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Its Intelligent Transportation System
Its Intelligent Transportation System
Chapter 48
48.1 Overview
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is the application of computer, electronics, and com-
munication technologies and management strategies in an integrated manner to provide traveler
information to increase the safety and efficiency of the road transportation systems. This pa-
per mainly describes ITS user services, ITS architecture and ITS planning. The various user
services offered by ITS have been divided in eight groups have been briefly described. The
ITS architecture which provides a common framework for planning, defining, and integrating
intelligent transportation systems is briefly described emphasizing logical and physical architec-
ture. Integration of ITS in transportation planning process which follows a systems engineering
approach to develop a transportation plan is also briefly described in this paper.
48.2 Introduction
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is the application of computer, electronics, and com-
munication technologies and management strategies in an integrated manner to provide traveler
information to increase the safety and efficiency of the surface transportation systems. These
systems involve vehicles, drivers, passengers, road operators, and managers all interacting with
each other and the environment, and linking with the complex infrastructure systems to improve
the safety and capacity of road systems.
As reported by Commission for Global Road Safety(June 2006) , the global road deaths were
between 750,000 to 880,000 in the year 1999 and estimated about 1.25 million deaths per year
and the toll is increasing further. World health organization report (1999), showed that in the
year 1990 road accidents as a cause of death or disability were the ninth most significant cause of
death or disability and predicted that by 2020 this will move to sixth place. Without significant
changes to the road transport systems these dreadful figures are likely to increase significantly.
Traditional driver training, infrastructure and safety improvements, may contribute to certain
extent to reduce the number of accidents but not enough to combat this menace. Intelligent
Transport Systems are the best solution to the problem. Safety is one of the principal driving
forces behind the evolution, development, standardization, and implementation of ITS systems.
ITS improves transportation safety and mobility and enhances global connectivity by means
of productivity improvements achieved through the integration of advanced communications
technologies into the transportation infrastructure and in vehicles. Intelligent transportation
systems encompass a broad range of wireless and wire line communication based information
and electronics technologies to better manage traffic and maximize the utilization of the exist-
ing transportation infrastructure. It improves driving experience, safety and capacity of road
systems, reduces risks in transportation, relieves traffic congestion, improves transportation
efficiency and reduces pollution.
3. Electronic payment
6. Emergency management
7. Information management
Road Maintanance
Intelligent Parking
Scheduling and Monitoring
This user service provides information to the travelers about the transportation system before
they begin their trips so that they can make more informed decisions regarding their time of
departure, the mode to use and route to take to their destinations. The travelers can access
this information through computer or telephone systems at home or work and at major public
places. Pre travel information can be accessed through mobile phones as shown in Fig. 48:2.
Different routes and respective travel time durations indicated on VMS are shown in Fig. 48:3.
The information include real time flow condition, real incidents and suggested alternate routes,
scheduled road construction and maintenance tasks, transit routes, schedules, fares, transfers,
and parking facilities.
This user service provides travel related information to the travelers en route after they start
their trips through variable message signs (VMS), car radio, or portable communication devices.
Fig. 48:4 shows the various congested and non congested routes shown on display screen. VMS
START :ABCD
: 396
: 12:21
END : XYZ
: 13:05
City Transit
ROUTE DUE
69 3 mins
98 6 mins
408 7 mins
535 9 mins
LYNNWOOD 11 MIN
S. EVERETT 19 MIN
indicating different routes and travel time is shown in Fig. 48:5. This helps the travelers to
better utilize the existing facility by changing routes etc to avoid congestion. This also provides
warning messages for roadway signs such as stop signs, sharp curves, reduced speed advisories,
wet road condition flashed with in vehicle displays to the travelers to improve the safety of
operating a vehicle. The information can be presented as voice output also.
Route guidance
This service provides information to the travellers with a suggested route to reach a specified
destination, along with simple instructions on upcoming turns and other manoeuvres. This
also provides travellers of all modes the real-time information about the transportation system,
including traffic conditions, road closures, and the status and schedule of transit systems. The
benefits of this service are reduced delay and drivers stress levels particularly in an unfamiliar
area.
This user service provide real-time ride matching information to travellers in their homes, offices
or other locations, and assists transportation providers with vehicle assignments and scheduling.
