Advanced Traveler Information System Study - Mid

Transcription

Advanced Traveler Information System Study:
Task 3 Findings
technical
memorandum
prepared for
Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
prepared by
Kimley-Horn and Assoc., Inc.
Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
May 12, 2009
www.camsys.com
technical memorandum
Advanced Traveler Information
System Study:
Task 3 Findings
prepared for
Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
prepared by
Kimley-Horn and Assoc., Inc.
date
May 12, 2009
Advanced Traveler Information System Study
Table of Contents
1.0
Evaluation of Existing ATIS ............................................................................. 1-1
1.1 Background.................................................................................................. 1-1
1.2
Purpose of Evaluation of Existing ATIS .................................................. 1-1
1.3
San Francisco Bay Area, California .......................................................... 1-2
1.4
Houston, Texas.......................................................................................... 1-13
1.5
Salt Lake City, Utah .................................................................................. 1-21
1.6
London, England ...................................................................................... 1-30
1.7
Munich, Germany ..................................................................................... 1-36
1.8
1.9
Emerging ATIS Technologies and Trends ............................................ 1-41
Conclusions ............................................................................................... 1-46
8136.004
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List of Figures
Figure 1.1
Homepage of http://www.511.org/ ................................................... 1-3
Figure 1.2
MTC 511 Traffic Data Flow .................................................................... 1-6
Figure 1.3
MTC 511 Driving Times ......................................................................... 1-8
Figure 1.4
MTC 511 Transit Trip Planner ............................................................... 1-9
Figure 1.5
Homepage of http://www.houstontranstar.org/ ........................... 1-14
Figure 1.6
Houston TranStar Traffic Map ............................................................ 1-17
Figure 1.7
Homepage of http://www.utahcommuterlink.com/ ..................... 1-22
Figure 1.8
Homepage of http://www.rideuta.com/ ......................................... 1-24
Figure 1.9
Utah CommuterLink ATIS Data Flows.............................................. 1-25
Figure 1.10 Homepage of http://www.tfl.gov.uk................................................ 1-31
Figure 1.11 Transport for London Trip Planner Results ...................................... 1-34
Figure 1.12 Homepage of http://www.muenchen.de/verticals/Traffic_
Transport/227515/index.html ............................................................ 1-36
Figure 1.13 BayernInfo Traffic Map ........................................................................ 1-37
Figure 1.14 Munich Transit Trip Planner ............................................................... 1-40
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1.0 Evaluation of Existing ATIS
1.1 BACKGROUND
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has requested that the
Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (CS) team assess the feasibility of a regional
multimodal advanced traveler information system (ATIS) in central Ohio.
The central Ohio region already has some ATIS in place, including the Ohio
Department of Transportation‟s (ODOT) Buckeye Traffic web site
(http://www.buckeyetraffic.org/), the city of Columbus‟ Paving the Way web site
(http://www.pavingtheway.org/), the Central Ohio Transit Authority‟s (COTA)
web site (http://www.cota.com/), and MORPC‟s RideSolutions web site
(http://ridesolutions.morpc.org/). While the agencies managing and operating
these ATIS do sometimes coordinate with each other, the various ATIS are not
linked together and there is no “one-stop shop” where travelers can get the
information they need to make informed decisions about how they should travel.
MORPC envisions developing an ATIS that allows travelers to compare available
transportation modes for a particular trip based on factors such as travel time,
length, and cost. This ATIS also would serve as a clearinghouse for information
about existing travel conditions (e.g., construction restrictions, congestion levels,
and impacts of incidents). The ATIS would be recognized by travelers, the
media, and transportation system operators as a reliable source of static and
dynamic traveler information.
1.2 PURPOSE OF EVALUATION OF EXISTING ATIS
A review of existing ATIS deployments in other locations across the United
States as well as international locations can provide MORPC with excellent
information in terms of being able to see what features those other ATIS include,
how those traveler information systems were implemented, how travelers are
using those systems, what resources are required to implement and maintain
those systems, and what lessons the managing and operating agencies have
learned through the deployment and operation of their ATIS.
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., as part of the CS team, surveyed five existing
top-tier national and international ATIS deployments to evaluate their relevance
to the ATIS efforts and traveler information needs in central Ohio. For the
national ATIS surveyed, information was gathered from agency web sites,
published documents, and interviews with agency staff. For the international
ATIS surveyed, information was obtained from agency web sites but no
interviews with agency staff were conducted. As such, there is more detailed
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deployment and “lessons learned” information and analysis on the national ATIS
than the international ATIS.
The purpose of the evaluation was to determine what features are included in
the surveyed ATIS, how those features were implemented, how travelers are
using those features, what resources are required to implement and maintain
those features, and what lessons have been learned by the agencies managing
and operating the surveyed ATIS that may be applicable to the ATIS efforts in
central Ohio.
It is envisioned that the findings of this evaluation will help guide MORPC and
its partners in deciding if the envisioned ATIS in central Ohio is feasible, and if
so, how, when, and by whom it should be deployed and operated.
The locations of the five operational ATIS that were evaluated are:
San Francisco Bay Area, California (ATIS web site: http://www.511.org/);
Houston, Texas (ATIS web site: http://www.houstontranstar.org/);
Salt Lake City, Utah (ATIS web site: http://www.utahcommuterlink.com/);
London, England (ATIS web site: http://www.tfl.gov.uk); and
Munich, Germany (ATIS web site: http://www.muenchen.de/verticals/
Traffic_Transport/227515/index.html).
Emerging ATIS technologies and current ATIS business model trends also were
briefly evaluated to provide MORPC and its partners with a sense of where the
ATIS industry appears to be headed in the future in areas such as private sector
involvement in traveler information and different partnership strategies.
1.3 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to approximately seven million people and
is a densely populated area. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission
(MTC) is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the San
Francisco Bay Area. MTC operates an ATIS web site at http://www.511.org/.
MTC has branded its ATIS as “511,” which includes both the web site and the
companion phone-based ATIS that is accessible by dialing 511. Figure 1.1 shows
what the homepage of the 511.org web site looks like.
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Figure 1.1
Homepage of http://www.511.org/
Relevance to Central Ohio ATIS Efforts
MTC‟s 511 ATIS was included in the survey because it is widely recognized as
one of the leading ATIS in the United States in terms of comprehensive
multimodal and trip planning information available on both the web site and
phone system. Like MORPC, MTC is the MPO of a metropolitan region within a
state that contains multiple metropolitan areas. MTC has contracted out the
operations and maintenance of its ATIS to the private sector because MTC does
not have the necessary in-house resources, although MTC does provide program
oversight and is responsible for coordinating with the various transit and
transportation operations agencies within the region. MTC‟s ATIS incorporates
traveler information gathered from numerous sources, including the state
Department of Transportation (DOT), regional transit agencies, local
transportation agencies, toll tag transponders, and a private data provider.
History
MTC has operated web- and phone-based ATIS in the San Francisco Bay Area for
more than a decade. The U.S. Department of Transportation selected the San
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Francisco Bay Area as a Field Operational Test for ATIS in 1993. The ATIS
developed by MTC was originally known as TravInfo and it officially deployed
in 1998. The TravInfo ATIS provided basic information on current traffic
conditions and available transit services in the region. Much of the traffic and
transit information in TravInfo was previously available on multiple agency web
sites and phone systems, but MTC‟s ATIS brought several different traveler
information resources together into a centralized regional system. Providing this
regional traveler information clearinghouse was no small feat from both an
institutional as well as a technical perspective. Few MPOs besides MTC have
made the investments to successfully bring together state, county, city, transit
and private sector data to create a one-stop, multimodal regional traveler
information resource.
In 2002, MTC launched a cobranded 511 web site and phone system that were
much more robust than the previous TravInfo ATIS. The selection of the “511”
number as the name of MTC‟s new ATIS reflected the Federal Communications
Commission‟s decision in 2000 to reserve the phone number 511 for travel
information. MTC has upgraded its ATIS several times since 2002 based on
feedback from users and the emergence of new data and new technologies to
include features such as point-to-point current freeway driving times, real-time
transit predictions, and personalized profiles. The San Francisco Bay Area MTC
511 ATIS is considered by many to be among the top publicly operated ATIS in
the United States.
Modal Components
MTC‟s 511 ATIS contains the following information on the various modes of
travel (more detailed and interactive information is provided on the web site
than on the phone):
Trains – Train schedules, route maps, fares, announcements, and agency
profiles for four heavy rail and two light rail commuter train providers;
Buses – Bus schedules, route maps, fares, announcements, and agency
profiles for 20 bus providers plus external site links to 2 other bus providers;
Automobiles – Construction closures and restrictions, incidents, cameras,
traffic congestion map, both typical and current driving times between
predefined points, and links to seven local traffic conditions web sites;
Bicycles – Locations of bike lockers and racks, bikes on public transit and
across toll bridges, riding safely in traffic, tips on commuting by bike,
existing bike facilities maps, 511 ridematch subscription service to help locate
biking partners, and other bicycle resources;
Airplanes – External links to web sites of four airports in the region where
users can get information on flights, rental cars, airport maps and directions,
and airport policies;
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Ferries – Ferry schedules, route maps, fares, announcements, and agency
profiles for seven ferry providers;
Shuttles – Information on numerous shuttles, mostly through external site
links;
Carpool/Vanpool – Map and detailed information on carpool lane locations,
park-and-ride lot locations, and bridge toll locations, 511 ridematch
subscription service that e-mails users a list of potential carpool or vanpool
partners who live and work nearby, ideas on how employers can provide
commuting options, and a calculator that helps the user determine the
financial and environmental cost of various commuting options; and
Others – Information on commercial bus, paratransit, and out-of-region
transit providers, carsharing.
