Author Description

This Symposium was the 8th in the series of planned IFAC Symposia on Transportation Systems. The International Program Committee received over 400 papers from the international transportation community. Road Traffic was the most popular subject with over 190 abstracts followed by Intermodal and Freight, Public Transport, Rail and Maritime Transport, and Air Traffic. Transportation of people and goods has been necessary for society for thousands of years. In modern times, transportation by road, rail, air and sea has become a fundamental component of human activity. A great number of technical, economic, environmental and organizational problems related to traffic and transportation have been ingeniously resolved in the past and perhaps an even higher number of problems will have to be overcome in the future. Recently, it has been realized more and more that problems connected to transportation, traffic congestion and delay cannot be resolved by simply extending the available infrastructure. Efficient use of existing facilities is a feasible alternative which becomes possible by the application of concepts and methods provided by systems and information theory. Besides, recent developments in digital computer and communication technology provide the necessary practical tools for satisfactory and cheap solutions. The papers in this volume reflect these ideas and the current diversity and dynamism of the field as a whole.