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Emergency Responders Get Live Pictures from FDOT Through Inter-Agency Video Distribution System

Local agencies have a new visual tool to assist in evaluating traffic events while dispatching or responding to incidents. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District IV now has the capability to distribute live motion Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera video feeds to inter-agency partners (and other authorized users), using existing Internet infrastructure at no additional cost.

The new Inter-agency Video Distribution System (iVDS) provides streaming video from 45 CCTV locations along Interstate 95, Interstate 595 and State Route 84 in Broward County. Emergency response agencies such as

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The 2006 Annual Report details how the use of training, technology, innovation and commitment to excellence were driving factors in the continued success of the SMART SunGuide TMC. It highlights performance, significant deployments, and achievements during the calendar year. Get a copy at www.SMARTSunGuide.com today!

911 centers; police, fire and ambulance stations; transportation management centers; airports and transit authorities can benefit from the live images before or during an incident along the freeways.

FDOT District IV distributes the CCTV video streams from the SMARTSM SunGuide Transportation Management Center (TMC) in Fort Lauderdale. The iVDS system converts the source of the high bandwidth video images to an industry standard “MPEG-4” format allowing high quality viewing through existing Internet connections. The iVDS solution requires authorized users to sign into a secure website, which enables them to select a specific CCTV feed or a tour of CCTV feeds. “This is yet another benefit of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that allow for improved response and clearance of incidents along Florida roadways,” said Steven Corbin, FDOT District IV ITS Operations Manager.

iVDS uses existing Internet infrastructure.

The SMART SunGuide TMC is the source of iVDS video feeds.

Outstanding Service on Broward Freeways Recognized by FDOT District IV and SMART SunGuide TMC

The SMART SunGuide awards celebrate the dedication and service of individuals who perform above and beyond the call of duty. Awards are given to employees of the SMART SunGuide TMC and partnering agencies. The third annual ceremony, held on January 18, 2007, recognized the following individuals for their outstanding service in intelligent transportation during 2006:

Road Ranger - Dedication to Motorist Assistance: Reinaldo Bichara Traffic Incident Management - Participation and Contribution in Meetings: Thomas DicksonITS Operations - Customer Service and Mentoring: Cheryl PetersonITS Management – Innovation and Leadership: Dong ChenITS Maintenance – Dedication to System Availability: Oriol NuňezRoad Watcher – Dedication to Motorist Safety: Patrick FreiwaldPublic Partnering – Commitment to Teamwork: Broward Sheriff’s OfficeRoad Ranger – Newcomer of the Year: Davilus MenardRoad Ranger – Continued Excellence: Jorge ValleOutstanding Achievement: Robert Murphy“SunGuide” Award: David Ashton

“Care Bears” Donated to FHP Children’s Program

As part of the SMART SunGuide Awards program, Sergeant Mark Wysocky, Public Affairs Officer from FHP Troop “L,” was presented with 428 stuffed animals to use for their Care Bears program. FHP Troopers keep these stuffed animals in their patrol cars, to give to children involved in traumatizing traffic events. On February 7, 2007, Sergeant Wysocky “paid it forward,” donating bears too large to fit in patrol car trunks to the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.

The SMART SunGuide TMC coordinated an inter-office campaign to collect the bears that quickly caught on with partnering agencies, friends and family. Donations came from FDOT District IV, Broward County Traffic Engineering Division and Public Works, and Discovery Preschool Center of Coral Springs. The original goal was to collect 100 stuffed animals – the result was over four times that. “The District Four ITS team recognizes the significance of the Care Bears program. We wanted to show our support to our local Troop by making sure they had enough bears

to last all year,” said Steve Corbin, District ITS Operations Manager. “We hope to be able to provide even more bears next year!” The TMC plans to make this an annual event. If you would like to participate in 2007, please contact Sarah Stanley at sarah.stanley@smartsunguide.com.

SunGuide EMPM Rolled Out to Palm Beach ITMS

The SunGuide Event Management and Performance Measures (EMPM) Module was officially launched at Palm Beach ITMS on January 1, 2007. ITMS operators use the EMPM Module as a supplement to MIST, their current ITS device control system to enter and manage Road Ranger Service Patrol and traffic incident data. Using the EMPM Module enables District IV to run performance measure reports for the entire District.

A total of 428 bears were donated to the FHP Care Bears program.

SMART Viewer, a Detailed Look at Traffic Incidents

In 2006, the District IV ITS Program developed and implemented an application called SMART Viewer to aid in inter-agency data sharing. With this tool, partner agencies such as South Florida SunGuide 511 Traveler Information can access real-time, detailed information from the SunGuide system to enhance the services that are offered to the motoring public. “SMART Viewer is a critical tool in helping South Florida 511 achieve its mission to provide timely and accurate traffic information to the driving public,” says 511 Project Manager, Mike Millard.

SMART Viewer is easy to use. Qualified personnel from partner agencies contact the SMART SunGuide TMC to request a username and password to the encrypted web application. After logging in, users are able to see a full list of traffic events in District IV. Simply clicking on an event link will open the event’s detail screen, which includes time stamps, chronology, emergency responders and more. All information is real-time and updated every 10 seconds. SMART Viewer runs off of the SunGuide database, and is exclusive to the District IV TMC at this time. Future plans are to incorporate this tool directly into SunGuide, which will result in statewide use of SMART Viewer.

Toys in the Sun Run

The Southeast Florida Regional TMC Operations Committee (SEFRTOC) took a proactive approach to planning for the impact of the Toys in the Sun Run event held December 10, 2006. Meetings with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) were held weeks in advance. Dynamic Message Signs in the tri-county area were used pre-event to warn motorists of the upcoming closings on I-95 and I-595.

The day of the event, the SMART SunGuide TMC coordinated with the SEFRTOC partners, South Florida SunGuide 511 Traveler Information, FHP, and BSO to provide accurate real-time information to motorists. Additionally, extra Road Rangers were available to assist with the closures and respond to motorists in need. The coordinated effort helped to make the event a huge success!

District IV Deployment Update

Phase 1 Cameras and detector sites to be installed along all of I-95 in Broward County, I-595 from Hiatus to I-95. Status: Construction is complete.

Phase 2 Conduits, pull boxes, vaults, fiber optics, and concrete poles to be installed along I-75 in Broward County. Status: All underground work complete. Fiber optics and concrete poles installation is in progress.

Upcoming District IV Contract Work

Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River Counties A deployment of conduit, fiber optic cables, telecommunication networks, CCTV, DMS, detectors, Road Weather Information System (RWIS), wireless voice over IP (VoIP) system, and Highway Advisory Radio (HAR). Scheduled advertisement date: July 2007

Broward County Advanced ITS Deployment of DMS to county arterials. In addition, RWIS, wireless VoIP system, and HAR will be deployed along I-95 and I-75. Scheduled advertisement date: August 2007

Palm Beach County Deployment of CCTV, DMS, traffic detectors, fiber communication network along I-95, RWIS, wireless VoIP system, and HAR. Scheduled advertisement date: February 2008

SMART Viewer offers partner agencies a detailed look at traffic incidents.

SEFRTOC Shines at the Big Game

On Sunday, February 4, 2007, Dolphin Stadium in Miami-Dade County had the honor of hosting Super Bowl XLI. To help keep traffic moving on event day, the Southeast Florida Regional TMC Operations Committee used overhead Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) and South Florida SunGuide 511 to disseminate real-time traffic information to motorists traveling to and around the game. The Road Ranger Service

Patrol was beefed up to assist in the effort. TMC Operators from Floirda’s Turnpike and District 4 were on-site at the staduim to assist tranportaion officials by providing CCTV video and current traffic conditions to the coordinators.

“SIRVing” the Student Population

Students at Hammock Pointe Elementary in Boca Raton, Florida, had the opportunity to explore a variety of careers without even leaving the school grounds. On Thursday, February 15th, kindergarten through fifth grade students saw presentations from medical, financial, engineering, and public service fields.

The SMART SunGuide TMC participated in the all-school career day by presenting transportation related careers to the first grade classes. Speakers explained the importance of traffic management and what skill sets contribute to the success of the TMC’s services. A Road Ranger Service Patrol truck and Severe Incident Response Vehicle was onsite as an interactive demonstration for the children.

“Our Career Day program goes beyond a faceless corporate donation by bringing career information from ‘the real world’ into our classrooms,” states Lauren Gardner, School of Promise Chairperson at Hammock Pointe Elementary. “The program exemplifies the power of school and business partnerships at a level the children can truly appreciate.”

Speedier Traffic Images for the Motoring Public

One of the traffic information tools available on www.SMARTSunGuide.com are links to District IV CCTV cameras. The cameras, listed by location, provide viewers a “snapshot” image of traffic conditions. Recently, the refresh rate of the images was increased from one every 10 seconds, to one every 3 seconds, to give a more accurate depiction of how quickly heavy traffic is moving. In the coming year, SMART SunGuide plans to continue adding additional camera links to the list.

*FHP Calls Answered at SMART SunGuide TMC

As a 30-day pilot program started on March 5, motorists who call *FHP to request a Road Ranger in Broward County are transferred directly to the TMC for assistance. FHP Duty Officer Supervisors (DOS) Pillar Burrows and Cindy Fucci from the Lake Worth Regional Communications Center held four training classes in February to prepare TMC Operators from both Florida’s Turnpike and SMART SunGuide Broward to take these calls.

The class provided an introduction to call taking including customer service techniques, important listening skills, and safety tips. DOS Burrows and Fucci played audio tapes to illustrate good and bad calls and to provide TMC Operators an idea of what to expect.

Students from Hammock Pointe Elementary learn about the SIRV program.