Traveller Information and Traffic Management Orangebook - Issue2 - Print

2005
ISSUE 1
Smart Highways
Sponsored by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise

2005
ISSUE 1
Smart Highways
Sponsored by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise

Table of Contents
Table of Contents ...............................................................................................................................................................iii
List of Figures .....................................................................................................................................................................ix
List of Business Process Diagrams and Tables ..............................................................................................................xi
Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................................................................xiii
Preface ...............................................................................................................................................................................xv
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................................xvii
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ..............................................................................................................................xxi
Chapter 1 What is a Smart Highway? ..............................................................................................................................23
The Smart Highway Defined...................................................................................................................................23
Peering Into the Future ...........................................................................................................................................23
Motivating Customers ................................................................................................................................23
A Customer-Centric Infrastructure .............................................................................................................26
Smart Highway Services ........................................................................................................................................27
Traffic Management ..................................................................................................................................27
Avoiding and Managing Incidents ..............................................................................................................27
Traveler Information...................................................................................................................................27
Synergy of Traveler Information and Traffic Management.........................................................................28
Payment Systems .....................................................................................................................................28
Commercial Vehicle Operations ................................................................................................................28
Customer Service .....................................................................................................................................28
Back-Office Functions ...............................................................................................................................29
Process Management.............................................................................................................................................30
Enterprise Resource Planning ...................................................................................................................30
Customer Relationship Management ........................................................................................................31
Smart Highways — Today ......................................................................................................................................31
Drivers .......................................................................................................................................................31
Vehicles: More Performance .....................................................................................................................31
Vehicles: More Information ........................................................................................................................31
Infrastructure .............................................................................................................................................32
The Current State-of-the-Art ...................................................................................................................................32
Incident Management ...............................................................................................................................33
Smart Highways iii ITS Orange Book™

Verification .................................................................................................................................................34
Sending Information, Internally and Externally ..........................................................................................34
Incident Response and Clearance ............................................................................................................34
On-the-Scene Incident Management.........................................................................................................35
Local Incident Management Activities .......................................................................................................35
Role of Roadway Design ...........................................................................................................................35
Payment Systems .....................................................................................................................................36
Additional Payment Mechanisms ..............................................................................................................38
Mobile Commerce .....................................................................................................................................38
Flow Management ..................................................................................................................................................38
Safety and Security ...................................................................................................................................40
Traveler/Service Information .....................................................................................................................42
Situational Awareness ...............................................................................................................................44
Moving Toward Smart Highways ............................................................................................................................49
Future-Proofing..........................................................................................................................................50
Transitioning ..............................................................................................................................................51
Interoperability ...........................................................................................................................................51
System Architectures .................................................................................................................................51
Designing in the Smarts ............................................................................................................................52
Chapter 2 Needs and Issues ............................................................................................................................................55
Commonalities ........................................................................................................................................................55
Saving Lives ..............................................................................................................................................55
Travel-Time Reliability ...............................................................................................................................56
Saving Money ............................................................................................................................................57
Improved Quality of Life.............................................................................................................................57
Cutting-Edge Technology vs. Reliability ...................................................................................................57
Constituent Perspectives ........................................................................................................................................57
Infrastructure Owner-Operator ..................................................................................................................57
Driver and Passenger Perspective ............................................................................................................58
Private-Sector Perspective .......................................................................................................................59
How Do Infrastructure Operators and the Automotive Industry Collaborate?............................................60
Chapter 3 Benefits and Impacts .......................................................................................................................................63
ITS Orange Book™ iv Smart Highways

High-level Benefits and Impacts .............................................................................................................................63
Fewer Accidents and Fatalities ..................................................................................................................63
Automobile Safety ....................................................................................................................................64
Enhancing the Environment ......................................................................................................................65
Saving Time ...............................................................................................................................................65
Saving Money ............................................................................................................................................66
Commercial Vehicle Operations ................................................................................................................67
Improving the Travel Experience ............................................................................................................................67
Infotainment ...............................................................................................................................................67
Service Delivery: Options ..........................................................................................................................67
Funding Smart Highways .......................................................................................................................................68
Paying for Use ...........................................................................................................................................68
The Shadow Option ..................................................................................................................................68
Other Payment Considerations .................................................................................................................68
Private Industry Perspective – IT/ITS Industry .......................................................................................................68
Direct Value Benefits .................................................................................................................................69
Indirect Value Benefits ...............................................................................................................................69
Private Industry Perspective – Automotive Industry ..............................................................................................70
Economic Benefits .....................................................................................................................................70
Supply Chains ...........................................................................................................................................70
Telematics..................................................................................................................................................71
Software Applications ................................................................................................................................74
Telecommunications ..................................................................................................................................75
Information Service Providers – Content ...................................................................................................76
Business Models .......................................................................................................................................76
Chapter 4 Smart Highway Elements ................................................................................................................................79
The Systems View ..................................................................................................................................................79
The Smart Vehicle ....................................................................................................................................79
The Smart Roadway ..................................................................................................................................80
Communications ........................................................................................................................................80
What Can Be Done?..................................................................................................................................80
Vehicle Infrastructure Integration ...........................................................................................................................81
Smart Highways v ITS Orange Book™

On-Board Units .........................................................................................................................................81
Dedicated Short-Range Communications .................................................................................................81
Safety Systems..........................................................................................................................................83
Convenience Systems ...............................................................................................................................88
Commercial Systems.................................................................................................................................88
Integration of Smart Highway Elements .................................................................................................................89
What can be done today and tomorrow?...................................................................................................89
Chickens or Eggs – What to Do When You Have to Choose ....................................................................92
Chapter 5 Smart Highway Business Model ....................................................................................................................95
What is a Business Model? ....................................................................................................................................95
Why Should a Business Model Be Used? ..............................................................................................................95
How Should a Business Model Be Used? ..............................................................................................................95
Key Components: Smart Highway Business Model ...............................................................................................96
Market, Customer, and Enterprise Objectives ...........................................................................................97
Strategy, Goals, and Business Objectives .................................................................................................97
Plan Product and Service Offerings ..........................................................................................................98
Sales and Marketing ..................................................................................................................................98
Production and Delivery ..........................................................................................................................100
Invoice and Service Customers ...............................................................................................................102
Internal Resources or Private Partners and Third Parties ....................................................................................104
Business Process Analysis – Production and Delivery of Potential Smart Highway Applications ........................104
Mobile Traveler Services .........................................................................................................................104
Location-Based Services .........................................................................................................................104
Predictive Travel Time .............................................................................................................................106
Technologies and Vendors ......................................................................................................................109
Common Infrastructure – Multiple Service Providers .......................................................................................... 110
VICS ....................................................................................................................................................... 110
U.S. Electrical Generation/Supply .......................................................................................................... 111
Trafficmaster ............................................................................................................................................ 111
Chapter 6 Implementation and Deployment ................................................................................................................. 113
Deployment Focus................................................................................................................................................ 113
Who Are Smart Highways For? ............................................................................................................................ 113
ITS Orange Book™ vi Smart Highways

