“Building an Intelligent Transit Agency”

Eva Lerner-Lam, PresidentPalisades Group USA

Presented at TRB 2002 Annual MeetingMonday, January 14, 2002

Why Build Intelligent Transit Agencies?

To operate more efficiently, effectively and safely for customers and management.

How To Build Intelligence

• Collect real time data from:– Voice annunciators– Fare collection systems– Passenger counting systems– Vehicle location systems

• Use the data to improve operations:– “Next Arrival” information for customers– Vehicle and driver assignments– Bus Stop Location planning

• Repeat process, above.

Intelligence Tools

• Technology applications have been available for transit:– ITS Devices– Data Management Software– Geographic Information Systems– Wireless communications– Internet

The Technical Challenge

• However, integration of applications has been elusive, often resulting in “stovepipe” deployments requiring expensive, customized databases and equipment and data interfaces

The Institutional Challenge

• Transit often operates across jurisdictional lines– Each jurisdiction exercises discretion

in selecting applications, each with its own proprietary data and hardware interfaces

– Yet, many applications depend on data from other jurisdictions

Today’s Opportunity

With the recent establishment of a National ITS Architecture, supporting standards and protocols and institutional rules and policies, the goal of deploying interoperable automated systems, across jurisdictional boundaries, is now within reach.

Why Is Integration Important?

App

App

App App

App

App

Critical Elements to Success

• Architectural Framework• Standards and Protocols• Institutional Processes

Architectural Framework

• The “architectural framework” helps define all the pieces and how they relate

Standards and Protocols

• The “standards and protocols” help ensure that all the pieces fit together

Institutional Processes

• Policies and regulations that help guide regions with multiple jurisdictions to integrate the deployment of technology in an “intelligent” way

Architectural Framework

Major Components of Transit

Travelers

Centers

Vehicles

Roadside

Applications Are Available, but Not Always Interoperable

Travelers

Centers

Vehicles

Roadside

Applications Need--and Generate--Lots of Transit

Data

Transit Data

Travelers

Centers

Vehicles

Roadside

Standards Can Help Data Move Between Applications

Transit Data

Travelers

Centers

Vehicles

Roadside

Standards

Standard

s Standards

Standards

Why Is Integration Important?

App

App

App App

App

App

Standards and Protocols

App APP

Interface Standards

App App App

Standards and Protocols

• IEEE 1488/1489 Data Dictionary and Message Set Template Standards

• IEEE ITS Data Registry

• SAE 1708/1587, CAN/J1939, Lonworks and other Bus VAN Standards and Protocols

• IEEE 802.11 Dedicated Short Range Communications Standard

Institutional Processes

• FTA Policy on the National ITS Architecture fosters integration of deployment of regional ITS systems by:– Requiring Regional ITS Architectures to

be adopted locally– Requiring federally funded ITS projects

to use USDOT adopted ITS standards

Putting It All TogetherNational ITS Architecture

Transit Business

Applications

ITS Standards and Protocols

Data Flows

Centers

Roadside

Vehicles

Travelers

ITS Standards and Protocols

Common Objects Control Center Fare Collection

Incident Management

On-Board Passenger Information Scheduling Spatial Data

Traff ic Management

In Summary

• Use of integrated ITS data helps build “intelligent transit agencies”

• Major federal investments in Architecture, Standards/Protocols development and Institutional Policy and Rulemaking provide a strong foundation for ITS data integration

Co-Authors

• James E. Davis, NYS DOT• Nancy Neuerburg, Consultant• Michael Paternostro, Clever

Devices, Inc.