Chapter 4: ITS Deployment Support Programs

Chapter 4 describes the valuable role played by deployment support programs in ensuring the effective and successful implementation and use of ITS by State and local transportation agencies. These programs are the mechanism through which the ITS Program directly gathers data on the ITS needs of State and local agencies. They are also the ITS Program's mechanisms for ensuring that agencies understand both the value of ITS and the uses for ITS technologies, systems, models, and strategies that are produced through ITS research initiatives.

Four deployment support programs form the basis for achieving two critical, cross-program goals:

• Fostering greater integration of technologies and systems to enable regional and Statewide interoperability for the Nation.
• Developing and facilitating the use of a vast ITS knowledge base designed to inform State and local investment decisions in ITS, to share agency success in deploying ITS, and to foster a high performing ITS workforce across the Nation.

Sections 4.1 and 4.2 describe the programs that focus on integration and interoperability:

4.1 The National ITS Architecture Program
4.2 The ITS Standards Program

The National ITS Architecture is a definitive and consistent framework that guides ITS planning and deployment. ITS standards define how system components operate within that framework. By specifying how systems and components interconnect, the standards promote interoperability. Together, the activities of these two programs foster the principles of effective integration across the Nation and enable seamless, consistent transfer of information. These programs facilitate the ability of jurisdictions to operate collaboratively and to harness the benefits of a regional approach to transportation problems, and to cost effectively engage with the private sector.

Sections 4.3 and 4.4 describe the programs that promote the development and use of the ITS Knowledgebase and thereby support successful ITS deployment across the Nation:

4.3 The ITS Professional Capacity Building Program
4.4 The ITS Program Assessment Program

The ITS Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program is focused on developing the ITS workforce; effective and successful ITS deployments require knowledgeable and skilled professionals ranging from maintenance personnel to managers to decision makers. ITS Program Assessment activities include conducting evaluations and tracking ITS deployments. The resulting information on costs, benefits, and lessons learned form the ITS Knowledge Resources--a set of databases that provide information based on actual deployment experiences. These databases support the investment decisions made by State and local transportation agencies on whether and how to invest in ITS.

Together, these programs offer a set of complementary mechanisms to deliver training, provide technical expertise and assistance, support technology transfer, and disseminate critical knowledge on research, technologies, and strategies. In addition, these efforts result in an informal needs assessment mechanism through which the ITS Program directly learns of and gathers data on ITS in order to:

• Identify future research needs and requirements.
• Identify benefits, costs, and lessons learned.
• Provide responsive technical assistance and workforce development.

Underlying the ITS deployment support programs is a strong emphasis on outreach to a wide variety of audiences to build awareness on ITS and its benefits, effectively disseminate information, provide a consistent message on ITS for the ITS Program and RITA, and ensure that decision-makers and the American public have easy access to information on ITS. Key outreach mechanisms include:

• The ITS Joint Program Office's website at www.its.dot.gov, which publishes information on important events in ITS, highlights a new lesson learned and benefit for each month, describes the research initiatives and provides updates on their progress, contains a consolidated listing of all the technical assistance and learning resources, provides access to the knowledge resources databases, and provides links to partners in other Department modes that support the activities and programs in ITS.
• The ITS Electronic Document Library (EDL), a collection of Federally-sponsored ITS research, case studies, white papers, and other technical reference guides.⁶⁰
• The popular annual ITS/Operations Resource Guide and the periodic Benefits, Deployment, Costs and Lessons Learned Updates.
• Presentations and exhibition presence at key national conferences to deliver the latest information and technical assistance to stakeholders. The program frequently has exhibits and presentations at: the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting; the ITS America Annual Meeting; the Consumer Electronics Show; the Institute of Transportation Engineers Annual Meeting; the American Public Transportation Association International Expo; and the ITS World Congress.

The ITS deployment support programs are designed to be flexible and evolve as National and programmatic needs change. Each stands ready to incorporate needs identified by the research initiatives. By providing this focused effort at the Federal level, the Nation benefits by having:

• Guidance and best practices for how to achieve integration, interoperability, and consistency in deployment.
• A collection of local experiences that can be shared by peers and decision-makers to utilize what works and avoid what does not.
• A repository for ITS learning materials that addresses the essentials of effective ITS deployment.
• The knowledge needed to make solid investment decisions tailored to meet specific regional and local needs.

Structure of this Chapter. For each program, this section provides a description of the:

• Program Purpose
• Program Approach
• Program Accomplishments
• Program Outcomes

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4.1 The National ITS Architecture Program

Program Purpose

The National ITS Architecture provides a common framework for planning, defining, and integrating intelligent transportation systems. The National ITS Architecture is primarily comprised of subsystems, interfaces, and information flows:

• Subsystems are individual components that perform particular ITS functions such as managing traffic, providing traveler information, or responding to emergencies.
• The interfaces required between the subsystems are, in many cases, defined by ITS Standards that permit interoperability and allow data to flow seamlessly from one subsystem to another.
• Information flows between subsystems define how and to whom the data flows concerning operational information on such key elements as traffic, incidents, transit status, or maintenance (among others). Information flows also define how data flows from Transportation Management Centers to field devices for real-time control and adjustments.

A unique aspect of the National ITS Architecture is that it is independent of any specific manufacturing design or regional requirements. It is available as a resource to any region and is maintained by the US DOT. A software tool, Turbo Architecture, is available at no cost to assist in developing regional and local ITS Architectures. The National ITS Architecture also provides a mechanism for detecting gaps, overlaps, and inconsistencies between ITS Standards and the way in which information is exchanged across the various interfaces.