Drivers ..................................................................................................................................................... 113
Highway Owners ..................................................................................................................................... 114
Third-Party Product and Service Providers ............................................................................................. 114
The Smart Highway Vision ................................................................................................................................... 114
Smart Highway Rationale ..................................................................................................................................... 116
Highway Management with Performance Monitoring Measures ............................................................. 116
Maximizing and Preserving Road Value .................................................................................................. 117
Performance Monitoring in Concession Contracts .................................................................................. 117
Two Implementation Approaches ......................................................................................................................... 118
The Retail Store ...................................................................................................................................... 118
“Full Monty” vs. the A la Carte Model....................................................................................................... 119
Selling Smart Highways – A Business Case Template .........................................................................................120
Implementation Contract Models: Different Models for Different Purposes ..........................................................122
Sample Implementation Models ..............................................................................................................125
Public/Private Partnerships .....................................................................................................................130
External Requirements and Constraints ...............................................................................................................130
Potential Legal and Legislative Constraints.............................................................................................130
Standardization........................................................................................................................................131
Regional Issues (Limiting Scope) ............................................................................................................131
Chapter 7 Summary and Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................133
Implementation ........................................................................................................................................134
Management and Operations .................................................................................................................135
Performance ............................................................................................................................................137
Additional References ....................................................................................................................................................139
Contributors .....................................................................................................................................................................141
Smart Highways vii ITS Orange Book™

This page is left blank intentionally.
ITS Orange Book™ Smart Highways

List of Figures
Figures
Figure 1. Mercedes-Benz S-Class .....................................................................................................................................25
Figure 2. Michigan DOT’s Strawman VII Vision .................................................................................................................33
Figure 3. Open Road Tolling Gantries – Autopista Central, Santiago Chile ........................................................................37
Figure 4. Example of Lane Management and Speed Control Technology ..........................................................................39
Figure 5. 511 Road Sign .....................................................................................................................................................43
Figure 6. TMC for Vespucio Norte Express in Santiago, Chile ...........................................................................................45
Figure 7. Integrated Road Safety Program .........................................................................................................................64
Figure 8. Explanation of OnStar System .............................................................................................................................73
Figure 9. Integrated Telematics Solution - OEM ..................................................................................................................74
Figure 10. Telematics Mobile Device Integration -PDA .......................................................................................................75
Figure 11. Sample Vehicle/Infrastructure Communication Scheme ....................................................................................79
Figure 12. High Level VII Concept ......................................................................................................................................81
Figure 13. DSRC Performance Envelopes .........................................................................................................................82
Figure 14. Heads-Up Display ..............................................................................................................................................83
Figure 15. Process Classification Framework .....................................................................................................................96
Figure 16. Business Model ..................................................................................................................................................97
Figure 17. OmniAir Players ..............................................................................................................................................129
Smart Highways ix ITS Orange Book™


List of Business Process Diagrams and Tables
Business Process Diagrams TOC
Diagram 1. Market and Sell .................................................................................................................................................99
Diagram 2. Invoice and Service the Customer .................................................................................................................103
Diagram 3. Location-Based Services ................................................................................................................................105
Diagram 4. LBS Data Tracking and Consolidation ...........................................................................................................107
Diagram 5. Request for Alternate Route ...........................................................................................................................107
Diagram 7. Predictive Travel Time: Combining Production Information with Near Real-Time Data .................................108
Diagram 6. Predictive Travel Time: Data Stream .............................................................................................................108
Diagram 8. Predictive Travel Time: Improving Operational Conditions ............................................................................109
Tables
Table 1. Disease Burden (DALYs* lost) for 10 Leading Causes ..........................................................................................55
Table 2. Effective Traffic Remedies Survey .........................................................................................................................56
Table 3. Smart Highway Integrated System Capabilities .....................................................................................................90
Table 4. Highway/Vehicle Capability Matrix .........................................................................................................................93
Table 5. Alternate Contracting Vehicles for Smart Highway Development .......................................................................123
Table 6. Advantages and Disadvantages of Alternate Contracting Vehicles ....................................................................124
xi
Smart Highways ITS Orange Book™

Acknowledgements
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise has commissioned this ITS This document is a direct result of the Florida’s Turnpike
Orange Book™ on the topic of smart highways as part of Enterprise’s vision and the collaborative efforts of
its ongoing efforts to provide its customers with a travel diverse experts from a variety of fields pertinent to smart
experience that is safe, reliable, efficient and customer highways. These individuals who were so generous with
friendly. This document is but one element of the Florida’s their time and expertise are listed in the Contributors
Turnpike Enterprise’s continuing effort to set the standard section at the end of this ITS Orange Book™.
for the prototype user financed highway system for the
21st century.
ITS Orange Book – Smart Highways, Workshop Group Photo
Left to right: Kan Chen, Tip Franklin, Bob McQueen, Randy Doi, John Benda, Susan Kuca, Jim Schultz, Haniph Latchman, Chris Warren, Steve
Underwood, Judy Kincaid, Tom Delaney, John Bonds, Sue Gratch, Armand Ciccarelli, Amando Madan, Mike Akridge, Chris Wilson, Luis Hevia, Lee
Bonds, Dan Himes, and Doug Henderson
Smart Highways xiii ITS Orange Book™


Preface
Welcome to the second in the series of PBS&J ITS that follows, additional perspectives and input sharpen
Orange Books™, in which we explore the state of the art and expand objectives. This segment concludes with
and practice with respect to smart highways. The delivery a joint definition and agreement on the outline of the
of a range of user-friendly services that complement a proposed ITS Orange Book™ and a commitment by
highway’s physical assets is a hot topic in the world of participants to fully support the remainder of the process.
intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and is central to
Segment B – Defining the ITS Orange Book™
the activities associated with the integration of vehicles
and roadside infrastructure, and the provision of a range A smaller group of 12-15 agree to meet in an intensive
of information services. two-day workshop to finalize the ITS Orange Book™
outline and to create a detailed road map for its structure
The PBS&J ITS Orange Book™ program was conceived
and content. In combinations of smaller working groups
as a platform for the discussion of specialist topics related
and larger plenary discussion sessions, the participants
to the application of information and telecommunication
design an English version of the work product that
technologies in transportation. Inspired by IBM’s
captures the essence of the proposed ITS Orange
highly successful RedBook™ program that addresses
Book™. This is used to guide the development and editing
information technology subjects, each ITS Orange Book™
teams during the next segment, when the ITS Orange
is the compilation of the knowledge and best-thinking of
Book™ is created.
an array of experts in the selected fields.
Segment C – Developing and Reviewing the ITS
In four structured phases, these leaders collaborate (using Orange Book™
all the tools of sophisticated collaborative technology) to
survey the ITS worldwide arena. Their task is to identify, PBS&J staff and selected program participants team in
define, and assess existing and emerging technologies; a small group to create the first draft. Then, again using
explore their current and potential applications; and collaboration technologies, 20-30 participants review the
present their findings. The document that results, we draft together to refine the work product. Peer review
believe, offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date is invited for final comments and suggestions. Once
look at the planning, development, implementation, and the content has been finalized, PBS&J taps its internal
ITS operations in practice around the world. resources for formatting and graphics treatments, and
final editing. The ITS Orange Book™ is then ready for
Each ITS Orange Book™ originates as a hot-topic publication.
suggestion from the ITS community at large; one of the
various activity centers for ITS research and knowledge- Segment D – Rolling Out the ITS Orange Book™
sharing around the world; a PBS&J client, or PBS&J Once the ITS Orange Book™ has been published, the
professional. PBS&J then polls the ITS community job of communicating results, disseminating knowledge,
to ascertain the level of interest in the subject before and stimulating further focus on its theme begins. The ITS
negotiating with relevant co-sponsors. Once interest has Orange Book™ is published in print and electronically,
been established, prospective participants identified, and and distributed to a range of ITS professionals. To
sponsorship arrangements put in place, the four-step provide a forum for discussion, a workshop or seminar is
development process can begin. themed around the contents. This may be a stand-alone,
Segment A – Setting the Scene for the ITS Orange purpose-driven event, or part of a larger special session
Book™ or discussion panel.
Teleconferencing and real-time web collaboration tools Working with academic institutions and other interested
bring 20-30 participants together for the introductory parties, PBS&J coordinates and organizes the ITS Orange
session. Background information is exchanged, interests Book™ program and directs the timely publication of
and perspectives are established, and then, to orient the results, both online and in publications. The online version
group to the theme of the book, a concise presentation
frames the proposed issues. In the facilitated discussion
Smart Highways xv ITS Orange Book™

