Traveler Information Applications: How Can VII Improve the Quality of Travel?

Ben McKeever
US DOT, ITS Joint Program Office
TRB Session 644: Using VII Data, Part 1
January 16, 2008

Powerpoint Version

The Critical Need for VII Agenda

• Current state of traveler information
• What VII provides and enables
• Current VII activities related to traveler information
• Conclusion/next steps

Traveler Information Today - The Good

• Public sector progress
  • 511 widely deployed
  • 38% of freeway miles have detection (USDOT, 2006)
  • 56% of fixed route buses with AVL (USDOT, 2006)
• Private sector progress
  • New technologies for collection and dissemination
  • Real time traffic and navigation more prominent
  • Consumer interest is growing and prices are dropping
• Public-Private Partnerships are emerging

Traveler Information Today - The Bad

• Most metro areas still lacking quality traffic data
• High O&M costs effect reliability of public sector data
  • As a result, data is not trusted
  • Inadequate funding for O&M
• Real time data on arterials is almost non-existent
• New technologies are slow to be deployed
• Limited data/applications for other modes (e.g. transit, parking)

VII Can Revolutionize Traveler Information

• Complete network visibility (all roads, all modes)
• Data Collection
  • low latency/real time
  • high granularity and reliability
• Data Dissemination
  • Brings data into the vehicle
  • Can impact driver behavior en-route
  • Can optimize network performance

Types of Data VII Can Provide

• Anonymous “probe” messages from vehicle to infrastructure
  • Location, heading, speed, stop events, hard breaking events, weather conditions, vehicle diagnostics
  • 2-5% penetration rate needed for accurate data
  • Transit vehicles
• VII Advisory messages from infrastructure to vehicles
  • En-route alerts, travel times, dynamic routing, hazard warnings (e.g. icy road), parking info, transit arrival times or delays

Types of Applications VII Can Enable

• Pre trip planning/routing for all modes
• En-route routing around incidents
• Transit arrival times, advisories and connection information
• “Killer Apps” from the private sector
  • Off-board navigation using real time data on all roads
  • Door-to-door driving times
  • Real time map updates
  • Parking availability/reservations

Current VII Activities for Traveler Information

• Michigan Development and Test Environment (DTE) and Data Use Analysis and Processing (DUAP)
• VII California Testbed
• New York ITS World Congress VII Demonstration

Michigan DTE and DUAP

• Michigan DTE supports testing of public and private sector traveler information applications
• DUAP project demonstrates public sector uses of VII data
  • Incident detection
  • Travel advisories
  • Road and weather conditions
  • Winter maintenance
  • Asset management

VII California Testbed

• Leverages real world existing ITS for VII demonstrations
  • Integration of existing data sources with VII probe data
  • Complimentary uses of existing 511 system and VII
  • VII tolling applications
• Congestion Initiative project will demonstrate additional VII applications
  • Dynamic pricing
  • Parking Information
  • Transit information to buses (tentative)

New York ITS World Congress Demonstration and After

• Demonstrate numerous VII applications (including probe data collection, travel advisories, travel times, tolling, etc.) in Manhattan and Long Island
• Support for subsequent development of congestion-mitigation and road pricing related applications (post-World Congress)

Conclusion

• Current Traveler Information Systems are not adequately addressing the need for accurate, real time data on all roads and all modes
• VII provides a wealth of data that could revolutionize the traveler information industry
• VII enables numerous traveler information applications not currently available or mature
  • Dynamic routing around incidents in real time
  • Off-board navigation based on real time traffic conditions
  • Door-to-door driving times with best alternative
  • Multi-modal traveler information (transit arrival times and delays, parking availability/reservations)

Next Steps

• SafeTrip-21 and ITS World Congress Demonstration in 2008
• Monitor results of POC testing of traveler information applications
• Look for pre-VII early winners (e.g. I-95 Corridor Coalition probe data project)
• Leverage Congestion Initiative projects in New York and San Francisco
• Monitor cutting edge technology for VII and Traveler Information