Thursday marks the final day of the ITS World Congress in Atlanta, bringing together critical discussions on equitable mobility services, AI-powered transportation resilience, and the workforce transformation needed for the intelligent transportation future.
One of the key highlights will be the event’s final plenary session, Building a More Resilient Transportation System with AI & Emerging Technologies, which will take place from 10am till 11:30am in the Sidney Marcus Auditorium, on Level 4 of the World Congress Center.
Speakers featured in this session include Marc Williams, executive director, Texas Department of Transportation, Kristin White, head of transportation strategy & partnerships, Google, John Barton, chairman, professional services, HNTB Corporation, Angelos Amditis, chairman, ERTICO – ITS Europe, Jack Chao
commissioner of the Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government, David Swallow, deputy chief executive officer, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and Shaz Umer, director of strategic initiatives, USDOT.
This plenary session will discuss how AI can empower nations to take proactive approaches toward building safer transportation systems and more resilient physical and digital infrastructure before problems arise. The discussion will cover how AI is currently transforming safety and recovery efforts globally, guiding future planning, and balancing innovation with the safety of this technology.
You can find the full programme on the event website but there follows our pick of five highlights to consider as you plan your day…
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Fair Mobility as a Service Takes Global Focus | 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM | Room A305
The International Forum “Fair Mobility as a Service (Fair MaaS) to Sustainability Beyond” addresses whether mobility services are truly fair to all members of the public. The session examines how digitalization and sustainability can create equitable transportation through green intelligent transport systems accessible to all.
Susan Harris, chief executive officer of ITS Australia, joins Tilly Chang, executive director of San Francisco County Transportation Authority, and Kome Ajise, executive director of SCAG, to explore how MaaS can balance fairness across age, gender, income levels, and urban-rural divides.
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Transportation Data Exchanges Beyond Silos | 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM | Room A311
“Transportation Data Exchanges: Beyond Silos of Excellence” addresses the critical challenge of data availability in transportation systems. Mike Haas, program manager at Southwest Research Institute, Todd Peterson, program manager at FHWA, and Matt Miller, director of new and emerging transportation technologies at Iowa Department of Transportation, will explore how Transportation Data Exchanges are providing technical solutions to institutional data silos that prevent life-saving applications from accessing needed information.
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Combining 3D-Lidar and C-V2X Technology to Enhance Safety in Cities and Tolling Services in Highways Demonstration| 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM | Outdoor Demonstration Area
Indra will demonstrate the latest integrated connected vehicles technology for tolling (V2X Toll) and safety (3D-LIDAR + V2X) simultaneously from the same roadside infrastructure (RSU). During the event, Indra will use the 3D Lidar to detect a pedestrian and other events in the demonstration area.
Indra’s perception software will analyze all the cloud points generated by the 3D LIDAR identifying these events. Once a pedestrian is detected, the perception software will generate a C-V2X message from a Road Side Unit (RSU) to notify the approaching vehicles of the event (a detected pedestrian) in the area. A test vehicle with Codha Wireless On-Board Unit will be notified using an HMI available to display alerts. The same roadside infrastructure (RSU) will be used to show the latest tolling technology based on C-V2X. The goal of this demo is to show that the same roadside equipment can be used efficiently for toll collection and safety purposes.
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AI and Transportation Resilience Plenary | 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Sidney Marcus Auditorium, Level 4
“Building a More Resilient Transportation System with AI & Emerging Technologies” serves as Thursday’s marquee event, featuring Marc Williams, executive director of Texas Department of Transportation, Kristin White, head of transportation strategy and partnerships at Google, and Jack Chao, commissioner of the department of information technology at Taipei City Government.
The session will explore how AI enhances transportation resilience by detecting infrastructure wear, planning efficient freight routes, and strengthening digital infrastructure to proactively address challenges before they arise.
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Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Day One Deployment (DODD) District Experience | 10:00 AM – 2:30 pM | Outdoor Demonstration Area
The V2X DODD will showcase a fully operational V2X environment deployed by Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) on live streets in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The V2X DODD is one of the largest permanent V2X deployments on live streets and shows that V2X applications are ready for widespread deployment today.
The V2X DODD experience at World Congress will be an immersive real-world deployment to show how V2X can improve the safety and efficiency of how people move within a busy city. The V2X DODD will showcase that real-time connectivity can improve situational awareness between road users, vehicles, and infrastructure.
Notable DOT and Public Agency Participation
Thursday showcases extensive state DOT leadership addressing advanced technologies and policy frameworks. Tracy Larkin, director of Nevada Department of Transportation, participates in multiple sessions on CCAM infrastructure enhancement and transportation data exchanges, demonstrating Nevada’s commitment to connected vehicle deployment.
The Texas Department of Transportation maintains strong representation through multiple officials: Marc Williamsleads the major plenary session on AI resilience, Caroline Mays addresses advanced air mobility strategies, and Anh Selissen, chief information officer, participates in the comprehensive workforce development workshop.
North Carolina’s transportation leadership is featured through Julie White, deputy secretary of multi-modal transportation, discussing advanced air mobility integration strategies and state-level planning for eVTOL aircraft deployment.
Federal transportation leadership includes Brian Cronin, director of intelligent transportation systems joint program office at Federal Highway Administration, participating in both the workforce development workshop and representing federal perspectives on emerging technology integration.
Georgia continues its host state leadership with Clement Solomon, division director at Georgia Department of Transportation, sharing the state’s approach to advanced air mobility integration and transportation hub connectivity.
International government representation includes Jack Chao, commissioner of the department of information technology at Taipei City Government, contributing to the major plenary on AI and transportation resilience, and Angelos Amditis, chairman of ERTICO-ITS Europe, addressing both AI resilience and CCAM infrastructure enhancement.
Beyond the Sessions
Thursday begins with the final Workforce Development Workshop (8:00 AM – 10:00 AM), hosted by ITS America and WSP, featuring Jannet Walker-Ford, advisory and planning business line executive at WSP USA, as keynote speaker. The comprehensive workshop explores how emerging technologies are transforming job functions and examines strategies for empowering employees to adapt to AI-driven change, effective procurement of emerging technologies, and organizational restructuring for agility.
The outdoor demonstration area provides final opportunities to experience cutting-edge technologies from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM, featuring Indra’s integrated 3D-LIDAR and C-V2X system, enhanced rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and Miovision’s connected vehicle applications for vulnerable road user protection.
Technical paper sessions span diverse topics including vehicle automation data insights and simulation techniques, with David Chang, senior director at AtkinsRéalis USA, moderating discussions on microscopic traffic simulation, autonomous versus manual driving safety analysis, and real-time adaptive cruise control systems.
Specialized sessions address critical infrastructure topics including the “Verification Of New ITS Facility Management Method” featuring experts from Japan and Korea discussing efficient maintenance management using big data analysis and Weibull hazard models for roadside facilities.
The “Equity Perspectives on Road Safety” session brings together Carol Schweiger, president of Schweiger Consulting LLC, Janneke van der Zee, managing director of ITS Canada, and international experts to discuss Vision Zero approaches from equity perspectives, addressing gender, abilities, and age characteristics in transportation safety design.
The ITS World Congress Closing Ceremonies (1:00 PM – 2:00 PM) in the Sidney Marcus Auditorium marks the formal conclusion of this landmark event, celebrating five days of international collaboration, technological innovation, and strategic planning for the future of intelligent transportation systems.
Images: UNIS Vienna Creative Commons via Flickr, AdobeStock