of the ITS Orange Book™ is designed to enable program To suggest a hot topic for an upcoming ITS Orange
participants to review the edited version to ensure that the Book™, to learn how to participate in the development of
editing team has not altered the sense of the material. an ITS Orange Book™, or for general information about
the program, please contact Susan Kuca at PBS&J at
The first ITS Orange Book™, on Predictive Travel Time,
407.806.4140 or susankuca@pbsj.com.
was developed in collaboration with TrafficCast, ITS
America - SIGIRL, and The ATLANTIC Project, and has Kan Chen, professor emeritus of electrical engineering
been expanded and updated several times. The latest and computer science at the University of Michigan, is
version is available in electronic form at http://www.pbsj. a senior advisor to PBS&J’s IMS team and serves as
com/itsorangebook/. editor of the ITS Orange Book™ series on an ongoing
basis. Anyone interested in contacting Kan to discuss this
or any future ITS Orange Book™ should e-mail him at:
kanchen@pbsj.com.
ITS Orange Book™ xvi Smart Highways

Executive Summary
Highway as a concept dates back to the first century, particular, the business viewpoint brings new insights into
when the Romans paved their conquered worlds with the the possibilities for layering information, entertainment,
roadways that cultivated civilization. The very word, in and safety services on top of smart infrastructure and
fact, points to their feat of engineering: roads were always smart services, in beneficial partnerships.
built higher than the surrounding ground. Ever since then,
engineers through time have continually and persistently From Basics to Added Value: The
looked for ways to improve this facility. Evolution of ITS
Today’s smart highway stands at the peak of this lineage. There is a wide range of current and emerging information
As an idea, however, it’s not entirely new; but it does and telecommunication technologies that can be applied
encapsulate a modern perspective wherein the roadway, to infrastructure and vehicles. Many of these are being
the vehicle, and the driver will operate as a single deployed today under the auspices of ITS programs
system. The concept also offers a window onto what’s around the world. An analysis of the various international
ahead in transportation – in terms of planning, design, ITS programs reveals that many technologies are being
development, and operation of tomorrow’s transportation applied in support of operational management objectives.
arteries. This is a significant benefit, because many of It could, in fact, be argued that ITS is really the study and
the technologies embedded in smart highways are in understanding of the basic processes that a transportation
development, and in some cases, in place, right now. agency supports as it converts its resources into
Such off-vehicle intelligent transportation system (ITS) value, and the careful application of information and
applications as advanced traveler information and traffic telecommunication technologies to the activities and work
management systems (ATIS and ATMS) and on-vehicle products that form the processes.
route guidance and concierge systems are even now
making the infrastructure smarter, improving operations, Our view has matured as we have gained implementation
and adding services to vehicles. experience, and we now understand the close relationship
between technology deployments and operational
But to realize the ultimate potential of technology, and management. We know that optimum effects are achieved
fulfill the defining purpose of the smart highway - to when the deployment of technology fully supports the
save lives, time, and money at the maximum possible operational management procedures being employed on
rates - then we need to focus on system integration, The the public sector side of the operation, and that effective
close interaction of roadside infrastructure and in-vehicle business models or commercial approaches are being
equipment is prerequisite to achieving advanced safety adopted by any private sector partners involved.
and information systems. This fully integrated support,
where each component of the system complements the Looking at the vehicle in the smart highways equation,
other, is brought about only when technology is applied we see that great progress has been made with the
coherently and effectively. incorporation of electronics and information technology
(IT) into vehicles. The telematics industry has developed
The overall objective, then, is to design, develop, and sensors and devices that make driving easier, safer, and
implement smart infrastructure and vehicles that take full more enjoyable. Recent efforts to establish “zero fatality,”
account of the needs, operations and management of the and further progress towards preserving and enhancing
entire system. When this is understood, the development the safety of the driver and occupants, will require closer
of a smart highway brings a wide range of information and integration of vehicles and infrastructure as well as better
telecommunication technologies into play at many and trained drivers.
various points in the total process of planning.
Furthermore, a holistic view of the smart highway requires An Integrated Approach

us to consider more than the technologies. It is necessary
We are starting to recognize the need to treat the
to define the process behind the smart highway and how
individual elements of the total smart highway—
it operates from technical and business perspectives. In
infrastructure, vehicle, driver, and services—as a single
Smart Highways xvii ITS Orange Book™

system that should be integrated to be coherent and Why Now?
compatible. Each element should be designed and
implemented to be in harmony with and fully support The vital interaction between roadside infrastructure and
the best operation of itself and the other elements. in-vehicle equipment was recognized 15 years ago by
The organizations and enterprises responsible for the Professor Kan Chen in a paper, Toward Motoring Smart.
planning, development, deployment, and operational Kan Chen and Robert D. Ervin defined the subject as
management of the smart highway must also adopt work a “chicken and egg” problem – what comes first, the
activities, processes, and procedures that work together chicken (roadside infrastructure) or the egg (in-vehicle
to fully support the well-being of the overall system. equipment)? This is a circular problem that has two
legitimate, codependent starting points. Although a great
These two latter aspects differentiate the smart deal of progress has been made in the development and
highways concept from current and previous individual delivery of in-vehicle information and safety systems and
applications of advanced technologies to specific needs. parallel roadside and off-vehicle deployments of advanced
The integrated approach brings with it a particular set of technology, we still face the same chicken and egg
challenges. dilemma today.
• The current organizational frameworks for vehicle A confluence of significant events suggests that this is the
design, development and production, infrastructure right time to address the problem.
provision, and IT service development and delivery
are all specialized and relatively independent of • Recent activity aimed at reducing the number of
each other. This enables very effective and efficient people killed in road accidents in the United States
development and delivery of the individual elements has resulted in a strong realization that the most
of a smart highway but does not fully support the effective approaches and solutions will pivot around
integrated, seamless approach required for complete a solution to this circular problem and involve the
success in the future. introduction of devices and telecommunications
facilities that support full interaction between
• The organizational challenge lies in coordinating and smart vehicles and intelligent highways. The
synchronizing the business activities, and commercial emerging Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII)
and policy objectives, of three very different initiative focuses on technological and commercial
constituencies, beginning with the establishment and approaches.
maintenance of effective information exchange and
dialogue. These coordinating activities will also need • In addition, there is a renewed desire for cooperation
to address the disparate nature of the activities and and coordination between the key participants. Recent
work products emanating from each constituency. publications and presentations indicate that potential
approaches may lie in encouraging the public
For example, if you consider just the basic product sector to make significant investments in off-vehicle
life-cycle lengths (the total time that elapses during the infrastructure, while the private-sector automotive and
planning, design, development, implementation, and automotive electronics industries take the lead by
useful life of the product, infrastructure, or service) for defining plans for on-vehicle devices and equipment.
each of the three constituencies, the scale of the issue The emergence of a national dedicated short-range
becomes clear. The following are average product life- communications (DSRC) standard at 5.9 GHz (DSRC
cycle lengths: WAVE), capable of delivering high-bandwidth, low-
• Infrastructure – 30 to 50 years latency vehicle-to- roadside communications within a
• Vehicles – 10 to 15 years stable, predictable commercial framework, is also a
• Consumer Electronics and Cell phones – 12 to 18 significant influencing factor.
months
Each constituency works at a different natural pace and

