SunGuide^SM Deployment: Lessons Learned in District Two — Jacksonville

As many of you may know by now, the statewide SunGuide^SM software was installed at the Jacksonville transportation management center (TMC) this past October with the goal of incorporating deployed devices from the I-95 Phase III and IV projects. The decision to install the software in District Two, one year earlier than anticipated, was based on a “win-win” situation for our design/build teams and the Department. Since all the new devices were compatible with SunGuide, it made more sense to install the software early, rather than modifying the legacy software based on the Georgia Navigator.

The end result is still pending; however, things look promising for SunGuide as the operations contractor uses it on a daily basis. The initial installation did not go as smoothly as planned, but the problems encountered should be expected when working with new software. In hindsight, it was a very valuable experience that I can now share with other Districts as they approach their installation dates.

The first thing to keep in mind is that National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP) is not forgiving! The SunGuide software is designed around these standards, thus any anomaly in device communication will trigger an error message and leads to an “out-of-service” response until the problem is addressed. We encountered this situation when testing the deployed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. A zoom command was sent and the CCTV camera did not respond. An error message appeared for that particular device and the software placed it as out-of-service. When a detailed analysis was performed, we learned that the size of the message packets were not the same. Further investigation led to a malfunctioning port server that was losing information. Once it was replaced, the CCTV camera operated normally, just like it was planned during the development of the NTCIP standards.

Likewise, there was a problem communicating with the vehicle detectors through SunGuide. After several days of analysis it was discovered that Electronic Integrated Systems (EIS) had upgraded its firmware on the detectors. Once this change was addressed, the devices communicated properly with SunGuide and data began to stream onto the map.

On a positive note, no problems occurred with the dynamic message sign (DMS) portion of SunGuide. The 15 new SkyLine and 8 legacy Telespot DMS worked to perfection when activated. One thing to note is that the contractor, MasTec, had to install IDI devices in the eight Telespot DMS to make them NTCIP compliant. This was a much easier approach than developing a new driver for the software.

Another surprising discovery was the magnitude of computer capacity required for SunGuide. We learned that you definitely need a HEMI engine inside the workstation to have the software operate smoothly. Part of the problem encountered was that the workstation runs SunGuide and Camera Cameleon at the same time. Each uses massive amounts of RAM, thereby tremendously slowing down the performance of the workstation. When we checked the workstation performance, the Task Manager showed that the workstation was continually operating at 100 percent capacity while both programs were opened.

To offset this problem, we installed additional RAM (total of 2 Gb) in the workstation. The end result was the workstation consistently operates at 40 percent capacity with minimal spikes along the way. Further investigation revealed that the major application within SunGuide, creating the need for more RAM, was detector data management . We noticed that when this application was activated for our 140 vehicle detectors the memory usage spiked up. We quickly realized that this could become an issue because District Two’s planned deployment of these vehicle detectors is only one-quarter of the way complete. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) provided a patch to address this issue; however, further analysis and upgrades may be necessary.

Once we resolved all the minor workstation issues, the “user factor” kicked into high gear. Like all red-blooded Americans, the operators expected to have SunGuide working to perfection 30 seconds after its initial installation. As the troubleshooting continued, we noticed the frustration level of the operators grow exponentially. By the second week after installation, the operators had nothing positive to say about SunGuide! As we patiently preached the words “practice, practice, practice...,” it became quite clear that the operators were just getting frustrated with the software's learning curve. There are still personal adjustments to be made, butt their increased patience has made it much easier to deal with the new software.

Throughout this 2-month time span, SwRI has provided us with upgrades to the SunGuide software package. The neatest feature for the latest upgrade is travel times. We are currently in the testing mode, trying to work out the glitches before we go live, but the results look promising. We have tested against probe vehicles and manual calculations to determine accuracy. So far, during normal traffic patterns, the comparison has been less than one minute apart. Unfortunately, there is still work to be done for situations where incidents and heavy congestion exist. Presently, the software is undergoing modifications to capture this travel time information.

The next step will be to make use of the incident management features in SunGuide. The TMC operators are currently practicing with this feature and trying to find a comfort zone with the information provided. At the same time, we will look into activating the archiving capabilities of SunGuide. The greatest fear I currently have is that the software will generate too much information and saturate the capacity of the computer hardware. As I said earlier, SunGuide needs a HEMI to handle its capabilities and I fear that we may be currently operating with a V-6 engine!

