1. Communication for Transit Technology: Arlington County Experience
Presented by: Nick Mazzenga
Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc.
What I am going to talk to you today about is the marrying of two projects in Arlington county Virginia:
These two projects are:
Connecting Arlington which is the County-wide fiber optic communication network
Columbia Pike Super Stop Project which is the plan for enhanced amenity bus stops to be installed along the Columbia Pike corridor.
The end result of the combination of these two projects is the project which I am involved with and that is the Arlington County Super Stop Communication Design project.
I will touch on the lessons learned and benefits that came out of this in addition to some of the challenges and opportunities experienced when IT and ITS partners work together for a common goal.

2. Presentation Overview
Project Background
Systems Engineering
Challenges & Opportunities
Super Stops, part of the Pike Ride service, are larger, more easily accessible bus shelters that offer riders amenities such as seating, lighting, wind screens, enhanced weather protection and electronic schedule information. Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services worked side-by-side with the community since 2004 to determine the design and locations for these bus stops.
The stops were selected because of the corridors high ridership.
These stops will support the existing Pike Ride bus service and are also designed to function as future streetcar stations along the corridor.

3. Project Background In the beginning... ConnectArlington
46 miles of fiber optics and conduit installed throughout the County
Started with a ITS communication master plan to transit from copper based signal communications to fiber optics that evolved into a long-term investment to address future telecommunications needs and bandwidth requirements for the entire County. It will resulted in creation of a broadband fiber-optic network for education, public safety, transportation, and government use.  ConnectArlington will
Reduce County expenses for commercial telecommunications services.
Improve management of traffic and public transportation
Enhance communications access for public safety response to emergencies
Network will be managed by DTS (will discuss more on this later)
End result: completely redundant enterprise network for public use

4. Project Background Columbia Pike Corridor Super Stops
Columbia Pike is a vibrant, mixed-use community with a diverse population and access to a wide variety of employment, retail and commercial centers. As one of Arlington’s urban villages, Columbia Pike has a significant amount of pedestrian activity and features transit service provided by Metrobus and Arlington Transit (ART).
Columbia Pike extends from Fairfax County through Arlington County and terminates at the Pentagon.
Personal Vehicle: 33,000 vehicles per day 
Transit: 15,000 daily transit riders (2010), in 2016 (between 18,000 and 24,000) for without and with streetcar alternatives
Super Stops project will enhance the Pike Ride service. Super Stops are larger, more easily accessible bus shelters that offer riders amenities such as seating, lighting, wind screens, enhanced weather protection and electronic schedule information. Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services worked side-by-side with the community since 2004 to determine the design and locations for these bus stops. These super stops will also feature heated platforms and seats. 24 planned super stops along corridor
Six initial stops were selected for integration with ConnectArlington because of their high ridership. These stops will support the existing Pike Ride bus service and are also designed to function as future streetcar stations along the corridor.

5. Project Background County Transit Vision:
“...to better accommodate pedestrian movements and bring out high-quality, frequent, and reliable transit service by enhancing the ability to move and promoting transit-oriented development in the corridor.”
County Transit Vision:
Provide network connectivity to super stops to facilitate integration of traveler information systems, CCTV cameras and future passenger amenities.
Project purpose:
A new streetcar system is being installed on Columbia Pike in Arlington. As part of that project, several “super stops” will be constructed that will include computers and display monitors that will provide traveler information. In addition, the County desires CCTV cameras at these locations to help manage its streetcar operations. For this project communications at six Super stop locations will be designed.
In a separate effort, Arlington is constructing its next generation fiber optic network, dubbed ConnectArlington, that will connect all traffic signal cabinets and ITS components, in addition to county buildings and schools, in a single network that will be managed by the Department of Technology Services (DTS).

6. Super Stop Communication Design Project
Project Integration
Super Stop Communication Design Project
Super Stop Project
Connect Arlington
This is where our project comes into play, the marrying of the ConnectArlington network and the Super Stops project is the super stop communication design project.

7. Evaluated network architecture for Super Stop integration
Systems Engineering
Evaluated network architecture for Super Stop integration
Evaluated network architecture to determine how super stops would fit into the County-wide communication infrastructure.
Eventually the County plans to integrate each super stop as an individual edge site on the ConnectArlington network. The design will leverage existing infrastructure and utilize expanded ruggedized Ethernet switches in nearby traffic cabinets to provide communications necessary for CCTV cameras. Future connectivity is dependent on coordinated efforts between DTS (County IT department) who is the manager of the ConnectArlington Network.

