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The ITS Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative
by Toni Wilbur
Hooray, it's celebration time.
Actually four celebrations coast-to-coast, starting last June in Seattle
and running through October in New York, marked the completion of a major
step in achieving the goal of a national intelligent transportation infrastructure
by 2005. The official kickoffs of model deployment projects in Seattle,
San Antonio, Phoenix, and the New York City metropolitan area were the
culmination of an effort that began in October 1996 when then Secretary
of Transportation Federico Peña announced that these metropolitan areas
had been selected to participate in the intelligent transportation systems
(ITS) metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative, jointly sponsored by the
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration.
The intelligent transportation
infrastructure is an integrated system of nine intelligent transportation
components, and under the metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative, partnerships
of public agencies and private companies have deployed integrated, regional
transportation management systems that provide improved operations, faster
emergency response, and better incident management. Travelers in these
areas can receive up-to-the-minute traffic information, transit schedules
and arrival times, parking availability, and other transportation information
via the Internet, cable television, hand-held and in-vehicle devices,
kiosks, and a variety of other devices.
 The
model deployment sites provide real-life examples of how technology and
information systems, coupled with better operations and management strategies,
can improve transportation in metropolitan areas. A rigorous evaluation
of the model deployment projects is underway to document benefits, costs,
and lessons learned. Other metropolitan areas can use these evaluation
results to guide their own efforts to integrate ITS into their regional
transportation plans and programs.
The metropolitan model deployment
projects are true public-private partnerships, with the project partners
providing approximately 50 percent of the total project cost. The partnerships
are committed to providing long-term operations and management of the
systems after the federal Model Deployment Initiative has ended.
Seattle Smart Trek Model
Deployment
Federal Highway Administrator Kenneth Wykle gave the keynote address at
the Seattle Smart Trek Summit on June 12, 1998. The summit celebrated
the kickoff of this model deployment. Smart Trek is a partnership of 25
public agencies and private companies that have integrated 29 projects
designed to build upon the region's significant investment in ITS infrastructure.
Information That's Easy
to Use
Smart Trek provides real-time traffic and transit information that is
reliable and easy to understand and use. Microsoft, a Smart Trek partner,
has added real-time, customized traffic information and travel times to
its "Sidewalk" online entertainment guide. Other Web applications provide
updated traffic-flow maps. A variety of other systems translate traffic
and transit information into usable messages. A cable television program
provides up-to-the-minute glimpses of traffic conditions and average speeds
along key travel corridors. Real-time traveler information is also available
at kiosks and on a variety of personal devices, including personal digital
assistants, two-way pagers, in-vehicle navigation devices, and interactive
television. Expanded use of variable message signs and highway-advisory
radio systems complete a system of traveler information throughout the
region.
Transit Information at Your
Fingertips
King County Metro Transit uses automatic vehicle location (AVL) technology
to track and monitor its fleet of 1,200 buses. This provides better fleet
management and allows Smart Trek to provide real-time arrival information
over the Internet, at major transit centers, and at Seattle-Tacoma International
Airport. Smart Trek also provides transit routing, scheduling, ride-matching,
and trip planning information for travelers in the Puget Sound region.
Shortening Emergency Response Times
Smart Trek has introduced an enhanced 9-1-1 system that supports "mayday"
devices from two private companies. When a traveler needs help, the mayday
device sends location information to a response center, helping to speed
emergency response and save lives. Smart Trek is also installing Global
Positioning System (GPS) equipment in incident-response vehicles to monitor
their location and to assist dispatching.
Improved Freeway and Ferry
Operations Smart Trek includes one of the most advanced freeway traffic
management systems in the country, and it covers virtually all of the
freeways in the greater Seattle area. The system includes 2,500 detection
sensors, 188 closed-circuit television cameras, a fiber-optic communications
system, 113 ramp meters, and numerous motorist call boxes.
Smart Trek has integrated the
arterial and freeway systems so that traffic control can adjust to varying
congestion levels. Congestion on airport approach roads and terminal drop-off/pick-up
points is broadcast on separate arriving and departing radio channels
and on variable message signs.
