Testing Florida's Statewide 511 System

Wiiiilllllmmmmaaaaa…!
No other storm in history intensified as quickly as Hurricane Wilma, and FDOT District 5 moved quickly with its internal and external communications to keep up with the storm.

For the past few months, District 5 has been finalizing the new statewide 511 system for its official launch date of November 17. Although the District preferred to keep that launch date to officially unveil the service to the public, they also realized the importance of getting up-to-the-minute hurricane evacuation information out to the public for the impending hurricane.

To prepare for possible evacuation operations in advance of Wilma, the District considered activating the “511” telephone traveler information service in an emergency message mode in parts of the state it did not yet function. This included southwest Florida, northeast Florida, and the Florida panhandle.

In order to make certain that the system was ready to handle the potential rush of calls, it was important to first “load test” the service to make sure that the system could handle a large number of simultaneous calls (the service can support nearly 300 simultaneous calls). PBS&J, FDOT’s ITS General Consultant, took the lead in conducting this load test by sending out an email to all of their employees in Florida requesting that they call the system.

Those who helped test the system simply had to call 511 between 10:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Friday morning. The callers listened to a test message (an opening greeting) between 30 and 60 seconds long. Anyone that encountered problems in accessing the system was asked to notify FDOT, so that the individual landline and cellular telephone providers could be notified to make sure their equipment was properly programmed.

Upon successful completion, District 5 asked the developer of the statewide 511 system, LogicTree Corporation, to temporarily activate the system, allowing callers to receive evacuation information.

In addition to the statewide 511 system, District 5 was also able to activate the recently completed statewide corridor monitoring sites to monitor evacuation routes. Both the statewide 511 system and the statewide corridor monitoring projects are part of the iFlorida model deployment project. iFlorida, officially titled the “Surface Transportation Security and Reliability Information System Model Deployment,” was awarded to Florida by the Federal highway Administration in March 2003. The objective of this model deployment is to demonstrate how the security and reliability of the surface transportation system can be enhanced through the widespread availability of real-time information.

The statewide corridor monitoring project helps to fulfill many of the objectives of the iFlorida project, specifically as it relates to security and reliability of evacuation routes in Florida. Through this project, staff at the District 5 regional transportation management center are able to monitor traffic conditions using traffic detectors (spot speed, volume, occupancy) and closed-circuit television cameras which transmit data on FDOT’s existing microwave network. Based on this real-time information, traffic management can make better evacuation decisions throughout Florida’s major evacuation routes.

In advance of Hurricane Wilma, it became apparent that this information would be of immediate value to the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). District 5, working with the SEOC, was able to make real-time video available as well as traffic data for better management of evacuations throughout the state.

This article was provided by Andy Lucyshyn, PBS&J, iFlorida Program Manager, for Jerry Woods, FDOT District 5. For more information, please contact Mr. Lucyshyn at (407) 647-7275 or email AndyLucyshyn@pbsj.com. Katrina Priore, PBS&J, also contributed to this article.

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Publication Scheduled For ITS Device Specifications

New specifications for ITS equipment will be included for the first time in 2006, when the State Specifications Office publishes the next Workbook of Implemented Modifications to the Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction (Workbook).

This publication marks the conclusion of a three-year ITS Program effort to write standards and specifications for the various devices that are used in ITS deployments throughout the state. In addition, standard drawings for the devices are being published in the FDOT Design Standards; and design criteria will be part of a new chapter in the FDOT Plans Preparation Manual.

The specifications will appear in the Workbook under Sections 780 to 786, and have been grouped according to the general categories of devices. After pay item numbers were designated for the various pieces of equipment in October 2005, the State Specifications Office began the task of preparing the specifications for industry review and releasing them for comment. That phase will be wrapped up during this month, with publication to follow after the first of the year. Since the specifications, standard drawings, and design criteria will be published in spring 2006, they will be available for use with July 2006 lettings.

The goal of the specifications project was to prepare basic equipment standards and specifications for the 15 most common ITS devices utilized in today’s deployments. Also added were the field cabinet requirements unique to ITS projects and the lowering device apparatus often necessary for pole-mounted cameras and similar installations.

