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7.4 The assessment of the need for the implementation of telematics
The implementation of ITS system allows for greater flexibility and transparency
in the supply chain, optimisation and acceleration and minimisation of costs of many
processes and procedures, but it also:
• Enables an advantage in economies of scale in supply, production and
distribution, which results in the reduction in the cost of products and services.
• Ensures consistency of information provided to end users.
• Encourages investment in applications and telematics solutions.
• Provides interoperability of elements, even if they are produced by different
manufacturers, which is especially beneficial for small and medium-sized
businesses.
• Provides an adequate level of technological independence and easy implementation
of new technologies.
It should be noted that today the ability to ensure a smooth and efficient transport
of people and goods, which is prepared to carry out the tasks in conditions of interference
is an essential requirement. One of the ways to guarantee such possibility is the
introduction and extensive use of telematics solutions in the supply chain. The delay in
the implementation or the lack of such solutions may result in the loss or reduction of
competitiveness and will generate the unsustainable use of logistics infrastructure.
The use of telematics in the transport sector has different appearances and
concerns different modes. In the first phase, one may distinguish the provision and use
of information by means of telecommunication to trip-makers in order to increase the
efficiency and reliability of transport operations. Electronic data interchange (EDI) in the
freight transport sector is a good example. The same holds for automatic debiting systems
for parking or road pricing. In this case, telematics does not necessarily affect transport
behaviour (in terms of route choice, trip scheduling, departure time), but it serves to
increase the performance of transportation.This is more or less an a-spatial use of telematics
in the transport sector. Next, we may mention various telematics technologies that may
have an immediate day-by-day consequence for transportation behaviour. Examples are
route guidance, variable message signs or radio data information. Such uses of telematics
influence spatial behaviour of trip-makers, not only for car users and truck drivers but also
for users of public transport. And finally we may distinguish telematics applications which
have a structuring impact on mobility behaviour. This may be found in tele-working, tele-
commuting, teleconferencing, tele-shopping etc., where trip-making (e.g., home-to-work)
is influenced in terms of changes in commuting or shopping patterns. Another example
concerns tele-centres, which is a decentralised concentration of teleworking or tele-
commuting. In most cases the latter type of telematics use has a substituting impact on
transport behaviour of individuals, and the beneficial impacts may therefore be relatively
large in comparison with the former two types of telematics use. Recent research shows
that the potential of teleworking is considerable in terms of reduced trips and impacts on
the environment. It is clear that the adoption of telematics technologies is a multi-faceted
phenomenon, in which time preferences, individual motives, labour flexibility, financial
sacrifices and many other driving forces play an important role. This also means that one