2004 World Congress on ITS—The CVO Perspective

The 11th World Congress on ITS was held this past November in Nagoya, Japan. Given the importance of the automotive industry to Japan, it came as no surprise that the lion’s share of the conference sessions and exhibits were focused on ITS technologies applied to automobiles. Even though the majority of the conference focused on ITS for the automobile, there were several sessions and a few exhibits that addressed ITS for commercial vehicles. Of the 244 sessions, ten (4 percent) were in the commercial vehicle operations (CVO) track. These sessions addressed architecture and vehicles, education and training, human factors, incident analysis and prevention, logistics, and transport system management. One of the more interesting booths in the exhibit hall had a demonstration of a truck tractor outfitted with the most recent ITS in-vehicle technologies deployed (or soon to be deployed) in Japan. This article will touch on some of the more interesting ITS developments presented at the 11th World Congress on ITS.

The CVO presentations covered a variety of topics of interest to the trucking community. Some of the presentation titles were:

• Safety Impacts of ITS Technologies on Commercial Vehicle Operation
• Development and Implementation of a Driver Safety History Indicator into the Roadside Inspection Selection System
• Virtual Weigh Stations: The Florida Survey (Presented by E-Squared Engineering)
• Costs and Benefits of Technology in Hazardous Materials Transportation
• Electronic Tow-Bar Based Platoon Control of Heavy Duty Trucks Using Vehicle-Vehicle Communication: Practical Results of the CHAUFFEUR2 Project
• Innovative Telematics Services for Commercial Vehicles
• Development of a Management System for Improvement in Safety and Economics of Trucks
• Management of Oversized/Overweight Vehicle Operations Using Information Technology

Several presentations focused on improving CVO safety. A study conducted at the University of Alabama evaluated the benefits of those ITS technologies that have the potential to enhance commercial vehicle operator safety and reduce their risk of being involved in a crash. Technologies evaluated were:

• Forward collision warning systems;
• Lane change/merge warning systems;
• Road departure warning systems;
• Obstacle detection systems;
• Rear impact warning systems;
• Vision enhancement technologies;
• Speed governors;
• Autonomous intelligent cruise control;
• Alcohol and driver fatigue detection technologies;
• On-board vehicle safety monitoring; and
• On-board road weather systems.

According to the study, the most promising technologies for deployment included forward collision warning systems, lane change/merge warning systems, and obstacle detection systems. These technologies showed the most impact on reducing commercial vehicle crashes as well as the best benefit-to-cost ratios. The researchers estimated that forward collision warning systems could reduce the annual number of commercial vehicle crashes by 33,933 and lane change/merge warning systems could result in a reduction of 25,055 commercial vehicle crashes per year. When evaluating the benefit-to-cost ratios, the researchers found that the highest ratios were with forward collision warning systems and obstacle detection systems, 3.89:1 and 3.72:1, respectively (Virginia Sisiopiku and Xiaohong Tank, Safety Impacts of ITS Technologies on Commercial Vehicle Operations, proceedings of the 11th World Congress on ITS, Japan, 2004). Hopefully this information will be validated by other studies and be used by commercial vehicle operators as a decision making tool when determining which technologies to invest in. Commercial vehicle operators run on a small profit margin, making it highly likely that they would find value in nonbiased third party information which shows them how to get the most value for their ITS deployment money.

There were several presentations and papers on optimizing various segments of the goods distribution chain. Some discussed computer models developed for optimizing particular segments of the distribution chain, such as the shipping segment. One study was very interesting because it not only produced a model for optimizing delivery costs, but also demonstrated how their ‘optimized’ solution would reduce delivery costs by 19 to 24 percent, as compared to the actual ‘non-optimized’ delivery route. Additional benefits that could be realized by the optimized solution were a decrease in travel times for delivery trucks (18.6 to 23.7 percent reduction in travel time) and a reduction in vehicle emissions. By using the optimized solution, emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides , and suspended particulate matter could be reduced 10.1 to 16.5 percent, 6.1 to 13.2 percent, and 5.3 to12.4 percent, respectively (Eiichi Tanaguchi and Naoki Ando, Probabilistic Vehicle Routing and Scheduling Based on Traffic Information, proceedings of the 11th World Congress on ITS, Japan, 2004). This optimizing model has tremendous potential if it can affect such significant reductions in delivery costs, traffic congestion (by reducing the amount of time the delivery vehicles are on the road), and last but not least, reductions in vehicle emissions.

