PTV AG

PTV AG
Aktiengesellschaft
Industry Computer software
Founded Karlsruhe, Germany (1979)
Key people
 Vincent Kobesen, CEO
Michel Zweers, CFO
Dr. Frank-Jürgen Weise, Chairman of PTV's Supervisory Board
Products PTV Visum, PTV Vissim, PTV Optima, PTV Balance, PTV Vistro, PTV Viswalk, PTV Map&Guide, PTV Smartour, PTV xServer, PTV Map&Market, PTV Drive&Arrive, PTV Navigator
Revenue approx. 92 million euros (PTV Group)
Number of employees
 more than 700 worldwide (PTV Group)
Website http://www.ptvgroup.com

PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG is a German company specialising in software solutions and consulting services for traffic and transportation, mobility, and logistics. "Vision Traffic Suite", their transport planning software, and "PTV Map&Guide", their program for route planning, comprise the PTV AG's product portfolio. According to the manufacturer, over 2,000 customers in more than 90 countries use the Vision Traffic Suite in the fields of transport modelling and traffic flow calculation.[1] PTV ranks among the top 1,000 global market leaders in Germany according to Germany's Manager Magazin.[2]

History

In 1979 Dr.-Ing. Hans Hubschneider and Michael Sahling founded PTV Planungsbüro Transport und Verkehr GmbH in Karlsruhe, Germany. Between 1979 and 1982 they developed the first computer program for trip planning. The first projects included location and distribution planning for Raiffeisen in Schleswig-Holstein, line network planning for bus and road transport in Mannheim and trip planning for Langnese-Iglo. These projects were the basis for the development of other software products. In 1999, PTV's five GmbH units were merged into PTV Planung Transport Verkehrs AG (the "AG" stands for Aktiengesellschaft, which is a corporation under German law). Since 2001, the company has been providing software products and services in the fields of transport, mobility, and logistics. In 2012, PTV launches a new corporate design which reflects PTV's position as a global smart software company and a new logo: The PTV Group. In 2014 the internationalisation process is driven forward: new subsidiaries in the UK, Mexico, Japan and Dubai. In 2016 PTV Group has acquired 100% of the British company Distribution Planning Software Limited (DPS).

Business & Markets

Today, PTV has a global network of offices and partners on four continents. Currently, PTV AG employs 700 people and has subsidiaries in Berlin, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Erfurt, and Stuttgart. Moreover, it operates a wide network of subsidiaries and associated companies that are located in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Austria, and in countries outside of Europe, such as Dubai, China, the United States, Australia, Canada and Mexico. PTV focuses on the following industry sectors: automotive industry, ICT sector, transport and logistics, government, traffic and transportation, mobility, traffic engineering, food and healthcare, and furniture.

Organisation

PTV is a corporation. The company is divided into the following three business fields: Traffic Software (transportation planning, transport models, traffic simulation, public transport), Transport Consulting (transport planning and traffic engineering, traffic management, public transport, integrated transport concepts for sustainable mobility) and Logistics Software (planning and optimisation of transports and sales structures, software for route and trip planning, geomanagement, geomarketing, visualisation on digital maps).

Products

Traffic Software:

  • PTV Visum [3](macroscopic travel-demand modelling)
  • PTV Vissim (microscopic traffic simulation)
  • PTV Viswalk (microscopic pedestrian simulation)
  • PTV Vistro (traffic engineering)
  • PTV Optima (real-time traffic management)
  • PTV Balance (traffic-adaptive network control)
  • PTV Epics (traffic-adaptive signal control)
  • PTV Vistad (qualitative collection and validation of accident data)

The software solutions are used by engineering offices, public authorities, and research institutes as well as by students in transportation engineering.[4]

Logistics Software:

Projects

In 2009 PTV used its transportation planning software PTV Vision for the simulation of the traffic flow to and from Yas Marina Circuit, the Formula One track in Abu Dhabi. This simulation included all modes of transport in a single model. Thanks to VISSIM it was also possible to model the behaviour of the Formula One fans at the grandstands[5]

In 2008, PTV supported "DAS FEST", an open-air festival in Karlsruhe, by simulating pedestrian escape routes. The information film was based on the software module VISSIM which allows the user to model and visualise the interaction between people at major events and between people and vehicles. Another application simulated the transfer behaviour of passengers at the North Melbourne Station in Australia.[6][7]

PTV is involved in the development of systems for traffic management, traffic information and forecasts. This includes, for example, the Traffic Management Centre (VMZ) in Berlin,[8] the Ruhrpilot,[9] and traveler information services on the BayernInfo.de website of the German state of Bavaria.[10]