The National ITS Architecture was developed in close collaboration with stakeholders including representatives from: State and local governments; industry representatives from transportation, engineering, and manufacturing professional associations; standards organizations; and the ITS community (transportation practitioners, systems engineers, system developers, technology specialists, consultants, etc.). This wide cross-section of stakeholders ensures that the National ITS Architecture reflects the needs of deployments in urban, interurban and rural environments. The National ITS Architecture remains a living document that responds to changing needs; the National ITS Architecture Program team works closely with stakeholders to anticipate updates and changes that will result from the new research initiatives. Figure 4.1 below provides a high-level overview of how the National ITS Architecture defines information flows among various ITS users and subsystems (traffic control centers, travelers, transit operators, and emergency response providers) and ITS in-vehicle devices. More detail can be found at: www.its.dot.gov/arch/index.htm.

Requirements for defining new elements for the National ITS Architecture are based on the definition of user services. A user service represents what the system will do from the perspective of users such as public agencies or system operators. The table below describes the 33 user services that comprise the National ITS Architecture, grouped into eight bundles for clarity. These user services were jointly defined by a collaborative process involving significant stakeholder input. New or updated user services can be added to the National ITS Architecture over time. A number of functions are required to accomplish each user service. For example, the traffic control user service is actually defined by over 40 "functions."

Table 4.1 User Services Bundles and User Services

User Service Bundles	User Services
Travel and Traffic Management	Pre-Trip Travel Information En-Route Driver Information Route Guidance Ride Matching and Reservation Traveler Services Information Traffic Control Incident Management Travel Demand Management Emissions Testing and Mitigation Highway-Rail Intersection
Public Transportation Management	Public Transportation Management En-Route Transit Information Personalized Public Transit Public Travel Security
Electronic Payment	Electronic Payment Services
Commercial Vehicle Operations	Commercial Vehicle Electronic Clearance Automated Roadside Safety Inspection On-Board Safety and Security Monitoring Commercial Vehicle Administrative Processes Hazardous Material Security and Incident Response Freight Mobility
Emergency Management	Emergency Notification and Personal Security Emergency Vehicle Management Disaster Response and Evacuation
Advanced Vehicle Safety Systems	Longitudinal Collision Avoidance Lateral Collision Avoidance Intersection Collision Avoidance Vision Enhancement for Crash Avoidance Safety Readiness Pre-Crash Restraint Deployment Automated Vehicle Operation
Information Management	Archived Data
Maintenance and Construction Management	Maintenance and Construction Operations

Program Approach

The National ITS Architecture Program was established in 1992 to coordinate the development and maintenance of the National ITS Architecture. An important event occurred in January 2001 when, in response to a TEA-21 provision, FHWA issued a final Rule on ITS Architecture and Standards⁶¹ that requires all State and local agencies to develop their own regional ITS architectures. Similarly, the FTA issued a notice on ITS Architecture Policy on Transit Projects.⁶²

As a consequence of these regulations, all ITS projects must adhere to the regional architectures to receive Federal funding. The Department instituted these requirements recognizing that regional ITS architectures facilitate the ability of agencies to plan, design, and deploy interoperable systems and to better share information, manage traffic, and increase safety and mobility across jurisdictions. Both the Rule and the Policy took effect in April 2005.

An important and underlying principle of fostering effective ITS integration and interoperability is the use of the systems engineering process⁶³--a best practice used throughout many industries including the information technology and software development industries. Use of the systems engineering process ensures that ITS deployments meet the needs and requirements of the system users and/or owners. The process provides managers with tools for risk management, better cost and schedule performance, and the development of a system that comprehensively addresses the needs defined by users and stakeholders. Both the Rule and the Policy require use of the systems engineering approach, yet provide the flexibility to allow the approach to be tailored to fit the needs of each ITS project.

Today, the National ITS Architecture Program continues to be responsible for facilitating the delivery of technical assistance, training, and outreach to State and local transportation agencies in support of the FHWA Rule/FTA Policy. In 2008, National ITS Architecture Program activities are focused on:

• Ensuring that the National ITS Architecture remains current and supports the latest developments in ITS, including new requirements resulting from the ITS research initiatives. This effort includes the development of new user services.
• Maintaining the National ITS Architecture as the definitive reference for regional ITS architectures at the State, MPO, and local level.
• Supporting Turbo Architecture, a software tool that facilitates regional and project architecture development, by keeping it updated and aligned with the National ITS Architecture.
• Promoting the process for using the National ITS Architecture for development of regional ITS architectures.
• Ensuring that regional ITS architectures are incorporated as part of the transportation planning process in the States and regions.
• Providing training, technical support and assistance, workshops, and guidance to enable States and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to comply with the Rule/Policy and the systems engineering approach.
• Conducting periodic assessments of regional ITS architectures to identify program strengths and areas for improvement and to modify the program focus.
• Collaborating with international governments and others that wish to use the National ITS Architecture as a foundation to establish their own ITS architecture. The National ITS Architecture Program has collaborated with the Canadian Ministry of Transport, for example, in the development of the border information flow architecture.
• Ensuring that new or modified ITS standards are aligned with the National ITS Architecture.

Program Accomplishments-to-Date

As described in the following graphic, the National ITS Architecture is a living document--it has continued to evolve in significant ways in response to ITS technology evolution. Similarly, the National ITS Architecture Program has continued to develop and evolve into a broad national effort to advise on and integrate regional ITS Architectures.

