In-vehicle stereo vision system for identification of traffic conflicts between bus and pedestrian

The traffic conflict technique （TCT） was developed as ＂surrogate measure of road safety＂ to identify near-crash events by using measures of the spatial and temporal proximity of road users. Traditionally applications of TCT focus on a specific site by the way of manually or automated supervision. Nowadays the development of in-vehicle （IV） technologies pro- vides new opportunities for monitoring driver behavior and interaction with other road users directly into the traffic stream. In the paper a stereo vision and GPS system for traffic conflict investigation is presented for detecting conflicts between vehicle and pedestrian. The system is able to acquire geo-referenced sequences of stereo frames that are used to provide real time information related to conflict occurrence and severity. As case study, an urban bus was equipped with a prototype of the system and a trial in the city of Catania （Italy） was carried out analyzing conflicts with pedestrian crossing in front of the bus. Experimental results pointed out the potentialities of the system for collection of data that can be used to get suitable traffic conflict measures. Specifically, a risk index of the conflict between pedestrians and vehicles is proposed to classify collision probability and severity using data collected by the system. This information may be used to develop in-vehicle warning systems and urban network risk assessment.

Israel’s Mediterranean Gas Governance:Evolution of Domestic Regulations and Emerging Regional Issues

In recent years,Israel has discovered commercially viable natural gas deposits in what the state considers its exclusive economic zone(EEZ)in the Eastern Mediterranean.While these gas discoveries constitute less than 2%of the world’s proven gas reserves,they have the potential to not only meet Israel’s energy needs for several years to come but also enable Israel to export some amount of gas to neighboring countries as well as transregionally,to Europe.While these maritime gas fields have transformed Israel-from energy deficient to energy surplus country-Israeli policymakers are confronted with three main challenges-the revamping of taxation rules,allocation of an export quota for export,and the introduction of competition in the energy sector.The potential for export of gas presents Israel with both opportunities and challenges.While the possibilities include export to Egypt,Turkey and Europe,earning a significant monetary dividend for Israel,problems include territorial disputes and contesting claims over resources among regional countries.The gas supply to Jordanian companies is the only favorable trade deal yet for Israeli field developers.In the absence of differentiation of the exclusive economic zones in the Eastern Mediterranean region,given the political disputes between Turkey and Cyprus and Israel and Lebanon,Israeli gas export ideas may not materialize anytime soon.