with different replacement cycles in response to different
needs and motivations.
ITS Orange Book™ xviii Smart Highways

Moving Forward Explore potential impacts and benefits – In succinctly
describing the important benefits, values, and impacts
It is our hope that this ITS Orange Book™ will provide that a smart highway could deliver, we hope to provide
information for dialogue and explain the benefits that may justification for further work and research towards its
accrue through the operation and use of a truly smart development and implementation.
highway. We also hope that the panoramic view of the
smart highways concept presented here will influence Stimulate discussion – We want to provide insight and
and encourage public infrastructure operators and private information that can contribute to the ongoing discussion
automotive industry players to consider their future about the potential for vehicle/highway interaction. We
business directions and align them for maximum effect. hope that the materials in this book will also help to
extend and enhance the discussion to include operational
Objectives of the Smart Highways ITS management and service delivery aspects of the smart
highway.
Orange Book™
Set the scene for near-term deployment – We also
If we are completely successful, then we will have
hope to stimulate the deployment of smart highways
achieved our major objectives:
through the delineation of a transition path from today to
Capture the state of the art and practice – We wish tomorrow.
to provide the community with a useful reference that
This ITS Orange Book™ will be distributed to all
provides an overview of the current state of the art and
interested parties in both hardcopy and Adobe Acrobat
practice with regard to the various elements that support
(.pdf) format. Readers should keep in mind that the ITS
the smart highways concept.
Orange Book™ on Smart Highways is a living document.
Present a future vision – To complement the state of By this we mean that it will never be considered “final,” but
the art and practice, we also want to develop and deliver instead will be updated as changes warrant. To this end,
a clear vision that explains how a smart highway might feedback on the content of this ITS Orange Book™ is
operate from both technical and business perspectives. always welcome.
Define the needs and issues – We wish to provide

a clear exposition of the needs, issues, problems and
objectives that can be successfully addressed through the
development and operation of a smart highway.
Smart Highways xix ITS Orange Book™


List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
AASHTO – American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials NAHSC – National Automated Highway Systems Consortium
ABS – Anti-lock Braking System OBU – Onboard Unit
ACC – Adaptive Cruise Control OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer
ACN – Automatic Crash Notification ORT – Open Road Tolling
ALPR – Automatic License Plate Recognition PDA – Personal Digital Assistant
APQC – American Productivity and Quality Center PPI – Planned Product Improvement
ATIS – Advanced Traveler Information System R&D – Research and Development
ATMS – Advanced Traffic Management System RFID – Radio Frequency Identification
BOT – Build-operate-transfer RFP – Request for Proposal
CCTV – Closed Circuit Television ROI – Return on Investment
CRM – Customer Relationship Management RTMS – Remote Traffic Microwave System
CVO – Commerce/Commercial Vehicle Operations RWIS – Road Weather Information System
DALYs – Disability Adjusted Life Years SLA – Service Level Agreement
DBMS – Database Management System SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
DMS – Dynamic Message Signs TMC – Traffic Management Center
DOT – Department of Transportation USDOT – United States Department of Transportaton
DSRC – Dedicated Short-Range Communications VII – Vehicle Infrastructure Integration
DSS – Decision Support System VMS – Variable Message Signs
EDR – Event Data Recorder WHO – World Health Organization
ERM – Enterprise Resource Management
ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning
ESAL – Equivalent Single-Axle Load
ETC – Electronic Toll Collection
FCC – Federal Communications Commission
FHWA – Federal Highway Administration
GASB – Government Accounting Standards Board
GIS – Geographic Information System
GM – General Motors
GPS – Global Positioning System
HAR – Highway Advisory Radio
HOV – High Occupancy Vehicle
HPMS – Highway Performance Monitoring System
HUD – Heads-Up Display
ISP – Information Service Provider
IT – Information Technology
ITS – Intelligent Transportation Systems
IVHS – Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems
IVI – Intelligent Vehicle Initiative
IVR – Integrated Voice Response
JIT – Just-in-Time
LBS – Location-Based Service
LCS – Lane Control Signals
LDA – Lane Departure Avoidance
LKS – Lane-Keeping System
LOS – Level of Service
MDSS – Maintenance Decision Support System
MMS – Maintenance Management System
Smart Highways xxi ITS Orange Book™


Chapter 1
What is a Smart Highway?
This chapter takes a two-part look at smart highways. operators. In the future, a smart highway will involve a
First, it sets out a vision for a smart highway, its features more holistic approach to driving, communications, and
and potential services to customers. Second, it places the operations, in which drivers are not simply regarded as
vision within the context of where we are today in light users, but as customers for a range of “smart” services
on where we need to go. In so doing, a road map to the that meet their travel needs.
future can be identified and implemented in a focused and
programmatic way. Peering Into the Future
The Smart Highway Defined Motivating Customers

