Anticipate the need for additional training during the initial post-deployment period to help ensure that system operators are familiar with all new features and procedures.

Virginia DOT’s experience integrating data from public works and public safety agencies.

Date Posted
09/16/2005
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Identifier
2005-L00145

Challenges Faced and Tactics Used to Integrate Real-Time State Police CAD Data with the VDOT Richmond District Smart Traffic Center: Lessons Learned Document

Summary Information

This lesson is learned from the experiences encountered while integrating the Transportation Management System (OpenTMS) deployed at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Richmond District Smart Traffic Center (STC) with real-time data from the Virginia State Police (VSP) computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. This project had two thrusts: first, integrating data arriving from the VSP into the OpenTMS Traffic Control System, and second, updating and customizing the OpenTMS' Incident Management subsystem to utilize this integrated data more effectively.

The project began with a concept study, which found a significant benefit to integrating the VSP Division 1 CAD system and the Richmond STC. The study recommended sharing data from the VSP CAD system. On the VSP side, some software modifications and a modest amount of hardware would deliver near real-time data to the Richmond STC. The data would contain up–to-the-minute status of events dispatched to the police. On the STC side, more significant software modifications were required. The changes would allow VSP data to be tightly integrated into OpenTMS at a detailed level, allowing Richmond STC staff to use VSP-initiated traffic incidents as an integrated part of STC operations.

Lessons learned related to multi-partner cooperation, early deployment and prototyping, last-minute technical glitches, and post-deployment training.

Lessons Learned

In the short time that the VSP-VDOT CAD integration has been in use at the Richmond STC, there have been two key observations made by the STC operators. First, the operators have been able to see and track a significantly greater number of incidents than were previously tracked by relying on the VSP scanner and phone calls from VSP dispatchers. STC operators now have a much better picture of what is happening on the roadways. Second, there have been much fewer calls from the VSP dispatchers to the STC operators. This is due to the VSP dispatchers being aware that VDOT is monitoring the data they enter into the CAD system. As a result, the VSP dispatchers assume that the need to call the STC operators is greatly reduced. The only problem that this has created for the STC operators is receiving consistent information in the ROADI segment of the data stream. This leads some VSP dispatchers to erroneously assume that information entered (in a MISC segment) has been read by STC operators and therefore there is no need to phone VDOT. The consistency of using the new ROADI segment to provide roadway information versus using the MISC segment will be an ongoing training effort that is required for the interface between VSP and VDOT to continue to be successful.