ITS Joint Course

L. Rilett - January 2016

Introduction to Intelligent
Transportation Systems

L. Rilett, Ph.D., P.E.

January 14, 2016

Overview
Part 1: Nebraska Transportation Center
Part 2: Intelligent Transportation
Systems Overview

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NEBRASKA

NEBRASKA

Crossroads of the U.S.

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NEBRASKA

Headquarters of Union Pacific (Omaha)

* Largest Railroad in US
* 50,000 km track, 2000 trains a day
Burlington Northern Santa Fe

NEBRASKA

Busiest Rail Corridor in the US

Triple to Quadruple Track
150 trains per day (110 cars each)

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NEBRASKA

Interstate 80 Busiest EW Highway in US

I-29; I-35 (NS movement of goods)
Home to 2 Top Ten Trucking Firms
5,000 tractors, 15,000 trailers

Transportation Challenges

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What is a transportation problem?

Increased freight
Truck, Railway, Waterway

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What is a transportation problem?

Increased freight
Truck, Railway, Waterway
Type of freight
Crude by rail, Hazardous goods

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Lac-Mgantic rail disaster

Lac-Mgantic rail disaster

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What is a transportation problem?

Security Concerns

What is a transportation problem?

Aging population

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What is a transportation problem?

Aging infrastructure
50 years +

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What is a transportation problem?

Incidents /
Crashes

Safety Issues
37,000 deaths/year (US 2008 data)1
5,800,000 crashes/year (US 2008 data)1
Direct economic cost of $230.6 Billion (US 2000
data)1
Leading cause of death for ages 4 to 34 (US
2006 data)1

1 National

Highway Transportation Safety

Administration (NHTSA)

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What is a transportation problem?

Congestion

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More Time Spent Planning Around

Traffic
1982 Total Delay = 1.1 Billion Hours
Extreme 5%
Severe 6%

Uncongested 73%

Heavy 7%

Moderate 9%

1982: Total Delay = 1.1 Billion Hours

2011: Total Delay = 5.5 Billion Hours
2011
1982

Extreme 13%
Severe 8%

Uncongested
21%

Heavy 9%
Light 31%
Moderate 18%

2.8 billion gallons of wasted fuel

(three weeks worth of gas for every traveler)

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What is a transportation problem?

Pollution

Los Angeles, 1956

Los Angeles, Today

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Environmental Benefits
PROBLEM
2,800,000 gallons of
fuel wasted each
year
22% CO2
emissions from
vehicles

Highways, Energy and the Environment

In US, highways are responsible for 60% of
petroleum consumption (12 million barrels of oil/day)
Highways responsible for 25% of US greenhouse
emissions
35% of all nitrous oxide emissions (NOx)
25% of volatile organic compound emissions
(VOC)
More than 50% of all carbon monoxide (CO)
emissions
Major source of fine particulate matter (2.5 microns
or smaller, PM2.5), which is a known carcinogen

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Potential Solution
Build more capacity ?

Potential Solution
Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act

(FAST Act)
2015
5 year, $305 billion

Issues
politics
limited resources ($, land,...)
New techniques
more intelligent use of available resources
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

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Dilemma zone Length of roadway in advance of the

intersection wherein drivers may be indecisive or respond
differently to the onset of the yellow indication.
Also known as option zone or zone of indecision

Source: McCoy and Pesti, 2002

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NDORs Actuated Advance

Warning (AAW) System

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Fixing Americas Surface Transportation

Act (FAST Act)
Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act)
December 2015
5 year, $305 billion
$100 million per year for ITS research
$60 million per year Advanced Transportation and
Congestion Management Technologies Deployment
Program
$67.5 million per year for a Technology and Innovation
Deployment Program
Smart Cities Transportation Planning Study
An Innovative Technology Deployment discretionary grant
program to promote the deployment of ITS in commercial
vehicle operations

What are ITS?

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) involve the
collection and processing of data:
to provide information;
to advise or control the actions of:
travelers
drivers
fleet operators and
network managers
using computers with multi-media communications
and other technology
Right information, at right time, at right place and at
right price

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Benefits?
Allows improved use of existing infrastructure by:
Providing a better understanding of the transport
network
Live traffic and travel information quick
response
Providing new methods to manage the network
Improved traffic signals and vehicle priority
Improved intra/inter organisational
communication
Providing new services to the public
Travel Information to make journeys easier
and more pleasant

Historically Five Primary Functional

Areas of ITS
Advanced Traffic Management Systems
(ATMS)
Advanced Traveler Information Systems
(ATIS)
Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO)
Advanced Public Transportation Systems
(APTS)
Advanced Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS)

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Advanced Traffic Management Systems

