Florida Shows Strong at ITS America's 15th Annual Meeting and Exposition

The ITS America 15th Annual Meeting and Exposition was held at the Phoenix Civic Plaza in Phoenix, Arizona, beginning on May 2 and concluding on May 4. This year’s theme was “Connecting Ideas, Partners and Solutions.” Florida was well-represented in the exhibition hall by the FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations ITS Section, District 4, and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise; all collocated with ITS Florida.

The Florida exhibit experienced logistical problems during set up on Saturday, as several of District 4’s shipping cases containing portions of their interim traffic management kiosk were lost; and even the Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise Eye-in-the-Sky transportation management van (TMV) arrived a day late on Sunday! The knowledge, skills, and abilities of the Florida contingent were severely taxed; trips to local construction stores provided substitute materials to fabricate critical missing parts of the District 4 kiosk support structure. However, the problems did not end once construction and hookup were completed. The low humidity and new carpet combined to cause grounding and electrical discharge problems, creating havoc with programming and computer displays. Eventually, the harried crew had all of the planned systems operational, at the expense of severely frazzled nerves.

The completed exhibit contained a District 4 dynamic message sign (DMS), live traffic camera views from I-595 in Florida, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise Eye-in-the-Sky TMV–complete and operational with demonstrations of live pictures and capabilities, the FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations’ ITS display, and ITS Florida’s display highlighting their partners and shareholders. District 4 invited attendees to participate in a daily contest creating messages to post on the exhibit’s DMS.

On Tuesday, exhibit duty started early, at 5:00 a.m., as the local NBC affiliate, KPNX TV-12, sent news reporter Nicole McGregor, along with a camera crew, to tape a short interview and feature on the exposition. ITS America President and CEO Neil Schuster answered questions and the Eye-in-the-Sky TMV was prominently featured in the taping. After the interview was complete, most of the bleary-eyed Florida contingent returned to bed, for a short nap before breakfast.

On Wednesday, the Florida exhibit was visited by Dr. James Mahoney, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Dr Mahoney, along with staff members Tim McClung and Dr. Ahsha Tribble, discussed the ongoing public-public partnership between FDOT and the National Weather Service (NWS). NWS is collocated on several FDOT towers to broadcast local, current weather information as part of their nationwide network. NWS provides up-to-the-minute information and warnings for all weather events on a 24/7 basis. Specific Florida topics discussed with Dr. Mahoney included hurricane prediction education and FDOT’s research in association with the local NWS station. This project will contribute toward the ITS goal to deploy a road weather information system in Florida for motorist information on short-range predictions. Dr. Mahoney expressed his appreciation for the teamwork and attitude evident in Florida’s efforts and urged continuance of the program in the future.

ITS America also honored the “industry’s best” during the Opening Session. Florida stood out in two categories for the Best of ITS Awards. The award for Outstanding State Chapter was presented to ITS Florida. Dr. Charles Wallace, President of the Florida Chapter, accepted this award. FDOT and Mobile Technologies were selected to receive the award for Best Partnership Deployment (Public-Private). This award was for an advanced traveler information system project located in the Tampa Bay area. Elizabeth Birriel, ITS Program Manager, accepted the award on behalf of FDOT District 7 and Mobility Technologies. More on this year’s awards can be found in the Announcement section of this newsletter.

The meeting and exposition were well attended; the Florida exhibit attracted its full share of attention. Plans are already under way for a strong Florida presence in 2006, scheduled to occur in Philadelphia, May 8-10.

This article was provided by Nick Adams, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations, ITS Section. For more information, please contact Mr. Adams at (850) 410-5608 or email Nick.Adams@dot.state.fl.us.

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The Roadway to Phoenix Was A Rough One

FDOT District 4 ITS Display
Ambitious–determined–overcoming obstacles... these are the words that FDOT’s District 4 team put new meaning to at ITS America’s 15th Annual Meeting and Exposition. The team’s fearless leader and District’s ITS Operations & Management Project Manager, Steve Corbin, took a simple request for information on ITS and turned it into a significant part of FDOT and ITS Florida’s shared exhibit at the meeting and exposition in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 2-5.

The District’s ITS kiosk concept began from an international request for more information on ITS in Florida. The end result is a life-size interactive display featuring a dynamic message sign (DMS), closed-circuit television camera, radar sensor, and live access to ITS devices. The majority of the kiosk equipment was donated by the District’s ITS partners–including TransCore, Inc., which constructed the sign structure, cabinet, and crates for transport to Phoenix.