Reflecting back over the past several months, I feel that it has been a good learning experience for the District Two ITS office, SwRI and the Central Office ITS Program. The Jacksonville TMC was the first location where SunGuide had the opportunity to go live with multiple devices in “real life” situations instead of under simulation. We learned that NTCIP has its good and bad aspects, integrating several versions of a manufacturer’s firmware can be quite cumbersome and communication between ITS partners is the quintessential solution to overcoming problems.

My gratitude is extended to Liang Hsia, the Central Office ITS Program, and the SwRI SunGuide team for providing this unique opportunity to gain valuable experience with a very powerful software package. I hope our lessons learned will ease the pain as other Districts begin installing SunGuide into their TMCs.

This article was provided by Peter Vega, FDOT District 2. For more information, please contact Mr. Vega at (904) 360-5463 or email Peter.Vega@dot.state.fl.us.

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Highlights of OOCEA ITS Activities in 2005

The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) continued to expand its Expressway Management System in 2005 with the implementation of additional ITS field components and via the pursuit of various ITS initiatives.

Phase 2 Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) and Data Collection Sensors (DCSs) Systems
This project includes the installation of 50 CCTV traffic-monitoring cameras, nearly doubling the deployment of cameras on the OOCEA system by bringing the number of installed cameras to almost 100. Construction of the CCTV cameras is well underway and anticipated to be complete by April 2006.

The initial DCS deployment was completed in 2005 as part of this project. These sensors are currently supplying the data used to generate travel times for our customers. The DCS system includes installation of 88 supplemental toll transponder readers throughout the OOCEA’s expressways. These sensors support a system-wide traffic data collection system, which allows for real-time calculation of travel time and link speeds along the expressways. Sensors are installed in proximity to most interchanges and OOCEA system boundaries, and most are mounted on sign structures and bridge overpasses to leverage existing infrastructure. Sensors installed in construction zones utilize solar power and wireless communications to maintain data coverage throughout roadway improvement projects.

Installation of First Incident Management DMSs and Advertisement for DMS Construction Project
OOCEA advertised its first incident management DMS project in December 2005 with construction scheduled to begin in early 2006. This project includes the installation of 26 three-line DMSs. Data collection sensors will also be installed at each DMS location, which will be used by the data server to generate travel time messages. An additional eight DMSs have been added to the SR 408 facility improvement projects, which are currently being designed or under construction. OOCEA recently installed its first incident management DMS on SR 408 near the Citrus Bowl as part of a widening project.

The OOCEA DMS will display live travel-time information to customers as well as incident advisories, AMBER alerts, and other information of regional importance.

Notice to Proceed on First ITS Maintenance Contract
In February 2005, the OOCEA entered into an ITS infrastructure maintenance contract with Traffic Control Devices Inc. (TCD). The initial term for this contract is two years. TCD is responsible for maintaining various elements of the OOCEA ITS network, including 49 CCTV cameras, 6 portable DMSs, and all electrical system components associated with these ITS devices, including operation of the line management system used to locate the fiber optic network.

OOCEA Appointed to OmniAir’s Board of Directors
In recognition of the need to provide some influence in the vehicle infrastructure integration (VII) effort, the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) created a non-profit trade organization called the OmniAir Consortium. The VII initiative has the potential of dramatically affecting the way transportation agencies do business with tolling and ITS. Its purpose is to certify compliance with the established standards and to assure that their systems are interoperable. OOCEA was granted a seat on the OmniAir Board of Directors in September. Calvin Landers, Chief Operating Officer for OOCEA, will fill that seat.

This article was provided by L.A. Griffin, OOCEA. For more information, please contact Mr. Griffin at (407) 316-3800 or email GriffinL@oocea.com.

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Florida's Elder Road User Program—Addressing the Issue of Our Aging Population

Just like the rest of the nation, Florida’s aging population is increasing. According to the 2000 census, 18 percent of Florida’s population was 65 and over and it is projected that by the year 2030, the elder population will reach 26 percent.

At the FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office, we are being proactive in addressing this issue through our Elder Road User Program. We began working on this program back in 1991, by implementing proven roadway improvements on our State Highway System based on the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Highway Design for Older Drivers and Pedestrians Handbook.

Today, we are addressing the issue of our aging population by partnering with other state agencies that have existing programs dealing with senior transportation or mobility issues. We are currently working with the Department of Elder Affairs’ (DOEA) through their Communities for a Lifetime Initiative (http://www.communitiesforalifetime.org/—This link opens a new browser window.) and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) through their Florida Grand Driver Program (http://www.floridagranddriver.com/—This link opens a new browser window.). Together we are planning ways to address senior mobility issues in Florida—not only from our roadway perspective, but from the driver and the community also.

