INTRODUCING THE ORGANIZATION OF TRANSPORT STUDIESVTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLAND
Mikko MALMIVUO
Customer Manager, VTT, Finland

VTT Technical ResearchCen­tre of Finland is the biggest
contract research organisation inNorthern Europe. The 2700 employees of the organisation carryout research work in various research areas including information
technology, industrial engineering,biotechnology, chem­istry, building, energy, environment as well astransport, traffic and logistics.

The history of VTT starts
from 1942, when Finland decided
to establish a new and independent,
government-owned research institute. Its mission was “to engage intechnical research for the benefit ofscience and society”. During theSecond World War VTT’s activities
were closely linked to research andtesting for military purposes andcivil defence. The research workfor private companies and for thebenefit of public interests started togrow and expand gradually after thewar.

VTT initially had ten separate
laboratories. The road laboratory,
the laboratory dedicated for road
construction and road material
testing, was one of the first laboratories. The growing traffic also created a need for transport studies,and finally in 1972, the name of the“Road Laboratory” was changed
to “Road and Transport Laboratory”.
During the years 1970 to 1995
VTT made several fundamental national traffic studies which built thebasis for the well-known and highlevel of traffic safety in Finland. In
1995 Finland joined the European
Union and the membership boosted
soon the European wide researchcooperation and projects. During
the last decade VTT’s transport related research has established its
role as an important key organization in several European transport
research areas. VTT has been seen
regularly as a leader or partner inEU transport research projects regarding:- Transport telematics, especiallyregarding impact evaluation,- Driver behaviour and traffic signs,- Strategic assessment of transport

VTT carries out transport research in all transport modes.

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policies,- Intermodal railway-road research,- Trans-European road network optimisation.

ROAD AND TRANSPORTRESEARCH IN VTT TODAY
VTT’s transport, logistics androad structure research employ
about 200 hundred people . VTT is
one of the few international researchorganisations which carries out research in all transport modes: road,rail, water and air . VTT specializes
in research of:Information technology in the op­ti­misation of logistics
VTT uses the latest information technology when developing production-oriented information systems supporting decision-making for the optimal controlof transport. Methods related to systems research are used at the strategic, tactical and operative levels.
Fleet management (FM) is appliedin a physical network, where vehicles move following a given tasklist.

Energy consumption and the en­vi­ronmental impact of transport
VTT’s focus is on the energy
consumption of transport, and how
the emissions caused can be reduced. Expertise extends from fuels
and engines to the development ofpurification technologies for exhaust fumes. Research environment
includes equipment suitable formeasuring both heavy vehicles andpassenger cars. Research scientists
manage complex interactions between vehicles, power equipment,fuels, emissions and total energy
supply. This field of activity also
includes extensive assessments offuel and energy chains at the systemlevel.

Transport systems
The focus areas of transportsystem research include travelling
behaviour, transport models andpredictions, transport policy, publictransport, goods transport and theeconomic, environmental and social impact of transport. VTT develops planning methods and theirutilisation in transport, passenger
information, as well vehicle andpay­ment systems.
Road transport
Road transport, which comprises both passenger and freighttransport, is one of VTT’s key focus
areas in transport research. Traffic
safety is often emphasised. The main
focus in improving safety is placedon the infrastructure of the transportsystem, operators and road users.
VTT enhances competitiveness in
the industry and transportation sectors by developing new logistic
solutions and new innovations that
support public decision-making con­cerning transport solutions.
Aviation and air transport
VTT’s broad expertise can beapplied to a number of subjects inthe field of aviation and air transport – the high cost of fuel, environmental aspects, strong competitionand security aspects bring new challenges to the aviation industry. VTT
possesses solid expertise in aircraft
life cycle management and the verification of new structures.

In the project “The Finnish Ecocity for the Future in China” VTT is studying the pos­sibilities
to build a modern ecological high-tech city in Tianjin, China. One of the visions is, that theprimary means of transport in the city would be “Cybercap”, automatic Taxi.

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In the European AIDE-project VTT has developed the module
which is intended to detect whether the driver is under visual or
cognitive workload. The overall scope of the AIDE project is toenable adaptation of an in-vehicle HMI according to the driver'smomentary state. This was one of the first attempts in world wide
to fuse driver environmental measures, vehicle statuses anddriver’s dynamical behaviour and schedule the user interface toprovide information in an appropriate moment.

Rail transport
VTT’s cross-disciplinary services generate added value for thecustomers in the field of railway
transport. The projects vary fromstrategic analysis and transport
policy research to in-depth technology solutions and safety analysis.
By combining the system and technology expertise VTT can offer
customers a high level of service.
Research also covers devices, technologies and systems. Environmental impacts, such as ground borne
vibrations and noise reduction questions have been studied in several
projects during recent years.
Maritime transport and harbours
VTT offers a wide range ofresearch and development services
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In the APOLLO-project, VTT and European car and tyreman­ufacturers studied intelligent tyres, including in-tyresensors, which are able to monitor road conditions.
During recent years VTT has participated in several
projects dealing with innovative methods for monitoringroad conditions and friction.

erations. The key objective is to improve maritime safety and, as in alloperations, observe the environmental aspects. Projects supporting theaim to improve maritime safety focus on preventive design, in which
the use of various risk management
tools is essential. VTT participatesin the development of risk management tools, observes the industry’s
developments and applies new, efficient methods to improve safety inthe transportation value chain. Costand benefit calculations, combinedwith environmental values, form asubstantial part of the research.
Structural technology for the de­vel­opment of infrastructure
VTT research also comprises
research on structural technology ofinfrastructure: pavement and roadstructures, geotechnology, bridges
and tunnels. The main topics aremodelling and monitoring of structural behaviour and development of
new structural concepts and construction methods as well as maintenance. Projects have lately focusedmore often on life cycle cost andlife cycle assessment analysis withvarious materials and structural elements. Harsh sub-arctic climate andvarious frost actions provide thebackground to develop functionaland eco-efficient solutions both forthe public and private sector.

EXTENSIVE
INTERNATIONAL NETWORKVTT is a well-known partner
in many international organisations.
VTT is a member of the following

Ship handling simulator, test facilities for energy use and emissions from heavy vehicles as well as road surface
measurement system are examples of the variety of VTT research facilities.

organisations:- EARPA European Automotive
Research Partners Association- ECMAR European Co-operationin Maritime Research- ECTRI European Conference ofTransport Research Institutes- ERTICO ITS Europe- FERSI Forum of European Road
Safety Research Institutes- ICTCT International Cooperation on Theories and Concepts inTraffic Safety- IEA-AMF Implementing Agree-

ment on Advanced Motor Fuels- IEA-HEV Implementing Agreement on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles- IMO International Maritime Organisation- ISSC International Ship Structures Committee- ISSMGE The International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering- OECD ITRD International Transport Research Documentation- TRB Transport Research Board- UITP International Union of Public Transport
VTT has small branch offices
outside Finland. At the moment
VTT has such contact points inSilicon Valley (USA), St Petersburg(Russia), Shanghai (China) andSeoul (South Korea, under construction). Also half a dozen independent sale agents around theworld are offering VTT expertise tocustomers abroad.

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