Another interesting presentation examined using technology to increase driver productivity through ‘platooning.’ Platooning is a concept where one driver (located in the lead vehicle) controls two or more commercial vehicles which drive single file down the road, spaced very closely together. There have been previous demonstrations of this platoon concept with buses in Japan (2000) and California (2003). In these demonstrations, the enabling technology included special road infrastructure.

The ‘electronic tow-bar’ principle, which was developed and demonstrated in 1999 during the European CHAUFFEUR1 project, utilizes all of the enabling technology on-board the vehicle and does not rely on special road infrastructure. This allows the electronic tow-bar to be used in off-road conditions, such as terminals or parking lots (Hans Fritz, Christophe Bonnet, Heiko Schiemenz, and Dieter Seeberger, Electronic Tow-Bar Based Platoon Control of Heavy Duty Trucks Using Vehicle-Vehicle Communications: Practical Results of CHAUFFEUR2 Project, proceedings of the 11 th World Congress on ITS, Japan, 2004).

The presentation also discussed the results of the CHAUFFEUR2 project, which involved platooning three Mercedes-Benz trucks with a total weight of 40 tons. The CHAUFFEUR2 project included the development of two major applications. The first application, known as the “Chauffer Assistant,” is suitable for on-road conditions, and utilizes smart distance and lane keeping ITS technologies. The Chauffer Assistant allows an equipped truck to follow at a safe, close distance behind the lead vehicle. The second application is an enhancement to the electronic tow bar which allows platooning of more than two vehicles. In May 2003, a three vehicle platoon was successfully demonstrated in Italy at the Balocco test track and simulations have shown the possibility of a ten-vehicle platoon. Although this technology has the potential of providing a staggering increase in a single driver’s productivity in terms of the amount of payload per trip, there are also a great deal of safety issues that must be worked out before multi-tractor-trailer platoons share roadways with passenger vehicles.

Hino, a Toyota subsidiary, provided one of the best CVO exhibits—the Hino Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV). This exhibit contained a tractor-trailer cab outfitted with several ITS technologies. Some of the demonstrated technologies are already deployed and currently marketed in Hino trucks and buses; the others are in the research and development phase. In 1998, Hino began marketing trucks with adaptive cruise control (ACC) and, today, in addition to ACC, the following ITS technologies are available in Hino ASVs:

• Tire-Pressure Monitoring System–sensors in the tire measure inner pressure which is displayed on the in-cab monitor; if pressure drops too low the driver gets a warning.
• Left Side and Rear View Assist Camera–cameras capture images of the left side and rear of the vehicle and display them on the in-cab monitor.
• Vehicle Stability Control - Roll Stability Assist–on-board computer detects rolling, warns the driver and controls the engine, and brakes accordingly.
• Lane Departure Warning System–camera monitors the vehicle’s position and warns the driver if the vehicle comes too close to lane markings)
• Front Under-Run Protection Device–in a collision an under-run device, mounted inside the front skirt of the cab, prevents passenger vehicles from going under the cab and assists with the shock absorbing function of the passenger vehicle.

ITS technologies which are currently under development for commercial vehicles are:

• Vehicle Stability Control–an onboard computer detects the jackknifing phenomenon, warns the driver and controls the engine, and breaks accordingly.
• Driver Condition Monitoring System–detects driver inattentiveness and produces a warning.
• Nighttime Pedestrian Monitoring System–in-cab monitor displays pedestrian image ahead that is detected through infrared light.
• Front View Recording System–a camera, activated by sudden breaking, records images just before and after a collision; also serves as a driver training device in near-miss incidents.

The personnel who provided the demonstration at the exhibit stated that the available technologies (ACC, tire pressure monitoring, left side/rear monitoring, roll stability assist, and lane departure warning) come standard on their vehicles and are not optional equipment. The vision upon which Hino ASV research and development activities are based is the goal of “realizing a society in Japan which has zero traffic casualties due to commercial vehicles,” similar to the United States’ goal.