In order to successfully address senior mobility issues, we are developing a business plan for our Elder Road User Program. We are using some existing strategies and objectives from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Volume 9: A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Older Drivers, which provides guidance in this area for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official's (AASHTO’s) Strategic Highway Safety Plan. In the development of this plan, our partners are not only DOEA and DHSMV, but the Department of Community Affairs, Department of Health, FHWA, Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged, Florida At-Risk Council, and other Department offices such as Design, Planning, Safety, Maintenance, Transit, and each District Traffic Operations Office. Each representative is committed to working on this program to help identify activities from the perspective of their own program areas that will assist in the overall enhancement of the Elder Road User Program.

To date, some of the objectives we have identified from our initial meetings are to:

1. Enhance the safety, accessibility, and mobility of Florida’s elderly population.
2. Establish and maintain partnerships with both state, local, and private agencies, as well as FDOT offices involved in senior mobility issues.
3. Reflect the FDOT Elder Road User Program on the non-state highways.
4. Establish consistency and uniformity in the application of the Elder Road User Program.
5. Promote the Elder Road User Program as an essential program in Florida.

Together with our partners, we plan on continuing the path that was successfully started many years ago, and achieving our vision of providing leadership and serving as a catalyst in becoming national leaders in senior mobility issues.

If you would like to learn more about Florida’s Elder Road User Program, please visit our Web site at: http://www.dot.state.fl.us/trafficoperations/elderoad.htm

This article was provided by Gail Holley, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. For more information, please contact Ms. Holley at (850) 410-5414 or email Gail.Holley@dot.state.fl.us.

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ITS Florida's 2005 Annual Meeting

Workshop
ITS Florida started the day by offering a workshop titled “Road Weather and ITS.” It was conducted by National and Florida weather experts who addressed the integration of roadway weather information and ITS. It included the following topics:

Business Meeting
During the afternoon of December 6, ITS Florida held their annual Business Meeting, where President Charles Wallace gave an update on ITS Florida’s Year in Review, providing detail on the progress and activities of ITS Florida for 2005. President Wallace also reviewed the current goals and objectives of ITS Florida which were established early in the year at the ITS Florida Retreat.

The six ITS Florida committees—Outreach, Member Services, Events Coordination, Professional Capacity Building, Management, and the Advisory Council—provided information on each committee’s purpose and current activities. All committee chairs presented long lists of accomplishments in 2005 and had the same message for the organizational members present:

“ITS Florida needs more volunteers to help do the work we have committed to do.”

To learn more about each committee role, visit the “Committees” link at the ITS Florida Web site (www.itsflorida.org). There are also instructions on how to volunteer to assist on a committee.

ITS Florida was fortunate to have the Chair of the ITS America Coordinating Council, Mr. Pat McGowan, provide an excellent presentation on the current activities of the ITS America Coordinating Council. ITS Florida, as a State Chapter of ITS America, is a member of the Council.

As a second guest speaker, ITS Florida invited Mr. Neil Schuster, President and CEO of ITS America, to provide an update on SAFETEA-LU and ITS. Mr. Schuster’s presentation was very informative and provided an inside look at how this act how affects ITS.

The last guest speaker for the ITS Florida 2005 Annual Meeting was Chief Mark Souders, President of the Florida Fire Chief’s Association. Chief Souders serves as Chief of the Bradenton Fire Department. He shared his association’s goals and was very interested to hear how ITS can help the fire department and other emergency personnel in reaching an incident more quickly and safely. By listening to his presentation, it became quite apparent that there is a strong tie between our business and his.

Awards Banquet
After the Business Meeting was over, ITS Florida held the Reception and Awards Banquet. This is where ITS Florida announces the award winners, scholarship winner, and newly elected Board members. ITS Florida was pleased to have Dr. Jim Ely, Executive Director of Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE), deliver a very enlightening speech regarding the future of transportation and the direction of SunPass®. FE is in the process of replacing today’s bulky transponders with new, sleek transponders.

The 2005 scholarship winner was Mr. Vikash Gayah. Mr. Gayah is working towards his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Central Florida, where he maintains a grade point average of 4.0. Mr. Gayah is currently a research assistant under Dr. Abdel-Aty at the UCF Transportation Engineering Department, working on using traffic simulation software to assess the effects of potential ITS as real-time accident prevention techniques. Mr. Gayah received a scholarship award of $2,500 from ITS Florida. Mr. Gayah hasn’t decided his path after graduation in 2006, but he is committed to continuing to work in the area of traffic safety and ITS. ITS Florida is proud of the opportunity to support a student of this caliber.

