The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) will sponsor a free webinar examining lessons learned from public transit Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) implementation. The webinar will cover a real-world example of implementing and operating Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL), computer-aided dispatch, fleet management, and real-time traveler information systems. The webinar will also explore the coordination of implementing Transit ITS in rural communities.

The free webinar will take place Thursday, June 2, 2011, from noon to 1:30 p.m. CST.
 

Source: Travelmidwest.com

One of the most widespread and invisible pieces of intelligent transportation system (ITS) equipment is the vehicle detector, which is used to collect information about road traffic conditions. According to the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) 2010 ITS Deployment Survey, there are approximately 3,500 loop, video, and radar traffic detectors installed on arterials in northeastern Illinois. There are an additional 1,300 loop, radar and toll tag detector stations on the region’s expressways and tollways. This critical component of the region’s ITS system is easily overlooked, but the system operators have invested millions of dollars to deploy them on our expressways, tollways, ramps, and arterials. Detectors improve traffic signal operations and our ability to monitor and manage the system. Eight-four percent of our region’s freeway miles and 46 percent of the region’s signalized intersections are currently covered by electronic surveillance.

Vehicle detectors collect information about the presence or number of vehicles as well as vehicle speeds, multiple times per minute around the clock. However, vehicle detectors are only useful when they communicate the information they collect to places where it can be put to use, such as to traffic signal controller boxes to trigger green signals, to agencies where they can monitor traffic conditions and detect incidents, and to the public where information about traffic conditions can be used to make informed travel decisions. Accordingly, the thousands of vehicle detectors are accompanied by a vast communications infrastructure made up of copper wires, fiber optic cables, and wireless communications. As the region’s transportation network communication infrastructure is expanded, and backroom computer technology for interpreting the information evolves, we will improve our ability to manage the system in real time and even predict traffic congestion before it happens. In addition, in-vehicle data is now being collected for some cars and trucks; this data is providing an increasingly valuable data source for system traffic managers and will be the subject of a future post.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is undertaking projects and programs to improve its detector system. First, I-55 and I-80 detection is now being expanded to include most of those expressways within our region. Second, over the next several years, expressway system surveillance will be expanded to include the entire Chicago metropolitan region. Third, IDOT regularly checks arterial and expressway detectors and repairs them as necessary and as traffic conditions allow.

As a resident of northeastern Illinois, vehicle detection impacts your daily travel if you plan your trip using Travelmidwest.com or Lake County Passage, which receive vehicle detector information in real time; at a traffic signal, where a detector informs the signal that you are waiting to proceed; when you read message signs providing travel time information; when you enter the expressway at one of the 113 metered ramps; if you wonder about the schedule for the Kennedy reversible lanes; when you drive through an open road toll location; or when you see a sign warning of a traffic backup ahead.
 

On Thursday, August 16, 2012, the ENTERPRISE will host a webinar on dissemination tools for traveler information from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. CT. The ENTERPISE Program is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Pooled Fund Study that uses the resources of its members from North America and Europe to develop, evaluate, and deploy Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). This webinar will be the first in a series that will explore several topics on the next generation of traveler information. The webinar will feature the techniques in operation to disseminate traveler information in Washington and Wisconsin.

On Thursday, April 19, 2012, the National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC) will host a “Talking Operations” webinar on the role of social media in communicating with travelers during weather events. New social media technologies are rapidly becoming available that allow transportation system operators and travelers to communicate weather and other traffic-related information. The webinar will focus on the latest social media technologies and identify different implementation approaches.

On Tuesday, March 20, 2012, the National Highway Institute will host a “Talking Operations” webinar on active traffic management and weather from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. CST. Active Traffic Management (ATM) technologies are deployed to manage recurring and non-recurring traffic demand, but the application of ATM technologies during weather events is limited. The webinar will provide a summary of the report “Concept of Operations for ATM and Weather,” as well as examples of the successful use of ATM technologies during weather events.

A free, 18-module Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) training course is now available online through the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program (PCB). The training course is designed for all levels of transportation professionals involved in ITS projects. The training modules cover how to evaluate, procure, and implement standards-based ITS devices and systems.