The network devices section covers the communications components that enable a transportation management center (TMC) to collect video and traffic data from the field, assimilate it, and report that information to motorists and incident response personnel. The intent was that the specifications reflect the latest technology while emphasizing product reliability, ease of maintenance, and overall performance. An additional goal was interoperability among ITS deployments. By having Florida’s ITS projects developed from a common set of device requirements, the TMCs would be better able to share traffic information and seamlessly operate freeway management systems across jurisdictional lines because their equipment would more likely be compatible.

A Consensus Approach
The statewide ITS specifications development process has been conducted in accordance with the systems engineering management process. The project has relied upon the skills and experience of numerous stakeholders, who have played an important role in making certain that the requirements adopted were relevant to District needs. A specifications review and acceptance steering committee was formed, composed of FDOT Central Office ITS staff, FDOT District ITS engineers, and traffic operations personnel. The committee members worked to identify the desired functional requirements for each ITS device. Additional input came from the State Specifications Office, the FDOT Traffic Engineering Research Laboratory (TERL), and various equipment manufacturers.

This steering committee reviewed the existing standards and specifications that FDOT Districts had been using, plus others developed by TERL and transportation agencies in other states. From this information, draft ITS specifications were prepared, then thoroughly reviewed for content, technical accuracy, adherence to industry standards, and applicability to the environmental conditions typical of Florida. The draft specifications were then released to the Districts, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, device contractors, manufacturers, and others for their comments and additional input. The comments received from these stakeholders were logged in a database, along with notes on the FDOT action taken in response.

In October, the individual specifications were reorganized into their current sections and submitted to the State Specifications Office for acceptance and publication. During the final comment period, interested individuals are invited to review the documents at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/specificationsoffice/IndustryReview.html and offer their input.

This article was provided by Gene Glotzbach, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. For more information, please contact Mr. Glotzbach at (850) 410-5616 or email Gene.Glotzbach@dot.state.fl.us.

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American Tower Merges With SpectraSite

American Tower has merged with SpectraSite Corporation and assumed the contract for management of FDOT’s right-of-way (ROW) for wireless service providers, effective immediately. This effort began in 1999, when FDOT entered into a contract with LodestarTowers, Inc., selected under the competitive procurement process, for management of ROW and certain other DOT-controlled properties for collocation of wireless service providers on towers, buildings, and roadside structures.

This public-private partnership is for 30 years, and is intended to reduce the number of towers in an area by using available and suitable ROW land for communications use. SpectraSite acquired Lodestar in 2000.

American Tower controls over 20,000 tower sites in the United States, with many sites located throughout Florida. During a recent visit to FDOT, Mike Flint, American Tower’s General Manager for this area, expressed his commitment to FDOT’s goals, and noted that these goals coincide with the company’s desire for the best possible use of available resources and to assist in FDOT’s plan to improve communications available for ITS deployment.

This article was provided by Nick Adams, FDOT Traffic and Engineering Office. For more information, please contact Mr. Frank Deasy at (850) 410-5609 or email Frank.Deasy@dot.state.fl.us.

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Traffic Incident Management Performance Measures—
“A National Perspective”

The focus on traffic incident management and ITS continues to grow at the national, state, and local levels. These effective programs, processes, and tools assist us in our day-to-day job dealings with management of non-recurring congestion. As a state, we are constantly looking for ways to improve—how can we respond faster, operate more efficiently, and what can we do to improve on limiting highway congestion and secondary incidents.

One way to monitor the success and improvements in our programs is to develop performance measures. Internally, we have been looking at performance measures for Florida; and have already instituted some initial short-term measures, and have plans to implement long-term performance measures in the future.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has also started looking at developing a set of national traffic incident management core performance measures. FDOT had the opportunity to participate in an FHWA workshop for the initial development of these national performance measures in September. FHWA invited 11 states to participate in this initiative: California, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, and North Carolina. All states have active traffic incident management programs and bring different perspectives to the table. The goal of this initiative is a tough one—to begin the initial movement toward national consensus on core performance measures.

These performance measures can be both quantitative and qualitative. Some examples of areas that were discussed are:

• Quantitative
  o Increased survival rate of crash victims,
  o Reduced traffic delay,
  o Improved response time,
  o Improved air quality,
  o Reduced occurrence of secondary incidents,
  o Improved safety of responders, crash victims, and traveling motorists, and
  o Reduced clearance and recovery time.
• Qualitative
  o Enhanced traveler information,
  o Increased driver warning capabilities,
  o Improved coordination among response agencies,
  o Improved public perception of agency operations, and
  o Reduced driver frustration.

