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

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Questions ?