The National ITS Architecture Program has had a number of accomplishments in the past two years. The program staff and modal partners have worked together to deliver:

• An enhanced and updated version of the National ITS Architecture. Released in May, 2007, version 6.0 includes major revisions that address needs identified by Federal, State, and local agencies. Cumulatively, the program has distributed more than 24,000 copies of the various versions of the National ITS Architecture documentation to transportation officials across the country and from six continents, which reflects international interest in the tool. Documentation for Version 6.0 of the National ITS Architecture can be found at: www.iteris.com/itsarch.
• A concurrent update and refinement of the Turbo Architecture software tool. This software application supports the development of regional and project ITS architectures using the National ITS Architecture. Turbo Architecture is a complement to and compatible with Version 6.0 of the National ITS Architecture. Turbo Architecture Version 4.0 can be found at: www.iteris.com/itsarch/html/turbo/turbomain.htm.
• An updated Regional ITS Architecture Guidance document. This document was revised in the summer of 2006 and has been broadly distributed through the National ITS Architecture Version 6.0 CD ROM and on the ITS JPO and FHWA websites. The reference document titled Regional ITS Architecture Guidance can be found at: www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/REPTS_TE/13598.pdf.
• Architecture Use and Maintenance Workshops. In the past 18 months, workshops have been conducted at 18 locations in 13 States around the country. These workshops are designed to assist regions in keeping their architectures current and in using the architecture as a living document.
• Systems Engineering Handbook. In January 2007, the Systems Engineering Handbook was completed. It reflects experiences of agencies that implemented the practice. Written in partnership with the ITS PCB Program and a Systems Engineering Curriculum Team, the handbook has formed the basis for two courses Introduction to Systems Engineering for Advanced Transportation Projects and Advanced Systems Engineering 102. The courses are offered both in classroom format through the National Highway Institute or in web-based form through the CITE Consortium.⁶⁴
• Systems Engineering Process Reviews. These workshops have been provided and will continue to be provided as requested to assist ITS stakeholders in the application of systems engineering to ITS deployment.
• The completion of the Border Information Flow Architecture. This effort, completed in close partnership between the Department and U.S. trade regulatory agencies (such as the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, and their Canadian counterparts), provides an architecture template for ITS at border crossings between the U.S. and Canada. A similar program with Mexico is under consideration.
• Joint collaborative meetings with Canada to address the Canadian updates and enhancements. The National ITS Architecture team is currently examining whether the most recent Canadian updates are relevant to our Nation's needs and whether some can or should be integrated into our own National ITS Architecture.

Program Outcomes

• The National ITS Architecture has been proven to be a useful tool in developing Statewide and regional ITS architectures. To date:
  • All 78 major metropolitan planning organizations' architectures are current and address their regional needs, are maintained in coordination with their regional transportation planning process, and are used in the development of ITS projects.
  • All other regional ITS architectures throughout the country (State, MPO, and local) are current and address their needs, are maintained in coordination with their regional transportation planning process, and are used in the development of ITS projects.
• Architecture process review workshops have revealed that some stakeholder groups may have been only marginally involved in the original regional and Statewide architecture development process. Specifically, in some regions there has been limited participation to date by public safety agencies, transit agencies, freight, rail, Federal lands, national parks and agencies involved in homeland security, although this is changing given the benefits that accrue to agencies that actively use their regional and Statewide architectures. As a result, the breadth of integration opportunities has yet to be fully realized in these ITS architectures.
• Systems engineering provides a tool for agencies to achieve successful ITS deployment and operations at reduced costs. Use of the systems engineering methodology has assured that all phases of a system's lifecycle are addressed, from conception through design, installation, testing, operations, and maintenance. With early identification and control over requirements, considerable costs have been avoided compared to otherwise unmanaged changes during the design and implementation phases of an ITS project.
• The SAFETEA-LU requirement that the Department consider management and operations in transportation plans is a natural link to ITS technical and institutional integration. The data necessary for establishing planning performance measures is the same data produced through the process of developing regional and Statewide architectures.
• As regions grow and require broader operational strategies, regional and Statewide ITS architectures are expected to expand, integrate, and interface with other ITS architectures. For example:
  • The delivery of ubiquitous traveler information by 511 systems and other mechanisms has driven the need for integrated data sources and data sharing strategies. Integrating transit and other intermodal information is key to developing systems that deliver the dynamic information that customers want and that will realistically impact congestion reduction goals.
  • The ICM Initiative will require regional and Statewide ITS architectures to more fully integrate with other ITS architectures.
  • Freight, homeland security, and evacuation issues will also require larger scale integration.
  • In the planning community, efforts focused on Planning for Operations and on the Congestion Management Process will drive the need for the use and maintenance of regional ITS architectures.
• The recent emphasis on public-private partnerships (PPP) is also presenting challenges to regional and Statewide architectures. The emergence of new ways of doing business and new relationships with private-sector partners will require examination of existing architectures, greater use of ITS standards to create open interfaces, a review of data sharing strategies and stakeholder agreements, and further technical integration to successfully incorporate these new partnerships.

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4.2 ITS Standards Program

Program Purpose

The ITS Standards Program provides a path to the interoperability of regional ITS systems. The goal of the program is to create standards and protocols that establish the communication rules for how ITS devices and operations centers "talk" to one other and exchange information to deliver ITS services within a complex multimodal transportation network.

A "standard" is a document that provides the software programming codes, definitions, and formats needed to create consistency and seamless communications exchange among shared information systems. Standards are developed through formal, consensus-based processes led by nationally and internationally recognized Standards Development Organizations (SDO) and include input from groups of manufacturers, State and local transportation professionals, professional associations and experts, and Federal ITS specialists.

As the use of ITS technology to manage transportation systems spreads, agencies are recognizing that integrated systems maximize the value of investments. By applying ITS standards to assist in integration, agencies are offered the following opportunities:

• The use of ITS standards provides transportation agencies with confidence that components from different manufacturers will work together, without removing the incentive for designers and manufacturers to compete or to provide products with enhanced features for greater efficiency or higher quality.
• Open data exchange and control can occur without the costly fix of linking proprietary software systems.
• With widespread use of ITS standards, information sharing is facilitated among public agencies and private organizations, fostering an environment of integrated functionality.
• ITS standards allow for innovation and market advancement of ITS products and services by the private sector.

