2633444-10, M +43 676 6150006
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