The technological capabilities and services of a
A smart highway is a blend of services and infrastructure
smart highway are associated with vehicles and the
that enables an operator to provide customer-centric
infrastructure, but customer (driver) acceptance and
service. Characteristically it:
usage will be the measuring stick for success. For a
• Views the driver, vehicle, and highway infrastructure customer to recognize the value of the smart highway and
as a single system, not separate entities. maximize personal benefits from using it, some incentives
and disincentives must be explored in conjunction with
• Provides a process view of planning, design,
technological innovation.
development, and operation of a highway facility.
Driver education will play a key role. While the smart
• Takes into account operational and management
highway will offer unprecedented safety, mobility, and
needs of the whole system.
services, individual drivers must know how to use it. To
• Applies technology in a coherent manner so that the greatest extent possible, smart highway services and
complete integration of system components is applications must be intuitive and transparent to the driver.
supported. Although technological services and capabilities will be
available through the vehicle and roadside infrastructure,
• Facilitates migration from a data-poor to a data-rich
the smart highway environment will not be fully automated
environment.
(at least not for many years) and customers will remain
• Is a multigenerational endeavor. responsible for the vehicle they are driving. More so
than today, customers must understand the increased
A smart highway is important to the community.
capabilities (e.g., collision avoidance systems) and
It saves lives. Vehicle infrastructure interaction is crucial limitations of their vehicles and drive within the safe limits
to enhancing safety levels. of their vehicles, the infrastructure, and their own abilities.
It saves time. Effective operational and demand Consequently, we envision that new driver education
management reduces time lost in congestion. classes and programs will teach how to properly use
the smart highway (e.g., weaving, passing, following,
It saves money. Efficient back-office operations can
merging, etc.) while taking advantage of the enhanced
streamline expenses. New partnerships can share costs
capabilities of vehicles. Whether these driver education
and introduce new sources of revenue.
classes will be provided by infrastructure operators, auto
There are three primary components to a smart highway: manufacturers, departments of motor vehicles, the auto
drivers, vehicles, and infrastructure. A wide variety of third- insurance industry, third-party certification companies, or
party commercial companies are involved in providing some combination of these or other entities, remains to be
vehicles and infrastructure. Today, these components seen.
coexist, but with limited coordination and interoperability,
particularly between the auto industry and infrastructure

23
Carrots... to achieve a high level of customer registration for
its SmartTrip payment system because the optional
Taking this one step further, we envision that insurers will
registration (provision of personal identification) provides
reward positive driving behaviors, provide incentives to
for free replacement of unused card balance when a card
the insured whose vehicles are smart-highway-ready, and
is lost or stolen. The fact that customer registration also
offer driver education classes. The primary incentive may
gives the ability to precisely track customer travel patterns
be reduced insurance premiums, funded by lowering the
appears to be an acceptable trade-off.
level of claims (e.g., “no claims” discounts). In the early
days, lack of a critical mass of smart highway mileage Outfitting Vehicles
may necessitate some pilot no-claims-programs involving
Vehicles on the smart highway, properly equipped, will
the auto industry, health and safety regulators, and safety
talk to each other, and to the roadway itself. This “total”
advocacy groups.
communication works to promote safe vehicle separation,
The future deployment of smart highways will be maximized throughput, and steadily maintained speeds,
dependent upon demonstrated success in improving all of which enhance safety while increasing mobility.
safety and mobility. While the smart highway will endeavor
In this vision of the future, vehicles will be equipped
to create a safer driving environment than that of a regular
with some sort of vehicle locating technology (e.g.,
road, bad driving undermines those efforts. Excessive
a global positioning system [GPS] unit), as well as a
speed, aggressive driving, and lack of courtesy will
communications transceiver (Wi-Fi, DSRC, etc.) which,
diminish the smart highway experience for all drivers and
in conjunction with the vehicle’s built-in sensor array and
may lead to an increased frequency of severe and fatal
electronic bus, will form the core of an onboard sensor
crashes. In order to discourage poor driving behaviors
system. Vehicles already rely on an array of sensors for
on smart highway “cooperative driving zones” (areas
their operation and maintenance. These sensors know,
where the vehicle depends on the driver as well as smart
for example, when traction control or the anti-lock braking
highway infrastructure), the consequences for exhibiting
system (ABS) is activated. This data, when coupled
such behaviors must be greater.
with additional location-related information grabbed by
... and Sticks vehicle-locating technology (including vehicle position,
speed, direction of travel, etc.), can turn the vehicle
Smart highways must enforce laws relating to unsafe into a probe from which invaluable transportation and
driving behaviors and pursue new legislation where non-transportation information can be gathered by
existing policies fall short of smart highway goals. In transportation agencies and private -sector entities.
addition to traditional penalties, smart highway penalties
may include more punitive fines, driver education classes, Many of today’s vehicles already possess the connectivity
and suspension of smart highway driving privileges. needed for an improved driving experience. Figure 1
shows a Mercedes-Benz S-Class detailing communication
While the use of automated enforcement and automated features. Future applications for vehicle communication
generation of citations is logical in a smart highway and connectivity include:
context, and worthy of exploration, it may raise issues of
privacy and motivation. Customers, highway operators, • Heads-up display (HUD).
and legislators will have to evaluate the trade-off between • Expanded voice recognition.
privacy and such benefits of enforcement as improved
safety and reduced travel time. • Autonomous navigation integrated with real-time
traffic information.
Several jurisdictions have encountered issues related
to red light and photo radar systems because they are • Automatic crash notification (ACN) incorporating
perceived as snooping, revenue generation devices, predictive methods for determining injury type and
rather than proven safety enhancement tools. Customer severity.
attitudes with regard to what is private can change
• Driver alertness systems.
in relationship to perceived benefit. The Washington
Area Metro Transit system has successfully managed
ITS Orange Book™ 24 Smart Highways

Figure 1. Mercedes-Benz S-Class (18 or more antennas that receive signals for entertainment, cell phones and navigation)
Smart Highways
25
source: www.nytimes.com/2005/03/14/automobiles/14cars.html
ITS Orange Book™

The Interplay of “Dumb” with “Smart” Adding Services to Infrastructure
A “dumb” vehicle – one that only communicates intention The concept of an interactive “intelligent” roadway – made
via indicators, hazard lights, horn, headlights or the possible by sensors networked throughout a highway’s
human hand of its operator - offers limited support to the infrastructure - has been around for quite a while in one
driver, and little assistance to the other drivers on the form or another. Its origins lie in intelligent vehicle highway
road. systems (IVHS), a term coined in1988 that has since
given way to intelligent transportation system (ITS).
This dumb vehicle is also cut off from sensors designed to
communicate data directly from the roadside infrastructure Great strides in the area of embedded devices, such as
to the vehicle. The ability of a customer to become a dynamic message signs (DMS), lane control signs, and
smart traveler is incrementally improved by the degree of closed circuit television (CCTV), have already occurred.
automated exchange of information between vehicles, and These devices are typically connected to each other and
between vehicles and roadside infrastructure. Potential a traffic management center (TMC) through wireless and
smart highway applications (such as intersection-collision- wire-line technology. This focus on combining asphalt,
avoidance and vehicle-pedestrian-collision-avoidance) are concrete, and steel with telecommunication networks has
optimized when both vehicles and roadside infrastructure led to higher levels of highway efficiency and safety.
get “smarter.”
A smart highway, however, shifts attention to the
While it is important to understand the elements involved customer. With the universe of possibilities made possible
in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure by adding or combining technologies, toll authorities and
communication, these elements must be understood highway operators can offer services that go beyond the
within the context of overall management and operations. physical asset. In fact, the roadway itself moves from
Any organization aspiring to get the most from its smart center stage to become one part of a package that meets
highway investment must also analyze its organizational customized needs.
and management techniques. The first step is to
With well-positioned sensors, interactive and
understand the business processes and operations
dynamic roadside communication, and an extensive
fundamental to the operation of the organization, and then
telecommunications backbone, a smart highway puts
evaluate how each should be structured and managed to
smarter travel within reach of the individual. Given
maximize value for both the enterprise and its customers.
accurate and timely information, customers can make
Nor should low-tech be overlooked in the development of better decisions before and during trips. They will have
a smart highway strategy. When used in conjunction with more choices about speed of travel, alternate routes,
high-tech devices and effective management techniques, or ways to avoid traffic. They can plan around weather
traditional devices and methodologies contribute to a and/or infrastructure-related hazards. A smart highway
comprehensive approach to satisfying various constituent contains the “intelligence” that allows for flexible decision-
needs (e.g., improved safety). There will be varying levels making, to deliver not only a safer, but a more efficient
of smart and dumb cars traveling on a smart highway, and and convenient travel experience. This is the ultimate goal
a mix of high-tech and low-tech features is necessary to of a networked infrastructure.
service them. This point should not be overlooked, as the
Just as this view transcends traditional notions of an
development of a smart highway - and smart vehicles, for
interactive roadway, it also puts the infrastructure’s
that matter - will be a migratory process. Owner-operators
operator in a new role. Now, to find the right blend of
typically need to maximize their sunk investment while
services that will appeal to its constituents, the highway
incrementally deploying new smart highway components.
authority must work to understand its issues, problems,
A Customer-Centric Infrastructure and objectives. Thus, marketing becomes as important as
maintenance.
Infrastructure is the third major component of the smart
highway. It must allow communication to the vehicle, In this complex system, moreover, “constituent” takes on
provide services to customers, and give the highway multiple definitions. Certainly the driver is a key customer.
operator access to data. But so are insurers, and automobile manufacturers and