Program Approach

The ITS Standards Program provides Federal leadership to support the development and testing of ITS standards, assist in the delivery of technical assistance to State and local jurisdictions, maintain the technical validity of existing standards, and work with the broader transportation community to identify the need for new or modified ITS Standards.

The ITS Standards Program has established partnerships with a number of SDOs to coordinate the development of ITS standards and assure their maintenance after initial publication. In addition to standards development, the SDOs have played an important role in promoting the use of standards among both manufacturers and deployers. SDOs have a network of transportation and ITS professionals to help distribute information to State and local agencies and transportation professionals around the Nation. Similar to the National ITS Architecture Program, ITS Standards Program activities also include training and workforce development, knowledge transfer, and outreach and engagement with stakeholders.

The ITS Standards Program also works closely with the National ITS Architecture Program to ensure that program activities are coordinated and that new or modified standards are aligned with the National ITS Architecture. To ensure alignment, the ITS Standards Program has mapped existing ITS standards to the ITS research initiatives. For example, many of the center-to-center standards and center-to-device standards will support the ICM Initiative; the dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) standards will support the VII Initiative. The mapping process allows for the transportation community to identify how existing standards might be modified to better support the ITS research initiatives.

Standards Expert Panel

Supporting effective development and integrated deployment of ITS technologies requires an ongoing assessment of existing ITS standards and evaluations of new ITS standards needs. At the same time, there is a need to create a broad understanding of various user needs and how integrated ITS applications can increase the mobility and safety of transportation systems. To ensure that the ITS Standards Program meets user needs and delivers relevant results, SAFETEA-LU Section 5307 requires the Department to seek expert advice from an outside panel to examine the ITS Standards program and provide recommendations on its future. The ITS Program requested that the Transportation Research Board (TRB) convene this expert panel (see following textbox for results).

Activities of the ITS Standards Program fall into two primary categories--development and deployment. In the development category, program activities include:

• Development or modification of existing standards. This activity is undertaken in close partnership with the SDOs and applies the systems engineering process in the development and modification of standards to improve their usability. By incorporating this process into the standards development process, critical updates have been provided to some of the existing standards.⁶⁶
• Identification of new standards. For example, new ITS research initiatives may be cause for the development of a new standard.
• Continued ITS Standards testing. To maintain the consistency and efficacy of standards, the program tests published standards and verifies them through an independent test team. The test results are provided as feedback to the appropriate SDOs and the appropriate standards working groups incorporate the feedback into the next version of the standard.

The following textbox highlights the release (as of July 2008) of the most recent generation of ITS transit standards, known as Transit Communications Interface Profiles (TCIP).

In the deployment category, program activities focus on assisting the ITS community in the widespread use of ITS standards. In this area, activities include:

• Development and delivery of technical assistance. In partnership with FHWA and FTA, training, technical assistance, and workshops on ITS Standards are provided to ITS manufacturers and deployers.
• Development and dissemination of technical resource materials. The following documents are provided as guidance in ITS deployment. They are published and disseminated via the Standards Program website:
  • ITS Standards Advisories--Short (three-to-seven-page) documents that provide "snapshots" of the development, testing, and deployment status of an ITS Standard.
  • ITS Standards Fact Sheets--Concise (one-page) descriptions of an ITS Standard. Each Fact Sheet contains basic technical information about the contents of the standard, how the standard is used, and where to obtain a copy of the standard.
  • ITS Standards Guides--Technical reference documents provided to assist ITS project managers with the implementation of standards. These guides explain the benefits of each family of standards and how the standards are used in ITS deployments, and provide a summary of the technical aspects of the standards. Each guide contains separate sections for program managers and for engineers new to ITS Standards.
• Maintenance of the ITS Standards website. A critical component of the ITS Standards Program is the availability and reliability of up-to-date comprehensive information about ITS Standards for use by the ITS community.

Program Accomplishments to Date

The ITS Standards Program has had a number of significant accomplishments in the past two years. In the standards development area, technical consultants and public transportation professionals have worked together within SDO standards working groups to deliver the following:

• As of October 2008, 98 standards have been published or approved to be used in ITS deployments; 4 are in ballot; and 4 are under development. Several standards are in their second version. Figure 4.3 illustrates the progress in publishing ITS standards since the program began its efforts in 1996.
• Thirty-two standards were published in 2007; 10 standards were published in 2008.
• In 2007, the ITS Standards community published four standards for Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC):
  • IEEE 1609.1 Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE)—Resource Manager
  • IEEE 1609.3 Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE)--Networking Services
  • IEEE 1609.4 Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE)--Multi-Channel Operations
  • SAE J2735 Dedicated Short Range Communications Message Set Dictionary

In the standards deployment area, the ITS Program has worked closely with FHWA and FTA to accomplish:

• Delivery of two workshops to assist agencies ready for implementation of the Dynamic Message Sign Standard with technical guidance and hands-on support.
• Development, publication, and distribution of three ITS Standards Guides addressing technical guidance for:
  • The National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocols, a family of standards that defines protocols and profiles that are open, consensus-based data communications standards.
  • The IEEE 1512 standards related to Incident Management.
  • The Traffic Management Data Dictionary and the Message Sets for External Traffic Management Center Communication standards.
• A redesign of the ITS Standards website (www.standards.its.dot.gov), the program's primary outreach and communications tool. The updated interface provides a searchable standards development status database and integrates the website's content and database functions with the National ITS Architecture website. Monthly visits to the website have tripled since the new website's launch.
• Publication of the Center-to-Center Communications Profiles Standards Advisory, followed by the Center-to- Field Communications Profiles Standards Advisory in 2007.⁶⁷

