Lesson
Consider that ATIS deployment in rural and/or remote areas presents special challenges.
Washington's experience in deploying five Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) projects and developing a standardized approach for evaluating ATIS projects.
5/1/2005
Washington,United States
Background (Show)
Lesson Learned
- Consider that rural ATIS applications often involve remote locations that can result in additional deployment and maintenance needs. Rural ATIS device installation can involve locations that are not only remote relative to central maintenance facilities and regional management centers, but also some distance from necessary power and communications systems. Terrain can affect communications transmission and coverage, making device placement, technology choices, and operational testing particularly important. These factors can also result in more difficulties with future maintenance access.
- Consider that Rural ATIS devices can be more susceptible to vandalism and theft because of their remote locations. While vandalism and theft are not unique to devices in rural locations, remote sites can pose additional concerns. One option mentioned was to deliberately place devices in secluded areas that are not readily visible and, therefore, are less likely to be a target of vandalism or theft. However, as noted above, this can introduce additional inconvenience and cost to extend power and communications access, as well as affect maintenance access. Furthermore, one project reported that the seclusion of a devices site actually facilitated vandalism by making any intrusive activity less noticeable. Another option to discourage vandalism is to locate devices near occupied locations such as maintenance sheds when possible. This would also have the benefit of providing easier access for maintenance.
- Consider that rural ATIS applications have critical safety implications. Traveler information for remote regions can involve issues that have a direct and often time-critical impact on traveler safety, such as severe weather conditions in potentially hazardous terrain. In those cases, ATIS notification must be highly reliable, accurate, and timely. This is all the more important for remote regions with few information access options. For these reasons, involvement by maintenance staff in rural ATIS planning decisions is critical. Such involvement can be enhanced by ongoing dialogue between regional management centers and maintenance offices to establish a clear delineation of responsibilities and roles.
- ATIS information facilitates enhance rural maintenance capabilities. Benefits of ATIS for maintenance staff include remote access and updating of VMS, enhanced power and communications networks, and visual verification of device status and weather/road conditions via cameras. Direct access to road conditions enables road maintenance crews to more quickly forecast conditions and manage their response. In addition, road condition sensors can provide information to maintenance groups that is more specific than the typical data distributed on the Web to travelers, enabling monitoring of specific weather effects such as ice build-up on the road. A well-designed communications network upgrade to support new devices can also enhance communications with existing devices, as well as facilitate general crew communications.
While implementing ATIS in rural and remote areas is beneficial to both the traveling public and transportation maintenance staff, certain challenges are present that do not exist in a non-rural or remote area. Some of these challenges include longer distances between needed ATIS resources, larger susceptibility of vandalism to ATIS devices, and the fact that travel information has a greater impact on those traveling in rural areas and therefore must be more reliable. With ATIS implementation comes improved safety and mobility for travelers, productivity and efficiency for maintenance staff, and customer satisfaction for both travelers and maintenance staff.
Application Areas
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Freeway Management > Information Dissemination > Dynamic Message Signs
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Freeway Management > Information Dissemination > Highway Advisory Radio
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Traffic Incident Management > Information Dissemination > Dynamic Message Signs
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Traffic Incident Management > Information Dissemination > Highway Advisory Radio
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Traveler Information > Pre-Trip Information > TV/Radio
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Traveler Information > En Route Information > Radio
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Roadway Operations & Maintenance > Information Dissemination > Dynamic Message Signs
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Roadway Operations & Maintenance > Information Dissemination > Highway Advisory Radio
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Road Weather Management > Information Dissemination > Dynamic Message Signs
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Road Weather Management > Information Dissemination > Highway Advisory Radio
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Transportation Management Centers > Permanent TMCs > Rural
States
Countries
Systems Engineering
Show the V
System Requirements
High-Level Design
Operations and Maintenance
Focus Areas
Major Initiatives > Mobility Services for All Americans
Major Initiatives > Integrated Corridor Management Systems
Major Initiatives > Nationwide Surface Transportation Weather Observing and Forecasting System - Clarus
Major Initiatives > Emergency Transportation Operations
Other Program Activities > Amber Alert
Other Program Activities > Public Safety
Other Program Activities > Real Time Traveler Information
Other Program Activities > Rural ITS Deployment
Goal Areas
Safety
Mobility
Productivity
Efficiency
Customer Satisfaction
Keywords
DMS, CMS, VMS, Changeable Message Signs, Variable Message Signs, HAR
Lesson Comments
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