One has to wonder how often researchers and/or practitioners in the United States take the opportunity to see how other countries are solving common problems. In the United States, the US Department of Transportation goes to great lengths (and expense) to provide state departments of transportation with information from other states on ‘lessons learned’ and ‘best practices’ for a myriad of issues relating to the United States’ transportation system. One of the greatest benefits of the ITS World Congress, is that it gives participants a way to scan the entire world and learn of the advances that have been made worldwide. Unfortunately, because of the international locations and the reality of many states’ limited travel budgets, this learning opportunity is usually not widely available. To help alleviate this challenge, the ITS World Congress organizers vary the location on a three-year cycle between Asia, North America, and Europe. Although the total cost of sending staff to an ITS World Congress is quite high, there is tremendous value in having exposure to the collective knowledge that is presented there.

This article was provided by Richard Easley and Sharon Easley, E-Squared Engineering. For more information, please contact Mr. Easley at (706) 858-5588 or email REasley@e-squared.org.

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Performance Measures for the ITS Program—A Status Report

In 2003, the Florida Transportation Commission (FTC) asked the ITS Florida Advisory Council to identify suitable statewide ITS performance measures. T hese performance measures were to be included in the FTC’s Performance and Production Review of the Department of Transportation. An expert project team was assembled by the Advisory Council to carry out this extensive assignment. The project team conducted a workshop in October 2003 and collected available data from the FDOT Districts in spring 2004.

Based on insight gained from the workshop, a review of pertinent literature (including other state examples and current Federal priorities), and further project team discussion and input from key workshop participants and the Districts, the following interim ITS performance measures were recommended to be used in monitoring the statewide ITS Program:

• Number of 511 calls during times of incidents;
• Number of Road Rangers responses during times of incidents;
• Average Road Rangers incident response time;
• Percent of actual versus planned ITS deployment (as defined by FDOT Ten-Year ITS Cost Feasible Plan), conducted on an annual basis;
• Reliability of travel time for the top-ten travel corridors (in each District), as measured by the Buffer Time Index; and
• Delay, as measured by passenger-miles of travel/vehicle-hours of travel (ITS versus non-ITS equipped corridors).

Given the relative “immaturity” of ITS deployment in Florida, it was quickly recognized that developing outcome-based performance measures for the ITS Program would be difficult at this time. The project team spent a great deal of time working with the Districts and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise assessing the type and availability of data needed to best reflect ITS performance. The project team acknowledged that, from the beginning, the development and reporting of ITS performance must be viewed as an evolutionary process, concluding that what can be reported in the future (as more ITS is deployed and consistent data is collected) will greatly exceed what can be reported today.

The project team presented three output-based measures to the FTC’s Performance Measures Working Group on September 14, 2004, underscoring that, as the deployment and integration of ITS proliferates in Florida, a shift to more outcome-based measures will be forthcoming, including:

• Total annual 511 calls (by month, service area, and state total);
• Total annual Road Rangers stops (by District and state total); and
• Florida Intrastate Highway System limited access miles managed by ITS (by District and state total).

Several comments were provided during the Performance Measures Working Group regarding these recommendations, including the following:

• These recommended performance measures are all output-based measures, and the FTC wants to see outcome-based measures;
• These performance measures will not be published in the FTC’s 2004 Performance and Production Review of the Florida Department of Transportation; and
• FDOT is directed to develop and provide outcome measures in time for the next FTC Working Group Meeting in early 2005.

FDOT is contracting with Cambridge Systematics, Inc. and Transportations Solutions, Inc. to further develop the statewide ITS performance measures and provide these performance measures to the FTC in 2005. Any questions should be directed to Elizabeth Birriel, State Traffic Operations Office.

This article was provided by Kenny Voorhies and Anita Vandervalk, Cambridge Systematics, with assistance from Mark Reichert, Florida Transportation Commission. For more information, please contact Ms. Vandervalk at (850) 219-6388 or email AVandervalk@camsys.com.

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Hurricanes Assault Florida

The 2004 hurricane season will be remembered as the season that an unprecedented number of hurricanes hit Florida. In a turbulent span of seven weeks, parts of Florida were devastated by four separate hurricanes–Charlie, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. The hurricanes affected the east and west coasts as well as the Panhandle, and caused an estimated $21.9 billion in property damage through out the state.

Along with the catastrophic losses to homes, businesses, and communities, significant damage occurred to Florida’s transportation infrastructure. The most notable loss regarding transportation infrastructure was the I-10 Escambia Bay Bridge. Over a mile of bridge deck was washed off its supporting piers and into Escambia Bay. By now everyone has probably seen the photo of what remained of a truck that did not make it across the bridge. The photo was broadcast nationwide and, most likely, will be the visual image that people will associate with the 2004 hurricane season.