Data Flows
MTC, through its 511 Traffic Contractor, collects freeway traffic data from the
following three primary data sources:
–
MTC manages the FasTrak electronic toll collection program, known as
TrafficWatch, and utilizes travel information provided by the FasTrak
probe transponders to keep driving times up to date.
–
Caltrans (the state DOT) monitors traffic volumes and speeds on the
region‟s freeway system using loop detectors embedded in the pavement,
off-pavement sensors, and closed circuit television cameras (CCTV). This
data is reported back to the Caltrans‟ District 4 Transportation
Management Center (TMC) in Oakland, which also is where MTC‟s 511
Traveler Information Center (TIC) is located. This allows Caltrans‟ TMC
staff to efficiently share traffic data with TIC staff, who then upload that
data to the 511 web site and phone system using a custom interface
developed by MTC.
–
SpeedInfo, a private traffic content and data wholesale company, has
deployed low-cost, solar-powered Doppler radar sensors to fill gaps in
coverage for over 250 miles of highways in the San Francisco Bay Area.
MTC purchases the spot speed data from SpeedInfo.
MTC‟s 511 Traffic Contractor has developed algorithms that fuse the data
provided by the three aforementioned data sources into speeds and travel
times that are then disseminated to the 511 web site and phone system, as
well as to multiple information service providers and media outlets (via an
XML data feed), as shown in Figure 1.2.
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MTC manually uploads incident information to the 511 web site and phone
system from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Computer Aided Dispatch
(CAD) system on accidents, stalled vehicles, and other incidents such as
debris in the road. CHP personnel are located in the District 4 TMC and
coordinate directly with TIC staff when necessary to provide updated
traveler information related to incidents.
MTC‟s Rideshare Contractor is responsible for collecting, processing, and
disseminating rideshare and bicycling information for the 511 ATIS.
Figure 1.2
MTC 511 Traffic Data Flow
Source: MTC, 2005.
Transit agencies transmit their data at regular intervals in predefined formats
to MTC‟s transit clearinghouse database. MTC‟s 511 Transit Contractor then
processes and disseminates the transit information on the 511 web site while
the 511 Traffic Contractor is responsible for disseminating the transit
information on the 511 phone system. Specific real-time transit information
is transmitted to transit hub signs. A real-time transit data feed is provided
to transit agencies upon request but this transit data feed currently does not
go to third-party information service providers.
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MTC has partnered with more than 60 other agencies to either provide their
static information on 511 or to at least provide an external link to the
agencies‟ web sites or a call transfer from the 511 phone system.
Display, Mapping, and Visualization Approaches
MTC‟s 511 Marketing Contractor designs and manages the 511 web site
homepage and provides design guidance on other web pages that are part of
MTC‟s 511 ATIS web site.
The transit trip planner and traffic congestion maps are both shown on the
homepage, along with links to the major categories of available information.
The traffic congestion map allows users to toggle map features on and off,
pan and zoom in and out of specific map areas, and click on map items to get
more detailed travel information.
The traffic congestion map color scheme has four choices: standard colors,
high contrast, red/green color blind, and blue/yellow color blind.
Traffic conditions and driving times information can be shown graphically or
in text format. Figure 1.3 shows the driving times graphic format from the
511 web site.
Trip Planning Capabilities
Transit trip planning is available on the 511 web site and provides estimated
travel time using various transit options as well as the walking time to/from
transit stops, as shown in Figure 1.4.
Historical average and current driving times between points on the traffic
congestion map are available on the 511 web site and phone.
The 511BikeMapper shows bicyclists where bike facilities are in the San
Francisco Bay Area.
Alert and Personalization Capabilities
My511.org is a web site where the user can personalize the 511 web site or
phone system to quickly get desired travel information for specific routes or
locations, such as current driving times and preset camera views. Users can
also sign up to receive text messages and e-mail alerts for status updates at a
preset time of day or whenever driving times are worse than a preset severity
threshold.
The text on the 511 web site (excluding the text embedded in graphics) also is
available in Spanish and Chinese.
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Figure 1.3
MTC 511 Driving Times
Event Information
Special event information is included in the traffic conditions map.
A web ticker allows MTC to post urgent messages that scroll across the top of
the 511 web pages. On the 511 phone system, floodgate messages serve a
similar function.
The 511 web site home page also features emergency alerts when there is a
significant closure or major disruption to transit services.
In the event of a major emergency, both the 511 web site and phone system
can be converted to an abbreviated form that provides emergency
information quickly and simply while conserving system capacity.
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Figure 1.4
MTC 511 Transit Trip Planner
Additional Features
There are external links to local Chambers of Commerce, Convention and
Visitors Bureaus, and other 511 services in California.
The 511 web site and phone system allow callers to provide comments and
occasionally also to participate in surveys.
MTC transmits its driving times back to Caltrans, so Caltrans can post the
driving times information on its dynamic message signs (DMS).
Current departure times are now available for San Francisco Muni buses and
trains on the 511 phone system and on signs at transit hubs and they will
become available on the web site and through a phone texting service later
this year. Other Bay Area transit agencies, including ferries, will be added in
the future as well.
MTC periodically promotes various events or programs, such as Bike to
Work Day and Spare the Air, by providing links on its 511 web site where
travelers can obtain more detailed information.
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MTC will soon be implementing a personal digital assistant (PDA)/mobile
phone-enabled application that would be a scaled down version of the 511
ATIS that provides a convenient way for users to access information.
Costs
According to the Request for Proposal for a new 511 Traffic Contractor,
published by MTC in October 2008, the 511 Traffic Contractor contract for
operating and maintaining the 511 ATIS is anticipated to cost MTC more than
$4 million per year. This cost is comprised of 10 percent Project Management
costs, 25 percent Data Collection costs, 35 percent Data Dissemination costs,
5 percent Real-Time Transit costs, and 25 percent TIC Operations costs.
Costs for operating and maintaining the transit component of the 511 ATIS
are anticipated to be more than $2 million per year.
Marketing costs to promote the 511 ATIS vary by year depending on what
marketing tools are utilized. In 2008, a radio advertising campaign cost $350,000.
Planned enhancements to the 511 ATIS are projected to average about
$2 million per year.
Funding Sources
The 511 ATIS currently is funded by a mix of Federal Surface Transportation
Program (STP) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), along
with some local Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (SAFE) and
State Transit Assistance (STA) funds.
The San Francisco Bay Area was awarded $158.7 million in Federal funds by
the U.S. DOT in 2007 as part of the Urban Partnership Program.
Approximately $4.3 million of this grant will be used to fund enhancements
to provide real-time transit information, a multimodal trip planner, and
parking information on MTC‟s 511 ATIS.
As a means of generating additional revenue to fund the 511 ATIS, MTC is
considering permitting advertising and sponsorships of the 511 ATIS, as well
as charging subscription fees for the MY 511 personalized profile service and
for the 511 XML data feed.
Institutional Arrangements
An MTC employee serves as the 511 Program Manager, who is responsible
for managing the 511 Traffic Contractor, 511 Transit Contractor, 511
Rideshare Contractor, 511 Marketing Contractor, 511 Data Collection and
Data Dissemination Server Contractor, and 511 Program Technical Advisor.
The MTC 511 Change Control Board, which consists of MTC and contractor
staff, meets regularly to discuss potential optimizations and enhancements,
review issues, make decisions, and set priorities regarding the 511 ATIS.
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MTC‟s contracts contain a provision allowing for a contractor payment
deduction if certain performance standards are not met for data accuracy,
system availability, and voice response quality (for the phone system).
As was mentioned in the Data Flows Section, MTC collects data from and
disseminates data to multiple partners. Data-sharing agreements have been
developed between each of these partners and MTC.
MTC currently is in the process of procuring a new 511 traffic contractor. The
new contract will be for a five-year period, and can be extended by up to five
additional years at the discretion of MTC.
Usage Statistics
According to data provided by MTC in March 2009, 511 ATIS web user
sessions now average more than 2,100,000 per month with 511 phone calls
totaling on average about 400,000 calls per month.
The 511 web site has on average more than five times as many users as the
511 phone system.
511 usage increases dramatically due to large-scale events and emergencies.
For example, a severe weather event on January 4, 2008 resulted in daily 511
web usage that was 535 percent higher than typical and daily 511 phone
usage that was 770 percent higher than typical.
The 511 Strategic Plan, published by MTC in April 2006, includes the
following usage statistics for the 511 web site and phone system:
–
Traffic and transit information requests make up 97 percent of all
requests via 511 phone and web while rideshare requests make up
2.5 percent and bicycling requests 0.5 percent of all requests;
–
Traffic information is the information type most requested by phone
(~80 percent of all phone requests);
–
Transit information is the information type most requested through the
web site (~60 percent of all web requests);
–
Traffic information seekers are about as likely to use the 511 phone as the
web site to access traffic information;
–
Transit information is primarily accessed through the web site
(~89 percent of all travelers seeking transit information use the 511 web
site as compared to the 511 phone system);
–
The 511 phone system has experienced average annual call volume
growth of 60 percent; and
–
The 511 web site has experienced average annual growth in user sessions
of 38 percent.