FDOT’s District 4 team arrived two days prior to the meeting and exposition’s opening, since it was a first for the team and Sunday would allow an extra day just in case there were any last minute glitches. TransCore’s Hugh Stetter started counting the crates just after arriving early Saturday morning. Three crates were missing! No one knew where they were! What was known was that the sign support structure was not on the convention floor!

By Saturday’s end, the show’s organizer had helped by creating a make-shift sign support by hanging the large DMS from the ceiling, renting video displays, and providing furniture. Sunday was a full day on the floor for the District 4 team. Wiring and cabling were just part of the reconfiguration. Static electricity in the dry Arizona air blew out a key component–just hours before the show was to open.

Using the resources of the conference’s vendors, final repairs were made and the District 4 kiosk was ready for prime time along with the other exhibit partners from FDOT, ITS Florida, and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. Team members were assigned to speak on different ITS subjects–communication/ information technology, incident management, operations/ project management, maintenance, and government relations–throughout the three day conference. The District 4 team’s consultants organized a DMS contest, provided give-away items, produced customized luggage tags, and demonstrated live traffic management center activities.

Day two of the show started at 5:00 a.m. Local NBC TV affiliate KNPX-TV did a live shoot from the FDOT exhibit Tuesday morning, featuring Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise’s traffic management vehicle. The District 4 team helped gain publicity back in Florida on NBC stations later that day.

“Lessons learned” was an understatement for Steve Corbin and his team. The commitment to spread the positive ITS message from South Florida would not be snuffed by lost crates and glitches. District 4 has committed to the Road to Philadelphia next year when ITS America holds its meeting and exposition in the City of Brotherly Love. More and more customers, departments of transportation, media, and the traveling public are learning about the ITS lead that District 4 and all of Florida have taken in recent years.

The success of the FDOT exhibit was definitely a team effort. Thanks to the members from the Smart SunGuide Broward transportation management center, Palm Beach County interim transportation management system, and all the companies for their time and donated resources–Transcore, Inc., DMJM Harris Inc., PB Farradyne/Parsons Brinckerhoff, ADDCO Inc., and Coronet Inc.

The distinguished District 4 team was comprised of: Dong Chen, Steve Corbin, and Gaetano Francese from District 4; Hugh Stetter from TransCore Inc.; Bob Murphy from PB Farradyne; and Charles Robbins, Dee McTague, Tom Miller, Craig Vahle, and Erika Garcia from DMJM Harris. (L to R; front row)- Bob Murphy, Gaetano Francese, Charles Robbins, Dee McTague, Erika Garcia
(L to R - back row) - Dong Chen, Craig Vahle, Carl Smith, Steven Corbin, Oriol Nunez, Tom Miller (Hugh Stetter is not in the photo).

This article was provided by Bob Murphy, PB Farradyne. For more information, please contact Mr. Murphy at (561) 682-3350 or email MurphyB@pbworld.com.

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ITS Canada's 8th Annual Conference and General Meeting

ITS Canada celebrated its eight annual meeting in beautiful and historic Québec City, Canada, from May 15-17, 2005.

As the capital of the province of Québec, Québec City is home to 650,000 residents, and is located on the north shore of the St. Laurence River, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Montréal. Its name comes from an Indian word meaning "where the river narrows." The city is made up of two parts, the Upper Town and the Lower Town.

The theme for the meeting was "Time for Integration." On Monday, the annual meeting opened with a plenary session in which Joseph Lam, Chairman of ITS Canada, and Patrick Houle, Local Organizing Committee Chairman, welcomed all attendees. The first two technical sessions focused on international, national, regional, and local ITS perspectives. From an international perspective, Elizabeth Birriel, FDOT ITS Program Manager, gave a presentation on Florida's ITS Program.

In July 2004, the government of the state of Florida and the Gouvernement du Québec signed a Memorandum of Understanding titled Agreement on Economic, Scientific, and Technological Cooperation. In this agreement, both parties agree to pursue and enhance their cooperation in the areas of economic development, transportation, science, and technology, tourism, and education. As part of this agreement, Florida will exchange information on transportation issues such as ITS.

The Florida ITS Program presentation is only the first of what we anticipate to be many information sharing opportunities between both programs.

Later on Monday night, a premier networking event was held–a banquet at the prestigious Musée de la Civilisation.