A ferry-locator system is using
GPS to provide real-time information to travelers and operators on the
location, heading, and speed of ferries. Vehicle queues at several ferry
terminals are being monitored and broadcast to travelers through a variety
of radio channels, variable message signs, and within terminal areas.
San Antonio TransGuide Model
Deployment
San Antonio TransGuide Model Deployment provides better information to
travelers, improved management capabilities for all public agencies, and
greatly enhanced public safety. TransGuide's kickoff and a press event
were held on July 21, 1998.
Telecommunications Can Save
Lives
The LifeLink system uses the TransGuide telecommunications backbone to
provide two-way video teleconferencing between emergency medical personnel
in a trauma center and paramedics in an ambulance at the scene or en route
to the hospital. Video cameras, microphones, and computers placed inside
ambulances allow trauma center physicians to actually see the patient,
monitor vital signs, determine the types of injuries involved, authorize
the proper treatment, and route patients to the appropriate facilities.
This is the first time a traffic management system's telecommunications
capabilities have been used in this way.
New Ways to Collect Traffic
Information
So far, more than 20,000 private citizens have volunteered to put "traffic
tag" sensors inside the windshields of their vehicles. The tags transmit
a signal to antennas placed along the freeways and arterial streets to
allow TransGuide to calculate average traffic flows. This information
and reports of traffic accidents, lane closures, and other incidents are
used to provide information on traffic conditions to travelers throughout
the city.
Interactive touchscreen traveler
information kiosks are placed at key tourist points. At the touch of a
screen, travelers can access real-time traffic information; bus and airport
information; weather reports; and points of interest, such as tourist
attractions and restaurant locations.
In-vehicle navigational units
provide drivers with turn-by-turn instructions to reach their destinations,
along with real-time traffic conditions, congestion information, and information
on regional points of interest. The navigational unit communicates the
routes and other information using a map-and-guide display and voice prompting.
21st Century Transportation
Management
TransGuide is the first system of its kind to respond to traffic incidents
with preprogrammed scenarios — a process adapted from the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) space program.
TransGuide uses fiber optics,
sensors, and video cameras to detect changes in traffic flow and alert
operators in the TransGuide Operations Center. Operators then use remote
cameras to identify the type of incident and dispatch the appropriate
help within two minutes. Once the type of incident is determined, within
15 seconds, lane control signals are automatically changed, and information
is displayed on overhead variable message signs.
Phoenix AZTech Model Deployment
AZTech is a partnership of public agencies and private companies supporting
a program for intelligent transportation systems in the entire Phoenix
metropolitan area. Better traveler information, more accurate transit
operations, and integrated transportation systems improve the commute
for the millions of residents and visitors traveling in the Valley of
the Sun.
AZTech Model Deployment came
online in July 1998, and the kickoff ceremony was Sept. 28, 1998.
Integrating Transportation
Systems
Seven cities, the state, county, transit agency, and emergency services
agencies have integrated 13 operations centers in the Phoenix metropolitan
area. Advanced communication technologies link these centers to monitor
traffic conditions, manage incidents, and coordinate traffic signals across
jurisdictional boundaries.
A network of road sensors,
electronic signs, cameras, computers, communication equipment, and people
provide the backbone for ITS in the Phoenix metropolitan area. On 67 kilometers
of freeway and 240 kilometers of surface streets, advanced technologies
detect congestion, identify incidents, notify response teams about accidents,
and suggest alternate routes for drivers.
Smart Corridors and Shared
Resources
AZTech uses technology to improve traffic flow along eight arterial "Smart
Corridors," which serve as alternate routes when accidents or long delays
force traffic to exit the freeways. Electronic signs alert drivers to
delays, suggest alternate routes, and divert traffic between the Smart
Corridors and the freeways. Traffic sensors and upgraded traffic signals
allow the Smart Corridors to better handle increased traffic levels when
diversions occur.
"Peer-to-peer permissive control"
allows multiple agencies to share the use of field equipment, such as
variable message signs and closed-circuit television cameras, when incidents
or other events occur. Peer-to-peer permissive control also allows the
local agencies to share control of their signal systems, providing backup
coverage during periods when some operations centers are not staffed.
Improved Transit Management
GPS is used to locate more than 85 buses as they travel their routes.