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Promotion of ATIS
To promote the 511 ATIS, MTC created the 511 Brand and has utilized focus
group market research, radio spots, phone/web surveys and user feedback
capabilities, roadside signs, billboards, light pole banners, and print media to
reach their target audience.
MTC issued a report in September 2008 that quantified the traveler benefits
derived from routine use of the 511 ATIS. Routine use of the 511 ATIS was
calculated to result in fewer late arrivals, fewer very early arrivals, and
annual travel cost savings of up to $3,000 for users of 511 in the San Francisco
Bay Area.
To date, MTC has provided its traffic data feeds in XML format at no cost to
interested information service providers. MTC is considering strategies to
obtain in-kind advertising in exchange for use of the XML data feed.
MTC has developed guidelines for how to use the 511 logo and tag lines so
that partners who use the 511 „brand‟ help to promote it in a consistent
manner.
MTC developed a tag line for its 511 ATIS: “On the phone. On the Web. On
Your Way.”
Lessons Learned
Data quantity and quality are critical to a successful ATIS. Approximately 90
percent of 511 ATIS users surveyed in 2008 currently are at least somewhat
satisfied with the quality and accuracy of MTC‟s 511 ATIS, and a similar
percentage plan to continue obtaining traveler information from MTC‟s 511
ATIS because it is seen as better or about the same as other available traveler
information sources.
Failure of data collection field equipment is a constant challenge that impacts
the accuracy of the data used in the 511 ATIS.
Obtaining current construction closure/restriction information is difficult
because contractors do not always make Caltrans aware when there are
changes in the order or duration of their projects.
Marketing can have a significant impact on ATIS usage. For example, MTC‟s
fall 2008 radio campaign resulted in higher than typical usage in response,
and awareness of the 511 ATIS program increased from 48 percent in 2008 to
61 percent in 2009 according to a poll conducted by Godbe Research.
Focus group market research and user surveys can provide valuable
feedback on how well the current ATIS is doing and on what kinds of
enhancements would provide value to travelers. It also is true, however, that
travelers do not always use various ATIS features to the degree anticipated
based on focus group and survey findings.
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511 usage significantly can spike when incidents and events have widespread
adverse impacts on travel conditions. The 511 ATIS needs to be sized to
accommodate those spikes as that is when 511 users consider the 511 ATIS to
be most valuable.
An ongoing challenge in enhancing the 511 ATIS is in designing different
user interfaces for the 511 web site and the 511 phone system.
Traveler information can improve – but not eliminate – traffic congestion,
and it is important to communicate this to travelers and the media so as not
to set unrealistic expectations for the anticipated benefits of ATIS.
MTC should provide focused outreach and training for traffic anchors,
producers, and other media partners to educate them about 511 and what it
has to offer.
Some transit operators are not very supportive of MTC‟s 511 ATIS because
they believe it pushes potential riders to a less direct route to the information
they seek or could even cause riders to try alternate transit choices or other
modes of travel, with the net result that transit ridership for a particular
transit agency could go down.
The ongoing collection of transit data for use in the transit trip planner has
required more funding and resources than originally anticipated.
Transit riders value the convenience provided by MTC‟s centralization of
transit data.
Transit data quality and accuracy are a problem, especially for transit
schedules and transit trip planner information.
Good communication between 511 staff and Caltrans and CHP staff in the
TIC/TMC is needed to improve the accuracy of the data provided in the
ATIS.
Linking the performance of the ATIS to the payment of the contractors has
resulted in quality service and performance from contractors.
Procurement approaches need to be flexible to adapt to changing
technologies needs.
Longer-term contracts coupled with options for contract extensions ensure
continuity and quality of service.
In some cases, a joint procurement can efficiently support multiple projects,
reducing the duplication of staff project management resources.
1.4 HOUSTON, TEXAS
Approximately six million live in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. This area
borders the Gulf of Mexico and large-scale weather events such as flooding and
hurricanes occur from time to time. To manage traffic as well as emergencies in
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the Houston area, a consortium known as Houston TranStar was created in 1993
comprised of four partners. The four partner agencies that signed an interlocal
agreement to share their resources and find solutions to better provide these
services are:
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT);
Harris County;
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO); and
The City of Houston.
The Houston TranStar ATIS web site address is http://www.houstontranstar.org/.
Figure 1.5 shows what the homepage of the Houston TranStar web site looks like.
Houston‟s TranStar ATIS was included in the survey because TranStar is a
unique partnership of four governmental agencies responsible for transportation
management and emergency management services in the Houston area. The
TranStar ATIS is regional in scope and has a large incident/emergency
management component. The State DOT plays a large role in the data collection,
data fusion, and data dissemination ATIS efforts. TranStar recently implemented
mobile web capabilities so travelers can access the main components of the
TranStar web site through mobile devices. There is no companion ATIS phone
system provided by TranStar.
Figure 1.5
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Homepage of http://www.houstontranstar.org/
History
The TranStar organization was established in 1993 to provide for multiagency
management of the region‟s transportation system. A major milestone for the
four-agency consortium was the construction of a joint traffic management and
emergency management operations center in 1996. TranStar has evolved into a
primary resource from which agencies respond to incidents and emergencies in
the Houston area. The Houston TranStar ATIS web site was created in 1994 by
TxDOT with the help of the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). The web site
went through some major upgrades in 2003 and 2004 that resulted in the web site
receiving numerous awards for being one of the best ATIS web sites in the
country. There also is a statewide closures and restrictions web site operated by
TxDOT (http://www.dot.state.tx.us/GIS/HCRS_main), but the TranStar web
site ATIS provides more specific, dynamic, and detailed road conditions
information for the Houston transportation network, including freeway speeds
and travel times, and links to multimodal information.
There is not yet a phone component to the TranStar ATIS (such as 511), nor are
there any regional or statewide 511 phone services in Texas. TxDOT does,
however, have a toll-free statewide hotline (1-800-452-9292) that includes
recorded information about construction-related and weather-related closures
and restrictions on TxDOT-operated highways and roadways.
Transit
information in the Houston area is available by phone through the METRO
customer service hotline (1-713-635-4000).
Modal Components
Houston TranStar‟s ATIS web site contains the following information on the
various modes of travel:
Trains – Cameras show current railroad grade crossing status and train
detection in the Sugar Land rail corridor; there also is an external link to the
METRO web site that provides train schedules, route maps, fares, a trip
planner, and announcements;
Buses – Locations of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
(METRO)‟s park-and-ride lots and transit centers are provided on the traffic
condition map, with an external link to the METRO web site that provides
bus schedules, route maps, fares, a trip planner, announcements, as well as a
commute calculator that compares the costs of traveling by bus versus car;
Automobiles – Real-time and historical speeds and travel times on map,
freeway incidents and road closures, construction closures, cameras, DMS
messages, and a link to road weather information;
Airplanes – External links to web sites of two airports in the region where
users can get information on flights, rental cars, airport maps and directions,
and airport policies;
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Ferries – Trip length and duration, camera images, current estimated wait
times during peak periods, and a link to TxDOT‟s Ferry Operations web site
that contains more info on schedule and locations; and
Carpool/Vanpool – Information on the QuickRide program for tolled highoccupancy vehicle (HOV) travel, with an external link to the METRO web site
map of HOV lanes.
Data Flows
TxDOT‟s Computerized Traffic Management System (CTMS) is the principal
clearinghouse for traffic data in the Houston area. This freeway management
system has been in use since the late 1980s but has undergone several major
upgrades as more data sources have become available. Traffic data sources
that feed into CTMS include cameras, DMS messages, highway advisory
radio (HAR), ramp meters, and speed data from the Automatic Vehicle
Identification (AVI) system.
Construction- and weather-related closure and restriction information is
automatically uploaded to the TranStar web site from TxDOT‟s statewide
Highway Condition Reporting System (HCRS), which is maintained and
manually updated by TxDOT.
Incident information is manually entered into the TxDOT-developed
Regional Incident Management System (RIMS) by TranStar partner agency
operators, with TxDOT operators entering in the bulk of the entries based on
information derived from their camera views and from travelers calling in.
TranStar travel times are calculated using an algorithm developed by TxDOT
that is based on the speed data collected from the nearly two million “EZTag” AVI toll transponders in use in the Houston metropolitan area. Inpavement detectors and historical averages are utilized to calculate travel
times whenever the AVI data is not available or appears to be inaccurate.
Customized data interfaces were developed by private contractors for
TranStar that automatically display the data collected in CTMS, HCRS, and
RIMS on the TranStar web site.
TranStar operators manually disseminate traveler information via DMS and
HAR.
Houston TranStar ATIS information is available for viewing by a mobile device
(color Palms, Pocket PCs, Blackberries, and many cellular phones) using the
mobile web site address of http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/mobile/.
Houston TranStar‟s incidents, lane closures, and travel times are available via
various automated Really Simple Syndication (RSS) data feeds using
Extensible Markup Language (XML) on the TranStar web site that anyone
can access.
