Intelligent Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems - ITSSystems - ITS

ITS – The use of modern electronics and communications technologies to improve the performance of the transportation system

ElectronicsElectronics

Microprocessors – the “intelligence” in ITS– Allow continuous computation of key control

values– Are ubiquitous in the modern world

In vehicles On vehicles In the right-of-way In control systems

ElectronicsElectronics

Also make possible the use of a wide variety of data collection sensors– Vehicle surveillance– On-board vehicle diagnostics– Remote identification

CommunicationsCommunications

Allow the transfer of information from one point to another

Feed data into the microprocessors, in order to make control decisions

ITSITS

Sensors describe what is happeningCommunications allow transmission of

large quantities of dataCPU power (and software) allow

– fusion of multiple data sources at key control centers

– improved control decisionsResult = improved transportation system

performance

Cheap SummaryCheap Summary

Anything that deals with any part of the above is now called “ITS” – Sensors / surveillance systems– Communication systems– Control systems

ITS has traditionally been divided into the following basic categories

Types of ITS ServicesTypes of ITS Services

ATMS – Advanced Traffic ManagementAPTS – Public TransportationATIS – Traveler Information ARTS – Rural Transportation CVO – Commercial Vehicle OperationsAHS/IVI – Automated Highway SystemsADUS – Archived Data User Services

Advanced Traffic Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS)Management System (ATMS)

Improved control systems that change traffic controls according to actual traffic conditions– New control strategies– Adaptive control– Coordination between control systems– Integration of independent control systems

ATMSATMS

Goal of ATMS– Improve the flow of traffic– Make better use of available infrastructure

Advanced Public Transit Advanced Public Transit Systems (APTS)Systems (APTS)

Goal: To improve the– Operational characteristics of transit fleets– Maintenance (cost and/or reliability) of transit

fleets– Revenue control– Security of drivers and passengers– Level of service experienced by riders

Advanced Traveler Information Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS)Systems (ATIS)

Goal: To improve the information given to travelers so that:– greater levels of mobility are experienced, and – decreased congestion and delay results

OR

When travel options do not exist:– Avoid the trip altogether, or– At least reduce level of driver frustration

Advanced Rural Transportation Advanced Rural Transportation Systems (ARTS)Systems (ARTS)

Goal: Cost effective solutions for rural problems not associated with peak period congestion

A combination of ATMS, APTS, ATIS, EMS aimed specifically at rural applications– Recreational travel patterns– Safety improvements

Lower costs required Often a larger geographic area covered

Commercial Vehicle Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO)Operations (CVO)

Goal: To improve the efficiency and safety of commercial vehicle fleets, and reduce the cost of commercial vehicle operations– Tax compliance– Safety records and compliance– Maintenance records– Legal status (weight, authorization, tax

payment, customs/immigration status)

Automated Highway SystemsAutomated Highway SystemsGoal – Improve safety by reducing the

effects of human error– Concept: Cars of the future will drive

themselves!

Result 1: Its technically feasible, but implementation is unrealistic

Result 2: We can still take advantage of parts of the AHS concept

IVIIVI

Thus, AHS begat:

IVI = Intelligent Vehicle Initiative,

which begat

VII = Vehicle Infrastructure Integration

IVI – Intelligent Vehicle IVI – Intelligent Vehicle InitiativeInitiative

Reality – Subsystems that can improve the safety and operation of individual vehicles– Anti-lock brakes– Automated headway maintenance– Collision avoidance warning systems– Automated mayday systems

VII – Vehicle Infrastructure VII – Vehicle Infrastructure IntegrationIntegration

The public sector components of the system needed to connect the IVI components of different vehicles to gain additional safety and efficiency benefits

Primarily DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication)

Archived Data User Services Archived Data User Services (ADUS)(ADUS)

Goals: To store and use data generated by ITS systems to:– Improve the operation of those systems, and

– Management of the transportation system

ADUSADUSManagement is not possible if you don’t

know what is happening

– “You can’t manage what you don’t measure”

ITS generates the data needed to determine what is happening. ADUS– Stores it– Analyzes it, and– Reports it

