Personal Mobility

Effects of Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) information on driver en-route decision making were explored through the use of a real-time trip simulator which used computer-controlled video sequences of actual traffic scenes to preserve important real-world cues, and provided a range of ATIS display capabilities (navigation displays, route guidance, traffic and hazard warnings, etc.) using a touch-screen panel to enable en-route navigation decisions to be studied under realistic settings. Seventy-two locally familiar drivers, ranging in age from 18 to 86 years of age, took part in the study. The sample was equally divided between males and females. A network of freeways and surface streets were simulated and available to drivers to navigate to their destination. These trips were fully under the control of the driver in terms of route selection and were experienced in real-time under realistic time pressures.

Westat

Presented at the 10th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, May 1-4, 2000 Boston, MA

This paper describes the ongoing evaluation study of anonymous mobile call sampling for transportation applications underway in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Universities of Maryland and Virginia, with support from their respective State Departments of Transportation, are investigating the potential of the RadioCamera technology invented by U.S. Wireless Corporation to provide critical data for traffic management applications. This method of data collection is contrasted with other probe and point detection mechanisms. Descriptions of prototype transportation management applications employing this technology are offered. Potential technical limitations are described, as well as means by which they might be obviated. The planned economic evaluation is outlined, including the economic measures to be quantified, the range over which valuation will be conducted, and the means by which benefits will be enumerated. Finally, some conclusions are offered.

University of Virginia

University of Maryland

Presented at the 11th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida

The Advanced Regional Traffic Interactive Management and Information System (ARTIMIS) is a regional traffic management system provided by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), Federal Highway  Administration (FHWA), Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments, and the City of Cincinnati. ARTIMIS has two major functions, specifically, Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) and Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS). The ATIS service, known as SmarTraveler, is but one component of the ATIS function and is hereinafter referred to as the ARTIMIS Traveler Advisory Telephone Service or ARTIMIS TATS.

The following are the overall objectives that this research project was created to meet:

• to assess the overall satisfaction and effectiveness of ARTIMIS TATS;

• to determine the general awareness of ARTIMIS TATS in the regional coverage area;

• to determine the prevalence and preference of accessing the service through the use of

a N11 dialing code, such as 211, versus a seven-digit number; and

• to determine the influence of traveler information on travel behavior.

In order to accomplish these objectives, two surveys were designed and undertaken.

ARTIMIS TATS users were invited to participate in the first survey, by intercepting their calls into the system. The second survey, an awareness survey, was designed as a random-digit dial survey for people in the ARTIMIS coverage area. The results relating to user satisfaction and the effect the system has on travel behavior can be found in a forthcoming paper in Transportation Research Record.

Department of Civil Engineering and Kentucky Transportation Center

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida

This study evaluated two advanced integrated systems with navigation, communication, and entertainment capabilities in a driving simulator. One system was a Johnson Controls prototype with a joystick-type control and Hotkeys to input information; the other was a production system with a touchscreen display for the navigation and entertainment functions and a voice-operated system for the communication function. Eighteen participants used both systems while driving in the center lane of a three-lane highway with no traffic and no curves, and also participated in a baseline driving session. Dependent measures of interest included driving performance (lane position, steering angle, and speed) and task completion time. Subjective workload ratings also were obtained using the NASA-TLX. The results suggest that type of task and type of system affect task completion time and driving performance. The prototype system showed superior results in shorter task completion times for the destination entry tasks, and overall better driving performance and subjective ratings, than did the production system. Driving performance, however, was better when driving without performing any other tasks than when performing tasks. Future research is recommended to compare driving performance when using advanced in-vehicle systems and traditional systems.

Johnson Controls, Inc.

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 29 –May 2, 2002 Long Beach, California

Operating agencies and 3rd party wireless service providers in Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC), have been developing a comprehensive traffic information service system covering the urban expressways and arterial transportation facilities. These available traffic information can be used for effective traffic routing and congestion management applications. To support the advanced traveler information service, a "Traffic Data Fusion Process" (TDFP) was developed that is based on both historical and real-time link travel times. This paper describes the design and implementation of automatic computer- assisted procedures or the "Traffic Data Fusion Process," to estimate the updated link-travel-time, select proper incident responses, and construct traffic information messages. The proposed system, currently being developed, can distribute these real-time traffic informations automatically to all users.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 29 –May 2, 2002 Long Beach, California