1. Intelligent Transportation Systems - ITS
ITS – The use of modern electronics and communications technologies to improve the performance of the transportation system

2. Electronics 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

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

4. Communications
Allow the transfer of information from one point to another
Feed data into the microprocessors, in order to make control decisions

5. ITS Sensors describe what is happening
Communications allow transmission of large quantities of data
CPU power (and software) allow
fusion of multiple data sources at key control centers
improved control decisions
Result = improved transportation system performance

6. Cheap 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

7. Types of ITS Services ATMS – Advanced Traffic Management
APTS – Public Transportation
ATIS – Traveler Information
ARTS – Rural Transportation
CVO – Commercial Vehicle Operations
AHS/IVI – Automated Highway Systems
ADUS – Archived Data User Services

8. Advanced Traffic 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

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

10. Advanced Public Transit 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

11. Advanced Traveler Information 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

12. Advanced Rural Transportation 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

13. Commercial Vehicle 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)

14. Automated Highway Systems
Goal – 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

15. IVI IVI = Intelligent Vehicle Initiative,
Thus, AHS begat:
IVI = Intelligent Vehicle Initiative,
which begat
VII = Vehicle Infrastructure Integration

16. IVI – Intelligent Vehicle Initiative
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

17. VII – Vehicle Infrastructure Integration
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)

18. Archived Data User Services (ADUS)
Goals: To store and use data generated by ITS systems to:
Improve the operation of those systems, and
Management of the transportation system

19. ADUS Management 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

20. ADUS - Examples
Traffic 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

21. ADUS
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

22. Let’s Talk Remote Identification
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

23. AVI 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

24. ID 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

25. Knowing 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

26. Communications High bandwidth Used for high volume data transmission
Mostly “wire-line”
Fiber optic
Co-axial cable, twisted pair copper
Wireless
Tera Beam (light wave)
Microwave
WiFi ( g)
Used for high volume data transmission
Usually from one fixed position to another

27. Communications Moderate Bandwidth Lower 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

28. Electronics + Communications = New Capabilities
Added together, electronics and communications provide new capabilities
Specific combinations of technologies = specific products
Those products / technologies require software, and creativity

29. ITS Technologies / Products
Automated Vehicle / Equipment Identification (AVI / AEI)
Automated Vehicle Location (AVL)
Vehicle Monitoring
Counting
Classification
Performance (speed, engine diagnostics, etc.)

30. Let’s Talk Location and Identification

31. AEI / AVI + Database
Associating an identification number with other information allows powerful capabilities
This requires data management capabilities
It also turns technology into a product
Are tags removable?

32. So??? Technology = Products Products = Services
Services solve problems
People / agencies want solutions to problems
ITS is only implemented when it solves an important problem (or cuts the cost of doing business)

33. 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)

34. 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

35. 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

36. Worse 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

37. Worse Yet (cont.) Changes in Business Practice:
Create problems with who pays for what
Requires picking the “best” technology given imperfect information