Access road
Loop detectors
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Accident Occurs
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Travellers give information to the service center and get number of ride sharing options from
which they can choose the best.
This service provides a business directory of information on travel-related services and facilities
like the location, operating hours, and availability of food, lodging, parking, auto repair, hos-
pitals, gas stations and police facilities. This also makes reservations for many of these traveler
services. The traveler services information are accessible in the home, office or other public
locations to help plan trips. These services are available en-route also.
Traffic Control
This service collects the real time data from the transportation system, processes it into usable
information, and uses it to determine the optimum assignment of right-of-way to vehicles and
pedestrians. This helps in improving the flow of traffic by giving preference to transit and other
high occupancy vehicles or by adjusting the signal timing to current traffic conditions. The
information collected by the Traffic Control service is also disseminated for use by many other
user services.
Incident Management
This service aims to improve the incident management and response capabilities of transporta-
tion and public safety officials, the towing and recovery industry, and others involved in incident
response. Advanced sensors (close circuit TV cameras), data processors and communication
technologies are used to identify incidents quickly and accurately and to implement response
which minimizes traffic congestion and the effects of these incidents on the environment and
the movement of people and goods. Fig. 48:6 shows the occurrence of incident and its detection
by the center and decision implemented responding to the incident on a highway pertaining to
incident management.
This user service develop and implement strategies to reduce the number of single occupancy
vehicles while encouraging the use of high occupancy vehicles and the use of more efficient
travel mode. The strategies adopted are:
1. Congestion pricing
The main objective of this service is to monitor and implement strategies to divert traffic away
from sensitive air quality areas, or control access to such areas using advanced sensors. This
also used to identify vehicles emitting pollutants exceeding the standard values and to inform
drivers to enable them to take corrective action. This helps in facilitating implementation and
evaluation of various pollution control strategies by authorities.
This service is to provide improved control of highway and train traffic to avoid or decrease
the severity of collisions between trains and vehicles at highway-rail intersections. This also
monitors the condition of various HRI equipments.
Implementing the
Construction and Development Improving the
of Metropolitan Rapid Transit Operational
Systems
Enviornment of Urban
Bus Systems
Providing a Healthy
Operational Environment of
Mass Rapid Transit Systems
Facilitating the
Development of
Enhancing the Service Urban Bus Systems
Quality of Rapid Transit
Systems
This user service collects data through advanced communications and information systems to
improve the operations of vehicles and facilities and to automate the planning and management
functions of public transit systems. This offers three tasks:
1. To provide real-time computer analysis of vehicles and facilities to improve transit op-
erations and maintenance by monitoring the location of transit vehicles, by identifying
deviations from the schedule, and offering potential solutions to dispatchers and operators.
This service is intended to provide information on expected arrival times of t vehicles, transfers,
and connections to travellers after they begin their trips using public transportation. This also
provide real-time, accurate transit service information on-board the vehicle, at transit stations
and bus stops to assist travellers in making decisions and modify their trips underway.
The aim of this service is to offer public transport facility to travellers by assigning or scheduling
vehicles by
2. assigning privately operated vehicles on demand which include small buses, taxicabs, or
other small, shared-ride vehicles.
Under this service, travellers provide information of their trip origin and destination to service
station. The center then assigns the closest vehicle to service the request and to inform the
travellers regarding arrival of such vehicles well in advance to reduce their anxiety.
This user service creates a secure environment for public transportation operators and support
staff and monitors the environment in transit facilities, transit stations, parking lots, bus stops
and on-board transit vehicles and generates alarms (either automatically or manually) when
necessary. It also provides security to the systems that monitor key infrastructure of transit
(rail track, bridges, tunnels, bus guide ways, etc.).
1. CV electronic clearance
traffic
monitoring camera
tag reader
traffic gate
111111111111111
000000000000000
000000000000000
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REDUCE
SPEED
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PASS
5 111111111111111
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MPH
traffic
Information display
EZ Pass tag
5. Freight Mobility
This service allows enforcement personnel to electronically check safety status, vehicles creden-
tials, and size and weight data for the commercial vehicles before they reach an inspection site.
The authorities send the illegal or potentially unsafe vehicles only for inspection and bypass
safe and legal carriers to travel without stopping for compliance checks at weigh stations and
other inspection sites.
