ITS Australia has announced the nominations for its 2018 National Awards and that the organization’s former president and current ambassador, Brian Negus, is to receive the Max Lay Lifetime Achievement Award.
Hosted by ITS Australia and now in their ninth year, the annual National ITS Awards recognize high-level individual and team achievement in the Australian transportation industry and are an opportunity to celebrate innovation and reward excellence.
The Judging Panel has selected the shortlisted finalists from the submissions received across all categories, and the winners will be announced at the awards event in Brisbane, Queensland, on November 22. The finalists are:
Industry Award:
• EastLink – for the Freeway Tunnel Ventilation On-Demand System (top);
• GOFAR – for the GOFAR telematics system (below);
• Transurban – for the LinktGO Mobile Tolling Solution (above).
Government Award:
• Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads – for its iMaps state-wide operations map;
• Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads – for successfully integrating and leveraging multiple ITS technologies to perform real-time performance metrics and analytics for the Commonwealth Games;
• Transport for NSW – for the On-Demand Transport Pilot Program.
Automated Vehicle Award (sponsored by the Australian and New Zealand Driverless Vehicle Initiative – ADVI):
• Centre for Technology Infusion at La Trobe University – for the Autonobus Pilot Project;
• National Transport Commission – for Changing Driving Laws to Support Automated Vehicles Project;
• Transport for NSW – for the Connected and Automated Vehicle Program.
Research Award:
• Advanced Data Analytics in Transport, Data61 CSIRO – for an Artificial Intelligence Engine for Traffic Congestion Management;
• Infrastructure Victoria – for the Automated and Zero Emissions Vehicles Infrastructure Evidence Base’.
Young Professional Award:
• Jonathan Coulson, VITRONIC Australia;
• Michael Cybulski, Retina Visions;
• Andrew Hooley, Transport for NSW;
• Mikaela Stewart, CUBIC Transportation Systems.
Gino Dompietro, chair of the Awards Committee, said, “The industry has again impressed us not only by submitting a record number of nominations, but also with the extremely high quality of the nominations for this year’s awards, and after much consideration, we’re pleased to be able to announce the shortlisted finalists.”
ITS Australia chief executive Susan Harris added, “The increased number of submissions for the Young Professional Award, in particular, demonstrates the continued interest in development of the ITS Industry, which is fast paced and dynamic and provided many exciting career paths. The increased competition for this award continues to signal industry investment in young people and that young professionals are making the most of their opportunities.”
ITS Australia’s president, Dean Zabrieszach, announced that Brian Negus (right) is to be recognized for his outstanding contribution to the Australian transport and ITS industry as the 2018 recipient of the industry-nominated Lifetime Achievement Award, which is named after Dr Max Lay, a globally recognized pioneer and leader in ITS.
Zabrieszach noted that Negus’s transport career has spanned over 50 years with extensive experience in the public sector, transferring that experience to support public policy on transport initiatives through his leadership in the private sector.
He remains engaged in several high-profile and influential roles, including ambassador to ITS Australia, where he continues to lead, guide and mentor organizations and individuals on a broad range of transport issues, especially smart technology solutions to improve transport, despite retiring from full-time employment.