Tuesday's sessions and presentation continued the integration theme with topics such as Integration of Safety Services and Operations Benefits of System Integration. The technical program provided attendees with information on a mix of research, planning, and ITS deployment.

Two technical tours, running concurrent with the conference sessions, involved visiting the Canadian Coast Guard and MTQ (Ministry of Transportation of Québec) Traffic Control Center. A large exhibit area also brought together many major manufacturers and ITS companies to showcase new technologies and products.

The ITS Canada 8th Annual Conference and General Meeting was an excellent opportunity to share and learn about our respective ITS programs. We look forward to the new opportunities these exchanges will bring.

This article was provided by Elizabeth Birriel, FDOT Engineering and Traffic Operations. For more information, please contact Ms. Birriel at (850) 410-5600 or email Elizabeth.Birriel@dot.state.fl.us.

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iFlorida Update

An update of iFlorida, the Surface Transportation Security and Reliability Information System Model Deployment grant awarded to FDOT by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), was published in the September 2004 SunGuide Disseminator. This update may be viewed at www.dot.state.fl.us/trafficoperations/ITS/ITSDeployment/Newsletter/issues/Sept04.htm#iFlorida.

Since iFlorida’s kick off in May 2003, District 5, working with its local partners, has maintained momentum towards completing the Deployment Phase of the project. Originally scheduled for completion on May 1, 2005, this phase has been extended to July 1, 2005, as a result of a no-cost time extension requested by FDOT from FHWA due to the 2004 hurricanes. The Operations and Maintenance Phase will begin on July 1, 2005, and will be completed on June 30, 2007.

The following is a brief status update of key iFlorida projects integral to the deployment of the project by July 1, 2005.

Central Florida Field Components Project
This project, which facilitates the deployment and installation of field devices, fiber enhancements, and associated network components improvements in the Central Florida area, experienced a delay as a result of the 2004 hurricanes that affected Central Florida. FDOT District 5 and the State Construction Office reviewed and approved the contractor’s request for a time extension through April 28, 2005. Installation of all field devices has been completed and the contractor is currently in the testing phase.

As part of this project, a Subrecipient Grant Agreement with 3M for the purchase of 3M microloops was completed, and the devices were installed by the contractor on State Road 528 to monitor evacuation routes from the east coast. Additionally, the communications infrastructure installation has been completed to connect the City of Orlando Integrated Operations Center with the FDOT regional transportation management center (RTMC).

Conditions Reporting System and Central Florida Data Warehouse Project
The Conditions Reporting System (CRS) is an Intranet/Internet-based information management tool that will collect, fuse, and disseminate transportation system-related conditions information for the Florida Intrastate Highway System (FIHS) throughout the state as well as more detailed multi-modal conditions information for the Central Florida region.

FDOT has facilitated coordination between their consultant, Castle Rock Consultants (CRC), and key CRS external interfaces such as Meteorlogix, University of North Florida (UNF), TransCore, Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA), Southwest Research Institution (SwRI), and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) computer-aided dispatch. Interfaces and data to be exchanged have been defined, and the project’s schedule is being continually monitored for completion by July 1, 2005.

The majority of the software development for this system (both the CRS as well as the Central Florida Data Warehouse) is complete. The software is being developed in separate modules and a number of these modules are currently in the testing phase. Once complete, the CRS will gather and fuse the data, and will automatically provide travel time data that will push travel times in the Central Florida area to the 511 system, dynamic message signs in the region as well as a traveler information Web site (also being developed by CRS). Once the data from the multiple data sources have been ingested, it will be archived in the Central Florida Data Warehouse, which will be used by the CRS for its predictive functions and will also provide a valuable tool for those in need of traveler information data.

Weather Project
FDOT has reviewed the final design documentation submitted by UNF and Meteorlogix, the key subconsultants on this project. FDOT has also reviewed and approved the road weather information systems structural drawings for the microwave tower sites. There is on-going installation of pole- and bridge-mounted equipment that will be completed by July 1, 2005.

511 Service Project
The 511 service, advertised in January 2005, will enhance the existing I-4 roadway converge by providing traveler information for all limited-access facilities and seven arterials in the Central Florida area as well as the development of a new statewide system that will provide incident and construction information on the FIHS roads not currently covered by the Tampa Bay and Southeast Florida 511 systems. FDOT has selected LogicTree as the subconsultant for this project, and a Notice to Proceed was issued for work to begin in March 2005. The scheduled “soft launch” date for this system is July 1, 2005. This will be followed by two months of system tuning and a public launch near Labor Day 2005.

