Colloquium: Prof. Otto Anker Nielsen
Tuesday, 15th May 2018, at 17.15 - 18.30
ETH Zurich, UNO B 11, Universitätstrasse 41
Mobility in the future; How can we consider autonomous vehicles, shared economy and digitalization in the present decision making.
We are on the edge of a fourth transport revolution, where autonomous vehicles in a setting of shared economy and digitalization may radically change mobility and the transport system. However, most political decision making is still based upon models, forecasts and paradigm, which do not take these potential radical changes into account, even though the decisions may have perspectives of decades (traffic contracts, rail rolling stocks, light rails) or more than a century (railways, tunnels, motorways).
Having this in mind, the Danish Minister of Transportation has appointed a 6-person expert group, including undersigned, who are investigating on how this development may influence the future transport, travel behavior and hence decision making. Staff at the Ministry, DTU, the Road Directorate, Railnet Denmark and the National Transport Authority are supporting the investigation, which are to be delivered at the end of this year. The lecture will based on this investigation provide an overview on how we might rethink transportation, modelling and forecasting, and how this already now may require rethinking of policy support and decisions.
About Prof. Otto Anker Nielsen
Visiting Professor at TUDelft, 2006-2007 Vice-chair of CTT (www.ctt.dtu.dk) with reference to the Director and Board, 2000-2006, and leader of the transport-modelling group, 1994-now. CTT has about 40 employees, and the transport modelling group 12 employees, incl. Ph.D.-students. The group has also the responsibility of the area of public transport Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Logistic and Freight Transport Research (www.clgdk.com), which involves several Danish, and foreign universities and firms. The Centre has a yearly budget of about 6 mio. DKK over a 6 year period, and involves 8 professors, about 15 senior researchers, 8 post.doc and 10 Ph.D. -Studies. 2000-2007 Director of the Danish National Transport Modelling Centre (www.modelcenter.dk), 2005-2006. Member of two-person board from then. The centre is a joint centre between CTT and the Danish Transport Research Institute (DTF). The centre has a steering committee with the major transport authorities and companies in Denmark. Project manager for a number of large research, development and applied projects in traffic planning and traffic engineering – mostly with emphasis on traffic models, impact analyses, public transport and GIS. The largest project – the develop¬ment of the Copenhagen Ringsted Model System - had 55 employees in the main consortia. Several projects have been solved by international consor¬tia, among these a number of projects for the European Commission. Has published many international papers in journals (8), books (7) and at confer¬ences (57). Member of international and Nordic research networks. Has also published a large number of Danish/Nordic papers (94). Member of scientific committees for international conferences and referee on international ISI journals. Chair of the research committee for the European Transport Conference (ETC). Member of the editorial boards of two international ISI journals. Member of Steering Committees or Scientific Committees for a number of Nordic traffic model projects, EU-research projects in traffic models, and various research projects in other transport related subjects. Many professional duties, among these, several abroad, including opponent on Ph.D.-theses, evaluation committees for professorships, evaluations of applications to research foundations, etc. Has planned a number of graduate, M.Sc., Ph.D. and supplementary training level courses, and is / has been supervisor for 14 Ph.D.-students, 3 visiting Ph.D.-students, 38 M.Sc. thesis, and 75 graduate students (bachelor thesis and other project reports). Has been involved in the organisation of several Danish and Nordic conferences, and three international conferences. Chair of the M.Sc. study transport and logistics at DTU involving several of DTU’s departments. The study encompass specialisations in 1) transportation and business logistics, 2) Traffic planning and traffic engineering, and 3) modelling of traffic and transport.