Dispatchers receive updates on traffic conditions and route status to
determine if buses are on schedule. Electronic messages at transit centers
and bus stops inform riders of the location of their bus. An Internet
site and kiosks at transit centers also provide riders with information
on bus routes, schedules, traffic conditions, and tourist attractions.
Informing Travelers
Travelers receive up-to-the-minute, regional traffic information through
one of the first privatized traveler information systems in the country.
Several private-sector AZTech partners are offering traffic information
through a variety of products and services. Kiosks provide traffic updates
and tourist information at malls, business centers, bus terminals, and
other locations. Travelers can also view current traffic conditions on
a cable television traffic channel and on the Internet.
Travelers can purchase computerized
devices and services to receive personalized traffic reports. Information
services on pagers, e-mail, and radio devices warn commuters about traffic
problems along their route. Hand-held computers help residents and visitors
travel the Phoenix metropolitan area by providing turn-by-turn directions,
highlighting points of interest, and showing locations of various services.
New York-New Jersey-Connecticut
iTravel Model Deployment
The iTravel model deployment, launched on Oct. 5, 1998, serves New York
City, Long Island, the Lower Hudson Valley, southwest Connecticut, and
northern and central New Jersey — an area with a population of more than
18 million people. The area has the highest population density, most complex
transportation network, and most active public transportation system in
the United States. More than 100 different transportation service providers
operate and maintain the region's transportation network.
Information-Sharing for
Better Transportation Management
Public-sector responsibilities for iTravel are coordinated through TRANSCOM,
a coalition of 15 highway, transit, and public safety agencies. TRANSCOM's
"regional architecture" is the multimodal information backbone that combines
information on incidents, weather, special events, construction activities,
and real-time transportation information. The regional architecture ensures
coordination and integration of the transportation management and traveler
information systems that are being implemented by the TRANSCOM agencies.
iTravel adds information from various transit systems to the TRANSCOM
regional architecture, providing the basis for the other iTravel elements.
Regional Traveler Information
iTravel disseminates real-time, multimodal information from the regional
architecture to the general public through the iTravel Traveler Information
Center. The information is available free of charge via telephone and
the Internet.
Seamless Transit Itinerary
Planning
A single trip in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area
might involve the subway and several different bus rides, depending on
the time of day and the direction of travel. The regional iTravel Transit
Itinerary Planning System (TRIPS) provides transit route guidance, schedules,
rates, and real-time arrival information free of charge to users by telephone
and on the Internet. A TRIPS user specifies the desired time of travel,
origin and destination points, and the criteria for designing the trip.
Criteria might include shortest walk, least expensive trip, or shortest
travel time, to name a few. For the three-state region, and through multiple
transit jurisdictions, TRIPS designs a trip that considers real-time travel
conditions and the preferences provided by the user. TRIPS also notifies
the user if there are any known impacts to travel along his or her preferred
route.
Proactive, Personalized
Traveler Information
The iTravel subscription-based, customized Personalized Traveler System
is targeted at daily commuters, who proactively receive messages about
real-time incidents, special events, or construction via telephone, e-mail,
fax, or pager. A subscriber to the system provides a traveler profile,
specifying the times of travel, the preferred route(s) and mode(s), payment
options, and the way the information should be delivered. The traveler
is contacted if his or her preferred travel route(s) is impacted prior
to or during the specified travel times. The information is provided proactively,
so the traveler does not need to remember to seek it out.
Conclusions
Each of the four ITS metropolitan model deployment sites has addressed
the challenges of developing an integrated, multimodal intelligent transportation
infrastructure in different ways, but all are focused on the common vision
of providing more efficient transportation systems and better traveler
information. This means that both travelers and operators can make smarter
choices and better decisions about how to use and manage our transportation
systems.
Toni Wilbur is a program
delivery team leader for FHWA's Office of Traffic Management and ITS Applications.
She is responsible for providing policy guidance and technical assistance
to facilitate ITS deployment. She is also the co-leader of the multiagency
team that is responsible for the management of the metropolitan ITS Model
Deployment Initiative. Wilbur began her career in the FHWA Office of Research
and Development and has worked in the ITS program since its inception.
She has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Wake Forest University
and a master's degree in computer science from American University.
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