What is the C-ROADS platform?

Digital technology that allows vehicles to “talk” to each other and to infrastructure on the road such as traffic lights or panels (Collaborative Intelligent Transportation Systems or C-ITS) is key to the transition to an intelligent road transport sector.

C-ROADS is one of major European projects related to intelligent transport systems, which our country has recently joined to launch relevant initiatives.

The main goal of the C-ROADS project is that the new technologies implemented with ITS, v2v (vehicle to vehicle) and v2i (vehicle to infrastructure), are responsible for improving the safety of our traffic. and reliable by eliminating, as far as possible, human error.

In this report, we will tell you what the project is, how it will be carried out and how it is developing in Spain.

• What is the C-ROADS platform?
• What do we mean by K-ITS?
• Elements and technologies of K-ITS cooperative systems
• Main goals of the project
• Harmonization of C-ITS deployments in Europe
• C-ROADS project in Spain

What is the C-ROADS platform?

The C-ROADS or connected road platform is a an initiative resulting from cooperation between certain European Member States and road operators, with the aim of introducing C-ITS services on the roads.

It was created in 2016 to help roll out these services across Europe with a more coordinated approach. between different countries. Currently 17 of them are participating (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Slovenia, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom and Sweden).

What do we mean by K-ITS?

Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS) They allow vehicles to communicate with other vehicles, with traffic lights and with all road infrastructure, whatever it may be.

Thanks to the alerts that are generated based on the large amount of information that we will receive through applications or that we will receive in our cars, these systems have great potential for improving road safety and the efficiency of road transport.

For example, information about a traffic jam ahead or about the optimal speed for passing a green light can be shown to drivers inside the vehicle at the appropriate time.

Each country’s C-ROADS projects will install C-ITS equipment in various EU locations with pilot plans. designed to test solutions in various environments, such as highways and urban areas.

Elements and technologies of K-ITS cooperative systems

The core elements of a C-ITS deployment are the technology deployed on the road, the devices installed in the vehicle, and the control center. which receives information and processes it with the help of a computer to provide various services to users.

As we have already mentioned, the main elements are:

onboard block: is a device installed in a vehicle that is responsible for receiving and sending shared messages to other vehicles or infrastructure. For example, in case of emergency braking of the car. this system sends a message to vehicles following you.

MSW: this system belongs to infrastructures, this is the block installed in them. The roadside team is responsible for sending joint information to vehicles about the area they are in and for receiving information from vehicles.

These usually installed at traffic lightsto cover a larger area or on panels on roads.

C-ITS Center: worldwide we have the center that controls everything. We are facing a virtual platform that manages and controls the entire C-ITS ecosystem: vehicles, infrastructure and all information related to the provision of these services.

An important aspect of proper service deployment is cybersecurity. Both the devices (RSU and OBU) and the messages in transit must be secure, certified, and encrypted to avoid security issues.

Main goals of the project

The main objectives of the project are improve road safety, protect health and people, reduce accidents and increase traffic flow.

Another great goal, already on a grand scale, is test innovative traffic technologiesusing traffic modeling software to provide a virtual twin, which we have already discussed in another report, which helps to understand the impact of mass deployment of C-ITS services in all types of scenarios.

Harmonization of C-ITS deployments in Europe

C-ROADS partners will work with each other to define common specifications (communications, security, etc.) to ensure cross-border interoperability and harmonization of C-ITS services.

Deployment of these it is an evolutionary process that will start with less complex use cases, such as so-called first day services.which include messages about traffic jams, dangerous places, construction sites and slow or stationary vehicles, as well as weather information and tips to increase speed to keep traffic moving.

All C-ITS services will be transmitted directly to vehicles to ensure that users are informed but not distracted in order to monitor the traffic situation in case of a possible problem.

C-ROADS project in Spain

As part of the implementation of the C-ROADS Spain project from 2017 to 2021, when the pilot project ended, it turned into creation of five projects with specific goals: Galicia, Madrid, the coast of Cantabria and the Mediterranean and the DGT 3.0 project, which covers the entire territory of Spain.

In all these pilot projects, services were tested to alert drivers to possible risks that can be encountered on the roads, such as work, stopped vehicles, adverse weather conditions, etc., to assess whether they were really effective.

Pilots to be held:

Pilot DGT 3.0: This national pilot analyzed the implementation of C-ITS services through the Internet of Things (IoT) platform, enabling the interconnection of all actors involved in the traffic and mobility ecosystem.

They were looking for the so-called zero vision, which is aimed at ensuring that there are no deaths on the road.

For implementation, The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has created a free application called Comobity.which allowed road users to know the distance between themselves and relative to the intersection so they could be more careful.

Madrid Pilot: he was on the M30 highway with a length of about 32 km. It included a solution for informing users of parking lots in the city and a management system capable of connecting to various sources of information for processing and available to application users.

Mediterranean Pilot: It passed through the Mediterranean Corridor on several sections of the AP-7 motorway, with the main interest of checking C-ITS services on toll motorways and detecting road incidents that cause landslides for meteorological reasons.

Cantabrian pilot: This project is located primarily along the A-8/E-70 motorway connecting the provinces of northern Spain (Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country). Tests were carried out related to the risk of collision on mountain roads.

SISCOGA Advanced Pilot: This pilot project was developed on 130 km of interurban roads and 30 km of urban roads in Pontevedra.

With regard to the findings, it is expected that the communication between vehicles will be hybrid, on the one hand, through mobile networks and applications, and on the other hand, thanks to short-range Wi-Fi networks.

On the other hand, it could be demonstrated, thanks to the wide variety of pilots performed, that these technologies respond equally well to any circumstance, location or infrastructure in which the elements are located.

Finally, compatibility between different elements (roadside units and onboard units), even from different manufacturers, has been shown to be absolutely reliable.

These pilots are expected to continue and more will be added gradually.

The deployment of C-ITS faces many important issues that have not yet been resolved, such as legal, organizational, administrative, managerial, technical and standardization aspects, as well as implementation and acquisition.

Nonetheless, results are very positive so fartherefore, we hope that everyone, not only at the state level, but also when we travel outside our borders, can use all this information.