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Cool Things You Can Do With Data
And What It Means To You
Mark HallenbeckDirectorWashington State Transportation Center
Mark’s Cool Data Facts (#1)
• Well run companies have superb data systems
– Wal-Mart– UPS– Fed Ex
Data Systems Inform Business Decisions
• What is working?
• What is not working?
• Allows business to do more/better
Mark’s Data Facts (#2)
• No one likes to pay for data collection
– Data collection is an expense, – Data collection is not a revenue source
So… in a well run business• Data collection occurs for a purpose
• That purpose must be important enough to warrant the expense
• Rarely is data collected for the sake of collecting data
So why/what data?
• In the business world:
– Most data collection occurs as part of a business process
– Good businesses determine new ways to use data they already collect
– Revenue generated from (or costs saved because of) that data exceeds the cost of collecting it
Why/What Data?
• Once collected, data is stored and used for many business management purposes
Mark’s Cool Data Fact (#3):
• Few public transportation agencies are run like a good business
– Highway agencies– Transit agencies
Data? We Don’t Need No Stinking Data!
• The attitude of many public transportation agencies
– We have limited funding– We have massive needs– Spending money on data is an
unnecessary luxury
The Question is:
• Are you spending your money on the right things?
• How would you know?– Is what you are doing working?– Are you achieving your goals?
– What ARE your goals?
How Do Roads Work Today?
• Congestion is common– Travelers have little choice
• Operations is a secondary function• Road performance is almost accidental• Dollars and performance aren’t well
connected
How Do Roads Work Today?• Funding is most commonly
prioritized for– Street construction– Street maintenance
• Funding for operating those roads efficiently is rarely a priority
Why?• Public spending is aimed at maintaining
public support
• Public support is not tied directly to actual performance of the existing system
• Public support is frequently based on “visible” results from expenditure of tax dollars
Visible Results?
• The public does not connect congestion with “sub-optimal”operational management
• Very hard to “prove the negative”
– What congestion did NOT happen as a result of some action/improvement
So?
Traffic doesn’t flow as smoothly as it could
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
12 AM 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM 12 P M 2 P M 4 P M 6 P M 8 P M 10 P M
Estimated Weekday Volume, Speed For I - 405
Underutilizedcapacity
Roadway Capacity
55+ mph45 - 55 mph<45 mph
And now
A “Twilight Zone”Moment
Imagine, if you will…
• If your agency’s funding was a function of roadway performance…
• If your salary was based on how well roads actually worked…
Imagine, if you will…
• If revenue was generated by roadway use…– So that the more people who used a
road, the more money that road generated…
• But..– If the road did not operate at an
adopted speed, the revenue generated decreased
Would You Do Anything Differently?
Would You Do Anything Differently?
• Define “good performance”
• Report actual performance– Determine the real causes of poor
performance
• Continually look for ways to get better performance– More closely determine the expected benefits
of proposed improvements
What Would You Get?
A Parallel Universe? or
Tomorrow?
• Roadway operations is a priority• Travel choices exist
– Route, mode, time versus cost
• Roadway performance is managed• Resources flow to ideas that work
Can We Do That?
“Managed Lanes” is likely to require this
And provide financial incentives to make it happen
Anyone ever heard of “congestion pricing?”
Active Operational Management• How?
– Understand current facility conditions– Predict future demands / conditions– Analyze the impacts of alternative
management actions– Select and implement the best of those
actions– Have agency/jurisdictional agreements
for implementing those actions
Active Operational Management• Optimization – What’s your goal?
– Maximum number of vehicles/people served
– Maximizing revenue– Minimizing delays– Maximizing benefit gained from available
dollars spent
• Current goal: everyone has equal access to congestion
To Make It Work
• You would need data on:– Road use (demand)– Road performance (speed / delay)– Computations of actual versus
optimum performance
To Make It Work
• Need better detection of what is occurring– Usage levels– Performance
• More flexible operational controls
• More capable (faster) analytical systems– To select the correct operational
decisions
Data Collection• Facility operation
– Use (volume / by vehicle type)– Performance (speed / delay / congestion
locations)
• Control system status (enforcement too)• External events
– Weather– Incidents– Construction activity– Special events
Data Collection
• Needs to be a routine part of work flow– Not a “special activity”
• Collect once – use many times
• Data is an asset – not just a cost– “secondary” uses of data can be more
valuable than “primary uses”
Data Storage and Analysis• Once collected, keep data and
use it– Data archive software– Data retrieval software– Data reporting software– Data analysis software– Decision support software
‘Traditional’ Uses
• When and where is congestion?• What causes it?• How large is it?• How long does it last?• How did it change when we…
– Built more lanes / the new interchange / …– Expanded the incident response program– Changed timing plans
Operational Uses
• Are contractors managing traffic as desired?
• What are the effects when I place specific DMS messages?
• How should I change traffic control settings when it starts to snow/rain?
Operational Uses / Business Practice• Pricing analysis
– Should price be increased/decreased?– Price by type of vehicle
• Demand sensitivity versus damage caused
• Incident response staff utilization and performance
• Effects/effectiveness of routing plans
Operations Data is Not Just for Operations Analysis
• Pavement warrantees– Did actual traffic meet
warrantee targets?• Safety analyses
– Effectiveness of specific safety treatments
– Detailed crash analysis –litigation defense
Operations Data is Not Just for Operations Analysis
• System planning– Who is using the road?– Where are they traveling between and
when?– What are the effects of
• Customer loyalty programs?• Traffic management efforts
Getting There From Here• Incentives and direction• Provide leadership• Control system selection and
deployment• Facility monitoring systems• Analytical systems that convert data
to information• A new, proactive, business culture
Proactive Business Culture
• Actively analyzes and reviews performance against goals
• Uses objective data to judge performance
• Rewards good performance• Changes business practices that
cause poor performance
Business Approach
• Not the current roadway agency process– Build it and they will come
• Set operational goals– While understanding the consequences
• Set incentive / disincentive system so that the agency works towards those goals– Within agency– Between agencies
The End
(We return this podium to your control…)
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