Program Outcomes

• Agencies are finding that using ITS Standards makes good business, technology, and planning sense:
  • ITS standards are open and non-proprietary, and help State and local transportation managers avoid costly single-source procurements and locked-in maintenance relationships with vendors.
  • ITS standards facilitate the deployment of interoperable ITS systems, helping agencies link together different types of ITS technologies and making system expansions easier to plan and implement.
• A 2006 survey of 27 State and local agencies found the following deployments of ITS Standards:
  • 74% deployed the Dynamic Message Sign Standard (NTCIP 1203).
  • 70% deployed the Global Object Definitions Standard (NTCIP 1201).
  • 33% deployed the Standards for Common Incident Management Message Sets for use by Emergency Management Centers (IEEE 1512).⁶⁸
• The use of the systems engineering process is resulting in more adaptable and resilient systems with fewer defects, less risk, better documentation, and better cost and schedule performance. Use of the process in updating the DMS standard resulted in a standard that is easier for agencies to work with during procurement and implementation. As proof, in 2007, Virginia DOT agreed to an early implementation of the DMS version 2.0 while the standard was still undergoing updates and enhancements. Two groups--one comprised of sign manufacturers and one of systems integrators--were separately able to develop the correct interface using the DMS standard, confirming the quality, validity, and integrity of the standard. During the process, the ambiguities were identified and easily traced back to when errors occurred during testing. The ease of this process allowed the vendors and the integrators to agree on corrections, which then allowed quick and constructive feedback to the SDO and DMS Working Group to be able to revise the standard and make the draft available for wider use.

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4.3 ITS Professional Capacity Building Program

Program Purpose

Successful on-the-job performance for ITS transportation professionals requires Federal, State, and local agencies and their private sector contractors to make workforce and professional development a high priority. The ITS Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program was launched in 1996 to equip transportation professionals with the ITS-related knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform effectively in their jobs.

Beginning with the 1991 ISTEA legislation, the ITS Program has been directed to provide technical assistance to State and local governments seeking to use and evaluate ITS technologies. In 1998, the TEA-21 legislation specifically called for the development of a capable ITS workforce. This requirement was carried forth in 2005 in SAFETEA-LU (see textbox below).

ITS incorporates a wide variety of technologies and systems that are designed and developed, planned and deployed, and operated and maintained by an equally wide variety of transportation professionals located at State, regional and local levels. The ITS PCB Program's challenge is to design a program that ensures that these professionals have access to the most effective training through the most efficient and cost-effective delivery methods that reach targeted audiences. Another challenge is to ensure that the PCB Program and its training stays in tune with the needs of the stakeholders. To meet this challenge, the ITS PCB Program engages in internal and external efforts:

• Internally, the ITS PCB Program participates in a Department-wide PCB Council to coordinate the various professional capacity building efforts within the Department and to collectively address workforce issues. The objectives of the PCB Council are:
  • Improve coordination and efficiency of resource delivery among PCB programs.
  • Exchange effective practices for professional capacity/competency building.
  • Improve the efficiency of program administration through better information and taking advantage of common resources.
  • Strengthen program development and evaluation.
  • Advance the state-of-the-practice in professional capacity/competency building.
• Externally, the ITS PCB Program conducts needs assessments to identify how learning requirements change with the introduction of new technologies, new legislation and policies, or state-of-the-art management practices. The last needs assessment was conducted in 2005 and has resulted in a program that delivers ITS learning through virtual methods.

Program Approach

To meet the legislative mandate for developing a capable workforce and efficiently providing technical assistance, the ITS PCB Program focuses its efforts in four areas:

Training. The ITS PCB Program develops and delivers training that meets a range of needs. Training is designed to:

• Provide awareness of ITS to new industry entrants and decision-makers.
• Develop the core fundamental functionality within the ITS workforce.
• Address some of the critical specialty subjects in the more complex, technical areas of ITS.

An ITS Curriculum has been developed to guide effective training development. Department and Federal field staff and industry subject matter experts work together on curriculum teams to develop and review learning objectives and course content and consider course upgrades. For instance, two important teams include the Systems Engineering Curriculum Team (SECT) and the Systems Engineering Working Group (SEWG) which meet to ensure that systems engineering courses offer state-of-the-practice examples and relate to on-the-job needs.

As noted on the previous page, since 2005 the ITS PCB Program has worked to identify and incorporate innovative training delivery technologies to allow for just-in-time knowledge transfer, broad accessibility, and convenient and easy to use functionality. Key examples include web seminars and web-based training through the following programs:

• T3 (Talking Transportation Technology) Webinars. T3 webinars are 90-minute, interactive, low-cost training sessions that make use of a participant's desktop computer and telephone to deliver topical ITS learning and to share experiences among a broad group of peers within the ITS community. Registered participants, regardless of their location, can view the presentation on their computers and follow along as they listen by phone. The T3 Archives provide archived session presentations, transcripts, and audio files at: www.pcb.its.dot.gov/res_t3_archiveasp?Archive-True.
• Consortium for ITS Training and Education (CITE). CITE is a unique organization of universities and industry associations focused on providing comprehensive advanced transportation training and education for transportation technicians, professionals and college students. These web-based courses covering a broad range of ITS content areas are available anytime--24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ITS web-based training can be found at: www.citeconsortium.org.
• The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). ITE packages one-hour modules of key courses as webinars and CDs for the ITE audience. These ITE web seminars are subject of a variety of topics, including ITS. Information on ITE's offerings can be found at: www.ite.org/education/clearinghouse.

Education. The ITS PCB Program exchanges learning materials with educators and instructors at universities, colleges, and community colleges, in addition to maintaining educational resources for all generations on the ITS PCB Program website (www.pcb.its.dot.gov/le_ew_sites.asp). The program also coordinates with the RITA University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program (http://utc.dot.gov/) to identify opportunities to leverage program resources in shared development of the next generation ITS workforce.

