MC06-Winter Maintenance (Service Package*)

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. In order to support its operational activities, the Maintenance and Construction Management Subsystem (MCMS) inputs information regarding weather and the state of the road network. The information comes from the Surface Transportation Weather Service (transportation weather information request, transportation weather information), from the Weather Service (weather information), and from the Traffic Management Subsystem (TMS) (road network conditions and traffic images), which can include traffic information, incident information, and road weather conditions determined by the TMS.
   
   
2. One of the activities of the MCMS is to respond to resource requests from other center subsystems. The Emergency Management Subsystem (EM) or the TMS make a request (maint and constr resource request) for maintenance resources (possibly in support of incident management). This request is forwarded to the Maintenance and Construction Center Personnel (maint and constr operations information presentation). The center personnel initiate a response to the request (maint and constr center personnel inputs) and that response is returned to the originating center subsystem (maint and constr resource response). The actions the Maintenance and Construction Center Personnel take to respond to the request would most likely involve fleet activities that are covered below, or under the MC07: Roadway Maintenance and Construction description.
   
   
3. The MCMS can request information on equipment or materials (storage facility request) from the Storage Facility, which would respond regarding equipment availability or maintenance materials storage status. In this Winter Maintenance market package, the status of available roadway treatment materials such as sand or salt would be a key issue.
   
   
4. As part of its overall operational activities, the MCMS provides roadway maintenance status to the TMS, ISP, EM, Transit Management Subsystem, Media, and Other MCM (maintenance organizations in other geographic areas). In addition, the MCMS receives roadway maintenance status from these other maintenance organizations.
   
   
5. The MCMS has several administrative functions that it supports. The MCMS can provide overall work performance information (maint and constr work performance) to the Maintenance and Construction Administrative Systems to support contract administration.
   
   
6. In addition the MCMS makes requests (maint and constr administrative request) for administrative information or services. An example of services requested might be the reordering of additional road treatment materials. The Maintenance and Construction Administrative Systems responds with the information or status requested (maint and constr administrative information).
   
   
7. As part of winter maintenance operations, the MCMS will potentially use a map-based representation of the area where it is providing road treatment to track treatment application and snow plow progress. An interface to a Map Update Provider is available to keep this map-based representation of the transportation network current. The MCMS requests a map update (map update request) and the Map Update Provider electronically provides the update (map updates).
   
   
8. The Maintenance and Construction Vehicle Subsystem (MCVS) has several ITS systems (such as environmental sensors and dynamic message signs) that can be controlled and monitored either remotely from the MCMS (maint and constr vehicle system control) or directly from on board the MCVS. The same control flow from the MCMS can also control non-ITS systems on board the actual vehicle (e.g. materials spreader). For the non-ITS systems the control (maint and constr vehicle control) is passed to the Basic Maintenance and Construction Vehicle (i.e. the part of the actual vehicle that is not considered an ITS element). One of the key items of information the Basic Maintenance and Construction Vehicle provides back to the MCVS (maint and constr material information) is the remaining quantity and current application rate of materials on the vehicle. In addition the maintenance and construction vehicle tracks its position (position fix) and advanced safety system status (such as lane following) sent from the VS to the MCVS. The roadway characteristics flow represents the “inputs” to the sensors that perform the advanced safety functions. All of the status and information regarding ITS and non-ITS systems on the vehicle is provided to the Maintenance and Construction Field Personnel (maint and constr vehicle condition presentation) and to the MCMS (maint and constr vehicle operational data) where it eventually is presented to the Maintenance and Construction Center Personnel.
   
   
9. Coordination of an MCVS with another maintenance and construction vehicle (Other MCV) takes place to share operational status of the vehicles. For example, the Other MCV initiates an information exchange (maint and constr vehicle status coordination). The information is passed to the Maintenance and Construction Field Personnel (maint and constr field personnel information presentation). The field personnel can respond back to the Other MCV or append additional information to send to the MCMS (maint and constr field personnel inputs). The vehicle’s operational status is sent to the MCMS (maint and constr vehicle operational data). Information can also be passed from the MCVS back to the Other MCV (maint and constr vehicle status coordination).
   
   
10. One of the key fleet activities of the MCMS is to dispatch the fleet vehicles. This maint and constr dispatch information, which can include routing and winter-specific dispatch instructions, is sent to the MCVS, and presented to the Maintenance and Construction Field Personnel (maint and constr field personnel information presentation). The field personnel can acknowledge the dispatch request, provide updates on their dispatch status, operator status, crew status, vehicle status, and equipment status (maint and constr field personnel inputs). This information is forwarded to the MCMS (maint and constr dispatch status).