By far, the most widespread damage to our transportation infrastructure was to the traffic signal systems. All of the Districts affected by any of the four hurricanes experienced some level of difficulty with their signal systems. Signal system damage was extensive in those areas hit hardest by the hurricanes. A majority of the damage was associated with span-wire strain-pole signal designs. The mast arm design fared much better. Of the damage noted, the main cause was bracket failure, with general span-wire failure being a close second. Failure regarding the mast arm mounting design was a distant third.

Because of the widespread damage to the traffic signal systems, in some cases from repeated hurricanes, the restoration effort was slow. Full restoration was impacted by extensive damage to the power distribution systems as the hurricanes worked their way across Florida. In response to lengthy power outages, more than 650 generators were purchased by FDOT for placement at critical intersections. Although the generators were beneficial in helping to restore signal operations until commercial power could be restored to the intersection, the use of generators was not without problems.

Signalized intersections were not designed to accommodate alternate power sources beyond commercial power. The wiring in the controller cabinets had to be modified to accept power from the generators. Another problem was keeping the generators secure against theft. All the Districts that deployed generators experienced at least some difficulty with units being stolen, despite taking such measures as chaining them to rigid structures such as the signal support structures.

In spite of the damage that occurred to Florida’s transportation infrastructure, the regional transportation management centers (RTMCs) and the advanced traveler information systems (ATISs) continued to function managing the transportation systems and providing guidance to the public throughout the various hurricanes that impacted Florida. Motorists had access to near real-time information regarding roadway conditions in areas of the state where RTMCs and ATISs are in operation, as well as important hurricane alert messages through the use of dynamic message signs, Web sites, and the 511 abbreviated dialing code.

The FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office conducted an evaluation of the damage caused by the 2004 hurricanes to the transportation infrastructure managed by FDOT Districts as well as those managed by the Central Office. The evaluation looks at preparations completed by the Districts and Central Office before, during, and after the four hurricanes. The evaluation will be documented in a report that will summarize:

• How the transportation infrastructure was affected by the hurricanes;
• What were some of the lessons learned; and
• What recommendations should be considered before the next hurricane season.

The report will be published in the near future and announced in a future edition of the newsletter. For those interested in viewing the report, check the Announcement section of the SunGuide Disseminator in future editions for information on how to obtain a copy.

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

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I-95 Corridor Coalition Annual Meeting

The I-95 Corridor Coalition (Coalition) held its First Annual Meeting this past December 13-14, at the Research Triangle Park in Durham, North Carolina. Composed of 16 states, the Coalition is a model of multi-state cooperation and collaboration to solve multi-state issues.

North Carolina, as the meeting host, highlighted some of their recent initiatives such as their 511 implementation launched in August 2004. North Carolina Toll Authority Plans and the North Carolina Long-Range Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan were also highlighted. Afterwards, Lyndo Tippett, Secretary for the North Carolina DOT, shared information on the N.C. - Moving Ahead! program.

During the Executive Board Meeting held the first day, Chairman Neil Pedersen presented the Executive Board Members' survey results and their prioritization related to multi-state/regional issues.The Executive Board also discussed and provided guidance for the Coalition's next Work Plan.

The afternoon concluded with presentations focused on recent initiatives in each of the Coalition's six Program Track Committees:

• Program Management;
• Inter-Regional Multimodal Travel Information;
• Coordinated Incident Management;
• Commercial Vehicle Operations;
• Intermodal Transfer of People and Goods; and
• Electronic Payment Services

The second day of the meeting was as informative as the first day—beginning with the Steering Committee Meeting to discuss the Advanced Traveler Information Systems Task Force Report, the Work Plan Development, and the Recommended Changes to Procedural Guidelines.

Afterwards, three Information Exchange Forums were held concurrently. The forums were:

• Evacuation Planning/Emergency Preparedness, including Information Management, Traveler Information, Lessons Learned, Evacuation Models, Multi-state Approach, etc;
• Safety, including Work Zone, Performance Measures, Behavioral Issues, Bottlenecks, etc.; and
• Homeland Security and Freight Transportation, based on the Coalition Container Security Report.