At inspection station the safety requirements are checked more quickly and more accurately
during a safety inspection using automated inspection capabilities. Advanced equipments are
used to check brake, steering and suspension performance and also the drivers performance
pertaining to driver alertness and fitness for duty.
This service monitors the driver, vehicle, and cargo and notify the driver, carrier, and, also
to the enforcement personnel, if an unsafe situation arises during operation of the vehicle.
This is user service also assures freight container, trailer, and commercial vehicle integrity by
monitoring on-board sensors for a breach or tamper event.
This service allows carriers to purchase credentials such as fuel use taxes, trip permits, over-
weight permit, or hazardous material permits automatically. The mileage and fuel reporting
and auditing components are provided to the carriers automatically which reduce significant
amount of time and paperwork.
This user service provides immediate information regarding the types and quantities of haz-
ardous materials present at incident location to the emergency personnel in order to facilitate
a quick and appropriate response. The emergency personnel are informed regarding shipment
of any sensitive hazardous materials so that timely action could be taken in case of accidents.
Freight Mobility
This service provides information to the drivers, dispatchers, and inter-modal transportation
providers, enabling carriers to take advantage of real-time traffic information, as well as vehicle
and load location information, to increase productivity.
This user service provides assistance to vehicle operators in avoiding longitudinal collisions
to the front and/or rear of the vehicle. This is achieved by implementing rear-end collision
warning and control, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), head-on collision warning and control,
and backing collision warning to the drivers.
This helps drivers in avoiding accidents that result when a vehicle leaves its own lane of travel,
by warning drivers and by assuming temporary control of the vehicle. This service provides
to the drivers the lane change/blind spot situation display, collision warning control and lane
departure warning and control.
This user service is specifically aimed at providing vehicle operators with assistance in avoiding
collisions at intersections. The system tracks the position of vehicles within the intersection
area through the use of vehicle-to-vehicle communications or vehicle to infrastructure commu-
nications.
This service helps in reducing the number of vehicle crashes that occur during periods of
poor visibility by in vehicle sensors capable of capturing an image of driving environment and
providing a graphical display of the image to the drivers.
Safety Readiness
This helps to provide drivers with warnings regarding their own driving performance, the con-
dition of the vehicle, and the condition of the roadway as sensed from the vehicle.
This service helps in reducing the number and severity of injuries caused by vehicle collisions
by anticipating an imminent collision and by activating passenger safety systems prior to the
actual impact.
This service provides a fully automated vehicle-highway system in which instrumented vehicles
operate on instrumented roadways without operator intervention.
2. Emergency vehicle management - This user service is to reduce the time from the receipt
of an emergency notification to the arrival of the emergency vehicles at incident location
thereby reducing the severity of accident injuries.
1. Interoperability - The ITS architecture should be such that the information collected,
function implemented or any equipment installed be interoperable by various agencies in
different state and regions.
Table 48:1: User service requirements for Traffic Control user service
Traffic Control provides the capability to efficiently manage the movement of traffic
on streets and highways. Four functions are provided which are
(1) Traffic Flow Optimization,
(2) Traffic Surveillance,
(3) Control, and
(4) Provide Information.
This will also include control of network signal systems with integration of freeway
control. The specified User service requirements
(1) TC shall include a Traffic Flow Optimization function to provide the capability
to optimize traffic flow.
(1.1) Traffic Flow Optimization shall employ control strategies that seek to maximize
traffic-movement efficiency.
(1.2) Traffic Flow Optimization shall include a wide area optimization capability, to
include several jurisdictions.
(1.2.1) Wide area optimization shall integrate the control of network signal systems
with the control of freeways.
(1.2.2) Wide area optimization shall include features that provide preferential
treatment for transit vehicles.
(2) TC shall include a Traffic Surveillance function.
Manage Manage
Emergency Commercial
Provide Services Vehicles Manage
Driver and
Traveller Archived
Services Data
Provide
Electronic Manage
Payment Transit
Services
Manage
Provide Manage
Maintenance
Vehicle Traffic
Monitoring and
and Construction
Control
processes. The sub process is further broken into sub process which are called process specifica-
tions (P-specs) lowest level. These p specs are required to be performed to fulfill user services
requirements. Fig. 48:10 shows process decomposition into process specifications.
