KOTI - Korea Transport institute

KOTI to Celebrate Its 25th Anniversary

The year 2011 has dawned. This year, the Korea Transport Institute marks its 25th anniversary, an important occasion that should prompt us to look back on our past and design a new future. In celebration of the anniversary, we will host an international event in June. In the same month, together with the Korean Society of Transportation, we will also hold the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies conference.



In 2010 KOTI was selected, for the second consecutive year, as the best organization among the research institutes evaluated by the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences. We contributed much to developing national transport policies by implementing diverse research projects and participating in numerous discussions, lectures, and policy consultations. Our active communications efforts helped drastically enhance interest in transport policies throughout society. Also, we made a number of fresh proposals concerning such important issues as promoting cycling, development of KTX station areas, promotion of mixed-use transfer centers, and construction of undersea high-speed rail. I am confident that overall, we achieved remarkable growth in terms of both quantity and quality.



Crisis-Laden Business Environment

However, the policy environment surrounding KOTI is not that bright this year. The nation's SOC investment has hit a high and entered a stage of full-scale decline after having briefly increased to cope with the economic crisis. Transportation is the only industrial sector that will see a reduction in government spending in coming years, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's mid-term fiscal policy guide to 2015. Thanks to an increase in local SOC investment, transport and other related industries have so far achieved relatively stable growth. However, they are now facing trouble and already appealing for help.



For the past several years, we have continued to expand both quantitatively and qualitatively. This year, however, we may experience unprecedentedly harsh managerial pressure caused by a combination of developments. First of all, large-scale R&D projects such as those for mixed-use transfer centers and U-Transportation are slated to come to a close this year. Also, the number of newly launched SOC-sector projects is expected to dwindle, which in turn would lead to reduction in demand for commissioned research.



Turning Crisis into an Opportunity

Richard Florida is a University of Toronto professor famous for his creative class theories. In his latest book "Great Reset," he views the 2008 global economic crisis as an opportunity to revamp the economy through "resetting" society to the extent that creativity can be maximized. A look back at the history of Korea shows that not a single year has passed without mentioning the prospect of a looming crisis on New Year's Day. However, the nation is now known for its success story, which reminds us of the importance of being determined to tackle any crisis expeditiously and proactively.



History shows us that both nations and companies invite crisis by falling into complacency during good times. This historic lesson may have prompted President Lee Myung-bak to refer to an old Chinese maxim in his New Year's message: ‘Ilgi Gaseong,’ meaning to complete something impeccably in a stroke. The presidential message indicates that despite its fast recovery from the latest global economic crisis, Korea cannot afford to sit idly on its laurels and that the nation still has yet to cross the threshold leading to the group of advanced countries. Like the nation, KOTI has also achieved remarkable growth over the past several years; but we should realize that we are facing a critical situation this year, and make endeavors to achieve “resetting” in every aspect of our activities. This resetting should be accompanied by endeavors to firmly establish KOTI as a world-class research institute in the transportation sector.

 

KOTI's Goal for 2011: Leader in Global Green Convergence!!

Chairman Kazuo Inamori of Kyocera Group presents the following equation in his book "Karma Management": ‘Work results = Way of thinking × Enthusiasm × Ability.’ Of the variables, enthusiasm and ability always have positive values, but way of thinking can have negative ones. Thus, if wrongly set, the way of thinking (which could be the dream or the goal) could have a disastrous impact on the work results: the outcome could be regression, not just contraction. In his best-selling book, "Hon Chang Tong," Lee Ji-hoon stresses that goal setting determines every success and failure. Selected with this in mind, KOTI's goal for this year calls for "becoming the global leader in green convergence." The following are the reasons for having selected this goal.



Green

The crisis caused by global warming and depleting oil resources attracted worldwide attention through "An Inconvenient Truth,’ a documentary film about a crusade on climate change by Al Gore, former U.S. vice president and Nobel Peace Prize winner. A research report by IPCC, which also received the Nobel Prize, proved scientifically that human activities lie in the core of this global crisis. However, in his book "Green Growth: A Dream?", the world-renowned economist Prof. Rémy Prud’homme points out that pursuing green growth and spending money on environmentally-friendly projects cause serious side effects such as employment reduction, lowering quality of life, and widening the gap between rich and poor. Despite these negative views held by some people, the green revolution has assumed the status of a new international paradigm. Thomas Friedman contributed to this development by asserting in his book ‘Hot, Flat, and Crowded’ that it cannot be avoided if humanity wants to ensure continued existence of the Earth. In "Our Choice," Al Gore also noted that the green revolution has become the fate of mankind. Under these circumstances, producing alternative energy, reducing fossil fuel energy, and developing carbon dioxide storage technologies are no longer optional tasks. They have become obligatory. I believe that there will be no objection to our selection of "green" as the central concept of our goal for this year.



