Study Exploring Lessons in Utilizing Mobile Device Connectivity to Support Traffic Management Systems.
Nationwide, United States
Sharing and Using Connected Device Data to Improve Traveler Safety and Traffic Management—Concept of Operations, Use Cases, Traveler Information Needs, Messages, and Requirements
Summary Information
Connectivity feature of mobile devices and their ability to enable information exchange via electronic messages that travelers, vehicles, and other sources generate in real time is fundamental to improving travel safety, mobility, and the experience for transportation system users. Information from electronic messages present new options for agencies to improve how they manage traffic and travel when connected to existing intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices and traffic management systems (TMS), by providing a multitude of functionalities such as giving timely accident and speed warnings, enabling data collection, electronic payments, and traffic incident management, to name a few. This study presented information and strategies that can assist agencies when evaluating, planning, and developing electronic message sharing systems using mobile devices. The study also identified how agencies could develop or use system requirements, electronic messages and data elements, and other issues that support any project to share or collect data between mobile devices, systems, and vehicles.
- Identify local stakeholder and transportation infrastructure needs. This could be best achieved by outreach efforts with stakeholder engagement and technical working group meetings to ensure that all input would be adequately captured throughout the process.
- Establish a technical working group. As detailed in this study, a technical working group that is knowledgeable about the needs of users, capabilities of existing systems, and the scope of improvements that can be made, should be established to enable communications with mobile devices.
- Integrate with existing systems. As recommended in this study, agencies considering the deployment of a mobile device-based system could coordinate with other agencies with already established, successful systems, as coordinating with other agencies would encourage interoperability.
- Provide, operate, and maintain interface for connectivity with other external systems. It is important for the mobile-based system to be able to interface with other external systems to enable data transmission between mobile devices and these external systems.
- Establishing communications security. Since wireless access points are potential entrance points for hackers to access any number of other devices or systems on the information network, agencies may consider using cyber-threat intelligence capabilities that identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover from potential threats to systems and devices connected to the network.
- Build communications infrastructure that would provide connectivity between mobile devices and transportation services or systems that provide data. This would improve the accessibility of transportation services or information to mobile device users.
- Design for the use of communications technologies that are already available or planned to be available on off-the-shelf smartphones or mobile devices. This is important to ensure adoption of the mobile-based system by users conveniently, as well as making it easier working with smartphone manufacturers.
- Consider data collection capability when selecting performance measures for mobile device-based systems. Performance measures could be developed to gauge whether a deployed mobile device-based system achieves the deploying agency’s goals and objectives. Thus, it would be important to consider the ability to collect data from the mobile-based system itself or from external sources, to develop performance measures.