The meeting concluded with combined Program Track Meetings to further discuss initiatives, ideas, and ongoing projects. Intermodal Passenger, Travel Information, and Electronic Payment Services projects were jointly discussed, while Intermodal Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations were combined in a separate session.

The First Annual I-95 Corridor Coalition Meeting was tremendously informative and successful. We look forward to next years meeting.

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

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ITS Florida News Update

2005 Election Results
The ITS Florida Annual Meeting was held at the Transpo2004 Conference in Jacksonville on December 7, 2004, where the 2005 ITS Florida Board of Directors election results were revealed and the officers were installed:

Special recognition was paid to Chester Chandler, outgoing President, as well as to all of ITS Florida’s Past Presidents. The outgoing Board members, Dr. Haitham Al-Deek, Elizabeth McCrary, and Eric Hill, were also honored at the Transpo2004 Conference. Thanks to all the Board members for their hard work and interest in serving on the Board. Your participation has been invaluable.

Remaining Directors who will continue to serve in 2005 are as follows:

2004 Award Presentations
The following awards were presented at the Transpo2004 Conference:

• Outstanding Achievement Award - DISTRICT 4 TIM TEAM
  The District 4 Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Team has provided an aggressive program supporting the public during incident management activities within their area. They are a model for TIM teams in the state of Florida, and have improved the awareness of ITS applications to solve traffic incidents.

• ITS Professional of the Year - BUDDY CLOUD
  In only five years, Buddy took the traffic incident management program from an idea to a national model—reaching its peak in 2004. He created the TIM Teams in District 1, provided Road Rangers training with operations in every District, and also assisted in the deployment of an inter-agency radio system pilot in District 5. His efforts have included hosting the Georgia transportation management center and TIM managers at the Florida Statewide TIM Team Meeting in Orlando and other ITS-related actions.
  
  Buddy Cloud could be called, “MR. TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT” and is richly deserving of this award.

• ITS Florida Member of the Year Award – FDOT DISTRICT 6 Regional Transportation Management Center (SUNGUIDE^sm CENTER)
  The design and deployment of the District 6 regional transportation management center (SunGuide Center) has set a benchmark for future ITS programs, both in Florida and nationwide. The innovative approaches to traffic congestion solutions that Jesus Martinez and Rory Santana have applied to SunGuide operations greatly enhance future growth of ITS applications to support management of traffic.

• ITS Florida President’s Award - TERRY GRIFFITH
  ITS Florida presented this special tribute to one of our past Board members, Terry Griffith, for his vision and outstanding leadership as President for ITS Florida during 2004 and Vice President during 2003. Terry’s highly professional business approach provided stimulation to ITS Board members, the membership at large, and enhanced ITS deployment in Florida.

• ITS Champion of the Year - KEN MOREFIELD
  ITS Florida recognized Ken Morefield for his strong advocacy of ITS applications and his support during his tenure as Assistant Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation. His vision and positive support of ITS programs has helped improve safety and provided knowledge to the traveling public. One of Mr. Morefield’s main contributions to the ITS Program was his assistance and oversight in creating the FDOT Ten-Year ITS Cost Feasible Plan.

• ITS Scholarship – GEORGIANA HAMZA-LUP
  The ITS Florida Scholarship Program is now in its second year. This program was the brainchild of Eric Hill of METROPLAN Orlando. The Scholarship Program candidates must attend ITS Florida member universities and be enrolled in a transportation-related program. The Scholarship Committee was comprised of Eric Hill, L.A. Griffin of OOCEA, and Mike Pietrzyk of Transportation Solutions, Inc. The Scholarship Committee was charged with calling for applications and reviewing the applications for consideration. Thirteen applications were received this year. The Scholarship Committee felt that Georgiana Hamza-Lup was the strongest candidate and most deserving of the $2,500 award.
  
  Ms. Hamza-Lup is completing the requirements for the Doctorate Program in Computer Science at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She completed her undergraduate degree in Computer Science at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania. Her area of interest is using technology for improving traffic incident management where crashes are involved. More specifically, her desire is to achieve zero fatalities and zero delay on roadways through the use of ITS. Ms. Hamza-Lup has completed research and published articles on the Internet regarding scaled traffic information systems, intelligent vehicles and evacuation/incident management systems.
  
  Ms. Hamza-Lup plans to form a research group to continue her interest in ITS.

