ITS: Now and the Future

Shelley Row
Director, ITS Joint Program Office
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
Transportation Research Board 87 th Annual Meeting
January 14, 2008

Powerpoint Version

What to Expect in 2008

• Current Program: A year of research results
• Future Program: A strategic vision and action plan

Current Program: A Year of Research Results Clarus

• 8 states and 3 Canadian provinces have integrated their road weather data into a nationally available system
• 3 multi-state teams have drafted Concepts of Operation that define Clarus-based applications
• Regional demonstrations to build these applications are starting in ‘08
• Innovations:
  • Most advanced quality checking of road weather (pavement-specific) observations ever
  • Demonstrating international data exchange and shared development of road weather information systems

Current Program: A Year of Research Results

• Electronic Freight Management
  • Developed and evaluated an open architecture information exchange to improve cargo visibility and the efficiency of a truck-air-truck supply chain.
  • Six month operational test with an active supply chain was conducted May - Dec. ‘07
  • Early results:
    • Reduced freight forwarder time to prepare transportation status by 4 hours per day each (>75%)
    • Improved data accuracy at container freight station by at least 12%
    • Eliminated manual data entry and re-keying errors
    • Validated information exchange protocols / standards
  • Ready to advance industry adoption

Current Program: A Year of Research Results

Integrated Corridor Management

• Pioneer sites completed concepts of operation
• Finishing requirements documents
• Up to three sites selected for analysis, modeling and simulation of ICM in Summer ‘08
• Modeling Innovations:
  • Combine macro-, meso- and micro-scopic modeling to conduct full multimodal corridor modeling addressing interacting effects of
    • Transit service enhancements
    • Responses to traveler information
    • Tolling, HOT lanes, and congestion pricing
    • Varying corridor conditions: weather, incident patterns, demand

Current Program: A Year of Research Results

Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems

• Prototype testing for Phase I is nearing completion
• Expect to initiate Phase II including field testing for light and heavy vehicle platforms Spring ’08
• Fall ’08: Initiate light & heavy vehicle full-scale Field Operational Tests (FOT)
• Test Innovations:
  • Multiple warning systems integrated into a vehicle
  • Arbitration between warning systems
  • FOTs to assess real-world system effectiveness

Current Program: A Year of Research Results

Maintenance Decision Support System

• Version 5.0: incorporates radar and satellite images, updates the road temperature model, and generates alerts to predicted problems
• Moved from a research project to a market ready technology
• Innovations:
  • First program to convert weather forecasts into a transportation decision tool
  • Integrated AVL data into MDSS for tactical tool and strategic use

Current Program: A Year of Research Results

Mobility Services for All Americans

• Phase I sites design development in Summer ‘08
• Two sites selected for field testing to begin in ‘08
• Test Innovations:
  • Electronically connected human services transportation network
  • Optimizing human services transportation providers for efficient service
  • Single point of contact for the customer
• Multi-modal trip planner: First door-to-door multi-modal regional trip planner

Current Program: A Year of Research Results

Next Generation 911

• Concept of Operations, Requirements and Architecture documents completed in ’07
• Proof of Concept: combination Lab / Live PSAP testing of selected components of the NG911 architecture (Spring 2008)
• Test Innovations:
  • Ability to place 911 “calls” to PSAPs via text message
  • Ability to transmit telematics data directly to PSAPs
  • Ability to interconnect individual PSAP networks

Current Program: A Year of Research Results

Vehicle Infrastructure Integration

• Safe Trip 21: demo in November ‘08
• Proof of concept test underway in MI and CA
  • Innovations:
    • Most extensive DSRC/WAVE protocol test bed to date (56 RSEs)
    • Prioritization of radio channel access for safety (while also supporting other applications)
    • Multi-channel DSRC radios use entire 75 MHz DSRC bandwidth to assure capacity; Supports many vehicles and many services
    • System supports wide diversity of applications with single radio
      • Local safety systems, network services, V2V, Probe Data, Advisories, etc
    • Groundbreaking method to maintain privacy & anonymity while ensuring legitimacy of messages & data
    • Common vehicle data interface across vehicle OEMs
  • Applications development starting with stakeholder discussions
  • New public web site: http://www.vehicle-infrastructure.org/

Current Program: A Year of Research Results

ITS Standards Program

• SAFETEA-LU Section 5307, Part 4 directed ITS Standards Expert Panel
• TRB Published June 18, 2007 Report Recommendation:
  • “Articulate a strategic vision of the role of standards in furthering the development and use of ITS and define USDOT’s role in realizing this vision.”
• JPO developing Standards Program Strategic Plan
  • Process defined by March ’08, plan complete Fall ’08
  • Will engage relevant stakeholders in process

Current Program: A Year of Research Results

Professional Capacity Building

• New look at workforce development, education and training
• Engage associations and universities in discussion to leverage and coordinate all resources

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

Transportation Problems

• Congestion
• Safety
• Productivity

System Performance

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

Information Technology Explosion

• Expectations for information
• Ubiquitous Connectivity
• Hand-held devices
• Person-to-person
• Networking

A Wireless World

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

• Connected vehicle
  • Vehicle to vehicle
  • Vehicle to infrastructure
  • Communicate appropriately with driver
• Real time information
  • All roads
  • All modes
  • All the time

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

Observations: Public Sector

• General acceptance of technology in transportation
  • ITS use has grown: TIM, signals, freeway mgt, transit mgt, toll collection, CVISN
  • ITS investment is slow;
  • Constrained resources
    • Growth in public/private partnerships
    • Growth in tolling & pricing
  • Data limitations (extent and quality) limit value
  • Looking for new models for data acquisition