their subcontractors, and information technology vendors for it to be useful. The challenge for traffic management
and providers. As essential contributors to the smart on the smart highway will be migrating from a “data-poor”
highway, their objectives need to be considered. to a “data-rich” environment.
If the goal is to continually supply relevant and user- Vehicle probes and sensors will collect raw data; fully
friendly services that complement the physical asset leveraging these vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-
(and thereby maximize its investment) then the operator vehicle technologies will be crucial in manufacturing and
must be ready to poll a range of customers…again and communicating decision-quality information.
again. Constituent needs will change as ever-evolving
technology brings new features and new customer
Avoiding and Managing Incidents
demands, or as the operator itself wishes to strengthen or Incident management is the face of traffic management
expand the “smartness” of its roadway. the traveling public sees most often and reacts most
Business Outsourcing viscerally to. Four steps (detection, verification, response,
and clearance) typically lead to the resumption of traffic
From budgetary and operational perspectives, flow, which may also be considered the final phase
an enterprise will benefit most by evaluating and of incident management. The primary goal of a smart
understanding what it does best, and considering what highway, however, is incident avoidance, a state most
services the private sector is more suitable to manage likely achieved when accurate and timely information
and/or provide. Outsourcing enables an enterprise to take can be provided to drivers, in a format that is easy to
advantage of evolving technologies, which the private understand and convenient to use.
sector typically more readily pursues. By establishing
service-level agreements for its providers, an enterprise Incident avoidance involves physical roadway attributes
can monitor operational effectiveness while the private - signage and lane configurations - as well as information
sector conducts the necessary investment, research, and delivered to drivers via onboard units (OBU) from
development to maintain its competitive advantage in the roadside infrastructure and other vehicles. If an eastbound
marketplace. vehicle can inform a westbound vehicle of an oncoming
hazard ahead, the westbound driver can proceed with
greater caution. The exact nature of the hazard does
Smart Highway Services
not necessarily have to be stated; however, the more
From a broad perspective smart highway services can, detail communicated between vehicles or from a TMC
in one form or another, be placed within the traditional to a driver’s OBU, the better the chances for incident
disciplines of traffic management, traveler information, avoidance. Greater automation of the communication
payment systems, commercial vehicle operations (CVO), process should decrease the number of incidents, as well
and such business units as customer service, information as the chances for exacerbating existing incidents.
services, and retail services. In order to achieve optimal
delivery and management of smart highway services,
Traveler Information
the enterprise must also look at its business processes, A driver wants to know the cost, best route, travel time be
largely through enterprise resource planning (ERP) and alternatives, and in a larger sense, “how the road works.”
customer relationship management (CRM). In short, the customer wants a user manual for the road.
Traffic Management The best traveler information reduces the degree of

uncertainty a driver faces when making decisions.
Simply put, traffic management is all about collecting
Whether it be for the commuter looking for time savings,
and using traffic data to proactively influence and
a leisure traveler mapping the most aesthetic route, or
manage traffic flow. The better a system can collect
a commercial operator searching for food or lodging,
and disseminate information in real time among TMC
traveler information must be presented in a way that is
personnel and highway customers, the more effective
decision-quality if it is to be appealing. The traditional
management will become. “Information” is used purposely
perspective of the owner-operator is to provide information
here instead of “data,” as data must be shaped in order
that is beneficial on a mass scale. On the horizon of
the smart highway, however, is the ability to provide the

27
information the driver wants to receive. Private-sector Finally, electronic payment systems free the transportation
partners will be the purveyors of these subscriber-based agency to concentrate on its core mission when the
services that will, simultaneously, make the smart highway agency outsources payment processing, since there are
operator “customer-centric.” many private-sector businesses well-qualified to handle
transaction reconciliation and settlement.
Synergy of Traveler Information and Traffic
Management Commercial Vehicle Operations
Traveler information is a potential traffic management tool. The Commercial Motor Carrier Safety Administration aims
to reduce commercial vehicle fatalities by 50 percent
There are two major approaches to an efficient
by 2010 and to reduce the number of persons injured
transportation network: provide transportation capacity to
in these crashes by 20 percent by 2008. Electronic
meet demand, or attempt to modify or manage demand
screening systems, electronic credentialing, and the
to match available capacity. A smart highway has the
exchange of safety information can assist in reaching
tools to satisfy both: dynamic road geometry, where the
these goals.
characteristics of the road are changed to facilitate traffic
flow; controlled lane departure; and distance- keeping, Electronic screening systems enable commercial vehicles
where distance between vehicles is monitored and with good safety and legal status to bypass weigh
automatically adjusted to ensure appropriate spacing. stations and road inspection. Weigh-in-motion equipment
minimizes vehicle stoppage. Safety-information-exchange
Smart highways can also manage demand through
technologies bring up-to-date motor carrier safety
incentives (toll roads, particularly, can configure different
information to enforcement officers at the roadside.
rates dynamically via electronic-payment-system
Electronic credentialing systems provide electronic
technology) that persuade users to travel during non-peak
administration of interstate registration, fuel tax payment,
periods. Information becomes a management tool when
and other credentials. By automating the processing
customers are alerted, prior to and during their trips, to
of this credential information, traffic flow is improved
high congestion, or the fact that the cost of travel changes
and customer satisfaction among commercial vehicle
during specific peak periods.
operators is increased.
Payment Systems And for the manager, the ability to track the location of any
Electronic payment systems are integral to smart highway vehicle in the fleet while on the smart highway is a valued
safety, customer convenience, and demand management. service.
Open road tolling (ORT), for example, is made possible
Customer Service
by electronic payment transponders (RFID and Infrared)
and video cameras. Roads become safer when fewer Good customer service continuously and consistently
toll plazas inhabit the infrastructure, because there are gives customers what they want and need. It implies a
fewer opportunities for collisions. Reducing the number of commitment to learning about their needs and wants,
plazas also increases the safety of toll agency personnel, and developing plans to implement customer-friendly
who often cross the roadway at these sites for operations processes.
and maintenance purposes.
Customer service on the smart highway means improving
Electronic payment devices also make it easier safety and providing predictive travel time on a large
for customers to purchase payment media (e.g., scale. At its best, a smart highway will guarantee travel
transponders and smart cards) conveniently; while time. If this promise is not realized, customers will receive
grocery shopping, for example, or over the Internet. This, some type of discount (for toll roads) or redeemable
in turn, reduces congestion at points of payment. benefit (e.g., a discounted parking fee or gasoline
purchase) from a private partner.
Electronic payment systems also support variable pricing,
as noted above, and enable toll agencies to charge Superior customer service, however, also means
preferred rates for smart vehicles. service customized to the individual. This necessitates
understanding personal preferences in terms of