ITS Florida was proud to award two Certificates of Outstanding Achievement for 2005. FDOT District 4 was the recipients of this award for implementation of the Consumer Information Network (CIN) Regional Transportation Organization (RTO) transit information project. The second recipient was FDOT’s Central Office for their ITS Program Implementation.

ITS Florida was also pleased to recognize Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise as the ITS Florida Member of the Year for their Traffic Incident Management Program. FTE implemented the traffic management vehicle (TMV) as a pilot program. The TMV allows FTE to work towards their goal of an integrated incident management program, including the reduction of incident clearance times and keeping customers informed of impacts to traffic when an incident occurs. In addition, FTE implemented the Rapid Scene Clearance (RISC) Program. The RISC Program has assisted the FTE in its ability to meet the Open Roads Policy of clearing incidents from roadways in 90 minutes or less.

Mr. James (Jim) Reynold was recognized by ITS Florida with the ITS Florida President’s Award for 2005. Mr. Reynold is a Vice President for PB Farradyne in their Ft. Lauderdale office. Mr. Reynold has been involved with ITS Florida for many years and has served the roles of Director at Large, Secretary/Treasurer, Vice President, President, and Immediate Past President. Mr. Reynold was responsible for publishing the ITS Florida newsletter and has served on many committ ees and task forces over the years, always staying involved with ITS Florida.

This year’s winner of the ITS Champion of the Year was Mr. Lake K. Ray, III. Mr. Ray currently serves as a Councilman for the City of Jacksonville, President of the First Coast MPO, City Council Liaison to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), and is a member of the Council’s Transportation, Environment, and Energy Committee. Mr. Ray has been a strong advocate for ITS in the northeast Florida region. He has been successful in getting the City Council to convert funds from grade separation solutions to ITS. His leadership led to the first-ever Jacksonville ITS Summit held in April 2004. ITS Florida is proud to recognize Councilman Ray and looks forward to an even stronger relationship in the coming years.

ITS Florida was pleased to award the 2005 ITS Professional of the Year award to Ms. Elizabeth Birriel. Ms. Birriel is the ITS Program Manager for the FDOT Central Office. Ms. Birriel has been very active in both supporting the ITS Program and in serving as Secretary/Treasurer of ITS Florida. Ms. Birriel was successful in obtaining funding for the ITS Program for Operations and Maintenance, as well as some replacement funds. This is the first time that the ITS Program has received money for these purposes.

Congratulations to all winners on your accomplishments!

Next on the agenda were the announcements of the newly elected officers and Board Directors for 2006. The officer positions of ITS Florida are 1-year terms. The Board Director-at-Large positions are 2-year terms. The 2006 officer positions are as follows:

• President-—Mr. Jay Calhoun (Gray-Calhoun and Associates, Inc.)
• Vice-President-—Ms. Elizabeth Birriel (FDOT)
• Secretary/Treasurer—Ms. Anita Vandervalk (Cambridge Systematics, Inc.)
• ITS Florida Immediate Past President—Dr. Charles Wallace (PB Farradyne)

ITS Florida also elected three new Board Directors for 2006, and is pleased to add:

• Ms. Sandra Beck (Professor at Eckerd College and also serves on the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority)
• Mr. K.K. Saxena (Kimley-Horn and Associates)
• Mr. Ken Jacobs (Pinellas County Transportation Department)

ITS Florida is looking forward to a very active and successful 2006!

ITS Florida would also like to recognize the outstanding service that it has received from the outgoing Board members. Mr. L.A. Griffin of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority has served as a Board Director-at-Large for the past two years. Dr. David Lambert of the University of North Florida has served as a Board Director-at-Large for the past three years. Mr. Chester Chandler of F.R. Aleman & Associates has served the Board in multiple positions for the past five years. ITS Florida is also pleased to recognize the many years of service that Dr. Charles Wallace has provided to ITS Florida, lastly being his role as President for 2005. ITS Florida is appreciative of the time and dedication provided by each of these members and hopes to continue working with them through the organizational committees and task forces.

This article was provided by Erika Ridlehoover, TransCore. For more information, please contact Ms. Ridlehoover at (813) 376-0036 or email Erika.Ridlehoover@transcore.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—“A Plan for Success”: Florida's Traffic Incident Management Strategic Plan

In my travels around the state, and nationally, I am constantly reminded how good we have it. We, the state of Florida, have one of the most proactive Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Programs in the country. I am constantly asked for copies of our memorandum of understandings (MOUs), and questioned on different programs we have in Florida. But, at the same time, I see areas, and changes in direction, that we need to take to be even more successful; and these are laid out in the soon-to-be-released TIM Strategic Plan.