Technical Assistance. Technical assistance program activities are focused on the exchange of lessons learned and best practices through peer technical assistance. The ITS Peer-to- Peer Program (P2P) provides short-term technical assistance to agencies facing ITS planning, procurement, deployment, and operational challenges. P2P is an important tool for transferring ITS knowledge, resources, and experiences among public agencies and throughout the transportation industry. The P2P Program leverages the experiences of public and private sector ITS Peer Experts who volunteer to provide hands-on specific technical assistance to peers who are struggling with unique ITS deployment challenges.

Outreach. ITS PCB Program outreach is focused on promoting awareness of the program's resources. The primary outreach mechanism is the ITS PCB Program website that provides links to a range of learning opportunities from the US DOT program as well as associated program partners, universities, and university transportation research centers. For instance, one supplemental learning opportunity cited on the ITS PCB Program website is the I-95 Corridor Coalition's simulated Traffic Management program. The ITS PCB website can be found at: www.pcb.its.dot.gov.

To create targeted and effective delivery of ITS professional development, the ITS PCB Program partners with a number of agencies, organizations, and associations that include:

• FHWA Resource Centers and Division Office staff and FTA Regional Office staff, including ITS Specialists, to deliver ITS-related courses, seminars, and workshops.
• The National Highway Institute (NHI), a part of the FHWA's Office of Professional and Corporate Development (OPCD). NHI is the mechanism through which the ITS PCB Program has classroom-based courses developed and delivered.⁶⁹
• The National Transit Institute (NTI), which develops curricula and course materials in partnership with the FTA and the ITS PCB Program.
• ITS America, the trade association representing the ITS industry. ITS America's State Chapters meet annually and provide opportunities to hold workshops and training sessions.
• The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), which offers training in ITS, ITS Standards, and other advanced technology areas through the ITE Training Clearinghouse.

Program Accomplishments to Date

Since the inception of the ITS PCB Program in 1996, it is estimated that over 18,500 transportation professionals have utilized the extensive array of ITS learning opportunities (an average of 1,542 practitioners per year). Between 2006 and 2008, the ITS PCB Program continued its delivery of training and workshops in ITS. Accomplishments include:

• Presenting an ITS PCB training event at each ITS America Annual Meeting.
• Developing and conducting a transit-oriented ITS workshop to FTA Regional ITS Office staff in November 2007, and then presenting it in four areas around the country to transit agencies and planners.
• Offering 14 separate NHI ITS courses; translating a number of NHI courses into web-based courses along with their instructor materials (in particular, the National ITS Architecture and Systems Engineering courses). Using the instructor materials, the FHWA Division Office and Resource Centers have been further delivering training to targeted audiences at State and local DOTs.
• Offering over 30 T3 webinars that have been highly successful, with registrations numbering over 300 for the most popular topics (see webinar attendance chart on the following page).

Table 4.2 provides statistics and highlights on ITS training.

INSERT Table 4.2

ITS technical assistance has been equally successful. Since 2000, there have been over 600 P2P Program sponsored exchanges. Between 2006 and May 2008, there were 73 peer exchanges. Some P2P Program statistics include:

• Breakdown of P2P events by modal interest (percentage of total events):
  • Transit-21 percent
  • Highway-55 percent
  • Commercial Vehicles-5 percent
  • Cross-Cutting-19 percent
• Job classification and predominant ITS experience base of peer experts:
  • State DOT-48 percent
  • Transit Agency-8 percent
  • Local or Regional-9 percent
  • Public Safety-7 percent
  • Academia-2 percent
  • Private Sector-1 percent
  • Other-25 percent
• Nine T3 webinars were developed in 2008 as a result of P2P exchanges. They include:
  • How to Implement the TimeTable Publisher: An Open Source Application for Transit Agencies
  • Assessing the Potential for BRT in Your Region: Lessons Learned from a Los Angeles/New York ITS Peer-to- Peer Exchange
  • Approaches for Building Effective Regional Relationships in the Deployment of ITS
  • Lessons Learned Implementing Multi-Jurisdictional Transit Signal Priority Systems: King County Metro Transit and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
  • The Congestion Management Process: Best Practices in Wilmington, Delaware and Peer-to-Peer Lessons Learned by Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Arterial Traffic Signal Timing: Addressing Technical and Inter-Jurisdictional Challenges
  • Developing a Regional Concept for Transportation Operations
  • Public Transit ITS Data Collection and Analysis--Large/Small Agency Lessons Learned
  • Arizona E-VII Program: Strategies for Improving Emergency Response to Traffic Incidents While Enhancing Safety for Emergency Responders

In the area of ITS education, the ITS PCB Program is working with other DOT PCB Programs to find ways to collaborate and leverage opportunities with the RITA University Transportation Centers Program. Staff from the ITS PCB Program have been working with UTC research directors to define a process for sharing in the development of new learning materials in order to leverage budgets in the development of the next generation workforce. In late 2007 and at TRB in January 2008, exchanges with UTC research directors and university instructors identified interest and enthusiasm to work with the Department's various PCB programs.

Program Outcomes

Transportation professionals involved in the education, training, and technical assistance opportunities provided by the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program testify to the merits of the various activities. Over the years, feedback from both the training and the technical assistance events have elicited responses such as:

"ITS is complex and constantly evolving. Since I'm involved at the operations end, I need to stay on top of changes in regulatory requirements, technologies, practices, and management tools ... Every single class I took has contributed directly to what I do now. Fundamentally, I benefit because classes teach you to think critically--how to define problems and incorporate the systems engineering model into project planning and management."