Although the final decisions were not made at the initial meetings, progress was made toward a common set of core traffic incident management performance measures.

FHWA has scheduled a follow-up workshop in Dallas, Texas on December 6 and 7, 2005. Like the previous workshops, the Dallas workshop will bring together representatives from each of the state Departments of Transportation, law enforcement from each state, FHWA Division Office representatives from each state, the FHWA Resource Center representative, and the FHWA Headquarters Project Manager.

The goals of this workshop will be to integrate the initial information from these two workshops into a final product of short- and long-range traffic incident management performance measures, and to create action plans for each state.

FDOT is looking forward to the outcome from these meetings and we are sure that, as a state, Florida will measure up.

This article was provided by Paul Clark, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. For more information, please contact Mr. Clark at (850) 410-5631 or email Paul.Clark@dot.state.fl.us.

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Editorial Corner: 511 – The First Five Years Towards A National Vision

A little over five years ago the Federal Communications Commission assigned the 511 telephone number to travel information. Beginning in the winter of 2001, a 511 Deployment Coalition (Coalition) was created to facilitate deployment of 511 services across the nation. The model was national leadership and coordination along with local development and operations. As of today there are 26 services operating in 23 states. These services provide information ranging from weather to route-specific travel time and, in some locations, transit information. In one location, partnerships with private enterprise are providing premium services, which are revenue-producing.

National 511 Deployment 2005
The above map shows the states operating 511 services in gold. The light blue colored states are those that are planned for statewide services in 2005. The dark blue states are those that are in the planning stages, however, Texas and Georgia are actively moving toward deployment. Georgia is likely to be operating in 2006. Texas has engineering studies underway.

Goals
In 2003, the Coalition defined a high-level business approach that set achievement goals for 2005 and 2010.

The goals for 2005 are as follows:

• Provide 511 services to 50 percent of the population,
• Ensure that 25 percent of the population is aware of the 511 brand and understands the service, and
• Target customer satisfaction of 80 percent in information and service quality.

In 2010, these goals are:

• Operating throughout the country,
• 90 percent brand awareness, and
• 100 percent satisfaction with information and service.

In 2010, two additional goals were defined providing for an integrated national 511 service network and a sustainable business model.

The Coalition has been measuring performance on these goals by national and local customer surveys, and by tracking call volumes. Some of the survey results follow:

Goal 1: Population Coverage

• 30%, or 83 million Americans

Goal 2: Awareness

• ITS America / Gallup Fall 2001 ~10%
• Minnesota Summer 2002—25%
• Virginia Statewide 2003—19%
• Virginia Focus Groups March 2003—34%
• Maine August 2003—40.9%
• Utah June 2004—47%
• Montana August 2004—58%
• Orlando February 2005—26%
• Tampa Bay April 2005—24.3%

Goal 3: Customer Satisfaction

• Minnesota December 2002—93%
• Metropolitan Transportation Commission
  • May / June 2003—90.5%
  • August 2004—92.1%
• Southeast Florida December 2003—96.2%
• Virginia January 2004 —99% would call again
• Montana August 2004—90.3%
• Arizona April 2005—71%
  • 90% would use again and recommend
• Washington State May 2005—68%
  • 87% would use again

The following figure shows the quarterly call volumes. The growth and seasonality of the calls is clearly demonstrated.

Going Forward
Next year is pivotal for the Coalition. During 2006, the Coalition will be making contact with all of the states that are not currently operating 511 systems in an attempt to offer them the knowledge they need to make the decision to advance toward a 511 system in their location.

A migration plan has been proposed to get everyone started easily. The first step in this plan is to switch from the current 800.xxx.xxxx number to 511. In this approach, no immediate investments are required. A second step of this plan is to talk with the transit agency and see how a link to their systems can work. After these initial steps, a more through development plan is proposed.

In March 2006, the Coalition will have a national conference. The day before the start of the conference there will be a special session called “Getting Started.” The purpose of this session will be to understand the challenges each state faces in moving towards a 511 system, and to offer technical and policy support to assist them. The conference will have sessions on services being operated throughout the country; the results of market research being conducted at the local level; challenges and solutions facing the more mature systems; and several sessions where the private sector can offer insights toward a sustainable business model.

The Coalition will continue to produce Guidelines updates, a National Progress Report, and technical assistance reports. The Web site (www.deploy511.org) will be enhanced to make all information being produced by the Coalition and local deployers available to everyone.

