UPDATE Volume 2, Number 1 Articles - Winter Quarter 1998

MINNEAPOLIS IS A PROGRESSIVE ITS URBAN CITY

Two 1998 TRB papers presented traffic control system information and it's ITS aspects. Excerpts from those papers are adapted here for ITS Minnesota UPDATE readers. Minneapolis has successfully operated a city-wide 725-intersection computerized traffic signal control system for over 20 years. This experience has given the city an appreciation of the time and effort necessary to effectively operate and maintain a sophisticated control system. The control system was upgraded in 1992 with central system hardware replacement and an upgrade to the existing traffic application software. The upgrade was performed to ensure that the new system would be reliable and maintainable into the future. The enhanced system is known as the T2000C system and was designed to continue to operate as a database table look-up system, consisting of a library of timing plans.

Recognizing that continuing research into traffic flow and intersection signal control was needed to address growing intersection safety needs, a live intersection laboratory has been developed in Minneapolis by the University of Minnesota in consultation with the City of Minneapolis and Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) research funding. The laboratory intersection, located at Franklin and Lyndale Avenues in downtown Minneapolis, had been exhibiting frequent congestion and delay during peak hours. Furthermore, because of the location of the intersection with respect to adjacent intersections, it is possible for it to operate as isolated site or to be easily incorporated into the central network control. In addition, the incident rate at the intersection proper had been relatively high which can provide valuable data for future development of intersection incident detection strategies. The first three phases of this live laboratory created a design, installed machine vision equipment, then used video detection as inputs to effect actuated signal control instead of the previous fixed timing cycles. The University is using the data collected from the machine-vision detection system as inputs to a new cellular automata microscopic simulator. This new simulator combines microscopic resolution and computational efficiency to evaluate adaptive control methods extending from the successful actuated control now in operation. With the cooperation the City of Minneapolis and under the guidance of a Technical Advisory Panel, University researchers expect to test the new simulated control methods in this live laboratory.

Construction of major business/commercial, sports, entertainment, and convention facilities in the Minneapolis central business district (CBD) area over the recent past has increased the traffic volumes and the importance of effective traffic control. Adaptive operation was identified as a means of addressing the increasingly complex traffic control requirements. A project to add an adaptive control module to the Minneapolis central control system was proposed to the Minnesota Guidestar office and the Federal Highway Administration. This project was approved in 1994 as an operational test under the name Adaptive Urban Signal Control and Integration (AUSCI) project. The project is currently in the implementation stage, with test operations by summer then full run-time operation scheduled to start in the fall of 1998. The AUSCI project is being conducted under the Minnesota Guidestar partnership structure. Primary partners include the FHWA; Mn/DOT; the City of Minneapolis; FORTRAN Traffic Systems Limited, the system supplier and integrator; and Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (ISS), the video detection supplier. Westwood Professional Services, Inc., is the project management and engineering consultant. SRF Consulting Group, Inc., leads the project evaluation team.

The AUSCI project consists of the application and test operation of adaptive system operation in a 65-intersection portion of the CBD area of the City of Minneapolis. Because of its known performance, the SCOOT algorithm (currently version 3.1) was selected to provide adaptive signal operation. Video detection will be added to support the increased need for suitable traffic flow information. One hundred thirty-eight video sensors are being installed in the test area. ISS will furnish and support all video detection equipment using advanced Autoscope SOLO' video detection technology. The video sensors will provide both SCOOT control data and on-line data collection for evaluation purposes. It will be necessary to augment the video sensors with loop detectors at a number of locations (parking ramp entrances and exits, for example). The video detection cameras are also being integrated with the emerging downtown area traffic surveillance system.

Minneapolis progressiveness goes beyond automobile traffic control; the last UPDATE issue briefed the Hiawatha Transitway Initiative and Bus Priority via Opticom projects. Future issues will touch on cooperation with Hennepin County, Mn/DOT, and surrounding jurisdictions on the Midtown Greenway project, the University Transitway project, and the Highway 55 corridor aspects of the Orion program.

Thanks to Marilyn Remer for coordinating the AUSCI project TRB paper and to Dr. Eil Kwon for preparing the Franklin Lyndale Live Laboratory paper.

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS)

Where's the bus? Can this in-vehicle device get me to the Holiday Inn, Metrodome? Can an ambulance find my accident May Day call location quickly? Which Highway Helper is closest? These are all traveler information questions that are being answered by ITS. The enabling technology is the Global Positioning System (GPS) precise location and navigation information using orbiting satellites developed by the US Department of Defense for military applications. For real time location accuracy, the key is to have differential GPS base stations. Minnesota has a Center for GPS Research at Dunwoody and a state wide GPS Advisory Group coordinating our base station infrastructure. The state wide plan has separate, but coordinated, GPS base station activities.

1) Nationwide Differential GPS provided by the Coast Guard Beacon Service. Currently there are two stations that are operating along Minnesota's eastern border to provide 1 meter accuracy DGPS data in real-time for navigation needs on the Mississippi River and Lake Superior. The stations are located at Alma, Wisconsin and Minnesota Point, respectively. Expansion plans for this service during the next 2-4 years, include activating new stations in Clark, South Dakota and Edinburg, North Dakota that will give us coverage in the western half of the state. In addition, there is a strong possibility that a station will be in stalled in the Brainerd area. The additional stations will provide 1 meter accuracy DGPS service for all forms of transportation as well as for the Geographic Information System data collection activities.