B Function
D
Physical Architecture
(Group functions Subsystem A Subsystem H
together)
Architecture
flow
Travelers Centers
Traffic Emergency Commercial Maintenance &
Toll Vehicle
Management Management Administration Administration Construction
Management
Remote
Traveler
Support Information Fleet and Archived
Emissions Transit
Service Freight Data
Provider Management Management Management Management
Personal
Information
Access
Vehicle Roadway
Vehicle Vehicle Communications
Emergency Security
Vehicle Monitoring
Commercial Toll
Vehicle Collection
Transit Parking
Vehicle Management
Figure 48:12: National ITS physical architecture showing subsystems and communications
Vehicle group consists of five different types of vehicles. The traveler group represents
different ways a traveler can access information on the status of the transportation system.
There are four different types of communication systems.
Through the communication systems all the subsystems are interconnected and transfer the
required data. Fig. 48:13 shows the communication between traffic management subsystem
and the roadway subsystem. Traffic management subsystem is connected to communications
Travelers Centers
Traffic Emergency Payment Commercial Maintenance and
Remote Traveler Vehicle
Support Management Management Management Administration Construction
Roadway
Vehicle
Emergency Security
Vehicle Monitoring
Commercial
Vehicle Roadway
Pavement
Transit
Vehicle Parking
Management
Maintanance and Commercial Vehicle
Construction
Vehicle Vehicles Field Check
which gets real time information of the transportation system through roadway subsystem
which comprise of signal control, detectors, camera, VMS etc.
roadway
signal control equipment
data Roadway coordination Other
Traffic Roadway
signal control
Management status driver
Roadway information Driver
traffic flow + Basic
traffic images Surveillance crossing
traffic sensor call
control + Roadway crossing Pedestrians
video surveillance Equipment permission
control Coordination
request for Roadway traffic
rightofway Signal characteristics Traffic
Controls
Collect Traffic
Surveillance traffic operator
TMC Signal data
Control Traffic Operations
Traffic Personnel
Maintenance traffic operator
inputs
ITS transportation planning process differs from the traditional transportation planning pro-
cess. ITS has the unique capability to integrate different modes of transportation such as
public auto, transit, and infra-structural elements through communications and control. The
multi-modal integration potential provides a great opportunity for planning across modes. The
comparison between ITS approach and conventional approach for solving various transportation
problems are shown for few problems are shown in table. 48:3.
Table 48:3: Relationship between problems, conventional approach and ITS approach
Problem Possible solutions Conventional approach ITS approach
Lack of Provide user Expand fixed route Multi-modal pre trip and
mobility friendly access to transit and Para en-route traveler
and quality transit service information
accessibility transportation
services Radio and TV Personalize public
traffic reports transportation
Personalized public
transport
Telecommuting
transportation pricing
Traffic Improve safety Improve roadway Fully automated vehicle
accidents geometry, sight control system
distance, traffic
signal Automated warning
system
Grade separated
intersection Driver condition on
monitoring
Driver training
Automated detection of
Street lighting adverse weather
Emergency notification
Table 48:4: ITS approach for the goal enhance public safety
Vision Improvement of travelers safety by providing advance warning by
implementing crash counter measures and by controlling to the security
of the transportation facilities
Goal Enhance public safety
Objectives Promote safety of transportation Reduce crashes on freeways
facility and streets
Functions # Monitoring of rest areas # Implement crash counter
measures at high accident
# Provide public safety at park locations
and ride lots
# Implement work zone safety
# Coordinate emergency response measures
using appropriate agency
# Install traffic signs signals and
road marking
Most public agencies are aware of the challenges in mainstreaming ITS into transportation
planning process where ITS projects are part of traditional transportation programs on local
or state level to achieve the best output from transportation investments.
48.6 Summary
This lecture introduces three important intelligent transportation system concepts such as:
user services architecture planning. ITS user services includes concept on Travel and traffic
management, Public transportation operations, Electronic payment, Commercial Vehicle op-
erations, Advanced vehicle control and safety systems, Emergency management, Information
management, and Maintenance and construction management A general ITS architecture and
its national representation is then covered. The ITS planning discusses how to integrate ITS
into transportation planning
48.7 References
1. M A Chowdhary and A Sadek. Fundamentals of Intelligent Transportation systems
planning. Artech House Inc., US, 2003.