Decision Support Tools - Thematic Research Summary - Transport ...

The categories in the classification scheme shown in the above table have been adoptedto enable comprehensive searching for project information available through the TRKCportal, and to ensure comprehensive coverage of research results and appropriate policyanalysis in the Thematic Research Summaries. Definitions for each category (which is alsoa theme in its own right) can be found on the TRKC website available at www.transportresearch.info.In the predecessor project EXTR@Web, TRSs were produced for 28 out of the 30 themes(the reduced number of TRSs resulting from merging of some themes into a single TRS).The TRKC project has produced first versions of TRSs for a sub-set of themes for which acritical mass of results from projects was available by December 2008. For this subset ofthemes the preparation of final versions is planned by the end of the TRKC project in June2010.This is the final version of the TRS on the “Decision Support Tools” theme which includesresults from projects available by October 2009. A large number of research projects havebeen related to the theme addressed by this report. The TRS “Decision Support Tools”produced in the predecessor project EXTR@Web (EXTR@Web, 2006) had reviewedresearch from European projects belonging to the Fourth and Fifth Framework Programme(FP4, FP5) and selected national projects. This report adds new projects to the analysisthat have been reported since that report, including various European projects from FP5and FP6, and a small selection of national projects.The research reviewed in this report does not represent the whole gamut of researchdealing with decision support tools carried out in the European Research Area (ERA). Thereport focuses on research from those projects which have provided documentation onresults available to the TRKC team after the issue of the EXTR@Web report(EXTR@Web, 2006). A summary of the research reported in the EXTR@Web report ondecision support tools is also included to make the reader aware of a wider range ofresearch relevant to the theme. For completeness, FP6 projects, either on-going or forwhich results are not yet publicly available, have also been considered.The report is organised as follows. Section 2 includes a brief analysis of the scope of thetheme. Section 3 provides an overview of the relevant policy developments at EU level,explaining at the same time why the theme is important from a policy viewpoint. Thesources for this section are principally European Commission documents which have setthe policy agenda such as white papers, green papers, and communications. EUlegislation - directives, regulations, etc - is mentioned where relevant.Thematic Research Summary: “Decision Support Tools” Page: 12 of 74Transport Research Knowledge Centre