1. Commuters Helping Commuters: Findings from a Field Test of a Probe-based, Wireless, Traveler Information System William Wallace, Earl E. Lee, Jeffrey Wojtowicz Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute George F. List, Alixandra Demers North Carolina State University January 24, 2006 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting Washington, DC

2. Outline  Problem Perspective  Prior Efforts in ATIS  Project Background Objectives Team Experiment details In-vehicle device Server activities Watching vehicles  Some User Perspectives  Path-seeking Process  Project Results – Did It Work?  Advances in the Future Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

3. Problem Perspective Data Collection Information Dissemination Data Integration Path Choices Network Flows System Feedback Control Decisions Issues Observability Controllability Reachability Roadside sensors Video cameras News helicopters AVI detectors AVL probes Data Sources HAR VMS/ DMS 511 Web pages User messages Techniques Problem Perspective Prior Efforts Project Background Some User Perspectives Path - seeking Process Project Results Future Advances

4. Prior Efforts in Real-time ATIS Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

5. Project Objectives  Create: real-time data collection from vehicles and dissemination to vehicles of congestion avoidance information which is used to automatically reroute drivers onto the fastest paths to their destinations  Target locations: small to medium-sized urban areas  Aspects: operations, observability, controllability, users, information transfer to travelers Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

6. The Team  Academic partners: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Cornell University Polytechnic University CUBRC (CALSPAN / University of Buffalo Research Center)  Public partners: FHWA NYS DOT CDTC CDTA  Corporate partners: ALK Technologies, Inc. Annese and Associates Consensus Systems Technologies Sprint Rensselaer County Economic and Community Development Hudson Valley Community College Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

7. Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective  3-month field test  Capital District (Albany), NY, USA  Journey-to-work  200 participants 80 Tech Park employees 120 HVCC staff & students “Techy” travelers  Network: Freeways & signalized arterials Congested links Path choices exist Experiment Details

8. The In-Vehicle “Device” Pocket PC with 256 MB SD card: Software platform and audio communication with the driver CoPilot GPS unit: Determines location Sprint PCS Vision card and battery pack: Communication with the server Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

9. Server Activities  Receives vehicle messages: new trip, route change, GPS location, monument passage  Updates travel times  Sends data to vehicles: monument- to-monument travel times  Archives history  Responds to operator inputs Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

10. Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective 1 2 3 Watching Vehicles

11. Usage over Time: Trips by Cohort Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

12. What We Heard I find it interesting how willing I am to listen to a machine tell me which route to take I like using it for when I have no idea on how to get somewhere, and it is good for my normal route because it keeps me out of traffic on route 4. Feel more secure in making changes and using alternate routes, since I'm confident that CoPilot will get me to work! It is great, it took a while to trust it telling me where to go, but i like it because i cant get lost! Thanks. This thing is awesome. I was a little skeptical at first but once i got the hang of it I don’t know how I went along without it. I think any student commuting to school will benefit from this. I'm very impressed with the CoPilot program thus far. The directions are accurate and it adapts quickly to route changes. Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

13. Interview Responses Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

14. Travel Time Trends: Driver 1  Early: Scatter of travel times  Later: More consistent travel times Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

15. Travel Time Trends: Driver 2  Early: Scatter of travel times  Later: Similar to Driver 1 with more consistent travel times. New: upper bound lowered Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

16. Probe Path-seeking Process 1.Monitor current location 2.Activation, destination, and route 3.Download current travel times table 4.Update route: send new route message 5.Send messages: current location and “monument” passing 6.Server is constantly updating link travel times 7.Download updated travel times 8.Re-route evaluation, cycle back to step #3 or #4 6 Destinatio n 1 2, 4 3 5 7 8 Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

17. Step 2.1 Activation Evidence exists that vehicles joined the network when they started a trip. Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective Second half had 19% more successful connections

18. Step 2.2 Destination & Route The network condition was downloaded reliably. Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

19. Step 3. Travel Time Requests and Updates  Vehicles send monument- to-monument travel times  Server updates link travel times using exponential smoothing, posts an updated travel time table  Vehicles query server every minute for new travel times within “update region”  Vehicles change routes if a new route’s travel time is significantly faster Region for which updated travel times are obtained Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

20. Step 4. Update Route Vehicle received 1 st NRC message 1 min 32 seconds after being logged onto the server Additional NRC messages as the trip progressed The current status of network was downloaded when a trip commenced.