Reauthorization has language that provides additional goals for the Coalition to work towards over the next five years. In the research and development, Section 5306.b.3.B, a vision of a national integrated system is indicated—

“Ensuring that a national, interoperable 5–1–1 system, along with a national traffic information system that includes a user-friendly, comprehensive website, is fully implemented for use by travelers throughout the United States by September 30, 2010.”

The Coalition will spend a good deal of effort in achieving this goal over the next five years.

Additional challenges for the Coalition include:

• Service uniformity,
• Service quality,
• Local and national interoperability, as defined in the Reauthorization,
• Transitioning into a more institutionalized Coalition, partnering AASHTO, APTA, ITS America, and the USDOT, and
• Taking the first steps towards developing a sustainable business concept.

For service uniformity and quality, the Coalition will be developing self-assessment tools.

For interoperability, the Coalition plans to have sessions at the spring conference as well as technical assistance reports available on the Web site. Consideration is also being given to a “conceptual design for interoperability.”

The transition work will begin early next year with a first draft ready for the spring conference.

Efforts on the sustainable business approaches will begin at the spring conference and continue throughout the year.

All of the Coalition’s work is available at www.deploy511.org and at www.its.dot.gov/511/511_deployment_coalition.htm.

If all the Coalitions efforts are successful the nation will have 511 services across the country, delivering quality services in an interconnected way. Someday when dialing 511 anywhere in the country, you may get this message, “What city and state, please.”

This editorial was provided by Jim Wright, Minnesota Department of Transportation. For more information, please contact Mr. Wright at Jim.Wright@dot.state.mn.us.

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We invite you to have some fun and complete the SunGuide Disseminator Word Challenge!
Unscramble the letters to complete the word for the clue found under the boxes.
Use the letters in the red circles to complete the final puzzle.
An answer guide follows the Announcements.

Enjoy and Good Luck!

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Hurricane Wilma and FDOT's Microwave Towers

On October 24, 2005, Hurricane Wilma blew in on Florida’s southwest coast and moved across the state. Wilma’s path seemed to parallel the FDOT microwave radio installations, located along limited-access roadways. Over 20 sites were affected from the bayshore on the west coast, along Alligator Alley (I-75) and up I-95 as far as Indian River. Florida’s Turnpike was along the damage swath as well. Widespread wind and debris damage caused the links to fail as the storm moved from west to east.

As soon as the winds calmed down, FDOT’s microwave maintenance vendor, TransCore/Jack B. Harper technicians were staged and working to restore the damaged facilities. Florida’s Turnpike was the first priority, and communications were flowing between tollbooths in just over 24 hours. Then, the systematic restoration of each link began, so that the motorist aid callboxes were once again functional.

Operations were hindered by the disruption of commercial power—permanent standby emergency generators or portable units provided the means to power up the equipment. Tower crews and technicians struggled to realign antennas and repair connections and transmission lines under difficult, flooded conditions, and nearly impassable roads. By October 26th, the system was operational; however, it was November 8th before commercial power was restored to some of the more remote sites.

Some temporary repairs are still being finalized as parts and time are available.

This article was provided by Nick Adams, FDOT Traffic Engineer and Operations Office. For more information, contact Mr. Frank Deasy at (850) 410-5609 or email Frank.Deasy@dot.state.fl.us.

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Wi-fi in Florida's Rest Areas

In the coming months, FDOT will move forward with plans to deploy wireless internet access (wi-fi) at Florida welcome centers, service plazas, rest areas, and several weigh-in-motion (WIM) stations. The potential benefits are numerous. Business travelers would be able to keep in touch with clients, truckers would be able to keep in touch with their companies, and FDOT would have another tool to share important travel information through our statewide 511 Web site (www.fl511.com).

Several other states are also looking into providing this service at their rest areas. Florida is reviewing Request For Proposals (RFPs) prepared by Iowa, Texas, and Washington as part of their effort to provide this service to the traveling public. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will have 101 rest areas offering wi-fi services by October 2005. The service offers two free hours a year; afterwards 20 minutes would cost $1.99; a day $3.99; a week $7.99; and a month $29.99. Provided at no cost to TxDOT, 25 percent of the subscription profit goes to TxDOT.

The Iowa wi-fi model is slightly different. Iowa had 40 state rest areas offering wi fi services by June 2005. The service is provided at no cost to Iowa DOT or users. The rest area has a default Web page and specified links with limited internet information.