— Bob Sheehan, Freeway Operations Engineer, Northern Regional Operations, Smart Traffic Center (STC), Virginia DOT

"The training has been very effective, particularly from the standpoint of timing ... Because the CITE training is available on-line, I was able to take courses and immediately apply the material to my work. For example, while taking the Systems Engineering course, I was preparing for a stakeholder workshop that included a discussion of the systems engineering approach. ..."

— Matt Letourneau, P.E., PTOE, Principal Transportation Engineer, Edwards and Kelcey, Chicago, Illinois

"The training has been invaluable. It's given me a tremendously important grounding in what has to be done to develop the regional architecture, and equipped me as a planner to be able to provide direction to the consultants and ask intelligent, informed questions of the engineers involved at the project and regional architecture levels. The NTI Fellows Program workshops have given our key stakeholders valuable, time-efficient training as well."

— Tina Wu, AICP, Senior Planner, Regional Transportation Commission, Washoe County, Nevada

From a P2P Event at an Incident Management Coordinating Committee Meeting, Las Vegas, NV

"This training (peer event) did exactly what we had intended it to do. The instructors were very knowledgeable and the stakeholders were excited after the event to continue meeting and discussing Incident Management."

— Russell Robertson, FHWA (April 14-15, 2008)

From a P2P Event at Freeway Traffic Management Software/IRIS Peer Exchange, Stockton, CA

"I feel that this is an excellent program and has significantly helped us in our efforts to share the benefits of having IRIS be available as General Public License Open Source Software. It is our hope that more such software will become available through this process so that the products will be improved and the costs of development will be significantly reduced."

— James Kranig, Minnesota Department of Transportation (May 23, 2008)

From a P2P Event at U.S. Forestry Service ITS Bus Strategy Peer Exchange

"I think it was a great meeting and exchange of ideas."

— David Kack, U.S. Forest Service (USFS) (December 17-18, 2007)

From a P2P Event at HOT Lane Technology Peer Exchange, Seattle, WA

"With the help I had from the P2P group and the Washington DOT group I do not think it could have been improved."

— Terry Haukom, Minnesota Department of Transportation (February 20-22, 2008)

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4.4 ITS Program Assessment Program

Program Purpose

Continued nationwide success of ITS deployment is dependent upon wise investment decisions made by those who choose to implement and integrate ITS as part of their State, regional, and local transportation systems. The ITS Program Assessment results provide decision makers (State and local executives; transportation planning, operations, and maintenance managers; ITS designers and developers, among others) with critical information needed to make sound investments regarding technology applications. The ITS program assessment function is focused on the evaluation of a wide range of advanced technologies (see side textbox) under real-world deployment conditions. Data and information (both quantitative and qualitative) that are learned from the project evaluations impart details regarding technology efficiencies, value, benefits, costs, performance and impacts. These results are supplemented and reviewed by a diverse and well-maintained network of ITS professionals throughout the Nation, yielding a powerful knowledge-base that supports informed investment, deployment, and operations decisions. To confidently provide this critical information, the assessment and evaluation capability must employ appropriate and robust evaluation techniques that result in clear and accurate information on the true value, effectiveness, and impacts of ITS. To remain relevant, the assessments and evaluations must:

• Evaluate a wide range of ITS deployments-- Under the ITS Program assessment function, evaluation of hundreds of large-scale and small-scale ITS projects has been conducted. Overall, the evaluations encompass all ITS applications and their major components. All deployments are different--these differences provide the ITS Program with a vast collection of information and experiences on ITS deployment under varying geographic, operational, and infrastructure conditions.
• Carefully select ITS technologies for evaluation to ensure results meet current information needs--The ITS Program must be selective in choosing evaluation opportunities that highlight and build upon innovative and state-of-the-art deployments.
• Evaluate ITS under real-world conditions--Real-world deployments or field tests are subject to significant external influences that can affect results and distort the true impact of ITS. However, it is critical that evaluations measure the benefits and costs of ITS deployments in actual field test situations.
• Report valid and replicable results--Evaluation and assessment techniques must be able to isolate the ITS component of a deployment to clearly identify:
  • The role that the ITS technologies play in producing system and network changes.
  • The benefits that can be ascribed to the ITS technology being evaluated.
  • The synergies gained from combining ITS technology with other systems and technologies.
• Withstand peer review--Evaluations must employ consistent, appropriate and robust evaluation techniques in order to be considered valid.
• Provide a user-friendly format--Evaluation and assessment results can be accessed and disseminated to a wide and diverse audience.

Program Approach

The ITS program assessment activities are conducted in four areas that include Evaluations, Deployment Tracking, Knowledge Resources, and Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement.

Evaluations

Project deployments are chosen for evaluation from field operational tests, demonstrations, ITS Initiative testbeds, Congressionally-earmarked projects, and other venues. Results are analyzed to identify the value, effectiveness, and impact of ITS. As evaluations are completed, they are archived in the ITS Program's EDL.

Deployment Tracking

Since 1996, eight deployment surveys of State and local transportation agencies have provided updated snapshots of ITS technologies and systems deployed around the Nation and their level of integration. Analysis of this data provides comparative statistics on the progress of ITS deployment. In maintaining this baseline of technology adoption, the ITS Program has gained valuable insights into the practical use of ITS and the needs and information gaps of ITS professionals using these technologies. ITS deployment statistics can be found at: www.itsdeployment.its.dot.gov

Knowledge Resources

To promote ITS investments, evaluation results are segmented into information related to ITS costs, benefits, deployment status, and lessons learned and then widely disseminated through the ITS Program's Knowledge Resources databases on the ITS Program's website. The ITS Applications Overview database, for example, describes over 170 individual ITS technologies and provides references, contacts, as well as related cost, benefit, lessons learned, and deployment information for each. Further, over 400 publications, presentations, training, videos, and other resources have been generated from the evaluation results and are available via the ITS Electronic Document Library (EDL)71. The databases that comprise the ITS Knowledge Resources include:

• The ITS Applications Overview, located at: www.itsoverview.its.dot.gov
• The ITS Benefits Database, located at: www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov
• The ITS Costs Database, located at: www.itscosts.its.dot.gov
• The ITS Lessons Learned Database, located at: www.itslessons.its.dot.gov

Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement

The ITS Program has developed a wide network of ITS stakeholders engaged in all aspects of ITS. Program assessment activities include maintaining the stakeholder network and engaging international ITS professionals interested in sharing information on ITS benefits, costs and evaluation strategies and results through the International Benefits and Evaluation and Costs (IBEC) Committee.