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Camera images and AVI speed data also are provided to the major media
outlets in the Houston area as well as private traffic data outlets such as
Metro Traffic Network and Traffic Pulse Networks.
The TranStar web site homepage contains links to specific information within
each of the major categories of available information, but there is no map of
the Houston area on the TranStar web site homepage.
The traffic congestion map allows users to toggle map features on and off,
pan and zoom in and out of specific map areas, and click on map items to get
more detailed travel information.
Traffic conditions and driving times information can be shown graphically or
in text format. Figure 1.6 shows the traffic conditions map from the TranStar
web site.
The traffic condition map can be combined with an up-to-date Microsoft
Virtual Earth map.
Figure 1.6
Houston TranStar Traffic Map
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Houston TranStar‟s Route Builder allows user to determine current speeds
and travel times along a user-defined route.
There is an external link to the METRO web site that has transit trip planning
capabilities. By entering a date, time, origin, and destination, the trip planner
can provide available transit options, sorted by number of transfers, total trip
time, or walking distance.
The Traffic Alert System enables registered users to receive notification of
incidents and travel times on freeways. The alerts can be sent to any device
capable of receiving e-mail or text messages, such as personal computers,
cellular phones, PDAs, and text pagers. Users customize their alert profiles
detailing the times, locations, and types of alerts they want to receive.
TranStar recently began using Twitter, a microblogging web service, to post
alerts regarding incidents and other large-scale travel impacts. Travelers can
sign up for alerts for the entire Houston metropolitan area or for specific
freeway corridors at http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/twitter/.
Event Information
The TranStar web site includes quick-click banners during various large-scale
events such as Amber Alerts, hurricanes, and floods.
TranStar has deployed notification software that will notify key staff during
emergencies via pager, e-mail, and phone.
The State of Texas has designated the Houston TranStar operations center as
its Regional Operations Center for evacuations because TranStar and its
partner agencies have the combined ability to monitor and coordinate
regional transportation evacuation routes.
In August 2005, TranStar provided messages on DMS signs to instruct
incoming Hurricane Katrina evacuees on shelter locations and phone
numbers for aid.
In September 2005, when the Houston area was evacuated in anticipation of
the landfall of Hurricane Rita, TranStar‟s web site provided evacuation
information and was accessed more than 9.8 million times by 475,000 unique
visitors during the event.
Additional Features
The TranStar web site includes an After-Hours Maintenance/Signal
Operations Personnel Call-Out System (POCET) link for internal agency
maintenance use that allows automated maintenance task entry and status
reporting by TranStar partner agency staff.
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There is an external link to U.S. Homeland Security and Harris County Office
of Homeland Security and Emergency Management web sites for information
on homeland security and emergency management resources.
Other external links are provided to web sites addressing weather,
hurricanes, evacuation procedures, Amber Alerts, parental notification of
unscheduled school closings, and current ozone levels in the Houston area.
TranStar partner agencies are looking at providing arterial street speed and
travel time information in the future using Bluetooth technology to obtain
probe data.
Houston TranStar calculates benefit/cost ratios comparing the benefits derived
from TranStar in the reduction of travel time, fuel consumption, and emissions
to the costs of operating and maintaining TranStar. The benefit/cost ratio has
generally increased over time and currently is calculated to be 12.9.
Costs
The annualized cost of operating TranStar was $23.2 million in 2007
according to the 2007 Annual Report. This annualized cost includes capital
costs, operations costs of the TranStar data collection, fusion, and
dissemination systems, and operations and maintenance costs of field
devices.
The annual cost of operating the TranStar center (excluding capital costs and
operations and maintenance costs of field devices) is about $5.8 million. This
cost is roughly split evenly between the four partner agencies, with TxDOT
contributing much of its share through in-kind services such as technical
support and upgrading equipment.
Developing RIMS cost TxDOT approximately $350,000.
The TranStar ATIS web site costs approximately $100,000 to operate and
maintain annually and this cost is absorbed by TxDOT.
Funding Sources
TranStar, through TxDOT, has participated in the Federally sponsored
Priority Corridor program and ITS Deployment program. These programs
have provided significant funding to TranStar for items such as expanded
deployment of DMS and HAR units in the region, development of RIMS,
development and expansion of environmental monitoring systems on
roadways, and planning and initial deployment of the regional hurricane
evacuation camera and radar system.
Federal earmarks have been used to fund enhancements to TranStar.
State funding is allocated by each of the partner agencies to fund the
operations and maintenance of TranStar. For TxDOT, the State funding
source is typically STP funds.
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Houston TranStar has a three-level organizational structure that includes
representation from each of the four consortium agencies on each level. The
Executive Committee sets policy and manages fiscal and staffing matters
while the Leadership Team administers implementation of various projects
and activities and reviews funding commitments. The Agency Managers
Committee is responsible for daily operations. Employees from each
member agency work in the Houston TranStar center to conduct the day-today operations at the center.
TranStar has an agreement with the Harris County Toll Road Authority
(HCTRA) to utilize the information available from its “EZ-Tag” AVI toll
transponders to calculate travel times.
TranStar has agreements in place with the major media outlets in the
Houston area as well as private traffic data outlets regarding the use of
TranStar camera images and AVI speed data.
TranStar requires all users of its RSS/XML data feeds to sign an agreement
governing use of the data feeds.
The four partner agencies have an agreed upon cost-sharing arrangement for
TranStar. The City of Houston provides an administrator who manages the
day-to-day finances of TranStar.
TxDOT utilizes private consultants to design and build upgrades to TranStar.
A private consultant also operates and maintains the TranStar web site for
TxDOT.
Usage Statistics
Unique monthly TranStar web user sessions averaged nearly 350,000 in 2007,
a 26 percent increase over the prior year.
Annual unique access of the TranStar web site‟s information exceeds the 100
million mark.
There were over 7,000 traffic alert subscribers at the end of 2007.
Mobile traffic data web accesses increased by 3.29 million in 2006 to 8.15 million
in 2007, a 147 percent increase.
Promotion of ATIS
The Houston TranStar brand has helped put a face on ATIS for Houston
travelers.
The Houston TranStar center hosts visitors and media personnel on a regular
basis, with over 2,000 visitors in 2007.
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Combining traffic management and emergency management services into a
single consortium and building has resulted in the TranStar center being the
focal point during emergencies such as hurricane evacuations. As such,
travelers have associated TranStar with the place to go when traveler
information is needed during events.
TranStar utilizes public service announcements on radio and television to
promote TranStar.
TranStar occasionally has advertised in the newspaper to increase awareness.
The data-sharing agreements with the major media outlets and private traffic
data outlets regarding the use of TranStar camera images and AVI speed data
require that they mention TranStar as the source of the data.
TranStar requires all users of its RSS/XML data feeds to agree to mention
TranStar as the source of the data.
Lessons Learned
The benefits of ATIS are far greater than the costs of developing and
operating the ATIS.
Placing traffic management and emergency management staff in the same
location has been mutually beneficial, especially during major emergencies
and events.
Collocating multiple agencies has resulted in reduced capital and operating
costs compared to what costs would have been if each agency had its own
facility.
TranStar looked at developing a companion ATIS phone system but
determined that it was not worth the cost of developing and operating the
phone system. Operating costs in particular would be much higher for the
phone system than they are for the TranStar web site, while the number of
travelers using the phone system would likely be significantly less than the
number of travelers that already use the web site. Plus, with mobile webbased technology, travelers already can use their phones to access TranStar
information – and it‟s in a user-friendly graphical format that is not available
via a phone system.
1.5 SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
There are close to two million people in the Salt Lake City, Utah metropolitan
area. The Salt Lake City area is generally a narrow north-south corridor
surrounded by mountains and the Great Salt Lake. Adverse weather conditions
are common during the winter. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT)
operates an ATIS web site at http://www.utahcommuterlink.com/. UDOT‟s
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is known as “CommuterLink,” which
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includes the web site, the companion phone-based ATIS that is accessible by
dialing 511, as well as the DMS, CCTV cameras, HAR, Road Weather
Information System (RWIS), and other field devices. Figure 1.7 shows what the
homepage of the CommuterLink web site looks like.
Figure 1.7
Homepage of http://www.utahcommuterlink.com/
Salt Lake City‟s CommuterLink ATIS was included in the survey because the
Salt Lake metropolitan area is similar in population size to the central Ohio
region and adverse winter weather conditions are common to both locations.
The CommuterLink ATIS is operated by the state DOT and actually is a
statewide system, although it began initially as a system focused just in the Salt
Lake metropolitan area. CommuterLink is primarily focused on automobile
travel conditions on state roads (both freeways and arterials), although there is
some information, primarily through external links (web site) or call transfers
(phone), on other modes of travel. CommuterLink has recently implemented
mobile web capabilities so travelers can access the main components of the
CommuterLink web site through mobile devices.
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History
CommuterLink began in 1995 with the establishment of a Traffic Management
Committee (TMC) that works with UDOT to better manage traffic flow and
improve the efficiency of existing state highways. The TMC is comprised of
representatives from Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UDOT, Wasatch Front
Regional Council, Mountainland Association of Governments, the Department of
Public Safety, and the Utah Department of Air Quality, with input from the Utah
Transit Authority (UTA) and the Federal Highway Administration where
appropriate. When Salt Lake City was selected to host the 2002 Winter
Olympics, a significant investment was made in developing and implementing a
state-of-the-art ATIS web site and 511 phone system in 2001 that would be
available to provide both local residents and tourists with traveler information in
the Salt Lake City area during the Olympic Games. Since the Olympic Games,
the CommuterLink ATIS has been upgraded several times and has been
expanded to include traveler information for other areas of the State.
Modal Components
UDOT‟s CommuterLink ATIS contains the following information on the various
modes of travel (more detailed and interactive information is provided on the
web site than on the phone):
Trains – External link to the UTA web site (see Figure 1.8) that provides
light-rail and commuter-rail train schedules, route maps, fares, a trip planner,
and announcements;
Buses – External link to the UTA web site (see Figure 1.8) that provides bus
schedules, route maps, fares, a trip planner, and announcements;
Automobiles – Real-time speeds on map, travel times, freeway incidents and
road closures, construction closures, cameras, DMS messages, and road
weather information, with external links on the web site to information on
rest areas, seasonal road closures, and scenic byways;
Airplanes – External link on the CommuterLink web site to the web site of
Salt Lake International Airport where users can get information on flights,
rental cars, airport maps and directions, and airport policies; and
Carpool/Vanpool – External link on the web site to TravelWise, a web site
developed by the State of Utah that promotes Transportation Demand
Management (TDM), which is a set of strategies that encourages travelers to
use alternatives such as carpools or vanpools rather than driving alone.
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Figure 1.8
Homepage of http://www.rideuta.com/
Data Flows
Figure 1.9 shows the flow of data through the CommuterLink ATIS. The
majority of data collected for the ATIS comes from the TranSuite Advanced
Traffic Management System (ATMS) that UDOT utilizes to manage the
detectors, cameras, DMS, RWIS, and HAR on the State roadway network. An
ATMS server fuses the data from the ATMS and sends it to the ATIS server.
Incident and construction closure/restriction information is entered by
UDOT employees into UDOT‟s Event Tracking Software (ETS), which is then
sent to the ATIS server as shown in Figure 1.9.
The UDOT Traffic Operation Center (TOC) houses and operates
CommuterLink and is connected to smaller Traffic Control Centers (TCC) in
Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, as well as UTA‟s three Radio Control
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Centers. After traffic, weather, and incident information is provided by these
agencies to UDOT‟s TOC, it is then disseminated by UDOT, through
interfaces developed by private contractors, to travelers via the web site, 511
phone system, DMS, radio, and television.
CommuterLink ATIS information also is available for viewing by a mobile
device (color Palms, Pocket PCs, Blackberries, and many cellular phones)
using the same web site address as the regular CommuterLink web site. The
web server is able to detect if a mobile device is being used, and if a mobile
device is detected, the user is redirected to a web page specifically designed
for mobile device users. This mobile device web page is actually hosted by a
private contractor who pulls the XML feeds from the regular CommuterLink
web site of the pertinent ATIS data.
Figure 1.9
Utah CommuterLink ATIS Data Flows
ATIS Data Sources
Private
ATIS Dissemination
Consolidation/Fusion
Future
Telephone
(1-866-511-UTAH)
511
Park
Information
National Park Service
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Freeway and Arterial Conditions
Incidents
Closures
Weather/Road Conditions
Transit Information
Event Information
Other
P
U
Transit
RWIS
Closures
Incidents
Closures
Restrictions
Salt Lake Int'l
Airport
UTA
UDOT Regions
and Districts
Utah Highway Patrol
Local Municipalities'
TOCs/TMCs
Web
(CommuterLink.com)
ATIS Server
ATMS Server
Standardized Interface
Parking
Airport Info.
Future
University of Utah
Automated Feed and ETS Entry Platform
Event
Parking
Field Devices
Radio and Media
Private ISP
Arizona
Idaho
Nevada
Neighboring States
Public Agency
ATIS Devices
– TMS (freeway, arterial)
– CCTV
MOU/Agreements for Data Sharing
Telecom
Data Quality Parameters
Disclaimer
Terms of Use:
– Usage
– Reporting
– ISP Registration
.
– Real-Time Conditions
(freeway and major arterial)
– Incident Data
– Closures/Restrictions
– CCTV Views
– Weather/Road Conditions
– Event Information
– Links to Transit/Trip Planning
– Links to Other Multimodal Providers
– Links to Other Agencies
B
L
I
C
– VMS
– Kiosks
– HAR
– Incident Data
– CCTV Video Feed
P
R
I
– Incident Data
– CCTV Views – Video Feed
– Links to Transit/Trip Planning
– Links to Other Multimodal
– Concierge and Subscription Services
– Links to Other Agencies
V
A
T
E
Television
Radio Stations
Public Telephone Service
Web / Internet
Mobile / PDA
In-Vehicle Systems
Fleet Systems
Other/Future
Utah ATIS Conceptual Block Diagram
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The homepage contains the traffic conditions map for the Salt Lake City area,
a camera or DMS image, detailed text on high-priority events or incidents,
the weather forecast, and links to other travel-related information and maps
of other areas of the State.
The traffic conditions map allows users to toggle map features on and off,
pan and zoom in and out of specific map areas, and hover over map items to
get more detailed travel information.
Traffic conditions information can be shown graphically on the map or in text
format while travel times can only be shown in text format.
The traffic conditions map utilizes a Google/TeleAtlas basemap that can show
roads, aerial photography, or terrain features. UDOT decided in a recent
upgrade of the web site to go with the general public Google basemap interface
because it provided a nice-looking map of the entire state at no cost to UDOT
that would automatically be updated by Google as road networks change.
There is an external link to the UTA web site that has transit trip planning
capabilities. By entering a date, time, origin, and destination, the trip planner
can provide available transit options, sorted by number of transfers, total trip
time, or walking distance.
MyCommuterLink enables registered users to receive notification alerts of
incidents on freeways. The alerts can be sent to any device capable of
receiving e-mail or text messages, such as personal computers, cellular
phones, PDAs, and text pagers. Users customize their alert profiles detailing
the level of severity of incidents and the time of day when they want to
receive alerts.
Event Information
Special event information is coded as an incident on the speed map with a
different color from incidents involving crashes.
The CommuterLink web site contains a list of upcoming planned large-scale
special events.
The CommuterLink web site also posts emergency alerts for things such as
Amber Alerts, air quality alerts, high-impact construction alerts, and planned
special event alerts.
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Additional Features
Weather forecasts are available for the entire state on the CommuterLink web
site via a free feed from the National Weather Service. Forecast information
should be available on the 511 phone system in mid-2009.
Information on fires burning currently in Utah is provided through an
external link from the CommuterLink web site to the Utah Fire Info web site.
E-mail and phone contact information is provided on the web site so
travelers can report problems such as malfunctioning traffic signals or
potholes to UDOT.
External links are provided to web sites of CommuterLink partner agencies,
local news stations, and DOTs of adjacent states.
UDOT plans to add point-to-point travel times on its CommuterLink web site
in the near future.
UDOT maintenance crews can utilize CommuterLink phone or web
interfaces to upload road condition information into CommuterLink during
the winter months when snow plowing occurs. UDOT hold contests and
awards prizes to encourage its maintenance crews to update road conditions
information in a timely fashion.
Costs
UDOT spent approximately $1 million initially to develop the ATMS and
ATIS software that form the core of CommuterLink.
Annual software support costs for CommuterLink are approximately $50,000.
The 511 phone system costs approximately $275,000 annually in usage
charges.
UDOT has six full-time staff dedicated to operating and maintaining
CommuterLink at UDOT‟s TOC.
UDOT periodically implements enhancements to CommuterLink. The costs
of designing and implementing these enhancements varies, but it is typically
in the $200,000 to $300,000 range.
UDOT spent $50,000 setting up the mobile web capabilities and has a $25,000
annual maintenance contract.
Funding Sources
UDOT has relied on Federal Earmark and CMAQ funding for
CommuterLink enhancements while state funding has been used for
operations and maintenance.
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The TMC that oversees CommuterLink is comprised of multiple agencies,
and cooperation among the agencies has been critical to the success of
CommuterLink.
UDOT has developed no-cost data-sharing agreements with local media
outlets and private information service providers regarding the use of the
CommuterLink XML data feed.
UDOT developed data-sharing agreements with local television stations
whereby they were required to provide in-kind advertising by mentioning or
displaying the CommuterLink logo in exchange for being able to use UDOT‟s
live video feeds.
Agreements have been reached between UDOT and participating local
governmental agencies that each local partner agency will operate its own
traffic management system during normal business hours and then turn
system control over to UDOT when local personnel are not on duty. In
exchange, UDOT has access to view local agency cameras.
UDOT conducted a business analysis of potential 511 service enhancements
in 2007. Some of the recommendations of the analysis included considering
partnering with the National Park Service and ski resorts to provide tourism
information in CommuterLink in exchange for in-kind advertising.
Subsequent internal discussions at UDOT led to the decision that such
partnerships with tourism-related entities were not in the best interest of
UDOT because they would require UDOT to commit resources on something
considered outside of UDOT‟s core mission of providing road conditions
information.
Usage Statistics
Unique monthly CommuterLink web user sessions averaged nearly 200,000
in 2008, a 13 percent increase over the prior year.