services and how they are delivered. The menu can in customer service will add transactions that are non-
include navigation assistance, offering products and transportation in nature, such as food and retail services.
services based on vehicle location (position commerce), Thus transaction processing, already a mature function
infotainment, and real-time data pertinent to key areas of in the traditional toll agency environment, will become
interest (such as the weather). The toll road or highway increasingly complex.
operator that selectively partners with a private sector
Violation Enforcement Processing
collaborator will be well-suited to delivering tailored
customer services. Violation enforcement is closely related to transaction
processing. Violations may stem from an inadvertent error
If smart highways are customer-centric, it’s fundamental
by an unfamiliar driver, or result from a deliberate action
to remember that these are paying customers. Minimum
to avoid payment. The extent to which violations are
standards for responding to inquiries (phone, mail, e-mail,
enforced is a judgment of individual operators, with repeat
in-person) are essential, together with an obligation to
offenders being the most obvious target. Enforcement
provide accurate, timely, and personalized information.
of violations is incumbent on any infrastructure operator
Customer travel times, plaza service guarantees and an
where tolls are the major revenue stream. To do otherwise
effective complaints process with clearly identified staff
places an unfair burden on the majority of customers
responsibilities are all basic ingredients of a customer
who pay. In a smart highway environment, the use of
service program.
technology to enforce violations is both logical and
Convenience is another aspect of superior customer necessary, given the likely combination of higher travel
service. For toll road operators, this means involving speeds, the technology-rich environment, and the low (or
merchants in the supply chain so that customers can eliminated) dependence on human presence. One option
obtain payment media (e.g., transponders) at such is to amend local enforcement laws to enable citations to
popular venues as grocery stores and gas stations. be issued based on electronic means alone.
To consistently exceed expectations, it must be Finance and Accounting

recognized that every facet of the enterprise’s business For a smart highway, timely disbursement of funds to
touches the customer, and performance in all operations participating agencies and third-party service providers is
affects the customers’ opinion of your service. Superior very important, as is keeping accurate records justifying
customer service, then, goes well beyond face-to-face the size of transfers.
interactions.
Invoicing
Back-Office Functions
In a smart highway environment, some form of invoicing
Though never seen by the customer, an efficient back- will be necessary for all revenue collection and subscriber
office greatly improves the consistency and satisfaction services. Typically, this will occur when funds are drawn
of the customer experience, as well as the effective from the credit cards linked to customer accounts.
management of enterprise operations. Some key back The frequency of invoicing will depend on a number of
office components and issues include: factors, such as the frequency of use and business rules
Transaction Processing regarding minimum balance.
Transaction processing must be efficient, accurate, Data Sharing

and secure. In a smart highway environment, cash Data sharing refers to the wealth of information that
transactions will be eliminated, an increasing array of a smart highway can potentially capture regarding
services will be charged to customer accounts, and customers, behaviors, trends, and preferences. This
clearinghouse activities may become more complex. This data will be invaluable for optimizing operations and for
will raise the importance of transaction processing in the planning upgrades, and may also be of interest to other
suite of back-office functions. Consortia such as PassKey, operational entities, partner agencies, and organizations.
E-ZPass, and ORANGES combine toll and nontoll Subject to business rules and privacy policies, there may
transactions, and in so doing have introduced nontoll even be a requirement to share some of this data (e.g.,
agencies to the clearinghouse process. The next evolution travel patterns/demographic information for customers

29
using retail outlets that are part of the smart highway). The organization, then, must be willing to look at how
Equally, there may be reasons for not sharing data it conducts its business across all departments, and be
with traditional partner agencies that may draw some ready to make the changes across the enterprise that will
competitive advantage from such data. let it take full advantage of the opportunities presented by
an intelligent system.
Business Rules
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) unifies an
All user-financed highway operators have business
organization’s planning, operations, maintenance, and
rules that are applied by back offices to transaction
marketing. Effective ERP requires that an organization
processing and violation enforcement. These business
review its business processes for efficiency and
rules, which may be refined, updated, and replaced to
effectiveness, improve those processes, and then
suit customer and operational needs, are intended to
integrate and automate them enterprisewide. ERP largely
provide a consistent and transparent basis for operational
involves back-office systems (such as the technology
management of the ETC system. As a smart highway will
used in a TMC) where there is typically no direct contact
likely be highly electronic and automated, business rules
with the customer.
may change to encourage upfront commitment , deliver
partner discounts and incentives, or focus on violations. Because a smart highway touches so many aspects of an
Business rules, however, must drive technology and not organization, it makes sense to review the organization’s
vice-versa. current business processes and understand how
Privacy Policies improvement will enable the enterprise to take full
advantage of the smart highway.
As with any public or private entity, the smart highway
Maximizing ROI
will gather extensive information and maintain databases
regarding its customers, their behaviors, trends, and This process often reveals the need for new ways of
preferences. Specifically, this data will contain financial doing business, as well as the need for new roles. For
records and the ability to track customers. Such data example, a network manager can oversee the collection,
carries the responsibility to protect the privacy of its dissemination, and management of data collected by the
customers and to develop policies regarding access. smart highway, which will help the enterprise transition
Under certain circumstances, the smart highway may from data poor to data rich.
gather information for resale to other organizations, and
To maximize ROI, an ERP system typically involves
the operator will again need to formulate guidelines.
management information systems that communicate
Perhaps most important will be policies regarding how to
and streamline data to all relevant departments in an
respond to leaks or suspected leaks of private information.
automated way. Taking into account the information and
services provided by the smart highway, and building
Process Management them into the organization’s business processes, will
Process management is the application of knowledge optimize ERP efforts.
and tools to define, visualize, measure, and improve upon
Maintenance and asset management provide an
current processes, to better meet customers’ needs.
example of this re-evaluation. Once roadside sensors
Enterprise Resource Planning are integrated into the highway, the electronic data can
automatically be fed into the asset management system.
A smart highway is potentially a rich repository of The need and frequency of on-site human inspection
customer information. It is not enough to simply collect is reduced, while the evaluation process for replacing
data and provide services, however; it is the provision of equipment is expedited. This is only one simple example
decision-quality data to internal (e.g., highway operations of how data instantly collected from a smart highway
and maintenance) and external (e.g., drivers) customers and immediately fed into the enterprise’s database can
that will define the value of a smart highway. change the way a current activity is carried out.

