Orientation meeting for the Master’s Program in Intelligent Transportation Systems at Al-Ahliyya Amman University

Under the auspices of HE Dr. Lina Shabib, Minister of Transport, and in the presence of the President of Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Prof. Dr. Hamed Sadeq, the Faculty of Engineering at Al-Ahliyya Amman University organized an orientation meeting for the Master’s Program in Intelligent Transportation Systems, which comes within the European Partnership Project Tempus.Dr. Munther Abdul Hadi, local coordinator of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Program, started the meeting with an enlightening speech. He explained the nature of the Master's Program in Intelligent Transportation Systems, which is embraced by the University in Jordanian, Arab and European partnership, namely: University of Science and Technology, University of Jordan, Mutah University; Egyptian universities, including the University of Minya, Assiut University, Ain Shams University and Menoufia University; and European Universities, including the Swedish Linkoping University, the Polish Gdansk University of Technology, and the Slovak Zilina University. The program aims to introduce the Master’s Program in Intelligent Transportation Systems which is expected to be offered by the University in the beginning of the next academic year 2014-2015, after obtaining the accreditation by the higher education institutions in Jordan. The program is expected to make a quantum leap in transportation engineering since Jordan, one of the Middle East countries, has not offered such program before. Dr. Abdul Hadi added that getting the support for the project is the result of vigorous effort exerted by Her Excellency the Minister, keeping in mind that she is a faculty member at Al-Ahliyya Amman University.In his speech, Dr. Sadeq Hamed, President of the University, said that the University always seeks premium partnerships with numerous universities in the world to rise to the level of its counterpart worldwide universities. He stressed the continued support for this program. He noted that the Department of Civil Engineering at the University is a developed department in Jordan in terms of its facilities and components. Dr. Hamed added that the road and transport sector in Jordan is still underdeveloped. Modern technology has developed in this sector worldwide, which is likely to overlap with other technology sectors, including information technology, telecommunications engineering, and electronic engineering. This program integrates these fields in order to provide a pioneering civilized service for this sector in Jordan, in collaboration with the Ministries of Transport, Public Works, and the Directorate of General Security. Dr. Hamed thanked these ministries in advance for their tireless efforts to participate actively towards the success of the program.Her Excellency the Minister expressed her pleasure and pride to be in Al-Ahliyya Amman University. She also highlighted the importance of using intelligent transportation systems in the field of transport. She said that the main objectives of the intelligent transportation systems include increasing the operational efficiency and capacity of the transportation system, improving levels of movement and convenience for users, improving traffic safety, reducing energy consumption and negative environmental impacts, and improving economic productivity. Her Excellency pointed out that in view of the increasing number of vehicles, which exceeds one million and two hundred thousand vehicles, accompanied by the increased number of accidents and congestion, as well as energy consumption and environmental impacts, there is an urgent need to use all means to reduce these problems by using intelligent transportation systems as one of the available solutions. She emphasized that the Ministry of Transport, in collaboration with various stakeholders, seek to implement intelligent transportation systems on roads to enhance safety and improve traffic and the level of public transport services provided to citizens. She added that many projects and applications of these systems were implemented in various fields. She noted that a study has been completed and a tender has been offered for operating intelligent transportation systems in public transportation means through the use of tracking systems for easy control of these means and the establishment of control centers, in addition to the application of electronic payment of transportation fees.The orientation meeting featured several lectures, including a lecture by Dr. Ghalib Smadi of the Greater Amman Municipality, entitled “The importance of the role of intelligent transportation systems in increasing safety and the capacity of transport and traffic systems and improving the management of these systems and the role and plans of Greater Amman Municipality in this area”; a lecture delivered by Colonel Engineer Rami Dabbas, Deputy Director of the Jordanian Traffic Institute entitled “Intelligent Transportation Systems in the Directorate of General Security”; a lecture by Architect Shaheera Zyoud, Director of Road Studies Department of the Ministry of Public Works, entitled “The results of Intelligent Systems Questionnaires”; and a lecture by Dr. Munther Abdul Hadi entitled “Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications in Japan”. At the end of the orientation meeting, a seminar was held to discuss the proposed courses to compose the items of the study plan of the program.