ITS World Congress PresentationSan Francisco, California, USA

07 November 2005

David E. Pickeral, JD

Addressing the Policy Cycle—Educating legislators and decisionmakers about ITS

1

Summary

�The Technology Policy Cycle

�Analysis Phase

�Consensus Phase

�Implementation Phase

2

Transportation Policy—The Last Few Thousand Years

A series of straight lines . . .

3

Transportation Policy—The Next Millennium

4

Analysis—What is Needed, What is Possible?

�Activities include user needs assessment, preliminary academic study, and

baseline engineering research—or further developments on data derived

from prior-generation operating systems (the previous “cycle”)

�Standards development bodies are often contemplated or initially convened

�Two-way communications are particularly critical to understand stakeholder

needs

�Education helps propel the decisionmaking process toward achieving—

– Lowest cost

– Greatest immediate impact

– Farthest-reaching effects

5

Consensus—Passing the “Gatekeeper”

�Typically, this is the phase in which

decisionmakers are asked to commit substantial resources toward development

�Many technology applications will fall by the wayside before ever becoming viable

�Stakeholder buy-in must occur in this phase if actual work is to begin

– Which technology to use

– What services are a priority

– What is the “best of breed” solution

– How will government, industry, and public priorities best be served

�The nature and function of the technology is substantially defined but a decision is required

�Education efforts must support that decision by helping decisionmakers to determine—

– Value proposition to industry

– Public benefit

– Return on investment for all parties

6

Implementation—Hitting the Road

�Projects become products

�Attempts to influence the actual deployment

decisions for a particular technology are largely

futile

– Public and/or private resources have been committed for the long term

– Actual system construction and equipment deployment is under way

�The cycle is completed and begun again

– Best practices and lessons should be documented

– These feed the next round of development

7

For additional information contact:

David E. Pickeral703-377-4074pickeral_david@bah.com

8

Analysis Case History—Understanding Urban Versus Rural Considerations

How to choose the best provider

Limited spectrum

High capacity requirements

High noise floor, interference, and multipath

Issue

Urban

Cost and reliability

More spectrum planning required (frequency reuse); may limit applications

May impact deployment—more complex roadside devices

Poorer propagation will limit range; RF studies will be important

Impact

Backbone

Spectrum

Capacity

Propagation

Parameter

May limit deployment, increase costs, and limit network connections. Low power needed with solar energy

Minimal infrastructure available

Minimal spectrum planningSome spectrum overlap only

Minimal impact on deployment—simpler roadside devices

N/A

May need to conduct RF studies where obvious interference sources exist

Natural interference sources only

ImpactIssue

Rural

9

�Economic and business factors affect decisions with standards very early in the process and continue throughout the

lifecycle

�Performance, cost, and time-to-implement tradeoffs are inevitable.

�Process begins with a need based on business and economic drivers

�Adjustments made to standards to—

– Ensure fair and full competition

– Balance COTS-based solutions with customized specifications

– Focus on performance-based language

– React to business and economic factors as they arise

Analysis Case History—Economic Business Factors

Planning

Establish StandardsCommittee andWorking Group

SpecificationDevelopment

Test andVerification

PrototypesModeling and

Simulation

RQMTAnalysisConcept of Operation

SpecificationAdoption Economic

Business

Factors

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• Capital and operating costs

• Region-specific benefits

• Potential for incremental or

phased deployment

• Security, failure modes, liability issues

• Maintainability and reliability of

equipment

• Backward compatibility…and flexibility

for accommodating future changes

State and Local Transportation Agency Concerns

Federal-Level Concerns

• State DOT organizational

structure and decisionmaking

processes

• Supporting IT systems

• Existing wireline and landline

infrastructure

• Existing traffic control processes and

sophistication

Analysis Case History—Understanding Government Stakeholder Priorities