Houston TRANSTAR

http://wwwdev.houstontranstar.org/

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Union Pacific Railroad

Snoqualmie Pass, Washington State

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ATIS - Nebraska

ATIS - Nebraska

http://www.511.nebraska.gov/

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NTC Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)

Laboratory (~225 m2 )
3 test beds: railway, arterial, and highway; Fiber
Optic Feed City of Lincoln Network

Data Collection: Video

Upstream Location on Salt

Creek Roadway

HRGC on 35th St

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Data Collection: Radar

Advanced Traveler Information Systems,

Seattle, Washington

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ATIS: trafficgauge

INRIX Traffic
Waze
Real Time Traffic & Speed
Cams
Google Maps Navigation

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Commercial Vehicle
Operations
Apply, pay for and receive permits, registrations, and
licenses electronically
Share of common trucking data across agencies
Exchange information electronically with roadside
enforcement personnel
Electronic screening of trucks for safety or other
regulatory violations
Share information across state lines and with Federal
information systems

CVO: Weigh-In-Motion System

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Department-wide authority for

coordinating ITS
Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA)
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA)
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA)
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA)
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration
(NHTSA)
Maritime Administration
(MARAD)

ITS Joint
Program
Office

Connected Automation

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Speed and
Heading

Adaptive Cruise
Control (ACC)

Hours of
Operation

Sun/Rain
Sensor

Location and
Elevation

Windshield
Wiper
Setting

Head Lights
Status

Ambient Air
Temperature

Barometric
Pressure

Traction Control

Stability Control

Brake Status

Antilock Braking
System (ABS)

Connected Automation

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Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V)

Forward Collision Warning
Blind spot Detection
Lane Change Warning
Do Not Pass Warning

Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I)

Intersection Safety
Signal timing
Run-off Road Prevention
Smart Roadside
USDOT Truck Parking Programs
SmartPark
Automated Enforcement
Wireless Roadside Inspections

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Safety
Your vehicle can see vehicles you
cant see
Your vehicle knows roadway
conditions that you cant see
Your vehicle knows the speed and
location of approaching vehicles

DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications)

two-way short- to- medium-range wireless
communications capability
permits very high data transmission critical in
communications-based active safety applications
vehicle-to vehicle (V2V)
vehicle-to infrastructure (V2I)

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Communication: Dedicated Spectrum

US Federal Communication Commission
allocated 5.9GHz for safety applications
Other applications can be accommodated
Europe: 5.9GHz
Japan: 5.8GHz
Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) at
5.9GHz
required for critical safety applications
Other wireless technologies are options for other
applications
Strong industry support for DSRC at 5.9GHz

Active Safety Latency Requirements (secs)

Traffic Signal Violation warning
Curve Speed Warning
Emergency Electronic Brake Lights
Pre-Crash Sensing
Cooperative Forward Collision Warning
Left Turn Assistant
Lane Change Warning
Stop Sign Movement Assistance

0.1
1
0.1
0.02
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1

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Latency vs. Communications Technologies

Two-Way Satellite
(60+ secs)

60

Latency (in seconds)

40
20
10
5.0

WiFi 802.11
(3 5 secs)

Terrestrial Digital Radio &

Satellite Digital Audio Radio
(10 20 secs)

4.0

Bluetooth
(3 4 secs)

3.0
2.0
1.0

Cellular
(1.5 3.5 secs)

WiMax
(1.5 3.5 secs)

.02
.01

5.9 GHz DSRC (.0002 secs)

Communications Technologies

Least stringent latency

requirement for Active
Safety
( 1 sec)
Most Stringent latency
requirement for Active Safety
(.02 sec)

Note: Y-axis not to scale for illustration purposes

Data source: Vehicle Safety Communications Project Final Report

V2V Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POc
QUTlOvZs

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Connected Vehicle Pilot Program

2015-2020

US DOT Automation Program

Enable safe, efficient, and equitable
integration of automation into the
transportation system

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Research Program.

Self Driving Cars (Google)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl
ayer_detailpage&v=O_Caf7Gz4Es

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Technical and Policy

Considerations
Complexity of testing, certifying and assuring the safety
of the technology
Data privacy concerns
implications for public agencies
Addressing role of road owners, operators and
infrastructure providers to enable AVs
Impacts of AVs on infrastructure, planning and the
overall transportation system
Challenges of varying state regulations and need for
greater consistency
Human factors issues and driver transitions

Concluding Remarks
Transportation problems
Will ITS solve them?
Law of unintended consequences

My belief
We will see more change in the
transportation system in the next 10 years
then we have seen in the last 60 years

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Acknowledgements
US DOT Joint Program Office

ANY
QUESTIONS?

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