21. Step 5. Send locations Vehicles transmitted data. monument passing data from vehicle m2m table location data from vehicle position table Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

22. Step 6. Server Updates Travel Times Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

23. Step 7. Download Travel Times Table Vehicles requested updates Snapshot of LOG messages on server: MSG_UserIDs:: Old ID: 0 New ID: 542 Time: 5:13PM MSG_Login:: Veh: 129911 Login: rpidemo Screenname: TECH198 Time: 5:13PM MSG_Login:: Veh: 129940 Login: rpidemo Screenname: TECH190 Time: 5:13PM MSG_Login:: Veh: 467 Login: rpi storage Screenname: RPI LiveDB Time: 5:13PM MSG_Login:: Veh: 129881 Login: rpidemo Screenname: TECH075 Time: 5:13PM MSG_Login:: Veh: 446 Login: Screenname: Time: 5:20PM MSG_TTReq:: Lon: -73691473 Lat: 42788138 DestLon: -73668992 DestLat: 42785812 Time: 5:20PM TT_GetMonuments:: VehID: 129874 Mons: 50 Time: 5:20PM MSG_TTSend:: VehID: 129874 Mons: 50 Arcs: 12 Time: 5:20PM MSG_TTReq:: Lon: -73822043 Lat: 42692266 DestLon: -73928752 DestLat: 42743160 Time: 5:20PM TT_GetMonuments:: VehID: 129914 Mons: 38 Time: 5:20PM MSG_TTSend:: VehID: 129914 Mons: 38 Arcs: 5 Time: 5:20PM MSG_UserIDs:: Old ID: 0 New ID: 864 Time: 5:21PM MSG_Login:: Veh: 446 Login: Screenname: Time: 5:21PM MSG_POS:: Lat: 42662345 Long: -73736841 Heading: 2054 Speed: 680 Time: 5:21PM Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

24. Results  Normal Days  Incident Days  Vehicle Rerouting Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

25. Response to Incidents More reroute messages were generated on days with incidents versus non-incident days Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

26. An Incident Happens, what happens to ATIS drivers? Day 86 Menands Bridge Fire Bridge closed, so no traffic here. Where is it? Day 18 Car Accident On Morrison Slight volume shift visible Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

27. Incidents – Car Accident on Morrison St. (Day 18) Incident OccursPolice arrive at 8:20Tow Truck arrives at 8:41Incident Clears at 8:51 Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

28. Incidents – Bridge Fire (Day 86) Route 378 Bridge is indeed closed I-787 (SB backed up) south of Watervliet Exit Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

29. Comparison of Network Loading 5/04/05 – Typical Day Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective 5/11/05 – Fire Incident

30. Advances in the Future  Large scale deployment in a region, for a major employer, etc.  Use other data in travel time estimation, from loops, video cameras, etc.  Create TMC interface for data exchange, information dissemination, etc.  Create system of multiple service providers, like the cell phone system  Add features: congestion pricing, road conditions, road restrictions (e.g. school zone speed limits), etc.  Try other designs, e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle network without a server Future Advances Project Results Path - seeking Process Some User Perspectives Project Background Prior Efforts Problem Perspective

31. Thank you.  Questions?  Contact Us: George F. List, gflist@ncsu.edugflist@ncsu.edu William (Al) Wallace, wallaw@rpi.eduwallaw@rpi.edu Alain Kornhauser, alainpu@alk.comalainpu@alk.com Earl (Rusty) Lee, leee7@rpi.eduleee7@rpi.edu Alixandra Demers, ademers@unity.ncsu.eduademers@unity.ncsu.edu Jeffrey Wojtowicz, wojtoj@rpi.eduwojtoj@rpi.edu Brian Menyuk, bmenyuk@dot.state.ny.usbmenyuk@dot.state.ny.us