Convergence

If green growth policies meant just the reallocation of the existing resources among various green sectors, Prof. Rémy Prud’homme would have no difficulty in attracting followers to his assertion. However, contrary to what he asserted, green growth pursued on the basis of technological innovation can minimize the side effects such as employment reduction and the widening wealth gap. If technology development is pursued within the context of Paradigm Improvement as mentioned by Thomas Kuhn, green convergence would have no great meaning. It can be achieved through internal renovation within the existing spheres, or through leap-frogging that bypasses several stages of technological development. However, without a fundamental paradigm shift comparable to the invention of the steam engine, it would be impossible to secure absolute superiority in green competition. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to make endeavors for convergence with deeper implications. There could be convergence based on integration like ITS, realized through combining electronic communication technology with the transport sector. In comparison, there could be convergence based on consilience characterized by the overcoming of interdisciplinary gaps, as in the case of new car headlight technology using the principles of nocturnal animals' eyes. KOTI's future goal should focus on developing creative ideas and technologies through vertical and horizontal convergence at various levels. It should also play a leading role in developing creative technologies and policies through convergence of green technologies that appear in various sectors.



Global

Just five years have passed since the publication of "The World Is Flat" by the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. Yet, the Internet has brought the world closer together as seen in the prevalent use of SNS like TGIF (Twitter, Google, IPhone, Facebook) and Wikipedia, which represents an example of collective intelligence. Thus, nations have become more dependent on each other. Should this world be based on the survival of the fittest principle, there would be incessant wars. On the contrary, if the nations actively accept the idea of "emphatic civilization" as advocated by Jeremy Rifkin, globalization could lead to mutual survival and prosperity, featuring not zero sum but positive sum. Korea has joined the G20 and expanded its scope of FTAs. Being the world's 13th largest economy and seventh biggest trading nation, Korea is moving forward this year to usher in an era when the nation's trade volume exceeds $1 trillion. Reflecting on the nation's impressive international status, KOTI needs to become the center of efforts to combine global green intelligence based on the understanding of the need for realization of the global positive sum.



Implementation Strategy: ‘First’, ‘Best’, ‘Most’

In order for KOTI to set a new vision for the future as a global green convergence leader and to effectively apply it in the transport sector, it is critically important to have strategic thinking. First of all, it has to make a strategic transition from the "Fast Follower" to "World First" and from "Green" to "Best in Green." This should be followed by a transition from "Globalization" to "Most Able Globalization."



World First

Has KOTI been the first in the world to achieve anything? Yes, we have some such achievements, although they have not yet reached the stage of commercialization and some are just ideas. KOTI's "world's first" list includes bicycle rapid transit (BIRT); a container transport belt moving on linear motors with an automatic storage system; an expressway travel reservation system, and so on.

anthe expressway travel reservation system;, athe 3D transport system for the age of high-rise buildings;, the idea of a KTX-based one-city nation;, a transport power plant, which would be an energy production system using road transport facilities;, the smart compact city combining the station areas with high population density and smart work centers;, and the expressway rest town system, a project to build small-city economic hubs by using expressway rest areas. Prof. Song Byung-nak, one of the nation's most prominent economists, has come up with the "KTX-based one-city nation" concept, which . And, we have backed it up with a specific rail network plan. Richard Florida has proposed a city with a creative economy as a model for overcoming the economic crisis. The city in densely populated areas would feature people, products and ideas moving with super high speed by using wireless wide area networks and high-speed rail. This proposal does not differ greatly from KOTI's smart compact city concept.