Current Statistics – 2006 Deployment Statistics Database (108 metro areas surveyed)

• 70-77% freeway/arterial agencies collect volume
• 61% of freeway & arterial agencies collect speed
• 39% signalized intersections covered by electronic surveillance
• 39% freeway agencies disseminate weather info
• 38% freeway miles in metro areas with R-T traffic data collection by the public sector
• 35% freeway agencies disseminate travel times
• 14% states disseminate transit data
• 13% arterial agencies deploy parking data collection systems
• 8% freeway agencies disseminate parking information

511 Deployment Status

Current Statistics – National Traffic & Road Closure Information Web Site (public agencies)

• 98% include work zone locations
• 80% provide camera images
• 78% provide incident information
• 68% link to private data sources
• 58% provide weather conditions
• 46% provide traffic flow information
• 28% provide traffic speed
• 22% provide travel time or delay
• 14% provide transit information

Travel Times on DMS Status

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

Observations: Technology Private Sector

• Fast technology evolution
  • Growing use of navigation systems (on 69% of all models)
• Growing desire to deliver real-time traffic information
• Some are marketing real-time information
• Data quality and coverage is limited
• Many technologies are vying to be the data solution
• No clear winner…yet
• OEMs are looking to technology for vehicular safety
• Autonomous safety systems are growing

“NavTraffic” coverage growth since launch

• 2004 Launch: 20 Markets
  • Flow data in 15 Markets (4,800 road miles with flow)
    
• Today: 79 Markets
  • Flow in 24 Markets (8,500 road miles with flow)

Automotive Adoption of Real-Time Traffic

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

Observations of the ITS Program

• Specific ITS applications are moving forward through leadership in the modal administrations (FHWA, FTA, FMCSA, NHTSA)
  • Signal systems
  • Freeway & traffic incident management
  • Transit management
  • CVISN
• ITS program should focus on a few high-leverage issues
  • Potential for significant pay off at a national scale
  • Issues that transcend a single mode

Vision – What would we wish for?

• End-to-end transportation trip information
  • Everything I need to know for my trip (time, cost, weather, environmental impacts)
  • Supports transportation options for personal lifestyle choices
  • Available whenever and however I want
• Transportation network is managed for optimal performance (including the use of pricing)
• Technology-enabled performance measures support outcome-based investment decisions
  • Infrastructure
  • Maintenance
  • Operational performance
• End-to-end freight movement is seamless and secure

Vision – What would we wish for?

• Vehicles can “see” what’s happening around them and communicate appropriately with drivers
  • Vehicles are wrapped in information
  • Everyone has technology-enabled safety in their vehicles
  • Information is communicated to drivers appropriately
• Technology in transportation reduces negative impact on the environment (air quality & fuel consumption)
  • Improved system performance
  • Improved driver decision-making

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

• Connected vehicle
  • Vehicle to vehicle
  • Vehicle to infrastructure
  • Communicate appropriately with driver
• Real time information
  • All roads
  • All modes
  • All the time

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

• Reconceive public and private roles and responsibilities
• Understand the benefits
  • Safety
  • Mobility
  • Productivity
  • Environmental
• Look to the next generation technology solutions
• Leverage worldwide research

Mission & Goal Areas

• JPO’s mission is to lead the creation of information and communications technology solutions to achieve the best performing surface transportation system in the world.
• Goal Areas
  • Safety
  • Mobility
  • Environment
  • 21 st Century Institutions and Partnerships

Goal: Safety

Theme: Prevent fatalities and injuries on the surface transportation network

• Connected Vehicle – Create capability for all vehicles to have 360 degree awareness of hazards, and communicate appropriately with drivers

Goal: Mobility

Theme: Improve network performance for movement of people and goods

• Realize complete transportation system visibility
  • Real Time data on all roads, all modes, all the time
• Enable performance measurement across the transportation system
• Catalyze the development of applications to optimize network performance
• Enable delivery of end-to-end transportation information for trip planning (personal & business)
  

Goal: Environment/Energy

Theme: Minimize impact of surface transportation on the environment by reducing the carbon footprint and increasing fuel efficiency

• Conduct research to understand relationship between technology-enabled congestion reduction and environmental impacts (carbon footprint & fuel efficiency)
• Conduct research to understand the relationship of the combined impacts of safety, mobility, and environment on the transportation system
  

Goal: 21 st Century Institutions and Partnerships

Theme: Foster new institutional relationships to enable better use of technologies in transportation

• Research new public-private partnerships to improve the use of ITS technologies in transportation
• Examine innovative financing models to foster use of ITS technologies in transportation
• Identify and research solutions to address institutional barriers in the use of ITS technologies in transportation

Future Program: A Strategic Vision & Action Plan

Next Steps

• Comments on mission and goal areas
• Refine and narrow goal areas
• Clarify Federal role
• Develop metrics for each goal
• Develop an action plan
• Publish the updated Program Plan
  • Update on current program status
  • New section on the Strategic Vision and Action Plan

What to Expect in 2008

• Current Program : A year of research results
• Future Program : A strategic vision and action plan
  • Connected vehicle
    • Vehicle to vehicle
    • Vehicle to infrastructure
    • Communicate appropriately with driver
  • Real time information
    • All roads
    • All modes
    • All the time

Your thoughts and comments are welcomed