This article was provided by Anita Vandervalk and Lisa Smith, Cambridge Systematics, Inc. For more information, please contact Ms. Vandervalk at (850) 219-6388 or email AVandervalk@camsys.com.

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 to the SunGuide Disseminator on behalf of ITS Florida, please contact Erika Ridlehoover at (813) 376-0036, or email Erika.Ridlehoover@transcore.com.

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Editorial Corner–Transpo2004

A Successful ITS Conference For Florida and Georgia!
I am pleased to have this opportunity to write about the great success of Transpo2004. As a Board Director for ITS Florida, I am proud to know that we, in partnership with the other host agencies—the FDOT, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the Federal Highway Administration, the Florida and Georgia Sections of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and ITS Georgia, held such a great event for the ITS industry. Some of the factors that I believe deemed Transpo2004 a great success were the outstanding attendance, the many exhibitors, the excellent program with a wide range of presentations, and the wonderful social events associated with the conference.

The attendance for Transpo2004 tallied out at 500 attendees by the end of the conference. This two-state conference reached a large number of people in the ITS industry, exceeding our attendance at Transpo2002, held in Orlando. We had a broad range of public sector attendees from federal, state, and local agencies, great private sector representation, and a fair amount of academic representation. We had attendees that came from much farther north than Georgia and even from California–just to attend Transpo2004. I met several students who were using Transpo2004 as an opportunity to preview companies and agencies that they may look to for career opportunities once they graduate. This is a win-win situation for the students and the companies and agencies.

When talking with attendees after the conference to find out what they thought about their conference experience, I received mostly positive comments. The most common comment from Georgia attendees was “Wow! This is much bigger than I thought.” Both Florida and Georgia attendees stated that they thought the organization of the conference was well done. Both states’ attendees also stated that they enjoyed hearing presentations from states other than their home state. The Georgia attendees don’t want to be left off the invite list for Transpo2006. They seem to be excited about joining us again.

Transpo2004 drew 67 exhibitors to Jacksonville. I believe that the exhibits were a success. I am writing this from a private sector perspective, but we had very good traffic through the exhibit hall on a steady basis. This was great because, typically, attendees all come into the exhibit hall at the same time, which creates a difficult forum to talk and/or demonstrate products. Transpo2004 provided a better opportunity to actually talk with attendees and demonstrate the products being showcased at exhibit booths. The exhibit hall was only open on Monday and Tuesday and I heard some people say that they thought it should have been open longer. At most of the conferences, the exhibit hall is open for three straight days and, by the third day, the exhibitors are standing around talking to each other so I personally think the two day format worked out perfectly.

The exhibit hall and pre-function areas had companies and agencies representing all facets of the industry. More than once I heard the comment made that the attendees were surprised by the number of exhibitors. They said that they hadn’t seen this many since ITS America’s Annual Meeting and Exposition. The Transpo2004 exhibit hall was a showcase of the high technology of our industry.

The Transpo2004 technical sessions had four tracks –

• Integration of Traffic Management,
• Emerging Innovative Technology,
• Managing Customer Needs and Agency Assets, and
• Incident and Emergency Management.

I believe that these four tracks provided something for everyone. At times, I heard attendees say that they were having a hard time deciding on which session to go to because they wanted to attend more than one at the same time. This is a wonderful problem to have. Some of the attendees were pleased to learn that the presentations weren’t turned into some sort of company or product sales pitch.

Transpo2004 was honored to have FDOT Assistant Secretary Kevin Thibault and GDOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl speak at the Opening Kick-Off Session. By having Assistant Secretary Thibault and Commissioner Linnenkohl start us off, we were well on our way to success. I received lots of positive feedback on the Business Opportunity Forum and the Partnership Successes. We had some great partnerships featured in the Partnership Successes, including the I-95 Corridor Coalition, which both Florida and Georgia are members of. The Closing Session for the conference was very entertaining. If you didn’t get “pumped up” by hearing about all of the funding and projects happening in Florida and Georgia at the Closing Session, you were hopeless! This was probably the most important information that I received while at the conference. I found it to be very exciting to learn about the things happening in just these two states. The moderator, Doug Callaway from Floridians for Better Transportation, gave a very witty and entertaining presentation making the Closing Session fun. I believe the overall opinion of attendees on the Program and Technical Sessions was positive.

