Article Summary
Although highways are the backbone of the world's transportation system, thousands of lives and billions of dollars are lost each year because of accidents and traffic congestion. New security initiatives add to transportation agencies' burden as they strive to make travel and trade safe and efficient. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) enable authorities to efficiently collect, analyze, distribute, and act upon highway information. These systems can distribute traffic information to travelers, help authorities manage traffic, and provide the communication tools that agencies need to more efficiently respond to emergencies and accidents. These systems can also deliver the information and support for collaboration inside and outside transportation agencies to facilitate better and more efficient long-range planning.

Safe Efficient Travel
"Safety and congestion are two key problems that are driving the development of transportation technology," says Neil Schuster, President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America).

"More than 42,000 people lose their lives on our roadway system each year, with an estimated US$230 billion impact on our economy," Schuster says. "And congestion, whether because of insufficient transportation capacity, or because of incidents or emergencies, drains an estimated $70 billion from our economy."

Transportation agencies need technologies that can help them keep people and cargo moving efficiently and safely. An efficient transportation system is also vital for healthy manufacturing and commerce.

"I recently visited a Toyota plant in Japan," continues Schuster. "It takes 30,000 parts to build a car, and the manufacturing plant is an orchestra of getting all these parts to the floor with 'just-in-time' delivery. Parts and products enter and exit the plant using multiple modesrail, sea, and truck. And the process of moving from one transportation mode to another can introduce lost efficiency. Using technology to improve inter-modal transportation can result in a potentially significant payoff."

Tightening Security
Recent security concerns have also had a profound impact on the roles and responsibilities of transportation agencies. Responding to pressure that the U.S. Office of Homeland Security is currently exerting on state, local, and federal authorities, transportation agencies are seeking new technologies that can help protect the transportation system from security threats and also help ensure the delivery of well-coordinated responses to emergency situations.

"We've realized that the transportation system is a target for terrorism," says Schuster. "Even trucks can be used as moving bombs, so we're developing technology that can keep close track of vehicles and cargo. We can track a container as it moves from a foreign port to the United States, then gets on a train or truck and moves inland. There are technologies that enable us to verify that cargo is intact, and that it has been sealed, secured, and inspected as it's transported. These initiatives require a lot of awareness on the part of government, as well as standardizing some of the technology and the ways we do business."

Applying Intelligent Transportation Systems
Transportation agencies have long depended on information technology to gather data about the transportation system, using video surveillance systems and other equipment. However, many traditional traffic technologies are analog-based, proprietary, and communicate poorly with other systems.

To meet today's new responsibilities, agencies are more heavily depending on their Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). This has created a need for greater reliability, efficiency, and the capacity to engage in real-time communications between these systems. ITS systems provide the tools for transportation professionals to collect, analyze, distribute, and archive information about vehicles and roadways. This information enhances the ability of traffic operators to respond to incidents, emergencies, bad weather, or other problems. Examples of ITS include:

Advanced traveler information systems—These systems can proactively deliver data directly to travelers via phone, the Internet, or e-mail, thus enabling travelers to make better choices about alternate routes or modes of transportation. When archived, the historical data from these systems gives transportation planners accurate travel pattern information to facilitate planning.

Advanced traffic management systems—Traffic management systems employ a variety of detectors, sensors, cameras, and communication systems to monitor traffic, optimize signal timings on major roadways, and control the flow of traffic.

Incident management systems—These systems give traffic operators the tools to quickly respond to accidents, hazardous spills, and other emergencies. Multiple communications systems link data collection points, transportation operations centers, and travel information portals into an integrated network.

To facilitate the adoption of ITS, ITS America and ITS State Chapters promote public and private partnerships to increase roadway safety and efficiency using technology.

"Technology can enable agencies to collect a comprehensive range of information about the transportation system in their area, and analyze and distribute it more effectively," explains Neil Schuster. "I visited an incredible traffic management center that had systems that measure wind on high bridges, modeled the direction and severity of the wind, and automatically issued the appropriate warnings and speed limits over changeable message signs."

Improving Communication and Collaboration
While impressive, technology on its own cannot address highway transportation issues. Because todays transportation initiatives require close interagency coordination between federal, state, and local authorities, transportation agencies are also focusing on enhancing planning and collaboration with one another.

"Transportation used to be a 9 to 5 job," says Schuster. "Today, we have to manage the system on a 24-hour basis. You cant respond to problems by looking at individual roads; you have to use a system-wide, regional approach. This includes bringing together multiple jurisdictions and agencies, such as police, fire departments, and rescue teams. Technology can make it possible for them to work together and help enable a more efficient system."

Future Directions
New ITS technologies continue to emerge, and these increasingly intelligent systems are providing richer information to travelers and transportation authorities alike. For example, drivers already have access to more complete, timely road information using systems like 511 call centers. The FCC has designated the phone number 511 as the national traveler information number. 511 is a tool to assist travelers chose the best route or mode of transportation to get them to their destination.

"Real-time traffic information is becoming an important requirement for today's travelers," says Schuster. "Were finding that millions of people a month depend on 511 systems, and there will be even more use as these systems proliferate."

And as cars themselves become more intelligent, transportation agencies will increasingly rely on data that is gathered by vehicles.

"When we think of transportation technology, we used to think of technologies that went in the roadway, to gather information through the infrastructure," explains Schuster. "Now we're realizing that data gathered by vehicles can also play an important role. Today's cars are computers. They can know where they are, what the temperature is, the condition of the roadway, and whether or not there is ice on the road. Cars really are probes, and they are a central component of the information system that is rapidly developing."

Technology is also having a positive long-term effect, enabling transportation planners to delay or modify costly construction projects. By making highways more efficient, transportation authorities can extract the maximum potential from their existing road infrastructure.

"There's a tendency to want to build new roads, but technology can offer an excellent alternative to construction," explains Schuster. "If we can recapture unused road capacity, we can make highways more efficient without new construction. Thats one area where technology excels."

December 1, 2003