Program Accomplishments to Date

Evaluations

From 2006-2008, the Program Assessment Program completed a number of evaluations, adding to the total of evaluations undertaken since 1998. The following provides the status of active evaluations as of October 2008:

• Field Operational Test (FOT) Evaluations: 46 evaluations are complete; 6 FOT evaluations are still active.
• ISTEA Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative Evaluations: Completed 4 out of 4 evaluations.
• TEA-21 Model Deployment Evaluations: Completed 3 out of 5 evaluations; 2 are still active.
• Integration Program Evaluations: Completed 33 out of 49 evaluations; 16 are still active.
• ITS Research Initiative Evaluations: In the process of defining evaluations for EFM, VII, IVBSS, and the Congestion Initiative.
• ITS Earmarked Projects Evaluations: In total, 432 ITS earmarked projects are subject to evaluation. Thirty are the subject of national evaluations and 402 are the subject of self evaluations. As of 2008, the status of these evaluations is as follows:
  • 114 are complete (15 national; 99 self-evaluations).
  • 310 are active (11 national; 299 self-evaluations).
  • 8 projects were terminated (4 national; 4 self-evaluations).
  • 87 evaluation reports are available through the ITS Electronic Document Library.

Knowledge Resources

During this same time period, the Knowledge Resources were enhanced with new entries that nearly doubled the size of each of the ITS Knowledge Resources databases and generated greater use. Enhancements include:

• 251 postings to the Benefits database; 52 postings to the Costs database; and 377 lessons learned.
• The implementation of the Really Simple Syndication (RSS)72 feeds technology to more actively engage decision makers' awareness of new and relevant information generated from the ITS evaluations. To date, subscriptions have climbed to over 600; users have provided positive feedback.
• Promotion of the resources that has generated over 14,000 hits a month on average to the database websites over a 16-month period ending April 2008 (see figure 4.4 below).

Deployment Tracking

In 2007, the ITS Program Assessment Program team conducted the biannual ITS deployment and state-of-the-practice national survey, with detailed information on the 108 largest metropolitan areas. Results will be posted on the ITS Deployment Statistics website.

Stakeholder Outreach and Engagement

The following activities have been undertaken since 2006:

• An update to the ITS/Operations Resource Guide for Fall 2008, released at the November 2008 ITS World Congress, and posted to the ITS Joint Program Office website (www.resourceguide.its.dot.gov).
• Through IBEC, an exchange on IVBSS evaluation strategies, methodologies, and results with the European Commission (EC) in the Spring of 2007. This exchange led to an agreement to develop guidelines for data collection during testing that will generate comparable data from EC safety technology tests and produce a greater amount of valid data points for use in estimating the safety benefits of the new system.
• Development of a range of publications that have been posted to the ITS EDL. Key examples include:
  • ITS: Deployment Benefits and Lessons Learned: Four leaflets that addressed traffic incident management, traveler information, work zones, and traffic signal control (January 2007)
  • Advanced Parking Management Systems: A Cross-Cutting Study (January 2007)
  • ITS for Planned Special Events: A Cross-Cutting Study (September 2008)
  • ITS Benefits, Costs, Deployment and Lessons Learned: 2008 Update (October 2008)
• Training sessions on how to use the ITS Knowledge Resource were presented at:
  • The 2007 ITS America Annual Meeting and the 2007 National Rural ITS Conference.
  • ITS PCB's Talking Technology in Transportation (T3) Program, archived for later review by other interested parties at: www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/T3_session33.asp.

Program Outcomes

The ITS Program Assessment's efforts at data collection, data synthesis, and data dissemination are valuable and of use to a wide variety of stakeholders and decision-makers. Users of the ITS Knowledge Resources databases turn to the information primarily when investigating the benefits of a potential investment or when initiating procurements.

The databases, for example, contain information on how agencies procure products and services, including their processes to judge quality and competitive prices. In particular, the Lessons Learned database highlights the procedural, institutional, and legal challenges faced by other agencies, and their solutions. The ITS Knowledge Resources databases and websites received over 178,000 visits over a 12-month period in 2007 and 2008. The Knowledge Resources are frequently assessed for their relevance, accuracy, and effectiveness. A user assessment group known as the Program Assessment User Session Experts (PAUSE) regularly convenes to discuss the value and usefulness of the Knowledge Resources with respect to their own decision-making needs. PAUSE comprises a broad array of 77 ITS stakeholders representing a wide variety of transportation agencies.

Additionally, international exchange and collaboration has helped develop much richer insights into the breadth of impacts that ITS can have when applied under varying conditions and with different types of networks. Frequently, international deployments will offer examples of benefits that are not being or cannot yet be demonstrated domestically on a widespread basis, such as automated speed enforcement and congestion pricing. One foreign country, for example, uniformly instituted automated speed enforcement across national highways and saw its fatal crash rate drop by 40 percent between 2006 and 2007. Other countries have implemented congestion pricing and have been able to evaluate and demonstrate the changes in mobility, access, and environmental quality that can be achieved, revealing the types of societal and economic costs associated with this strategy.

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