Washington State is also looking into this service. They plan to continue offering this service on five vessels on three ferry routes in the Seattle area, and 28 of their 42 rest areas.

Florida’s plans include offering this service at four welcome centers, eight service plazas, 55 rest areas, and several WIM stations. To be handled in a phased approach, Phase 1 would cover the welcome centers and service plazas; Phase 2 would include approximately 30 rest areas; and Phase 3 would cover the remaining rest areas. The target completion date for Phase 1 is summer 2006.

A default Web page, www.MyFlorida.com, would be available with links to the FDOT Web site, traffic and construction information through 511, Amber Alerts, and tourist attractions and accommodations.

In the model FDOT would pursue, the vendor would be responsible for equipment procurement, equipment installation, services, and on-going maintenance. These products and services would be provided at no cost to FDOT.

Because making people aware of the existence of this service is critical to its success, the services will be marketed with press releases, announcements in FDOT publications, and highway and rest area signage.

This article was provided by Elizabeth Birriel, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. For more information, contact Ms. Birriel at (850) 410-5606 or email Elizabeth.Birriel@dot.state.fl.us.

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Public Involvement Plans

Today’s fast and ever growing pace can, at times, be an ordeal. Therefore, it is important to occasionally step back and assess how to provide information to the public. In most cases, well intentioned plans can accomplish many goals. One such plan is a “Public Involvement Plan,” or otherwise known as PIP (these plans are also at times referred to as Public Information Programs). One would be surprised to find out how many agencies and institutions currently have a PIP in place. Below are just a few samples:

• Transportation agencies
• Transit agencies
• College institutions
• Public education facilities
• Departments of health
• Places of worship
• Detention facilities

In having a PIP, one must also have a mission statement. An ITS mission statement should be as follows:

• Minimize inconvenience to the community, motorists, and the public,
• Work within the total project / program budget,
• Provide for a quality project, and
• Meet or beat the project schedule.

Goals can be achieved by:

• Providing quality technical solutions,
• Providing properly qualified personnel,
• Having proper facilities and organizational structures in place,
• Working collaboratively with the project team and other stakeholders, and
• Combining strong design, construction, and management principles with competency, creativity, sensitivity, and flexibility.

Fulfilling Our Mission with an Effective Public Involvement Plan
Working closely with the project team, the Public Involvement Team will use hands-on experience from previous projects, targeted communications strategies, and public participation to help achieve the project’s goals.

Approach to Public Involvement:
The value and importance of effective communications with stakeholders in construction projects cannot be overstated.

A comprehensive PIP will be a key element in the successful planning and execution of the project. Team members should have significant experience completing projects in highly populated, heavily traveled metropolitan areas. Team members must be well aware of the real and perceived impacts associated with such projects. Again, the project team should approach public involvement with the commitment necessary to “minimize inconvenience to the community, motorists, and the public.” The PIP, when implemented, will achieve the following goal:

• Effectively communicate project information with one voice to all stakeholders,
• Respond to stakeholder requests with accurate information in a prompt and professional manner, and
• Offer opportunities for stakeholders to provide input regarding the Project.

A strong and effective PIP should reflect the following:

• One Team
• One Vision
• One Voice

With an effective plan in place, the common goal should be to “Fulfill Our Mission.” To be effective in fulfilling the mission, some front-end effort must be conducted. The majority of this effort will be conducted in the pre-proposal stage to develop the most appropriate program for specific projects, which can also be applied to most projects. Efforts should include the following:

• An extensive local Outreach Program,
• Consultation with specialists in commuter behavior, and
• Detailed review of methods, media, and outcomes of other major public works information programs

It is imperative to include, and reach out to, all stakeholders when implementing a large project. Stakeholders provide us with important information including a wide variety of concerns, information needs, preferred media, and self-developed coping plans. Today, the consumer, whether shopping for a car or making a decision as to the quickest route home, is much more astute due to the amount of information available. However, when it comes to transportation and large projects, everyone shares these common concerns:

• Will the contractor / agency anticipate and mitigate impacts; and
• Will the contractor / agency respond to their concerns, and act responsibly?

To overcome these concerns, Departments of Transportation and their communications advisors need to integrate their public involvement activities and then the results are generally very favorable. Typically, the contractor / agency is allowed to make changes because the public remains informed and, therefore, supports the project.