Dynamic message signs (DMS) are used by transportation operating agencies to communicate traffic information to motorists. A webinar, hosted by the Federal Highway Administration’s Traffic Management Center Pooled Fund Study, will focus on the importance of consistent and effective DMS message design for highway traffic incidents and work zones. The webinar will also cover DMS message format, reading time, and legibility. The free webinar will take place on September 14, 2011, from 11:00 a.m. to noon CT.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) will sponsor the 6th International Visualization in Transportation Symposium from August 20 to 23, 2011, in Chicago. State-of-the-art methods of visualizing transportation information will be the focus of the symposium. The symposium will feature case studies and successful practices of visualization in transportation planning, operation, design, data management, maintenance, and more.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is conducting a National Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Architecture user survey to get feedback on possible new or enhanced features for the update of the National ITS Architecture. The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete and will influence the future direction of the National ITS Architecture. This update will also impact regional ITS architectures and the Turbo Architecture Software. The survey deadline is Friday, June 3, 2011.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) released a report that examines new methods developed to estimate freeway performance measures using data collected through intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The performance measures are being developed as part of a decision support tool to support traffic management operations. The performance measures include travel time estimation, traffic diversion caused by incidents, secondary crashes, mobility impacts caused by incidents, and incident classification.

Source: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2008. "The Netherlands: A Broader Horizon".

To follow up on a previous blog post, “Seattle-area Drivers Experience Smarter Highways,” Seattle-area drivers along the I-5 corridor are experiencing active traffic management (ATM) through high-tech gantries that display real-time traffic information such as speed limits that adjust to roadway conditions and lane status alerts. This article and video by govtech.com provides an excellent overview of the ATM project on Interstate 5 in Washington.

The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) will sponsor a free webinar titled IntelliDrive Applications for the Environment: Real-Time Information Synthesis (AERIS). The webinar will discuss the AERIS program, which is an application that uses real-time transportation system information to enable system users and operators to promote more environmentally friendly travel choices and is based on the IntelliDrive(SM) initiative. This webinar will provide an overview of AERIS, discuss the policy context of AERIS, and strategies for the implementation of AERIS applications involving cars, trucks, and public transit.

The free webinar will take place on Wednesday, December 8, 2010, from noon to 1:30 p.m. CST.

This webcast hosted by Travel Information Services Program Track (TISPTC), part of the I-95 Corridor Coalition, will explore the way outsourced archived probe data is currently being used for performance measurement and planning by transportation professionals at all levels – national, regional, and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). Shawn Turner with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) will discuss lessons learned from the use of private sector speed data for historical performance monitoring. Michael Pack with the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory (CATT LAB) will present information regarding a tool developed using data from the I-95 Corridor Coalition Vehicle Probe Project (VPP). Andrew Meese with the Metropolitan Council of Governments will discuss how data from the VPP was used by his agency.
 

To participate in this free webcast, please RSVP to nhrebien@kmjinc.com (or Natalia Hrebien at 610-228-0207) by Monday, November 29, 2010. If you have any questions please contact Bill Stoeckert at 774-207-0367. The webcast will be held on Thursday, December 2, 2010 from noon to 1:30 p.m. CST.

The New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway will soon have high-tech traffic forecasts, which will alert both operators and drivers of potential bottlenecks before they happen. The traffic forecasting technology has been able to predict traffic flows with up to 90 percent accuracy using complex computer models. The traffic forecasts will be displayed on existing highway message signs and drivers will have the option of receiving email or text message alerts. The same traffic forecasting technology is currently in use in Singapore and Stockholm.

Source: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2008. "The Netherlands: A Broader Horizon".

This synthesis explores Active Traffic Management (ATM) technologies and techniques in use in the U.S. and Europe, but primarily focuses on the more mature ATM technologies in Europe. The synthesis provides the European perspective of the lessons learned, experiences, operations results, and benefits associated with ATM techniques such as variable speed management, shoulder or line management, junction control, and directional routing. The synthesis concludes with potential benefits and challenges of deploying system-wide ATM applications in the U.S.

Traffic & Parking Control Co., Inc. (TAPCO) and the Great Lakes Transportation Enterprise Institute (GLTEI) are sponsoring a Transportation Workshop on July 30, 2010, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CDT. Frank Busalacchi, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, will give welcoming remarks and Rick Bergholz will introduce the GLTEI. The remainder of the workshop will be dual track and sponsored by GLTEI and TAPCO. The GLTEI agenda includes presentations on the impact of Industry-University Collaboration, 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) regulations, WisTransPortal Transportation Operations Data Hub, Sustainability, and Emergency Traffic Response Solutions. The TAPCO agenda includes presentations on Integrating Emergency Communications & License Plate Recognition, Adaptive Transit Priority Systems, Municipal Wireless Communication Solutions, Time Travel Measurement, and Sign Retroreflectivity. For more information or to RSVP, contact Christine Merritt (chrism@tapconet.com or 262-649-5108).