The overall goal of this plan is to provide the Department with more detailed strategies to ensure the success of TIM. It outlines and reaffirms areas that we need to look at as far as benchmarking and performance monitoring for the program. I believe this plan will assist the Department in continuing to move in the right direction.

The plan also highlights some of the state and local successes. Some of these highlights are as follows:

• Current Status of Statewide TIM
• Statewide “Open Roads Policy” between Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and the Department
• Guidelines of Accidental Discharge of Motor Vehicles (Non-Cargo)
• iWitness Photogrammetry software used on major incidents to expedite opening roads
• FDOT Road Ranger approval to join the State Law Enforcement Radio System (800MHz)
• Current Status of Local TIM
• 15 Active TIM teams involving 24 counties
• 8 Counties in the planning stages
• Florida ’s Turnpike Enterprise
• Rapid Incident Scene Clearance (RISC) Program
• Districts 1 and 4
• Sponsoring 14 FHPs on Alligator Alley
• District 2
• Establishing the “Open Roads Policy” at the local level
• District 4
• Severe Incident Response Vehicle (SIRV)
• Tablet-based tracking of Road Rangers data
• District 5
• All counties within the District are a member of a TIM team
• Sponsoring 21 FHPs on I-4
• Established and/or establishing local “Open Roads Policies” District wide
• Established agreement with the Medical Examiner
• Tested a common TIM communications system
• District 6
• PDA-based tracking of Road Rangers data

And the list continues to grow. What the TIM Strategic Plan tries to do is embrace these proactive programs and apply them statewide. The philosophy of the plan is to think globally (statewide), plan regionally, and practice locally.

There are four major areas the plan addresses:

• TIM operations (deals with resource and incident management),
• Communications and technologies (looks at the integration of communications, ITS, etc),
• Programs and institutions (increases stakeholders, MOUs, staffing, etc), and
• Recommended changes in law, policies, and procedures.

What I hope the state can gain from this plan is a detailed map for the future of TIM. Without setting these aggressive goals for TIM, we will continue to move forward, but not at the needed pace. Our state continues to grow and TIM has to grow with it. Remember, the goal of the TIM Strategic Plan is to make TIM more successful.

This editorial 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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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 Meeting will be on March 15, 2006, at the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida. Additionally, during the week of March 14-17, other ITS-related events have been scheduled including:

• Change Management Board Meeting
• Exhibit Showcase
• Training

Look for your invitation and registration which will be sent to you soon. All conference information will also be available on the ITS Program Web site at www.dot.state.fl.us/trafficoperations/ITS/WGM/WGM.htm. For more information, please contact Ms. Karen England at (850) 580-7867 or email KarenEngland@pbsj.com.

We hope you will make plans to attend!

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Contraflow Workshop/Conference on February 14-15, 2006
The FDOT Traffic Incident Management Program would like to invite you to attend a contraflow workshop/conference to be held on February 14-15, 2006, at the Florida Mall Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

The objective of this workshop is to bring stakeholders together to discuss lessons learned and best practices from their state. Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia have been asked to present information on their contraflow plans. All of these states have contraflow plans and the majority of them have implemented them in recent years.

A core team will work together to gather this information and present the initial outcomes to the group on the second day of the workshop. This will allow all participants to learn from the other states' deployments. Additional information refinement will take place post-conference.

A workshop CD and DVD will also be created. The CD will have integrated text, audio, and video elements to deliver the workshop presentations with speaker support using Macromedia Flash to deliver the content. A DVD will also be developed from the workshop to provide an executive overview. These items will be delivered to all conference participants.

If you would like to register for the conference, or need additional information, please contact Pamela Haynes at (850)410-5632 or email Pamela.Haynes@dot.state.fl.us.

All I-95 Corridor Coalition members should contact Ms. Haynes for additional information before registering.

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PBS&J Selected as Central Office ITS General Consultant
PBS&J has been selected to repeat as the Central Office ITS General Consultant. After reviewing written proposals and participating in the oral presentation process the Technical Review Committee ranked PBS&J as the top firm out of three firms that submitted letters of interest. On December 20, 2005, after several delays due to scheduling difficulties, the Selection Committee selected PBS&J to repeat as the Central Office ITS General Consultant.

Congratulations to PBS&J for getting selected for a second tour of duty with the Department.

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