The following items should be part of a draft PIP:

• Partnerships – Seek out unique community and organization qualities, and combine efforts for mutual benefit.
• Commuters – Reach commuters before, during, and after their trips.
• Tourism – Provide information that addresses the advanced planning and daily needs of event organizers and frontline personnel.
• Community – Provide community members opportunities to learn about and participate in the project.
• Business – Reach people who leverage advertising resources.
• Media – Provide timely, consistent, and credible coping information; encourage civic journalism.
• Government – Proactively support the Representative’s lead role through use of segment team leaders and local agency liaisons.
• Emergency Responders – Create a strong, mutually beneficial partnership between the project and emergency response agencies that serve the corridor.

These, or similar, programs will position the project team as “the source” of information and solutions. Project public involvement resources will direct calls, emails, and meeting requests to project team resources for responses.

Finally, PIPs can be vital in establishing relationships with stakeholders, both public and private. Since Florida has recently been so adversely affected by some of the worst hurricanes recorded in history, it is time for PIPs to become part of the overall package for disseminating information to the public. It is important to fully utilize information that is currently available at traffic management centers such as evacuation routes, congestion, delays, alternate routes, and recommended routes. Once information is made available to public involvement personnel, they can quickly and efficiently channel this information to stakeholders who can then further disseminate this information to the public via various media (i.e., radio, television, and newspapers). To date, PIPs have not been utilized as efficiently as they can be for natural disasters, such as hurricanes and flooding; or major accidents, such as overturned tractor trailers containing gasoline or chemicals. However, they have been utilized to convey less important information such as road improvements, widening, etc. It is important to initiate these types of programs on a wider scale, such that relationships, policies, and the types of information to be conveyed to the public are understood and put into effect.

This article was provided by Ron Wolcott, Parsons Corporation. For more information, please contact Mr. Wolcott at (407) 316-8400 or email Ron.Wolcott@parsons.com.

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For more information on ITS Florida, please check the ITS Florida Web site at www.itsflorida.org or contact Diana Carsey, Executive Director, at (727) 409-5415 or email CarseyD@verizon.net.

If you wish to contribute an article on behalf of ITS Florida, please contact Erika Ridlehoover at (813) 376-0036, or email Erika.Ridlehoover@transcore.com.

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FDOT Equipment Certification

The FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office, through the Traffic Engineering Research Laboratory (TERL), is responsible for approving all traffic control signal devices. Approved devices are kept on the FDOT Approved Products List (APL), a listing of devices that may be relied upon as meeting FDOT specifications, standards, or other criteria.

The APL is a means for the FDOT to meet Florida Statute 316.0745, Uniform Signals and Devices, which states, “All official traffic control signals or official traffic control devices purchased and installed in this state by any public body or official shall conform with the manual and specifications published by the Department of Transportation pursuant to subsection (2).”

More information on the FDOT APL may be viewed at www.dot.state.fl.us.TrafficOperations/ TERL/APL.htm. Specific approved products in the FDOT APL may be searched at rite.eng.fsu.edu/iapl/page1.php.

For more information, please contact Carl Morse, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office, at (850) 414-4863 or email Carl.Morse@dot.state.fl.us.

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Announcements

Mark Your Calendars!
FDOT’s Annual ITS Working Group Conference will be on March 14-16, 2006, at the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida.

Meeting/events scheduled during this conference include:

• Change Management Board Meeting
• 511 Working Group Meeting
• FDOT ITS Working Group Meeting
• Training
• Exhibit Showcase

This year FDOT is committing dedicated time just for exhibitors. If you are interested in exhibiting, please contact KarenEngland@pbsj.com for more details.

We hope you will make plans to attend!

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Help Define Florida's Next Generation Traveler Information System
As mentioned in last month’s Disseminator, FDOT’s ITS Section has initiated concept planning for the state’s next generation traveler information service to be rolled out in 2008. An important part of this concept development is to obtain widespread stakeholder input regarding the needs, issues, problems, and objectives that could be satisfied by such a service.

Please take the following web survey located at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=134191487081.

This survey is totally anonymous and respondent identities will not be tracked. It consists of 15 questions and should not take more than 5 minutes to complete. It will remain open until the beginning of January 2006, so please take it as soon as possible. For more information, please email: fl.atis@pbsj.com.

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Word Challenge Answers

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