ATMS02-Traffic Probe Surveillance (Service Package*)

Description

This service package provides an alternative approach for surveillance of the roadway network. Two general implementation paths are supported by this service package: 1) wide-area wireless communications between the vehicle and center is used to communicate vehicle operational information and status directly to the center, and 2) dedicated short range communications between passing vehicles and the roadside is used to provide equivalent information to the center. The first approach leverages wide area communications equipment that may already be in the vehicle to support personal safety and advanced traveler information services. The second approach utilizes vehicle equipment that supports toll collection, in-vehicle signing, and other short range communications applications identified within the architecture. The service package enables transportation operators and traveler information providers to monitor road conditions, identify incidents, analyze and reduce the collected data, and make it available to users and private information providers. It requires one of the communications options identified above, on-board equipment, data reduction software, and fixed-point to fixed-point links between centers to share the collected information. Both "Opt out" and "Opt in" strategies are available to ensure the user has the ability to turn off the probe functions to ensure individual privacy. Due to the large volume of data collected by probes, data reduction techniques are required, such as the ability to identify and filter out-of-bounds or extreme data reports.

Service Package Graphic

Vehicle Traffic Probe SupportVehicle Location DeterminationRoadway Probe Data CommunicationsTMC Probe Information CollectionISP Probe Information CollectionISP Traveler Data CollectionLocation Data SourcePayment AdministrationTransit ManagementVehicleInformation Service ProviderRoadwayTraffic ManagementMap Update Providerroad network conditionsposition fixroad network traffic probe datatraffic probe datatraffic probe datatraffic probe datatoll probe datatoll probe datatransit probe datatransit probe datatraffic probe datatraffic probe datatraffic probe reporting managementtraffic probe reporting management

Get the Source Graphic, a Windows Metafile (WMF), in ZIP format.
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Associated Planning Factors and Goals

Planning Factor Goal
G. Promote efficient system management and operation; Increase operational efficiency and reliability of the transportation system

Associated Objective Categories

Objective Category
Arterial Management: Traffic Monitoring and Data Collection
Freeway Management: Transportation Management Centers

Associated Objectives and Performance Measures

Objective Performance Measure
Field data collection is conducted either through floating car studies or other methods at least once every Y years on major signalized arterials and X years on minor signalized arterials. Number of field data collection studies performed every Y and X years on major and minor signalized arterials, respectively.
Increase the percent of regional transportation system monitored by the TMC for real-time performance. Percent of regional transportation system monitored by the TMC for real-time performance.

 
Since the mapping between objectives and service packages is not always straight-forward and often situation-dependent, these mappings should only be used as a starting point. Users should do their own analysis to identify the best service packages for their region.

Related ITS Applications of ITS Taxonomy

Classification Category ITS Application Area ITS Application(s)
Intelligent Infrastructure Arterial Management Surveillance Traffic
Intelligent Infrastructure Freeway Management Surveillance Traffic

User Services related to this Service Package:

User Service
1.6 Traffic Control

Transaction Set Diagram





The source graphic, a Windows Metafile (WMF), for the TSD can be downloaded here: TSD

The following discusses how the National ITS Architecture provides the transportation service described by this service package. Each numbered item describes the operation of that portion of the service package identified with the corresponding number on the transaction set diagram.

  1. There are several different approaches to traffic probe surveillance that are covered by this market package, ranging from probe applications that use basic vehicle transponders to applications that collect a richer set of data from intelligent probe vehicles using several different wireless communications options. Increasingly intelligent vehicles know their current location (position fix) and have access to travel data such as current vehicle speed and heading and a recent history of stops and starts that can be used to measure current traffic conditions.

  2. Vehicles communicate with short range communications equipment in the Roadway Subsystem as they pass through the road network. Information is collected by the Roadway Subsystem (traffic probe data), which includes different information depending on implementation approach and passing vehicle equipment.

    • Vehicles that are equipped with only a transponder provide a unique identifier (traffic probe data) as they pass a network of beacons that track the progress of vehicles through the traffic network. The system implements measures to ensure that the privacy of individual vehicles and drivers is preserved.

    • In more advanced implementations, intelligent vehicles report their current position, speed, heading and snapshots of events including starts and stops, speed changes, and other information (traffic probe data) that can be used to measure traffic conditions. The Roadway may send a traffic probe reporting management message to the vehicle to control what kinds of information the vehicle measures and how often and/or where it reports back to the Roadway subsystem.

    The short range communications equipment forwards the collected probe data (traffic probe data) to a center that collects, processes, uses, and distributes the collected probe data. The center may be an Information Service Provider or Traffic Management Subsystem since traffic probe data supports both traffic operations and traveler information services. Map update providers also collect and use advanced traffic probe data to verify and improve the accuracy of their maps.

  3. The Information Service Provider can also receive traffic probe data directly from subscriber vehicles using wide area wireless communications. The Information Service Provider can aggregate the information from all of its subscriber vehicles to determine information about the road network. The ISPS may send a traffic probe reporting management message to the Vehicle to control what kinds of information the vehicle measures and how often and/or where it reports back to the ISPS.

  4. It is also possible to use vehicles on toll roads as probes. The Payment Administration Subsystem can provide the Traffic Management Subsystem and/or an Information Service Provider with toll probe data that is gleaned from transponder communications that support toll road operations.

  5. Transit fleets are another potential source for traffic probe data. The Transit Management Subsystem tracks the performance of its transit vehicles and can provide the Traffic Management Subsystem and/or an Information Service Provider with probe information from the transit fleet (transit probe data).

  6. The Traffic Management Subsystem and Information Service Provider share probe information. The Information Service Provide provides road network traffic probe data to the Traffic Management Subsystem which can use it to determine travel times, speeds, etc. about the roadway. The Traffic Management Subsystem can analyze and reduce any collected probe information to determine current and expected traffic conditions. The Traffic Management Subsystem may share the raw data or the aggregated information (road network conditions) with an Information Service Provider.