Broadband Wireless
In February 2005, FDOT selected Viasys for the broadband wireless project. This project will provide wireless video for LYNX buses traveling on I-4 between downtown Orlando and the Disney area. A wireless network is being deployed along I-4 to bring this video to both the District 5 RTMC as well as the LYNX operations center.

Plans are currently under development, and both the contractor and FDOT continue to work with LYNX. The project is scheduled for completion on May 31, 2005.

July 1, 2005, will conclude the Deployment Phase and initiate the Operations and Maintenance Phase of iFlorida. As a result, all of the individual projects will be complete and the “system” will be fully operational on this date.

Once the system becomes fully functional, MetroPlan will conduct a data mining study, using data archived within the Central Florida Data Warehouse. Additionally, FDOT is currently in the process of finalizing the scope for a Network Reliability and Data Modeling Study project that will also make use of this archived data. These studies and assessments will take place during the Operation and Maintenance Phase of the project.

This article was provided by Jerry Woods, DOT District 5. For more information, please contact Mr. Woods at (386) 943-5311 or email Jerry.Woods@dot.state.fl.us.

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Systems Engineering For ITS Projects

• The transportation industry has generally followed the principals of systems engineering since the early 1950s when planning, designing, and constructing highways. Why isn’t there a parallel application to the complex and more rapidly changing field of ITS?

• The statistics of ITS successes and failures are not impressive. After more than 15 years of system acquisitions, it is possible to count on one hand the number of systems that have been successfully implemented on-time, on-budget, with acceptable levels of functionality. It would be reasonable to expect that agencies would enthusiastically embrace the discipline of systems engineering in an effort to improve this questionable track record. Yet this has not occurred.

In an effort to encourage the use of systems engineering for ITS projects, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued CFR 23, Part 940, Intelligent Transportation System Architecture and Standards (http://www.washingtonwatchdog.org/documents/cfr/title23/ part940.html), sometimes referred to as the “ITS Rule.” This rule was intended to encourage (in fact mandate) the use of systems engineering for all new ITS projects. Unfortunately, many agencies have interpreted it as just more Federal paperwork required by Washington for no apparent purpose. As a result, practicing transportation engineers have been enrolling in courses that tell them how to complete the paperwork, rather than attending courses that provide instruction on the underlying principles of systems engineering. Clearly, systems engineering has become the Rodney Dangerfield of ITS—“it ain’t got no respect.”

The History of Systems Engineering and ITS
As previously indicated, systems engineering is not a new discipline to the highway industry. Much of the work leading to the development of the highway planning process began in the 1950s and early 1960s. The concept of analyzing land use and estimating trip generation, trip distribution, and traffic assignment for new roadways is similar to the definition of requirements for ITS. The next step, the examination of alternative alignments, elevations, capacities, roadway designs, etc., is equivalent to ITS design, which must also trade-off various system and subsystem design alternatives. Stakeholder involvement is integral to this process along with the evaluation of the environmental impacts of the new facility—also critical to ITS development. Highway planning and design is a mature, well-defined process that is applicable to the development of most infrastructure-based systems.

Unfortunately, the systems engineering process is not as thoroughly integrated into the ITS acquisition process. Although we follow the highway construction process superficially (and often incorrectly through our use of its bidding and contract management practices), we fail to see the parallels with its planning and engineering practices.

As early as 1976, the Traffic Control Systems Handbook (US Department of Transportation, FHWA, Washington, DC 20590, June 1976) emphasized the importance of systems engineering for the design of complex traffic management systems. The Traffic Control Systems Handbook indicated that systems engineering is important because of the “confusing situation relative to the wide variety of traffic control technology and equipment (available).” It defined systems engineering in terms of the four phases of problem definition, analytical solution, mechanization, and verification. This list was subsequently expanded to include operations and maintenance as a fifth step between verification and problem definition to avoid the misconception that work on a new system should be initiated as soon as the original system has been completed (Computer Controlled Traffic Signal Systems, US Department of Transportation, FHWA, Washington, DC 20590, January 1987).

