Transportation agencies typically use an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) for activities such as monitoring conditions (e.g. through detectors, cameras, and third-party data) and managing traffic (e.g. through dynamic message signs (DMS), lane use signs, ramp metering). As technology changes and systems age, agencies may purchase or upgrade their ATMS. The process of procuring a new or upgraded ATMS typically involves a systems engineering approach of defining needs, developing a concept of operations, then developing detailed requirements that can be used in procurement.
Agencies generally share a common, core set of similar needs, operational concepts, and requirements for ATMS software solutions. The purpose of this project was for members to collaboratively develop a set of common needs, concepts, and requirements to serve as model systems engineering documents. The resulting document was not intended to be inclusive of all possible ATMS capabilities, but rather a baseline of common capabilities to be used by the member agencies to support their systems engineering process and ATMS procurement.
The project developed a Model ATMS Concept of Operations (ConOps) that provides a user-oriented view of the ATMS. It describes the ATMS operation in relation to how different stakeholders will use and experience the system. The ConOps is a key element of the Systems Engineering process. The ConOps is a direct input into the development of system requirements also included in the document, which define the required high-level functionality of the ATMS. The ConOps is also used to validate that the deployed ATMS performs the expected operations and meets the needs of the ATMS stakeholders, while the system requirements are used to verify the deployed ATMS meets the required specifications.