8. Project Deliverables
We developed design plans that took into account the existing infrastructure and leveraged existing CCTV systems provided by the County’s traffic engineering department.

9. Supported Technologies
Expanded CCTV monitoring
Real time bus schedule information
Off vehicle fare collection
Sensys enabled bus detection
Transit Signal Priority
Off vehicle far collection is a future supported technology given the potential for upgrades to the transit system through a streetcar addition.
The Sensys enabled bus detection is a separate system that is being designed currently on another corridor in Arlington. The ConnectArlington network will facilitate communications for this detection project which will utilize sensys detectors to toggle on or off passenger turn restriction signs when there is a vehicle bus conflict.

10. Challenges & Opportunities
Redundant network architecture
Ethernet connectivity available in traffic signal cabinets
Standard spec CCTV equipment
Climate controlled technology enclosures at super stops
Network security concerns
As this project moves forward and more technologies are introduced the ConnectArlington network will be there to facilitate communication.
Leveraged existing Ethernet connectivity at traffic signal cabinets and existing traffic operations CCTV monitoring system which is a big opportunity.
Off vehicle fare collection systems require increased network connectivity and high up times so the redundant network architecture is an excellent opportunity to be leveraged.
The traveler information system consists of a standalone PC and monitor contained within a climate controlled technology enclosure at each super stop. It requires Internet connectivity to obtain information for display.
Current Network Security Concerns require that the Internet connection for Passenger Information System be isolated from the ConnectArlington fiber network since the PC is managed by a third party and DTS cannot ensure security settings, patches, etc.

11. IT and ITS coordination
Transition of ITS communications to IP/Ethernet networks
ITS networks move from segregated to merged networks where IT professionals play larger role
Integrated ITS and IT network
Early intelligent transportation systems (ITS) were integrated exclusive of standing information technology (IT) departments. The closed, isolated nature of these systems enabled the ITS network to avoid existing IT security issues and policies. Typically, these systems were dominated by low bandwidth, serial communication technology in concert with analog signal transmission for closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs). With the emergence of Ethernet/Internet Protocol (IP) networks, cost efficient high quality digitized video, and a desire to share data with partner agencies, ITS networks transitioned from segregated networks to merged networks where IT professionals, ITS engineers, and transportation managers find themselves working hand in hand toward similar objectives.

12. IT and ITS coordination
Transportation Managers
Information Technology Professionals
ITS Engineers
All of these partners must work together and come to consensus on how systems shall be operated and how equipment shall be integrated, only with cooperation between all of these entities will successful deployments occur.
What was experienced in Arlington was the transition from segregated IT and ITS networks into one universal network managed by the county not relying on individual internet connectivity to communicate to devices. The IT and Transportation departments have worked in concert together and will need to continue to coordinate their efforts.

13. IT and ITS coordination
Benefits of IT & ITS Coordination
Effective resource utilization within agency
Shared use of staff resources and leveraging specialists
Shared use of equipment procurement vehicles and service agreements
Leverage grants and funding opportunities across an entire enterprise
Access to high bandwidth networks
The transition of ITS communications to IP/Ethernet based networks and the mainstreaming of ITS central hardware and software into the agency IT programs has brought its share of challenges. However, this convergence also affords ITS deployment operators and maintainers the opportunity to leverage the skills, expertise, and standardized maintenance and equipment replacement cycles typical of IT departments. Likewise, this convergence provides IT departments access to high bandwidth communications networks and shared mission software platforms. Additionally, ITS operators and maintainers often bring decades of physical infrastructure construction and maintenance experience. While developing common operating, security, and maintenance policies can be challenging, benefits of collaboration include:
Effective resource utilization within agency (shared ConnectArlington network for communication to super stops)
Shared use of staff resources and leveraging specialists (Transit department gets the benefit of using DTS engineers to facilitate communications to the super stops)
Shared use of equipment procurement vehicles and service agreements (Transit was able to procure additional CCTV cameras and use current CCTV network architecture to provide video monitoring of super stops)
Leverage grants and funding opportunities across an entire enterprise (Multiple departments within the County are able to pool money together to fill in the gaps of the ConnectArlington network)
Access to high bandwidth networks (overall benefit with ConnectArlington network and the super stops that will be connected to them)

14. Questions & Comments
Contact Information:
Tom Scherer
Arlington County Public Transit Technology Manager
Contact Information:
Nick Mazzenga, EIT
(703)