UPDATE Volume 2, Number 4 Articles - Fall Quarter 1998

Orion Traveler Information Center Opens Soon - Bill Gardner

Mn/DOT's existing traveler information program in the Twin Cities, focusing on freeway conditions, uses a variety of distribution media, most notably Traffic Radio KBEM 88.5 FM, changeable message signs, Traffic Television KVBM Channel 45 (or cable-user's Home Shopping Network), and the Internet twincities.sidewalk.com web site.

The Mn/DOT-led initiative named Orion, implemented in coordination with numerous public and private partners, includes enhancements to this well-developed traveler information program. Several new services will broaden the dissemination of traffic information and provide access to non-traffic information as well.

This fall will mark the start-up of a Traveler Information Center, a "virtual" center that will provide real-time, route-specific, on-demand and multi-modal information to travelers will include a free call-in phone service (replacing an existing Mn/DOT phone service) and an Internet web site (complementing the Sidewalk site). SmarTraveler will provide up-to-the-minute traffic reports as well as transit, parking, airport/airline, and weather information. The focus is on real-time conditions that travelers can access either pre-trip or while en-route. The services offered upon start-up will be refined and expanded over the coming year to further enhance the quality of information available to travelers.

The project results from a unique public-private partnership between Mn/DOT, Lockheed Martin, and SmartRoute Systems, a national provider of traveler information services. The Traveler Information Center will be privately owned and operated by SmartRoute Systems, who will be offering other traveler information services in the future.

The SmarTraveler automated interactive phone service will provide real-time traffic conditions for freeways and other major arterial streets in the region. Once connected to the system, callers can access road-specific reports by entering a simple code, for example, 3-9-4 to receive a report for I-394. The recorded reports are continuously updated and based on extensive data collection including:

• Mn/DOT Freeway surveillance camera images transmitted to the Traveler Infromation Center via a fiber optic connection.
• An additional network of 30 cameras phased in over the next year.
• Aircraft surveillance during peak periods.
• Two-way radio communications with area transportation agencies.
• Incident and speed data provided by the Traffic Management Center.
• The recruitment over time of volunteer "mobile probes," or private commuters who will call in road conditions and travel times using cellular phones.
• Information from area transportation agencies via a new regional electronic information sharing network to be installed in 1999 as part of Orion, including arterial status reports.
• The Traveler Information Center will report information back to this network.

In addition, direct connections are offered to a variety of other phone services including the Metro Transit information line, other transit providers, the Metropolitan Airports Parking information line, and airline flight status information lines.

SmartRoute Systems is working with area wireless providers to make calls to the SmarTraveler service air-time free. The service is expected to be especially popular with wireless phone users to find out traffic conditions when in their cars.

SmarTraveler web site will feature a clickable map that generates traffic reports, and provides other non-traffic information, such as Metro Transit conditions or parking conditions at the University of Minnesota. Links to other local and national transportation sites are also provided.

SmartRoute Systems expects to provide other services in the future, including personalized traffic reports via pager, fax, and email; a "commuter channel" show on cable TV, commercial broadcast radio and TV traffic reports, and is also testing the provision of traveler reports to in-vehicle units (computers) in cars.

Other Orion projects, planned for 1999, also address traveler information. These include traffic condition display monitors in Minneapolis parking garages, "wait time" VMS at freeway ramps, and others. Watch for future articles on these projects.

December 2nd luncheon speaker is John J. Collins - President & CEO of ITS America. Mr. Collins' professional background is in both engineering and law. He received a degree in mechanical engineering from Princeton University and a law degree from Temple University.

Prior to joining ITS America, Mr. Collins had his own consulting firm, Transportation Law and Strategy, representing clients in issues involving federal transportation legislation and regulations. The firm also provided strategic advice to transportation industry companies.

Before starting his own firm, Mr. Collins was the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at the American Trucking Associations, Inc. ("ATA"). He was responsible for supervising a staff of 60, while developing ATA's policy views on issues involving transportation technology, truck safety and productivity, economic regulation, environmental issues, inter-modal and international issues, labor policy matters, tax policy and highway infrastructure.

Mr. Collins was Assistant General Counsel at the United States Department of Transportation for seven years, prior to joining ATA. In that position he was responsible for a $22-billion a year legislative program that included aviation, highway, maritime, railroad and transit safety issues. He also held various positions with the agency that is now the Federal Transit Administration.

Mr. Collins is a member of the bar of the United States Supreme Court, the State of Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia, as well as member of the Federal Bar Association. He also chairs the Inter-modal Transportation Committee of the Federal Bar Association in Washington, DC. He is a frequent speaker on transportation issues and has testified often before Congress on ways to improve transportation safety and productivity.

Minnesota's RWIS - Judy Rockvam

The Road Weather Information System (RWIS) is an automated information system that collects, processes and distributes current and forecasted weather and road surface information. Data gathered from a series of in-pavement sensors, sub-surface probes and meteorological equipment is combined with a weather forecast to predict pavement surface conditions up to 12 hours in advance.

In order to be able to use RWIS in daily operations, everyone must understand how it works and know what the information means. A series of training classes are being developed that will instruct operators on how to use the computer, read the information screens, interpret both R/WIS and weather information and, most importantly, how to apply all of the information gathered to make better decisions in daily maintenance activities.

Mn/DOT's Office of Maintenance is in the final phase of contract negotiations with Surface Systems, Inc., to create a statewide RWIS in Minnesota. Plans include installing approximately 80 new sites throughout the state. The information that is currently being gathered from the existing 17 RWIS sites will be combined with the data from the new RWIS sites, aeronautics sensor data, agriculture sensors and weather satellites. The result will be a series of reports about current weather and road conditions and forecasts describing how the road is expected to react to changing weather conditions over two hour, six hour and twelve hour time periods.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Surface Systems Incorporated is a respected provider of weather services in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Their software system is installed as part of the CHART system in Maryland, seen during tours from the ITS America conferences in Washington, DC. An SSI brochure quotes David Rossback, Maryland State Highway Administration: "RWIS has continuously helped Maryland to a better manage our winter operations by reducing call-out time and having the ability to monitor surface conditions during winter storms."

As soon as the contract is signed (within the next week, or so), installation of the new sites will begin. During installation, a different crew will be working to integrate the various data sources, computer networks and software into one system. Training classes will also begin during this time. For continuing status information, contact the author at 651/215-0117 or judy.rockvam@dot.state.mn.us.

ITS Minnesota Industry Forum Results

ITS Minnesota Board Information

Gene Ofstead passed our Presidency gavel to Bob Sands at the 16 Sept. forum as a precursor to his retirement from Mn/DOT on October 7. Thanks to Gene for 5 years of leadership service to ITS Minnesota, just some of the icing on the cake of a 39 year career. We wish him well in his new missions. Past President Jeff Benson of BRW agreed to implement the ITS Minnesota Vice President duties until the election of new officers - watch for the candidate mailings in early January.

If your firm didn't get a capabilities summary into the original itsmn.org web site that debuted at the Forum, please send a paragraph or two and your own site link to the webmaster or the communications committee.

Watch for future information as Minnesota makes a bid to host 2003 ITS America Annual Meeting in the year 2003. Dennis Foderberg is spearheading this initiative.