Annual unique access of the CommuterLink web site‟s information exceeded
the 600 million mark in 2008.
CommuterLink 511 phone calls totaled on average about 60,000 calls per
month in 2008.
ATIS usage in Utah is usually event-driven, as evidenced by the fact that
peak winter month web user sessions typically are four times higher than in
summer months and that peak winter month 511 phone call volumes are
typically 10 times higher than in summer months.
Traffic and road conditions information are typically requested by more than
90 percent of callers to the 511 phone system as compared to transit or ferry
information.
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Promotion of ATIS
To promote the CommuterLink ATIS, UDOT created the “Know Before You
Go” tagline and has utilized focus group market research, radio spots,
phone/web surveys and user feedback capabilities, roadside signs, and print
media to reach the target audience.
Leading up to and during the Winter Olympics, UDOT worked with local
and national media and Olympic staff to make sure CommuterLink was
mentioned in broadcasts and printed material as the place to go for updated
traveler information.
UDOT also requires local television stations using its live video feeds to show
the CommuterLink logo and cite CommuterLink as the source of the video
feed during their broadcasts.
Lessons Learned
Involving other state and local agencies in the planning and development of
upgrades and expansion of CommuterLink is integral to obtaining local buyin and support for the CommuterLink upgrades and expansion.
Managing the public‟s expectations is critical to public acceptance and use of
the ATIS. It should be clearly communicated that the ATIS is anticipated to
help improve traffic operations but will not eliminate all traffic problems.
Advance planning for major investments like hardware upgrades and
operations and maintenance is critical to making CommuterLink successful.
A large-scale investment such as an ATIS should be built incrementally, with
regularly scheduled updates to implement enhancements after agency staff
and the traveling public have had time to get comfortable with the initial
ATIS features.
UDOT invested a significant amount of effort in trying to integrate the CAD
databases from the various law enforcement agencies and then automatically
upload that information into the CommuterLink ATIS. UDOT has not been
satisfied with the result of the CAD integration and has reverted back to
UDOT staff manually entering incidents into CommuterLink from data they
receive from various CAD systems, police radios, and UDOT‟s own cameras
until the various law enforcement agencies can collaborate on a centralized,
standardized CAD database.
The focus group workshops that UDOT conducted during the early days of
CommuterLink helped UDOT ensure they would be providing the types and
formats of traveler information that travelers desired and would utilize.
Keeping relatively static information from partner agencies current on
CommuterLink has been a challenge as sometimes other agencies make
changes without communicating those changes to UDOT.
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The weather focus needs to be statewide in Utah rather than regional because
many travelers traverse the State. In fact, UDOT is broadening its weather
focus even outside of Utah as weather events in adjacent states impact travel
in Utah, especially on the interstate corridors like I-80.
UDOT has determined that providing an external link (web site) or call
transfer (phone system) to UTA for transit information is sufficient due to the
low interest in transit information by CommuterLink users and the fact that
UTA already has its own well-developed ATIS and there is no need to
“reinvent the wheel.”
The phone system component of the ATIS is relatively expensive to maintain
considering the level of usage it receives and the amount of effort required
migrating from one contractor to another. Long-term contracts should be
used whenever possible.
It is easiest if the agency with the most data that is going to be part of the
ATIS also be the agency developing, managing, and operating the ATIS, with
input from other agencies where appropriate.
1.6 LONDON, ENGLAND
There are approximately 7.5 million people in the Greater London area, which
includes the City of London, City of Westminster, and the other 31 London
boroughs. The public transportation network is one of the most extensive in the
world. The London area has a multitude of transportation options, including
underground rail, buses, light rail, river services, trams, and overground rail.
The centerpiece of the public transportation (or transport) network is the London
Underground (or the Tube) which has 11 interconnecting lines serving the
central area and most suburbs to the north of the Thames. The surface rail
network serves the population to the south. Travel in central London is largely
public transport-dominated. Travel in outer London is car-dominated with a
network of various loop roads that encircle the London area with a number of
busy radial routes intersecting the loop roads. Very few of these radial roads
penetrate into inner London.
The government entity known as “Transport for London” operates an ATIS web
site at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/. The web site includes a trip (journey) planner,
maps, live travel news, mobile travel alert services, and information about public
transport schedules. Figure 1.10 shows what the homepage of the web site looks
like.
The Transport for London ATIS web site was included in the survey because it
contains comprehensive multimodal information regarding current conditions as
well as trip planning. Significant inter-agency and intra-agency coordination, as
well as financial investment, have been needed to provide traveler information
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on various modes in one central location. Transport for London is a local entity
responsible for implementing the city‟s transport strategies. It manages and
operates not only the ATIS web site, but also many of the available bus and rail
systems themselves. The Transport for London web site also provides extensive
personalization and accessibility of the available traveler information through
alerts, widgets, and mobile web capabilities.
Figure 1.10 Homepage of http://www.tfl.gov.uk
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History
Transport for London was created in 2000 and is the integrated body responsible
for London‟s transport system. It was created as part of the Greater London
Authority Act 1999 and gained most of its functions from the London Regional
Transport in 2000. It did not take over responsibility for the London
Underground until 2003.
There also is an ATIS for Great Britain at http://www.transportdirect.info that
was developed in 2003. While the focus of the Transport Direct web site is more
national in scope, it does provide detailed information within the London area
that is similar to, but not identical, to the information contained on the Transport
for London web site. The focus of this evaluation will be on the Transport for
London web site.
Modal Components
London‟s ATIS web site contains the following information on the various
modes of travel:
Underground Rail – Tube schedules, frequency of stops, journey times, route
maps, fares, announcements;
Overground Rail – Train schedules, schedule adherence, route maps,
network status, and external site links to 17 National Rail bus providers;
Buses – Bus schedules, route maps, fares, announcements, historical
performance reports;
Automobiles – Works, hazards, and information on roadway map, cameras,
and road weather information, with external links to other traffic-related web
sites and media web sites;
Bicycles – Link to Cycle London which provides cycle maps and a journey
planner for cycle routes;
Pedestrians – Provides users with information on different walking routes as
well as a journey planner for specific origin/destinations;
Airplanes – Provides a link to the five external airport web sites and
transportation connections to those airports;
River – Overview maps, schedules, and pier information for the entire River
Thames through London;
Tram – Network map and user guide; and
Others – Information on taxis and minicabs, docklands light railway system.
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The homepage provides many of the initial links to find traveler information
on the web site.
The “live travel news” link provides current traveler information for all
modes of travel. The “Road” sublink allows users to pan and zoom in and
out of specific map areas generally located within the M25 loop, and to click
on items on the map to get more detailed travel information on camera
images, construction activities, hazards, and other information about specific
corridors.
Traveler information is provided for current as well as future near-, mid-,
and long-term conditions.
Traffic conditions information can be shown graphically on the map or be
displayed in text format when an icon is clicked on the map.
The traffic conditions map utilizes a Google/TeleAtlas basemap that shows
roads only with no terrain or aerial images available.
Other transportation information for the tube and coaches are provided on
maps. Bus, rail, tram, river, and light rail information are provided in text
format.
Multimodal trip planning is available by inputting the start and end point
and date/time of the trip. The trip planner provides estimated travel times
using various travel mode options, as shown in Figure 1.11. The trip options
can be sorted by trip length, number of transfers, or least amount of walking.
If planned closures or restrictions are known along the planned route, this
information also is displayed with the trip information.
Specific requirements/needs for the traveler along the route can be checked
to personalize the trip to fit the needs of the traveler.
Step-by-step route information, including when along the route the traveler
will need to walk or use an escalator, is provided.
An interactive map with directions and guidance language also is provided
for the route.
Transport of London trip planning also is available at kiosks and some
payphones throughout London.
A large text version of the trip planner is provided for those with poor
eyesight.
An individual trip planner is provided for some individual modes of
transportation within their specific links (e.g., a trip planner that is only for
walking routes).
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Figure 1.11 Transport for London Trip Planner Results
The web site provides traveler information in 15 other languages in addition
to English that include limited information on route maps, guidance
documents, and trip planner information.
A free travel alerts service for real-time information sent to a mobile phone is
provided by Transport for London, in association with BBC London;
There is a free weekly e-mail that users can register for that is distributed
once a week for advanced warning of weekend closures on the Tube, light
rail, and rail services.
A free interactive version of the Tube map can be downloaded to a mobile
phone or blackberry.
Widgets can be downloaded of the Tube map, service updates, and the trip
planner that allow users to get automatically updated “live” information
from the Transport for London web site on users‟ own web sites.
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Event Information
Event information is provided on the “live traffic news” map for future
timeframes as an „information‟ tag on the map that can be selected and read
on the screen.
Additional Features
The Transport for London web site is available for viewing by a mobile
device using the same web site address.
Texting where the traveler is coming from and would like to go to 60TFL*
will provide the traveler with a planned route; texting a specific tube line
name to 60835* provides an update on service for that particular tube line.
Accessibility and amenities guidelines are provided for tube, river, taxis,
buses, and assisted travel services.
Travelers can purchase a travel pay pass and pay congestion zone charges
from the main page of the web site.
There is a link to the Transport for London on-line retail store where maps,
clothing, decorations, and other transport-themed items can be purchased.