This year, KOTI is to carry out a “world first” project based on the concept of creative convergence while trying to ensure practical implemenation of the existing technologies. ① The first task is related to the growing possibility of the nation being hit by disasters like climate change, regional war, and foot-and-mouth disease. To cope with these disaster situations, it is absolutely necessary to secure proper weather and traffic forecast systems in order to ensure swift evacuation and minimize human casualties. The institute has a plan to conduct research this year for the establishment of the National Transport Forecast Center featuring the convergence of weather and traffic forecasting technologies, the first of its kind in the world. It will also push for the convergence of the Center for Korea Transport Database with the Center for Transportation Vulnerability Research. ② Next, the institute also plans to carry out a study on the "Cloud Transportation System" that would make it possible to share all modes of transport, including passenger vehicles. The international car-sharing company Zipcar is already in operation in the United States and Europe; but the "Own-Less, Share-More" system being promoted by us as an international project would involve not only various public transport modes but bikes. It would certainly be the world's first such project. ③ Eco-Driving is an autonomy-based transportation demand management measure that could generate the biggest effects in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We are also going to push for the development of Techno-TDM technology combining the automobile built-in system for frequent fuel efficiency calculation, as well as a speed-limit system designed to prevent sudden braking on expressways. ④ In addition, we will promote the development of smart automobile technology that would make it possible for the car to avoid crowded roads or find recharging stations on its own by processing traffic information offered through outside road facilities. ⑤ Finally, we are also planning to promote a project under the concept of "interdisciplinary approach to transport systems." This idea calls for mobilizing the most prominent scholars in various related areas to develop new transport technologies from the viewpoint of their respective academic areas and interdisciplinary perspectives.



Best in Green

For the past several years, KOTI has led the national efforts to develop green transport policies and technologies. It has drawn a plan for the nationwide bike path network, thus helping to usher in a new cycling age, and developed bicycle apps for smart phones based on augmented reality. We have worked out a high-speed rail-centered national rail network plan, while playing a leading role in developing policies and technologies for building rail station-oriented mixed-use transfer centers. Through the KTX economic zone project, KOTI has opened a new chapter for developing new policies for environmentally-friendly regional growth. It has secured a basis for future-oriented large-scale green transport projects by conducting feasibility studies on undersea tunnels among Korea, Japan and China as well as the Honam-Jeju undersea tunnel. We have also played a leading role in efforts to develop eco-friendly automobiles oriented toward electric vehicles. Other green projects that set us apart from other institutes include walking environment improvements and a new address system, Korea-Japan trailer towing, green airports, safety technology for green route development, and green logistics certificates.



Our green projects so far have been for local use. From now on, however, we will focus on developing new policies and technologies that can help ensure world-class green transportation. ① As for cycling promotion, we will concentrate on building a seamless cycling network by linking the completed national bicycle path network with the cycle paths on the four major rivers as well as those in urban areas, along river branches and within large-scale complexes. In particular, we will actively take part in the project to build bike paths along river branches, which would exceed 30,000km in length. A "bike-oriented campus" program is also being promoted as a pilot project. ② For speedy implementation of regional development programs based on the concept of KTX economic zones, we will push for work to refurbish transport networks linking expressway ramps and KTX stations. We will also push for the construction of mixed-use transfer centers to ensure comprehensive use of spaces in station areas. The idea of building underground cities will also be promoted in connection with the proposed subterranean expressways. Urban design technologies would be grafted onto these projects to help enhance the prospect of their realization. ③ More concrete pictures will be drawn for the envisioned "Northeast Asia Meta Economic Region," which would involve the construction of the Korea-Japan and the Honam-Jeju undersea tunnels. ④ Endeavors will be made to establish an electric vehicle-oriented eco-friendly urban transport system featuring the convergence of recharging facilities, smart grids and smart electric cars. This would help the nation quickly secure the world's top level in this area, although it has somewhat lagged behind other nations in electric car production. ⑤ A network of world-class environmentally-friendly hiking paths will be fostered through further developing urban Olle and Dulle eco trails. In a related move, we will develop a "complete streets system" designed to lay the groundwork for ensuring equal use of roads for all kinds of modes of travel, including bikes and walking. At the same time, we are promoting plans to repair approach roads along river branches and to build a road traffic system that could maximize waterfront amenities. ⑥ In preparation for the opening of the Gyeongin Waterway, we will push for a new logistics system in which water and rail transport can play mutually complementary roles. We will also promote measures to nurture global logistics companies based on the green logistics certificate system. ⑦ We will prepare a system to effectively cope with climate change and other emergencies, with the Center for Transportation Vulnerability Research playing a leading role. ⑧ Lastly, we will step up efforts to develop world-class air flight safety technologies by establishing the "Aviation Safety Technology Research Laboratory" during the first half of this year. The institute will carry out projects to shorten air routes through improving safety technology and to develop a flight safety monitoring system. These projects will ultimately contribute to upgrading the nation's green policies in the air transport sector.



