Next Generation Traffic Management Systems Enabled by VII
Bob Ferlis, Federal Highway Administration
May 4, 2005
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What’s this all about?
VII project is ………
– Defining a deployment strategy for VII• Architecture
• Business models
• Policy / institutional issues
• Outreach
– VII will be the enabling communications infrastructure for new transportation services
• Other ITS “Tier 1” Initiatives just described
• This project is discussing whether a full scale research and development project is warranted
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Our objectives for this project
What we’re doing ……….
– Discussing how VII data can be used in the near term to improve:• Arterial management• Freeway management• Corridor-wide transportation operations
– Identifying priorities for future research
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“The VII Paradigm Shift” for transportation management
• Greatly improved knowledge of travel patterns and traffic demand • Accurate & reliable information that causes travelers to modify their
behavior (time, route and/or mode)• Proactive traffic management strategies
– Adaptive traffic signal control– Corridor-wide managed diversion
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Development of a Research Plan
• Workshops were held to discuss the future of transportation management that is possible with VII
• Small group of knowledgeable and visionary public & private sector experts participated
• Workshops held:– Arterial management focus in November 2004– Freeway management focus in February 2005
• US DOT “primed the pump” with some proactive, and even provocative, ideas on how VII could help
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Brainstorming Topics
• Traffic signal operations• Arterial incident management• Traveler information• Corridor-wide operations
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Results of the workshop – New opportunities
• VII data will provide performance data that is not available today, particularly on arterials
• Improved transportation management systems will be possible with this new data
• Communication with drivers will be dramatically improved, with better information at the right place and time
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Results of the Arterial workshop – priority research questions
• Can VII data be used with existing traffic control hardware / software?• What new signal optimization strategies are possible with VII data?• How do you address VII data requirements and data management
issues?• What new performance measures are possible with VII data?
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Arterial workshop results (continued)
• Can VII eliminate the need for signal system detectors?
– Do all cars need VII?• How can VII improve evacuation & emergency planning and
response?
• What types of information do travelers need to make decisions?
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Results of the Freeway workshop – priority research questions
• Can we use VII data for predictive real-time operations for:– Incidents
– Crashes
– Recurring congestion
– Events
– Bad weather
• What quality and effectiveness (reflecting percent deployed) can we expect from the VII data?
• How can the VII data be organized into meaningful and accurate information that can be used for transportation management?
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What’s next?
We expect to develop…
• Research plan for the next generation of transportation management that is enabled by VII data