Now let’s talk about the social events! These were my favorite. I don’t think it could get any better than the close football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Pittsburgh Steelers. What an exciting game. We must have been “living right” to be so fortunate as to have a conference kick-off on the same night as such a great football game. The Icebreaker Reception was done in a tailgate party theme with the cute Transpo2004 footballs. We were located at a hotel close to the stadium, which was very convenient. I heard all positive feedback on the football game. We also had a nice reception on Monday evening in the exhibit hall. The reception was kept short and allowed attendees to go to dinner before it got too late. As for the Awards Banquet, most people felt it was a little too long, but certainly worth the great steak dinner. We were also honored to have Neil Schuster, President and CEO of ITS America, as a featured speaker at the Awards Banquet. I think the overall social activities associated with Transpo2004 were lots of fun and provided the networking opportunities that we all look for in a conference. We will have a tough act to follow for Transpo2006 to meet or exceed these events.

I believe that Transpo2004 was the best ITS conference in the Southeastern United States this year. If you missed the conference, you missed an excellent opportunity to take part in a very important ITS event. Not to worry though…you still have time to plan to be with us for Transpo2006. The tentative plans for Transpo2006 are to hold the conference in the November timeframe of 2006 in the Central Florida area. Please stay tuned for the final details as they are confirmed. We look forward to seeing you at an even better Transpo event in 2006! Thanks for your support this year.

If you would like to provide feedback on Transpo2004, please send it via email to the ITS Florida Executive Director, Ms. Diana Carsey, at carseyd@verizon.net.

This editorial was provided by Erika Ridlehoover, TransCore. For more information, please contact Ms. 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

Systems Engineering Training Coming Soon!
FDOT will be conducting three Systems Engineering training sessions in 2005. The training sessions will be held throughout the state and will provide project managers with a background on Systems Engineering in order to satisfy FHWA's Part 940 requirements.

Be on the look out for dates and locations for the upcoming training sessions in future SunGuide Disseminators.

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The Annual FDOT ITS Working Group Meeting
The FDOT ITS Office has set the Annual FDOT ITS Working Group Meeting for March 16, 2005. Additionally, during the week of March 15-18, other ITS-related events have been scheduled. The following meetings/events have been scheduled:

• Change Management Board Meeting
• 511 Working Group Meeting
• ITS Florida Board of Directors Meeting
• Systems Engineering Management Plan Training

We hope you will make plans to attend!

For more information, please contact Ms. Pamela Haynes at (850) 410-5632 or email Pamela.Haynes@dot.state.fl.us.

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District 1 Chris Birosak FDOT District 1 Traffic Operations PO Box 1249 Bartow, FL 33831 (863) 519-2507 District 2 Peter Vega FDOT District 2 Traffic Operations 2250 Irene Street, MS 2815 Jacksonville, FL 32204-2619 (904) 360-5463 District 3 Gene Syfrett FDOT District 3 Traffic Operations 1074 Highway 90 East Chipley, FL 32428-0607 (850) 638-0250 ext. 266 District 4 Dong Chen FDOT District 4 Traffic Operations 3400 W. Commercial Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309 (954) 777-4362	District 5 Fred Ferrell FDOT District 5 Traffic Operations 719 S. Woodland Blvd., MS 3-562 DeLand, FL 32720-6834 (386) 943-5309 District 6 Jesus Martinez FDOT District 6 1000 NW 111th Avenue, MS 6203 Miami, FL 33172 (305) 499-2446 District 7 Bill Wilshire FDOT District 7 Traffic Operations 11201 N. McKinley Drive Tampa, FL 33612 (813) 975-6612 ext. 7869 Florida's Turnpike Enterprise Ingrid Birenbaum Florida's Turnpike Enterprise PO Box 9828 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33310-9828 (954) 975-4855 ext. 1290	Lap Hoang State Traffic Engineer (850) 414-4866 Elizabeth Birriel Deputy State Traffic Engineer - ITS (850) 410-5600 Gene Glotzbach ITS Deployments (850) 410-5616 Liang Hsia ITS Architectures, Standards, Research and Training (850) 410-5615 Mike Akridge Commercial Vehicle Operations (850) 410-5607 Nick Adams ITS Telecommunications (850) 410-5608
		Physical Address Rhyne Building 2740 Centerview Dr. Suite 3-B Tallahassee, FL 32301	Mailing Address Burns Building 605 Suwannee St. M.S. 90 Tallahassee, FL 32399

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