Most Able Globalization

Humans cannot be a match for computers as far as computing ability is concerned, but they are creative enough to make computers. The creativity of humans takes place through the operation of a delicate network of neurons in the brain. Likewise, for KOTI to become a future-oriented factory of creativity, it is absolutely necessary to secure a well-organized global network and use it effectively. Last year, KOTI signed 10 international MOUs for research cooperation, thus securing a cooperation network covering all the major areas of the world, except Africa, South America and the Middle East. In January, we will sign an MOU with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), extending our network to cover South America. We are also involved in a national rail network project in Cameroon and promoting plans to gain contracts from some Middle Eastern countries. So, it will not be long before KOTI's international cooperation network covers all major parts of the world. Due to budgetary restrictions, KOTI is dispatching staff members to only a limited number of foreign institutions such as the World Bank, the Asia Development Bank, and the OECD ITF; the institute plans to expand the program when its effects are proved over time. KOTI has been holding annual joint seminars separately with the East-West Center of the United States, ITPS of Japan, the Center for Northeast Asian Studies of China's Jilin University, the World Bank, and the OECD. We are pushing for such annual exchanges with Russia's FEMRI and Singapore's LTA. Last year, KOTI hosted or participated in about 40 international seminars or overseas events. Our future international activities will focus on conducting joint research and gaining project contracts. In a related development, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs is studying various ways to promote overseas advancement as one of this year's key projects.



KOTI's global business has so far expanded substantially. Utilizing our extensive global network, we will pursue a strategy to maximize the institute's productivity beginning this year. ① First of all, the Center for Global Transport Research will establish a transport-sector global strategy by utilizing the network of organizations that have signed MOUs with KOTI, ensuring that Korea's experience and know-how in implementing SOC projects can be actively accepted by Third World countries. ② Next, the institute will carry out a project to standardize technologies and data, laying the groundwork for establishing Korean standards as global standards, and ultimately helping Korean companies advance into overseas markets in the transport sector. ③ To globally spread Korea's green growth policies, efforts will be made to set up a KOTI-centered working session within international organizations through joint studies, and to promote projects to establish "sustainable policy development systems" jointly with development banks. These endeavors will result in securing overseas beachheads for Korea's future-oriented green industries making inroads into overseas markets. To ensure smooth business cooperation with development banks, steps will be taken to expand the role of the newly established Center for Transport Economics Research in international business affairs. ④ KOTI will push for the publication of a globally recognized SCI journal by using experts at organizations that have signed MOUs with KOTI. Seeking leadership roles at the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies (EASTS) and the World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR), KOTI will try to participate in their specialized committees and provide financial assistance. ⑤ KOTI will make endeavors to reinforce its organization and recruit top talent so that it can effectively support the government's top-priority overseas projects such as ITS, high-speed rail, and airport construction and operation support. ⑥ Lastly, we are scheduled to host an international seminar in June to celebrate the institute's 25th anniversary. We will make thorough preparations for the event while fully taking advantage of our global network of cooperation.



Building a Support System

We realized that organizational support was vitally needed to pursue our goal of establishing KOTI as a global leader in green convergence. So, last November, we inaugurated the Global Research Office for Green Growth and Convergence, and established two new centers under the office: the Center for Convergence Technology Planning and the Center for Global Transport Research. We also created the Center for Transportation Vulnerability Research, which will carry out basic research for the establishment of the National Transport Forecast Center. The Center for Transport Economics Research will play a role in supporting international exchanges.



The head of the Global Research Office for Green Growth and Convergence will serve as Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), readjusting differences among various centers in developing new policies and implementing technology development projects. To support the activities of the Convergence Technology Planning Center, the institute will set up a team tentatively called the "Convergence Research Committee." Its personnel composition will be taken care of by the CIO and the chief of the center. Steps will also be taken to fill personnel vacancies in the Global Transport Research Center as soon as possible.



 Staff reinforcement is essential for the institute in carrying out its ambitious objectives without a hitch. New research projects have been given to the Center for Korea Transport Database, the Center for Global Rail Research, and the Aviation Safety Technology Research Laboratory. We will do our best to recruit more staff members to properly support their research activities.



KOTI plans to announce the interim results of its global green convergence-related projects during an international academic event slated to be held in June in commemoration of the institute's 25th anniversary. With this in mind, the research schedule of these projects will be readjusted. Beginning in January, we will operate a standing Task Force Team (TFT) for the successful staging of the event. Led by the institute's vice president and the head of the Office of Planning and Administration, the TFT team will supervise not only overall conference procedures but projects to prepare a new institute emblem and prepare the 2030 vision.



This will be a memorable year when KOTI will present its new vision and soar as a world-class institute. As a proverb says, let's strike while the iron is hot. Now is the time to further tighten up our posture, exerting common efforts to leap forward and put KOTI on a stable and permanent growth track. Let me ask all of you to participate in the endeavors to transform KOTI into a world-class institute.