There is a yellow pages search box to help travelers find specific businesses
in London.
Regional weather forecasts for the next seven days are available from the trip
planning web pages of the web site.
Funding Sources
The Transport of London is funded through government funding by the
Department for Transport. The current Investment Program runs until 2010.
A new funding package confirmed in 2008 will fund enhancements to the
system and marketing programs to promote walking and cycling.
Transport for London is a statutory corporation regulated under local
government finance rules. It is governed by the Greater London Authority
Act and has three subsidiary companies incorporated under the Companies
Act 2006 which have a number of subsidiaries each. These three main
companies are the London Transport Insurance Guernsey Limited, Transport
for London Trustee Company Limited, and Transport Trading Limited. The
companies and their subsidiaries work to provide all of the services that the
Transport for London operates.
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Promotion of ATIS
Transport for London hires private marketing companies to promote
components of their traveler services. The most recent appointment of a
marketing company is to create a sponsor and partnering program for its
Smarter Travel Unit.
1.7 MUNICH, GERMANY
Munich, the capital of the State of Bavaria in Germany, has approximately
2.6 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area. The City of Munich has
developed a web site for the City that includes a traffic and transport portal that
provides multimodal and general traveler information for the Munich urban
area. The traffic and transport web site is at http://www.muenchen.de/
verticals/Traffic_Transport/227515/index.html. Figure 1.12 shows what the
homepage of this web site looks like.
Figure 1.12 Homepage of http://www.muenchen.de/verticals/Traffic_
Transport/227515/index.html
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Unlike the other four ATIS evaluated, Munich‟s traffic and transport web site
does not contain a traffic conditions map. Instead, it contains an external link to
the BayernInfo ATIS web site that contains a traffic conditions map for all of
Bavaria, including Munich. The BayernInfo traffic conditions map is at http://
www.bayerninfo.de/vib/traffic and is shown in Figure 1.13. While the emphasis
of this evaluation will be on the City of Munich web site, the BayernInfo web site
also will be included where relevant.
Figure 1.13 BayernInfo Traffic Map
Source: http://www.bayerninfo.de/vib/traffic.
The City of Munich traffic and transport web site was included in the survey
because it contains multimodal static and trip planning information, with an
external link to the BayernInfo web site for current traffic conditions. The City of
Munich‟s web site includes significant amounts of private advertising along with
several links to tourist-related information. Unique information provided on this
web site but not on the web sites of the other four evaluated ATIS includes
parking information and information for the physically challenged ranging from
accessibility at transit stations to contact information for wheelchair repairs.
History
Historical information on the development of the City of Munich ATIS was not
readily available but some history on the BayernInfo ATIS was available.
BayernInfo had its origin as a subproject of Bayern Online – an initiative
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launched by the Bavarian Government.
Initiated in 1995, the Superior
Construction Authority at the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior operated the
service until 2005. During that time, its expansion and operations were tendered
for another 10 years in the form of a public-private partnership with VIB
Consortium. The range of provided services are planned to be continuously
revised and expanded with more modern maps, more accurate information,
better forecasts and more details about minor roads as well as the integration of
information about neighboring regions.
Modal Components
The Munich traffic and transport web site contains the following information on
the various modes of travel:
Trains/Buses – External links to the following four transit entities for
schedules, fares, route maps, and announcements: Munich Transport
Company (MVG) (underground cars, trams, and buses), Munich Transport
and Tariff Association (MVV) (regional transit authority), Regionalverkehr
Oberbayern (RVO) (bus service), and Munich S-Bahn (train);
Automobiles – External link to BayernInfo for real-time and forecast speeds
on map, travel times, major road incidents and road closures, construction
closures, road weather information, and travel amenities information;
Airplanes – Public transport connection information for travel to the airport
and an external link to the Munich Airport web site where travelers can get
information on flights, rental cars, airport maps and directions, and parking;
Carpool/Vanpool – External link to a park-and-ride web site operated by
MVV that provides timetable information, location of park-and-ride lots,
ticket purchase options, fares, and network maps;
Bicycles – Bike lane maps, bike tours, renting and repair facilities, and bikeand-ride programs; and
Others – Information on taxis, parking, rollerblading, carsharing, and rental
cars.
Data Flows
Current traffic conditions information for the BayernInfo web site is received
from incident reports provided by the police and construction activity reports
provided by the Bavarian Road Construction Authority.
The main content of the City of Munich traffic and transport web site is located
in the middle of the web page while advertising banners are located along the
top, bottom, and right edges of the web page, the transit and bike trip planners
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are located on the bottom right edge of the web page, and links to other
portions of the City‟s web site are located on the left side of the web page.
The BayernInfo traffic conditions map allows users to toggle map features on
and off, pan and zoom in and out of specific map areas, and hover over map
items to get more detailed travel information.
Traffic report information is shown graphically on the traffic conditions map in
the form of an icon as well as in text format on the side of the map which can
be selected to zoom the map into the particular location for that road work.
The traffic conditions map utilizes a NAVTEQ basemap that can only show
roads.
On the homepage of the BayernInfo ATIS web site, there is a “Congestion
Barometer” that represents the level of congestion at specific locations.
Transit bus, tram, and rail trip planning is available by inputting the start and
end point and date/time of the trip. The transit trip planner provides
estimated travel times using various transit options, including walking times
between transit trips, as shown in Figure 1.14.
Step-by-step route
information for the different modes of transit travel along the route is
provided with links to the particular transit service maps.
A personal schedule is produced from the transit trip planning service that
provides a PDF of the route schedule for the outward and return trips as well
as traffic information that specifically affects travel along that route during
the times specified during the week.
A bike trip planner is available that links to an external web site that
calculates bike routes and travel times from one point to another.
A personal schedule is produced from the transit trip planning service that
provides a PDF of the route schedule for the outward and return trips as well
as traffic information that specifically affects travel along that route during
the times specified during the week.
A bike trip planner is available that links to an external web site that
calculates bike routes and travel times from one point to another.
The City of Munich web site provides traveler information in German, English,
and six other languages for most of the web pages within the web site.
The BayernInfo web site provides traveler information in German and English.
Users can register on the BayernInfo web site to save map views and options
to use again later by providing a log-in name and password.
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Event Information
Event information is shown as an icon on the BayernInfo traffic conditions
web site.
Figure 1.14 Munich Transit Trip Planner
Additional Features
Weather information is provided on the City of Munich web site for the
current day with an external link to more detailed weather information.
The City of Munich‟s web site includes significant amounts of private
advertising along with several links to tourist-related information.
Information for the physically challenged ranging from accessibility at transit
stations to contact information for wheelchair repairs is provided on the City
of Munich‟s web site.
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On the City of Munich web site, agreements are in place with private sector
entities permitting them to advertise on the City‟s web site.
1.8 EMERGING ATIS TECHNOLOGIES AND TRENDS
An evaluation also was conducted on emerging ATIS technologies and current
ATIS business model trends. Some of these are contained within the five ATIS
evaluated previously while others are not. These emerging technologies and
business model trends have been evaluated to determine their relevance to the
ATIS efforts in central Ohio. A summary of the evaluation is provided as
follows.
ATIS Business Models and New Technologies
When traveler information systems were first developed, the ATIS business
model – or organizational structure and policies defining the role of an entity in a
traveler information system partnership – typically consisted of public sector
agencies taking responsibility for the data collection aspect of ATIS, as well as
disseminating information through public-sector owned devices, such as
dynamic message signs and highway advisory radio. Public sector agencies
usually fulfilled this data collection role by making use of data collection
infrastructure and systems that were initially designed for traffic management
and operations purposes (such as freeway detectors). It was then the typical role
of the private sector to take the available raw traveler information data and
aggregate, fuse, and disseminate it through a variety of channels; private sector
typically had more flexibility with emerging technologies than public sector
departments of transportation. The media (radio and television) are among the
first „private partners‟ for traveler information, and media remains one of the
primary ways that many travelers receive pretrip and en-route traffic and road
conditions information. Other private partners used a model that would add
value to the raw data, and package it for delivery through mobile devices, invehicle systems or other technology applications. Many of these services
required a subscription, which would then generate revenue for the private
sector. Few private sector companies were able to generate a sustainable amount
of revenue using this business model.
Many early applications were regional in nature, and required a significant
investment for a very limited target audience. Today‟s models (such as those
through NAVTEQ/Traffic.com, INRIX, and others) are taking more of a national
approach, which allows private companies to leverage their technology
investment over multiple markets, and through several partnerships within the
private (and public sector) supply chain, thus resulting in a much more diverse
and sustainable business model.
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With the evolution of technology, raised awareness of traveler information
among the public, creative partnering approaches from both the public and
private sides, and a strong push toward broader coverage of traveler information
programs and enhanced accessibility for users, there have been distinct shifts in
these roles.
As public sector transportation agencies have transitioned from almost
exclusively focusing on roadway construction and operations to now focusing on
an integrated multimodal transportation system, public agencies are taking on
more responsibility for aggregating data to support systems that provide more
robust and comprehensive information to internal users as well as the traveling
public. 511 phone and web services have created a recognizable “brand” of
traveler information disseminated by the public sector. Several public sector
agencies also are developing innovative applications to deliver personalized and
enhanced information to travelers, either through web-based resources or
through „push‟ technologies, such as alerts delivered to mobile phones or
microblogs using web services like Twitter or Flickr. These new data fusion and
dissemination roles for the public sector were once considered the domain of the
private sector, although are becoming very commonplace as agencies seek out
new ways to reach the traveling public.