Research

At IAA Commercial Vehicles 2010 in Hanover, Germany, PTV presented the results of the study on intelligent cargo systems. The research study was carried out on behalf of the European Commission and focused on intelligent freight transport. It presents scenarios in 2020 and 2035 and analyses the increasing demand for efficient and sustainable logistics and the complex planning tasks for global transport chains covering all modes of transport.[11]

Since 2008, PTV has been involved in research projects focusing on the sustainable development of megacities, such as "Climate and energy in a complex transition process towards sustainable strategies for". The aim is to develop urban-planning concepts until 2013. These concepts will then be used as the basis for decision-making processes concerning future transport systems and traffic infrastructure.[12][13]

A new routing method for urban transport has been developed by PTV as part of the CVIS project which is funded by the European Commission. Route recommendations provided by cities and communities can also be included in this strategic routing method, which was presented to the public with live driving demonstrations in November 2009.[14]

In cooperation with its 28 project partners, PTV is involved in the research initiative AKTIV (i.e., "Adaptive and Cooperative Technologies for Intelligent Traffic"), whose aim is to make future traffic and transportation safer and more efficient. To this end, new driver assistance systems, information technologies, and software solutions for efficient traffic management will be developed by the project team. As part of AKTIV, PTV has created a network which allows communication between the traffic management system, the car, and the road infrastructure.[15]

Traffic Flow Simulation for the 2008 and 2016 Olympics: PTV transportation experts conducted two studies set out to create detailed models of the traffic flow during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The city uses the model to optimize traffic flow during the Olympics and to analyse future traffic and transportation demand over the next twenty years.[16]

Integrated solutions for green ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) and logistics can potentially deliver up to 20% overall fuel savings and CO2 emissions reduction. The European Union therefore initiated the research project eCoMove in spring 2010. A consortium of 32 partners will test the energy efficiency of cooperative systems and services until March 2013. PTV AG is also a member of the ecoMove consortium and is involved in three of the six sub-projects, focussing on car-to-x-communication, cooperative, eco-friendly traffic management & control, and ecoFreight & Logistics.[17]

Awards

Every second year, PTV invites researchers from all over the world to bid their ideas for the so-called PTV Vision Scientific Award.[18] It rewards outstanding accomplishment in research using the transport planning tools PTV Visum and PTV Vissim. In 2007, Wilco Burghout from the Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) and Johan Wahlstedt from the engineering office Ramböll won the prize worth €2.500.00 for their research work on "Hybrid Traffic Simulation with Adaptive Signal Control". In 2009 the award was given to Guido Gentile from the University of Rome for his new algorithm LUCE (Linear User Cost Equilibrium).

References

  1. ↑ Detailed information at http://www.ptv-vision.com/en-uk//
  2. ↑ PTV reached 716th among top 1,000 global market leaders in Germany http://www.manager-magazin.de/unternehmen/artikel/0,2828,718850-8,00.html
  3. ↑ More about PTV Visum at http://www.ptv-vision.com/en-uk/products/vision-traffic-suite/ptv-visum/overview/
  4. ↑ Article about: ITD traffic engineers receive VISSIUM Lesson at the National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology at the University of Idaho http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/publications/Technovations_in_Transportation/Vol2No1.htm
  5. ↑ Article on page 8/9: http://mag.digitalpc.co.uk/fvx/ropl/itsi/softwareRI1012/
  6. ↑ More information: http://www.patrec.org/web_docs/atrf/papers/2009/1849_paper54-Galiza.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.ptvag.com/fileadmin/files_ptvag.com/download/traffic/ref/Ref_NorthMelbourneStation_e.pdf
  8. ↑ "VMZ - Startseite". Vmz-info.de. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  9. ↑ "RUHRPILOT - route planner, traffic information and city map". Ruhrpilot.de. 2002-10-14. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  10. ↑ "BayernInfo - Welcome". Bayerninfo.de. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  11. ↑ "PTV AG Dokumentvorlage PTVAGSingle_En.Dot" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  12. ↑ "Projekte des Programms Megacities". Emerging-megacities.org. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  13. ↑ "Sustainable Hyderabad". Sustainable-hyderabad.de. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  14. ↑ Julie Castermans (2010-09-22). "Home". Cvisproject.org. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  15. ↑ Susanne Weiss / Andreas Reinl. "aktiv-online [Projekte]". Aktiv-online.org. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  16. ↑ http://www.ptvag.com/company/news/press/press-release/pressrelease/traffic-flow-simulation-for-the-2008-and-2016-olympics-ptvs-strategic-traffic-and-transportation/?tx_ptvnews_pi1[page]=22
  17. ↑ "Home". Ecomove-project.eu. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  18. ↑ "Scientific Award". PTV AG. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
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