The systems engineering process has seen significant change since the 1970s and 1980s. Since that time, additional steps have been added to the process, which now include:

• Preplanning—Development of a regional architecture, memoranda of understanding, contracting plans, financial feasibility, etc.
• Planning—Preparation of a concept of operations defining the manner in which the system will be used.
• Requirements—Derivation of requirements which define what the system will do, possibly including prototyping.
• Design and specifications—Implementation trade-offs, specifications, plans, construction cost estimates, and, perhaps, additional prototyping.
• System implementation—Equipment acquisition, field construction, software development unit, and subsystem testing.
• System verification—Acceptance testing.

Equally important, the systems engineering concept of evolutionary development is now being emphasized during which the system is developed in small increments. In addition, techniques such as risk management, configuration management, configuration control, and quality assurance (verification and validation) have been integrated into the process. These concepts are described in detail by courses offered through the FHWA Professional Capacity Building Program (http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/), and the distance-learning curriculum of the Consortium for ITS Training and Education (http://www.citeconsortium.org/).

Conclusions
Strict adherence to the systems engineering process should be integral to all ITS implementations. The cost of ignoring this process is significant. The problems experienced by the transportation industry due to its failure to apply appropriate systems engineering techniques are not unique. Overall information technology industry statistics indicate that on the average, only 16 percent of information technology-based systems have been acquired on-time, on-budget with acceptable functionality. The remaining systems include 53 percent that were unsatisfactory and 31 percent for which the acquisition was cancelled (http://www.standishgroup.com/visitor/chaos_1994_1.php).

These problems can be overcome with the use of personnel with the appropriate skills and the application of proven systems engineering techniques.

This article was provided by Philip J. Tarnoff, Center for Advanced Transportation Technology, University of Maryland. For more information, please contact Mr. Tarnoff at (301) 403-4619 or email Tarnoff@eng.umd.edu.

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 – The Power of Information

There is a saying that information is power, and we all can agree that this is certainly true within the business world. It is also applicable in the transportation arena as well. Information gives the traveler the power to control his own destiny, at least regarding his travel options; and it also gives managers the power to optimize the operation of transportation systems. Without information, the traveler and our transportation system operators are at the mercy of this monster we call congestion.

We all can probably look to ourselves for examples of how information would have allowed us to optimize our travel time and make our travels less stressful. The last couple of times I traveled, I spent a lot of needless time sitting in airports being unproductive. Had I been able to know in advance, and to what degree, bad weather in Atlanta was affecting the departure times of Delta flights east of the Mississippi River, I would have at least had some option on what to do with my time. Once you are in the airport, your options eventually boil down to which bar you want to have a beer in.

Florida is making great strides in collecting information and using this information to make a difference in people’s travel across the state. We now have three advanced traveler information systems (ATIS) that provide travel information to about two-thirds of the state’s population. These systems are located in Southeast Florida, the Orlando area, and the Tampa Bay area. District 5 will expand the information available in the Orlando area through iFlorida, a FHWA grant, and will initiate a statewide ATIS beginning this summer. Districts 1 and 2 will expand the content of the statewide ATIS by improving the information available in Southwest Florida and Jacksonville.

Information regarding transportation systems empowers travelers with the ability to make intelligent decisions about their trip, to better utilize their time and optimize their journey. By the end of this summer, everyone in Florida will have access to traveler information through the phone by dialing 511 and/or through the statewide Web site, which will be located www.fl511.com.

In addition to the statewide ATIS, FDOT will have deployed ITS on close to 60 percent of the state’s limited-access facilities through completion of the Ten-Year ITS Cost Feasible Plan. The information collected through these systems will feed additional content to the statewide ATIS, and will allow operators in our regional transportation management centers to have the power to optimize the traffic flow on our limit-access facilities.

The dissemination of information can make the difference between being in control or being controlled. Operators can only do so much with the information provided through ITS. The traveler has to be a part of the process. By providing travelers with information, both pre-trip and en route, utilization of our limited transportation resources can be maximized. Information is truly power.

This editorial 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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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

Florida—A Winner in ITS America's Best of ITS Awards
FDOT District 7 and Mobility Technologies were awarded the Best of ITS Award in recognition of their public-private sector partnership for data services in the Tampa Bay area.

As part of an FHWA program, Mobility Technologies placed sensors in the rights-of-way along heavily urbanized portions of I-275 and I-4 in the Tampa Bay area. FDOT District 7 has used the traffic flow, congestion, incident, and travel time data provided by Mobility Technologies in their regional advanced traveler information system (ATIS) developed for the Tampa Bay area. Since September 2004, information from the ATIS in the Tampa Bay area has been provided to the public for use in the 511 system and on their Web site at www.511tampabay.com.

