Commercial Operations

Within ITS project assessment, traditional cost-benefit analysis (CBA) may not fully address the  real  value  of  investment  with  regard  to  user  satisfaction,  willingness  to  pay  and  other sustainability issues. This paper examines how the Chinese  ITS  experience may be assessed through  multi-criteria  assessment  methods.  We  consider,  in  particular,  the  traffic  impact evaluation  of  Shanghai’s  highway  management  systems  and  take  the  accident  rate  of  all highways, accident economic losses, traffic volume, average speed, degree of satisfaction of the travellers, and their willingness to pay into full consideration. By an Analytical Hierarchy Process  (AHP)  approach,  this  research  evaluates  the  degree  of  importance  for  three subsystems  of  Shanghai  highway  network  to  establish  the  investment  ratio  for  each.  The funding ratio can then be used to guide investors to allocate of their funds in a scientific and reasonable way.

University College London

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition,November 16-20, 2008, New York, New York

Freight probe data is useful in understanding road traffic condition in detail and evaluating
road safety effectively. A system for sharing and utilizing it between the public and private
sectors is being developed under a public-private partnership.

The system will provide probe data which freight transport companies collect for operational
and safety management purposes to public sector bodies and accumulate it in a database. The
system will also process data into useful information for freight companies and feed it back to
them.

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Japan

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition,November 16-20, 2008, New York, New York

Swarms of Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) depart their replenishment
bases to cover pre-programmed sectors of a metropolis urban area to support
peak-time transportation management tasks. Forest Management Rangers
launch UAVs to detect fires and precisely report smoke and fire locations. Coast
Guard managers launch UAVs capable of  surveillance, identification, and
neutralization of watercraft incursions, and to provide Homeland Security in
maritime areas. Emergency Management and Traffic Management Engineers
request UAV surveillance  support for hurricane and other natural disaster
evacuations, and to provide real-time traffic surveillance for decision makers.
Law Enforcement officials request that UAVs with special tracking equipment be
deployed to provide surveillance intelligence for support of law enforcement
initiative.

Florida DOT

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 26 - 28, 2004 San Antonio, Texas

The abundance of available communication technologies, ranging from the decade-old but
robust technologies (e.g. analogue radio) to the state-of-the-art and soon-to-be-available
technologies (e.g. 3G cellular wireless), presents overwhelming challenges for traffic
engineers in selecting proper communication technologies for surveillance and data
transmission components in a roadway operation system.  In reality, not all technology
options are suitable for the desired applications due to the specific physical (line of sight or
distance) or operational (power or bandwidth) requirements of different technologies in
certain application contexts.  For a particular operation, if several communication
technologies meet the physical or operational requirements, choosing the most suitable
technology by taking into account factors like cost and reliability is also a difficult task.

University of Texas at El Paso

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 26 - 28, 2004 San Antonio, Texas

This paper presents the use of Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) wireless Internet
technology to meet the security, mobility and safety needs of departments of
transportation (DOTs).  COTS wireless is an economical, scalable alternative to
traditional fiber optics and telephony communications solutions.  A virtual Ethernet
network is created along a highway right-of-way (ROW) by installing wireless point-to-
point links in a serial fashion that can extend upwards of 30 miles per section from a base
node.  This local area network (LAN) becomes a seamless extension of the DOT’s
communications for field devices such as cameras, RWIS, traffic sensors, and field
personnel.  This paper discusses cost comparisons to traditional communications, specific
types of wireless technologies, their capabilities, architectures, and security issues based
upon Virginia Tech’s real-world deployments and test-bed installations.  Digital video
applications along wireless networks are specifically addressed.  The paper concludes
with a discussion of the near-term future of wireless technologies.

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 26 - 28, 2004 San Antonio, Texas