2014

Many Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) deployments include signs and other traffic control device displays that require locating them and other ITS components within the roadway clear zone. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) requires these devices to be crashworthy.

Agencies wishing to deploy ITS devices within the clear zone are responsible for ensuring that the device is either protected by a longitudinal barrier or mounted on a breakaway support in a configuration that is crashworthy. The ENTERPRISE Pooled Fund Program completed a research project to document available resources to assist state, provincial, and local agencies in the process of designing and deploying ITS devices in the clear zone.  The final report summarizes the large number of resources available from federal and state agencies.

Presentations

The Crashworthines and Protectino of ITS Field Devices project was presented at the following:

• ENTERPRISE Project Webinar (April 2014)

Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) is a communication tool that has been used since the late 1970s by government organizations to deliver public information over short ranges by radio. Systems typically consist of a transmitter, antenna, recording device and power. Most modern systems use control software and wireless communication options that allow messages to be recorded or activated remotely. HAR is often used by departments of transportation, in particular, to deliver information about road conditions, construction and other traffic conditions. 

The overall intent of this project was to provide ENTERPRISE member states with guidance to help them better understand how they should pursue HAR technologies and approaches in the future.  To accomplish this, the project goals of the project were defined as follows:

• Goal #1: To help members understand how HAR is being used by transportation  agencies today;
• Goal #2: To help members understand the potential value of HAR; and
• Goal #3: To help members understand the current and potential future state of HAR technology practices.

The final document for this project presents a general background of HAR, a summary of HAR uses and value, as well as the state of HAR technology and operational practices.  Information for this project was gathered through literature reviews and interviews with transportation agencies operating HAR and manufacturers of HAR systems.

ENTERPRISE established a working relationship with General Motors’ OnStar during the Multi-Jurisdictional Mayday (MJM) project in the late 1990s to explore how automatic collision notification (ACN) technology could enhance roadway safety and traveler information if data from such systems were available to emergency medical staff and transportation agencies. In the years since, OnStar has worked diligently with the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) to establish parameters around the crash data that they can provide. Using those parameters, OnStar has published a data stream for emergency services and transportation agencies to use.

In addition to the safety and convenience services offered by OnStar, similar services are being offered by other automobile manufacturers. For example, Ford provides a service called SYNC that literally syncs your mobile phone with your vehicle to provide various safety functions, and Hyundai offers Assurance Connected Care as a standard feature for three years on most of their new vehicles. Insurance companies are also providing similar safety and rate reduction services such as In-Drive offered by State Farm.

Given the evolution and potential value of crash notification technology, this project researched the current data available from OnStar and similar telematics service providers, suggested the value of such data for transportation operations, and worked with ENTERPRISE member agencies to understand how they could use this type of data. This summary report provides information about the data currently available from telematics service providers and suggests the potential value of such data for transportation agency operations.

The ENTERPRISE Pooled Fund Program initiated a project to document the resources available as well as uses and benefits regarding the following Intelligent Work Zone (IWZ) technologies: queue warning systems, dynamic merge systems, alternate routes and variable speed limits in work zones.  A detailed literature search was conducted to summarize work zone materials available related to the four work zone technologies. In addition, intelligent work zone representatives from transportation agencies were contacted to provide details on recent related deployments and provide input to the project.

The purpose of the final report is to understand the current status of work on IWZ activities by combining the resources gathered through a literature search with the information collected from the transportation agencies on recent deployments.  Also included is a summary of the four IWZ technologies including examples of successes, any guidance possible when technologies are most effective, and the configurations that demonstrated the best results.  Seperate documents were then created from the final report highlighting the summary of uses and benefits for each IWZ technology as a quick reference for the specific technology of interest.

Presentations

The Synthesis of Intelligent Work Zone Practices project was presented at the following:

• ITS Minnesota Fall Forum (October 2014)
• ENTERPRISE Project Webinar (April 2014)

The objective of this project was to conduct “proof of concept” evaluation to document the potential for Video Analytics as a tool for traffic operations centers (TOCs) and for traffic data collection. The project reported results from testing of several Video Analytics Systems in the United States (Iowa, Missouri) and in Ontario, Canada, under real-world environments.  Components of the project evaluation included:

• Traffic Data Collection – Compared Video Analytics outputs to trusted agency detectors, for traffic volumes, speeds, and vehicle classifications.
• Incident Detection – Compared Video Analytics alerts to still images, video clips, and agency-reported incidents, to validate accuracy for detection of incidents including stopped vehicles, debris in the road, and slow traffic/congestion.
• Wrong-Way Vehicle Controlled Test – Conducted a controlled test to test the ability of Video Analytics systems to detect wrong-way movements on freeway ramps.
• Observations from Agency Staff:  Representatives from participating agencies provided feedback on the value and usefulness of the Video Analytics systems to assist with managing road networks.

Results indicate that Video Analytics is ready to support a number of operational uses in its current state of practice.  The final report includes several use case scenarios, along with procurement guidance and readiness of the state of practice to support each scenario tested as a part of this project. Lastly, a number of lessons learned are documented, which agencies can use as they plan for and procure Video Analytics systems.

Presentations

The Next Generation Traffic Data and Incident Detection from Video Project was presented at the following:

• ITS Canada 2014 Annual Conference and General Meeting (June 2014)
• 2014 National Rural ITS Conference (August 2014)
• 2014 ITS World Congress (September 2014)
• ITS Minnesota 2014 Fall Forum (October 2014)
• ITS Midwest 2014 Annual Meeting (October 2014)
• ENTERPRISE Project Webinar (November 2014)

This final report describes the deployment options and the recommended strategy of the deployment of a Rural Connected Vehicle system.  The intent of this effort was to identify the needs of rural users and the constraints imposed by the rural environment, and to conceptualize a variant of the connected vehicle system that is uniquely adapted to meet those needs given those constraints.