"We are delighted by the recognition of our partnership with FDOT District 7 and excited by the success of the Tampa Bay 511 system and Web site," said David L. Jannetta, President, Traffic.com, Inc. "Our unique ability to capture highly accurate and specialized traffic data and our consumer-focused, personalized content delivery is an ideal match for the requirements of this project and our public sector partnerships. We eagerly look forward to the evolution and growth of this partnership for years to come."

Hooray for District 7’s 511 system!!

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News from Phoenix: ITS Florida Wins Best State Chapter Award
On May 3, 2005, in Phoenix at their Annual Conference and Exposition, ITS America recognized ITS Florida as their 2005 Outstanding State Chapter! Chapter President Charles Wallace proudly accepted the award (an engraved marble obelisk) on behalf of the members of ITS Florida.

The ITSA Award was based on chapter accomplishments in 2004 including a Board Retreat that set a new direction for the Chapter, an informative ITS Legislative Awareness Day, a well-attended exhibition at the ITS America Annual Meeting in April 2004, and a very successful
Transpo2004 Conference and Exhibition in Jacksonville in December 2004.

The mission of ITS Florida is to foster the application of ITS solutions in Florida by sharing ideas and timely information with our membership, stimulating public-private partnerships, advocating ITS deployment, offering guidance to policy managers, and encouraging interest and support of ITS throughout the state. The ITS Florida vision is to bring organizations together in creative,
non-competitive environments to network among peers and to learn about developments and requirements of the industry in Florida. ITS Florida worked hard in 2004 to achieve these goals; and among other ITS state chapters, it’s great that ITS Florida stands out!

Congratulations to ITS Florida!

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New Faces!
FDOT District 7 Traffic Operations is pleased to introduce our new Traffic Incident Manager, Terry Hensley. Terry most recently served as a management consultant, but has a strong law enforcement background, retiring in 1989 as a Deputy Chief. Terry also served four years in the United States Air Force with tours of duty in Vietnam and Thailand. Terry has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Tampa and his Master's Degree from Nova University. He often teaches as an adjunct professor on drug and law enforcement issues with the University of South Florida, St. Leo's College, and others. He has also appeared on the Today Show, Fox Network's Hannity & Combes, MSNBC, and National Public Radio. Please help us welcome Terry to District 7!

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The FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office in Tallahassee is pleased to announce and welcome Paul Clark as the new Road Rangers and Incident Management Program Manager effective April 22, 2005.

Paul is well know by many of you who have had the pleasure of responding to our many hurricanes, so he has an over abundance of incident response experience.

Paul joined FDOT in January 1994 as a Property and Outdoor Advertising Inspector in District 1. He has since held positions as a Construction Inspector, Resident Asphalt Coordinator, Traffic Designer, Traffic Signal System Specialist, Roadway Designer, and for the last four years held the position of Central Office Emergency Coordinator.

Please help us in welcoming Paul to the Traffic Ops family and to the Incident Management Team!

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Hurricane Response Evaluation and Recommendations Report Now Available
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 report from this evaluation summarizes:

• 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 is now available and may be viewed at www.floridaits.com/Hurricane_Evaluation.htm.

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You Are Invited...
The FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office is holding two-day Stakeholders' Meeting at District offices to start updating the Florida Statewide ITS Architecture (SITSA). The Florida SITSA establishes a deployment plan structure, provides information for stakeholder buy-in, defines ITS projects, integrates ITS projects, and provides preliminary concepts of operations for ITS projects. It defines the roles of the various project partners from planning through operations and maintenance.

The objective of these two-day Stakeholders’ Meeting is to bring regional ITS stakeholders together to update the regional ITS architecture for compliance with the new National ITS Architecture, to include new market packages, to harmonize the regional ITS architecture with other regional ITS architectures, and to update ITS project requirements.

The Stakeholders' Meetings are as follows:

For more information, please contact Tahira Faquir, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office, at (850) 414-5617 or email Tahira.Faquir@dot.state.fl.us.

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Mark This Date of Your Calendar...
FDOT will hold its ITS Working Group Meeting on July 19-21, 2005, in St. Petersburg, Florida. This will be a condensed version of the annual meeting with the following events:

Look for future announcements with more detail!

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