At the same time, the private sector ATIS roles are shifting to also focus on data
collection, including infrastructure-based probe vehicle data and aggregated
multisource data. In an effort to provide additional value beyond what currently
is available from public sector data collection infrastructure, the private sector is
looking at innovative ways to obtain data over broader geographic areas, such as
multistate freeway corridors. This shift has turned the public sector into a
potential consumer for private sector data. It also has put an important
responsibility on the public sector to be able to safeguard commercial value of
private sector data and services. Some of the most successful private sector ATIS
business models have been ones that have multiple levels of revenue potential; in
other words, there is a need for the private sector to look at the range of potential
consumers – the traveling public, other private sector companies, as well as
public sector agencies.
The private sector continues to pursue good business models, and there is
continued interest in subscription services, as evidenced by the growing number
of partnerships to combine real-time traffic data with navigation applications,
either mobile or in-dash units. Subscription models are not without their
challenges and despite growing interest in personalized mobile applications,
there is still a need to balance the threshold of what consumers are willing to pay
for traffic information. Media continues to be a powerful private sector partner
for traveler information, and with media comes a range of potential business
model options and business-to-business partnering opportunities.
There are several examples that illustrate the aforementioned shifts in public and
private sector roles and ATIS business models, including the following:
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The I-95 Corridor Coalition‟s Vehicle Probe project involves public sector
agencies within the I-95 Corridor Coalition purchasing freeway and arterial
travel time and speed data from a private sector company, INRIX. This
project became operational on July 1, 2008 and covers approximately 1,500
miles of freeway and 1,000 miles of arterials in the I-95 corridor from New
Jersey to North Carolina. Probe technology obtained from commercial fleet
systems provides the travel time and speed data, with additional data
collected from other sources to augment and validate the data provided by
the probes. The I-95 Corridor Coalition member agencies then use the travel
time and speed data to support their dissemination of traveler information on
their ATIS web sites and 511 phone systems as well as on DMS.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in 2008 began
using Twitter, a microblogging web service, to post alerts regarding road
closures, adverse road weather, and other large-scale travel impacts.
WSDOT also uses Flickr, a photo sharing site, to provide picture updates of
major incidents (such as a road closure due to a landslide) or of progress
made on major construction projects. Usage and interest in the Twitter and
Flickr postings has increased dramatically in the few months since WSDOT
began providing this form of traveler information dissemination. Other
DOTs using similar services to disseminate traveler information include
TxDOT, Rhode Island DOT, and Kansas DOT.
ATIS Roles in Emergency Response
A few decades ago, most ATIS only provided construction or weather-related
closures and restrictions. As ATIS became more commonplace in urban areas,
commuters clamored for incident information and the corresponding impacts on
traffic. The public sector transportation agencies responded by cooperating and
coordinating more with law enforcement and emergency response services on
incident information and response through actions such as collocation of staff
and development of CAD interfaces. With the occurrence of large-scale
emergencies such as the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina,
ATIS is now being seen as an integral tool in emergency and evacuation
response.
With the elevated priority for ATIS in emergency and evacuation response come
additional responsibilities such as reliability of service, scalability of the ATIS to
accommodate significant spikes in usage, and flexibility in how to update and
disseminate the needed information in a time of crisis when some facilities or
technologies may temporarily not be operational. The Houston TranStar ATIS
evaluated previously is a prime example of a strong partnership between the
transportation and emergency response agencies in the development and use of
the ATIS.
MTC‟s 511 system was put to the test during the MacArthur Maze Interchange
Collapse in 2007. Emergency messages were immediately put on MTC‟s 511
phone and web service, which affected both traffic and transit modes. Not only
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were critical freeway routes shut down due to the interchange collapse, but
demand for transit (and corresponding park-and-ride lots) was high since that
was, for many commuters, their only option for being able to get to and from
work. Within a few short hours, MTC implemented a page on their 511 web site
that provided information about the closures and maps of available detours.
Information about changes in transit routes and additional vehicles added to
peak hours also was provided. MTC indicated that on April 29, 2007 (the day the
incident happened) the 511 system received 32,000 phone calls. On April 29 and
30, the traffic web site registered more than 96,000 user sessions; a typical week
for MTC‟s traffic web site is approximately 100,000 user sessions. This tool gave
MTC the ability to provide detailed (and continuously updated) information
about this major freeway network closure, and provide Bay Area travelers with
information about options to minimize the impact to their daily travel.
Funding Priorities and Sources
Collecting, fusing, and disseminating traveler information each have costs
associated with them. Historically, the public sector has funded the deployment
of ATIS data collection devices. As the public sector began to take on more of the
data fusion and dissemination roles, additional capital and operations/
maintenance funding became necessary. Funding for large capital expenses,
such as the development of data fusion databases or deployment of DMS, has
often been obtained from Federal funding sources such as CMAQ or Federal ITS
grant programs. As the ATIS have expanded in scope and complexity due to
these capital investments, however, operations/maintenance costs have
correspondingly increased significantly. Obtaining ever-increasing amounts of
operations funding has been challenging for some public sector agencies to
secure, especially in the last few years as the economy has faltered.
To date, the ATIS generally considered successful by the traveling public and
public sector agencies have generally been the ones where there are significant
resources, leadership, and investment from the public sector. Whether publicsector operated or through contracted operations with the private sector, the
need for public sector financial resources for traveler information will likely
continue to be integral to the success of ATIS. There are, however, ways to
reduce costs or secure funding from new sources.
One way to reduce some of the operations costs associated with ATIS
dissemination, at least on a per-user basis, is to embrace newer technologies that
can more cost-effectively disseminate information, such as the Internet and
mobile web applications. Manually recording a voice message about a road
closure for dissemination via a toll-free hotline that is assessed per-minute usage
charges is much more costly and labor intensive than inputting a microblog from
a mobile phone that is then automatically distributed as an alert to interested
travelers. Leveraging the current web capabilities of most agency web sites can
help translate these pages into formats that are ideally suited for mobile-access
applications.
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With the private sector taking more of a role in the data collection component of
ATIS, some public sector agencies are deciding it fiscally makes more sense to
have the private sector collect and fuse the data and then for the public sector to
disseminate it. There are concerns regarding the accuracy and reliability of data
provided by the private sector, as well as some liability issues for the public
sector in disseminating information provided by others, but it is apparent from
projects such as the aforementioned I-95 Vehicle Probe project that these
concerns and issues can be addressed.
Increased focus on the benefits of ATIS for emergency response and
environmental sustainability could potentially open the door for new funding
sources beyond those historically used by public sector transportation agencies
for ATIS.
There also appears to be more receptiveness in the public sector to permit private
sector advertising on the public sector ATIS as a way to generate revenue. ATIS
in Europe have fully embraced this type of business model and it is likely that
such public-private partnerships will occur more frequently in America as the
public sector funding situation worsens due to current economic conditions.
Personalization of Information Provided
In the early days of ATIS deployment, much emphasis was placed on providing
basic traveler information to create a good base from which to later enhance the
ATIS. As ATIS matured, the focus changed to making the ATIS more
comprehensive and multimodal in nature. Now, it appears, user needs are
transitioning from wanting comprehensive traveler information to instead
wanting personalized, specific information. This transition is likely due, in part,
to the fact that the public sector is now fully engaged in ATIS data dissemination
and users recognize that the technology is now there to inexpensively provide
customized data to travelers. As such, it is anticipated that the personalization
emphasis will become an increasingly important part of successful ATIS.
One technology that offers the potential to provide more location-specific
information is GPS. There is a significant pilot program underway in the San
Francisco Bay Area as part of the SAFETRIP-21 effort, funded in part by U.S.
DOT and with significant private partner involvement (Nokia/NAVTEQ). This
initiative is gathering location data from GPS enabled mobile phones to be able
to calculate freeway speed and travel times. Participants in the pilot “opt-in” and
agree to provide their location data, and in return, they can access a speed map
through their mobile phone. This approach differs from previous cell-phone
probe models in that users can opt-in, and there believed to be more accuracy in
the location information using GPS rather than using cell tower signal hand-offs.
The second phase of this project will develop some specific applications that are
focused more on „situational awareness‟; travelers will be able to get corridorspecific location information delivered directly to their mobile devices because it
will recognize where they are. Current models require users to manually access
a web page (through their mobile device), and then must filter out information
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that doesn‟t pertain to them. The SAFETRIP-21 program is looking to make
location-specific information automatically available through a „push‟ model.
The pilot is expected to continue for the next year.
1.9 CONCLUSIONS
The five surveyed top-tier ATIS deployments provide relevant case studies on
the types of features typically implemented in ATIS, how travelers are using
those features, what resources are required to implement and maintain those
features, and what lessons the managing and operating agencies have learned
through the deployment and operation of their ATIS.
As MORPC proceeds to evaluate the feasibility of a regional multimodal ATIS in
central Ohio, the findings from this ATIS scan, along with the information on
emerging technologies and trends, should provide important input in the
decision-making process.
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Advanced Traveler Information System Study - Mid

Transcription

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