ADUS - ExamplesADUS - ExamplesTraffic control systems generate usage and

performance information– Improve operational controls

What plans work, what don’t How many vehicles are really using the system

– Planning and programming Describing to the public and public officials the

“state-of-the system” (for prioritization) Used in planning / programming analyses

– Environmental analysis

– Model calibration

ADUSADUS

Fleet management systems allow determination of where “slack time” exists and can be recovered– Idle vehicle time (trucks, buses)– Where delays are occurring and need to be

eliminated– Which vehicle components are likely to fail so

that they can be replaced before they break

Let’s Talk Remote Let’s Talk Remote IdentificationIdentification

Knowing who/what is present allows many tasks to be automated:– Bill paying (tolls)– Access control (garage door openers)– Theft prevention / recovery (Lo-Jac)

Commonly called - AVI

AVIAVI

AVI = automatic vehicle identification

– The same technology is called AEI in the business world (auto. Equipment Identification)

– Note that Wal-Mart is now requiring all goods delivered to them to be shipped on pallets equipped with RFID tags, one type of AVI/AEI

ID By Itself Is UselessID By Itself Is Useless

Need to know other things about that person / thing.

– Its location– Specific attributes– Actually knowing WHO it is, may not be

important

Knowing LocationKnowing Location

Automatic Vehicle Location = AVL

– Easiest = beacon or signpost (garage door opener) Basically – “I’m here! Do something for me.”

– More complex, but more robust GPS Dead reckoning Combinations of two of the three

CommunicationsCommunicationsHigh bandwidth

– Mostly “wire-line” Fiber optic Co-axial cable, twisted pair copper

– Wireless Tera Beam (light wave) Microwave WiFi (802.11 g)

Used for high volume data transmission– Usually from one fixed position to another

CommunicationsCommunicationsModerate Bandwidth

– Dedicated short range (DSRC) technologies RF (radio frequency spectrum) IR (infrared) Other (FCC licensed and unlicensed spectra)

Lower Bandwidth– Older wireless technologies

Various cellular telephone technologies WiFi (802.11a & b?) Spread spectrum radio Pager networks

Electronics + Communications Electronics + Communications = New Capabilities= New Capabilities

Added together, electronics and communications provide new capabilities– Specific combinations of technologies =

specific products

Those products / technologies require software, and creativity

ITS Technologies / ProductsITS Technologies / Products

Automated Vehicle / Equipment Identification (AVI / AEI)

Automated Vehicle Location (AVL)Vehicle Monitoring

– Counting– Classification– Performance (speed, engine diagnostics, etc.)

Let’s Talk Location and Let’s Talk Location and IdentificationIdentification

AEI / AVI + DatabaseAEI / AVI + Database

Associating an identification number with other information allows powerful capabilities

This requires data management capabilities

It also turns technology into a product

So???So???Technology = ProductsProducts = ServicesServices solve problemsPeople / agencies want solutions to

problems

ITS is only implemented when it solves an important problem (or cuts the cost of doing business)

So????So????For example:Vehicle location allows:

– Improved transit bus security Police can respond to the exact location of trouble

– Operational improvements A trucking operator can send the closest, empty,

truck to pick up the new load that is now ready

– Performance monitoring Tracking location at consecutive locations = travel

time (or speed)

But…But…

ITS technology only gets implemented when it makes economic sense

That is, when it resolves a problem (including providing a desired service) more cost-effectively than alternative methods

And…And…

ITS frequently requires a change in business practice (what an agency does, or how an agency goes about its business)

Thus, ITS is often not successful unless agency support for those changes in business practice exists

Worse YetWorse Yet

Changes in business practice often require:– Cooperation of outside agencies / organizations– Cooperation of other divisions within your own

organization– Interaction with other computer systems

Many of which were built without consideration of the need to interact with exterior systems

Causes problems with the timing of system updates Raise issues of data security

Worse Yet (cont.)Worse Yet (cont.)

Changes in Business Practice:– Create problems with who pays for what– Requires picking the “best” technology given

imperfect information