2) State wide Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) for centimeter accuracy, post-processing (not real-time) needs for surveying and mapping activities. Mn/Dot has installed five stations at the four corners of the seven county Metro area plus one station near the center of the area at the DOT building in St. Paul. Preliminary tests of these five stations have demonstrated that base stations located at a spacing of 50-80 kilometers will provide the geodetic control sufficient for point positioning needs in the 2-5 centimeter accuracy range for both horizontal and vertical control. Expansion plans for this system are not in place yet. However, it is looking favorably that this is an opportunity for the Mn/DOT surveys organization to champion this plan for the benefit of all the surveying and mapping community in Minnesota.

Thanks to dave.gorg@dot.state.mn.us and zenkx002@tc.umn.edu for this article's information, look for them at the 1998 Transportation Conference on 23-24 February.

ANNUAL MEETING ON 18 MARCH, 8:00 A.M.- HOLIDAY INN, METRODOME

Our President Jeff Benson [ jbens@brwmsp.com ], will relinquish his gavel to Gene Ofstead [gene.ofstead@dot.state.mn.us ] of the commissioner's staff. Nominees for our 1998 leadership are VP, Bob Sands from Edward's & Kelcey; Secretary, Jim Wright from Mn/DOT's ORION program; and Treasurer, Bill Gardner from SRF Consulting Group.

At the meeting three Director selectees for two year terms will be announced from the following slate: Doug Differt, BRW; Jim Grube, Hennepin Co.; Gordon Melby, ADDCO; Al Pint, Mn/DOT; and Mike Sobolewski, Castle Rock.

Continuing their second year are directors Cynthia Drake, SEH; Clare Porter, Castle Rock; and Chuck Sprado, 3M. Also continuing on the board are non-voting Ex-Officio Directors Al Steger, FHWA; Marthand Nookala, OATS; Art Leahy, Metro Transit; Connie Kozlak, Met Council; and Craig Hendrickson, MN Department of Public Safety.

Dennis Foderberg [ foder001@tc.umn.edu ] will continue as our representative on the ITS America State Chapter's Council.

Our thanks to departing directors Bob Zauner and Bob Johns for their service during the first three formative years of the Minnesota state chapter of ITS America. Thanks also to our 1997 committee chairpersons: Liaison, Bob Sands; Meetings, Bill Gardner; Membership, Bob Winter; and Communications, Lowell Benson and Mike Sobelowski.

GENE OFSTEAD, NEW ITS MINNESOTA PRESIDENT IS A

RECOGNIZED ITS LEADER

Bachelor of Civil Engineering Degree from the University of Minnesota in 1959. Thirty-eight years with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Recent work assignments have included 6 years as Assistant Commissioner for Engineering Services, 2 years as Assistant Commissioner for Research and Strategic Initiatives, and for the last 3 years Assistant Commissioner for Transportation Research and Investment Management. He also served as the first ITS America Advanced Traffic Management Systems Committee Chair.

ANNUAL MEETING SPEAKER

On March 18th our featured speaker is Dennis C. Judycki; Associate Administrator for Safety and System Applications at FHWA. Mr. Judycki is a Massachusetts native with over 29 years of professional transportation and management experience with the Federal Highway Administration. Prior to his current appointment he served as Director of the Office of Traffic Operations and previously held positions as Chief of the Urban Planning and Transportation Management Division, and Special Assistant to the Executive Director. In his current position, Dennis is responsible for FHWA policies and programs in the areas of highway safety, technology applications, training, transportation management, and Intelligent Transportation Systems.

Dennis is a member of many professional organizations including the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the American Public Works Association, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials standing Committee on Highway Traffic Safety, and Secretary of the AASHTO subcommittee on Advanced Transportation systems. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the ITS World Congress ['98 in Korea, '99 in Canada] and the TRB Group 3 Council.

Mr. Judycki received his Civil Engineering B.S. degree from New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, and his M.S. in Civil Engineering with a specialty in Urban Transportation Planning and Traffic Operations from West Virginia University.

Thanks to Susan.lauffer@fhwa.dot.gov for Mr. Judycki's biographical information.

YOUTH LEARN ABOUT INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

The University's Institute of Transportation Engineers student chapter (26 persons) visited the ITS Laboratory on 21 January, accompanied by two Mn/DOT advisors. Briefing topics included Center for Transportation Studies history, ramp meter operation, machine vision technology, Safe Truck research vehicle, Internet traveler information access, TMC operations, and surveillance camera operation.

On 24 January gifted 9th grade students (23 of them) from project GAMMA came to the ITS laboratory for the same topics plus a mini GPS tutorial by Mn/DOT's Dave Gorg.

On 29 January 33 Dr. Panos Michalopoulos brought 33 sophomore/junior engineering students to the laboratory for an introduction to ITS and transportation engineering. In addition to the topics presented to ITE students, Janelle Monette presented activities of the Human Factor's Research Laboratory including their Mn/DOT work simulating Highway 61 design updates in the Tofte, MN area.

WHAT IS YOUR MEMBERSHIP STATUS?

Renewal is due at the first of the year or when renewing with ITS America. The following have been or are current members: 3M; ADDCO; Alpine Electronics, Inc.; Benshoof & Associates; BRW, Inc.; Castle Rock Consultants; Chrysler Corporation; Denso International America, Inc.; Edwards and Kelcey, Inc.; Electronic Design Company; Ellen Williams & Assoc.; Federal Highway Administration; General Motors Corporation; Hennepin County; HNTB Corporation; Hughes; Image Sensing Systems, Inc.; JMS Communications & Research; Lockheed Martin; Matsushita Communication Industrial, Mn/DOT Guidestar; Navigation Technologies; NCITE; Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas; Parson's Transportation Group; Power Max Consulting; Science Applications International Corporation; Short-Elliot-Hendrickson, Inc.; SRF Consulting Group; Westwood Professional Services, Inc.; and the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota.