Use of IPv6 in traffic and logistics - a pre-study

The aim of this pre-study was to describe the exploitability and attractiveness of the IPv6 technology in transport and logistic telematics. The study consisted of the following parts: study of the adoption timeframe and challenges of the IPv6 technology, creation of new traffic services using IPv6, assessment of the improvement of old services when using IPv6, and assessment of the feasibility of new pilot services. The main advantages of IPv6 are larger address space, support for mobility, better authentication and privacy capabilities, simpler header format, flow labelling capability, autoconfiguration, and integration of fixed and wireless networks. These features together enable place and time independent services for mobile consumers. IPv6 is relativly independent of the data transmission modes, and it can be used everywhere where the IPv4 is used today. It can be assumed that in the year 2010 more than 95% of the systems connected into the Internet will use the IPv6 technology. Many transport and logistic services could be implemented with IPv6. It opens up possibilities for the use of new techniques, and therefore additional value for some services or for their implementation. However, before the implementation of IPv6 into the traffic services the service concept should be defined carefully. In addition, software of the systems and equipment must be updated. This report describes numerous services, which could utilise IPv6. However, at this stage all of those are not yet implementable. Challenges of the implementation of different services are described. In the beginning the technique would be worth testing for example for 1) information delivery at gas stations, at heavy traffic hubs or in public service vehicles, 2) goods transport fleet management, 3) freight management, 4) communication between vehicles for example at road works, and 5) traffic or environmental data collection and management systems. The study showed that IPv6 could be widely use in traffic services. In the beginning the feasibility should be tested with some pilot services. The pilots could be either broad scale with consumers or small scale just testing the technique. In summary, IPv6 will be taken widely in use in all technology. Traffic services should follow this development. This report is available at http://www.vtt.fi/rte/projects/fits/ or http://www.mintc.fi