Customer Relationship Management Drivers
While ERP typically involves back-office functions, CRM Today, getting a driver’s license is fairly easy; the training
generally refers to the processes and systems that required is minimal. Driver education is sometimes
interface with the customer. Successful CRM provides offered by high schools, but the majority of American
the means to reliably deliver information and services to drivers learn their “skills” from parents, or friends. Control
customers, which is key to any system striving to provide techniques for driving in unsafe conditions can be learned
maximum value. in classes offered by local police departments; yet how
many average drivers avail themselves of this training?
The major areas of focus for CRM are related to service-
In reality, advanced driving ability remains the unique skill
automated processes, self-service, and personal
of the professional driver - or a byproduct of a session of
information gathering and processing. Successful
defensive-driving mandated by the courts as a penalty to
CRM will integrate and automate all customer-serving
violators.
processes, although customer service and marketing
information systems will tend to be the heavy users. Clearly, this unstructured approach to “learning how to
Call centers use CRM software to store customer and drive” discourages high standards of ability.
enterprise data. Marketing departments rely upon this
data to understand the demographics of the customers
Vehicles: More Performance
using the smart highway, and tie customer feedback and It has been said that today’s cars have more computing
prominent customer issues into the marketing strategy. power than Apollo 11 when it landed on the moon.
GPS, onboard navigation, real-time traffic information,
CRM also enables customer self-service through a
emergency call, and a spectrum of entertainment
variety of communication channels, including cell phones,
services can be found in new cars, or are available for
personal digital assistants (PDAs) and OBUs.
retrofit. Even as they become standard features, they
At any time, smart highway customers may retrieve provide limited ways for vehicles to communicate with the
information about anticipated travel time or road pricing infrastructure and little, if any, functionality for vehicles to
(particularly if pricing is variable). The more options the communicate with each other.
enterprise provides to access this information (e.g.,
Most automobile makers have already developed smart
Internet, integrated voice response [IVR], onboard
vehicles, especially within their luxury lines. Software
subscriber-based navigation system, or customer service
will change radio stations, adjust the climate, or make a
agent), the more customer segments it can satisfy.
phone call at the sound of the driver’s voice. Blind-spot
The challenge within the enterprise is to use the data
sensors stationed on the car will alert the driver when he
generated by the smart highway in a timely and consistent
is about to bump into something.
way, regardless of the communication channel.
Also commonplace is electronic traction control, a system
Smart Highways — Today that ties a computer into the anti-lock brakes to limit
wheel slip. Many cars offer the next-generation electronic
Smart highways, when defined as a true blend of
stability control technology that automatically corrects
services and infrastructure, do not exist today. While a
the vehicle’s course if the driver comes into a corner too
range of smart highway services can be found in some
quickly, brakes too abruptly, or turns the steering wheel
locations, these discrete services are not operating within
too sharply, in addition to doing its basic job of keeping
a comprehensive customer-service culture envisioned
the drive wheels from slipping on rain- and snow-slicked
in the ideal environment. In today’s conditions, too much
roads.
time and energy is spent trying to aggregate data from
disparate systems, yielding systems that are still more Vehicles: More Information
data poor than data rich.
Information services will be an important feature of the
smart highway. Already, both XM Satellite Radio and rival
Sirius Satellite Radio are expanding in-vehicle uses for
their satellite services.

31
XM Satellite Radio recently announced it would send According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),
data services to Nissan vehicles under an expanded advances in technology, along with the convergence
partnership with the automaker. It will supply such data of a number of trends and events, have made possible
and telematics services as in-vehicle messaging and the development of a concept for creating a symbiotic
traffic data for onboard navigation systems. Nissan relationship between vehicles and existing transportation
already offers XM Satellite Radio’s broadcast service as (primarily roadside) infrastructure.
an option on all Nissan and Infiniti models.
• Automobile manufacturers are putting more sensors
Sirius Satellite Radio plans to work with Microsoft in in vehicles to support their safe operation and
developing video channels that can be beamed to maintenance.
vehicles on the move in 2006. Combined, XM Satellite
• Ongoing activity by the Federal Communications
Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio expect to reach 7.5
Commission (FCC) and the standards development
million customers by the end of 2005.
organizations is moving us to vehicle-to-vehicle
The Push to Safety: Vehicles and Infrastructure and vehicle-to-roadside communications systems,
Working Together primarily via DSRC at 5.9 GHz.
The National Automated Highway Systems Consortium The VII initiative aims to surround the major highways in
(NAHSC), a consortium of the U.S. Department of and around metropolitan areas with continuous broadband
Transportation (USDOT) and nine other public and wireless Internet access, to support a wide range of
private organizations, demonstrated automated vehicle vehicle-oriented public and commercial high-speed
prototypes on a 12 kilometer test section of Interstate 15 mobile wireless applications. Services will be available to
in San Diego in 1998. The expectation at that time was for many sectors: transportation, shipping, communications,
future automated highway systems that would double or automotive telematics, entertainment, and homeland
even triple the capacity of highways by increasing speeds security. As part of the this project, technology is being
and shortening distances between vehicles, and improve considered that would give vehicles real-time information
highway safety by eliminating accidents from human error. about vehicles running in neighboring lanes, and about
However, the NAHSC disbanded, and new developments incidents and work zones ahead. This network would
in the field of smart vehicles became the focus of the become a literal probe capable of collecting travel times,
USDOT Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI). Recognizing speeds, roadway and weather conditions, and transmit
the importance of smart vehicles and the potential for the data to public agencies (and likely private entities) for
unintended consequences if human factors are not traveler information and traffic management.
placed at the center of their design, USDOT launched Deployment of the VII initiative will be achieved via
the initiative in 1997 with the aim of accelerating the the cooperation of vehicle manufacturers, who will
development, availability, and use of integrated in-vehicle install OBUs in new vehicles . Federal, state, and local
systems that help drivers to operate more safely and transportation agencies will also plan for and deploy the
effectively. necessary roadside infrastructure.
Infrastructure
The Current State-of-the-Art
The Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) program is a
coalition of the USDOT, the automotive industry and state Although physical infrastructure is the core of any
DOTs. VII follows from IVI, and recognizes that major highway, smart or otherwise, operators must now
improvements in safety require cooperation between the consider the range of tools available for improving both
vehicle and the roadway. transportation services and system performance. Figure
2, Michigan DOT’s strawman concept for VII details a
The goal of VII is to: “Achieve nationwide deployment of a variety of constituents and services.
communications infrastructure on the roadways and in all
production vehicles and to enable a number of key safety This section discusses current-day tools and how they
and operational services that would take advantage of this are used to support a single agency’s operations, as well
capability.” as the integrated operation of multiple agencies within a

Figure 2. Michigan DOT’s Strawman VII Vision
region. Generally, these services are provided separately Typically, the following information is captured:
and then consolidated in what can be a time-consuming • The roadway where the incident occurred.
process.
• The location (cross street, milepost, or incident
Incident Management reference system) of the incident.
• The number of vehicles involved.
Here the goal is to keep traffic flowing quickly and
smoothly when incidents occur, to prevent backups, • The severity of the incident (stalled vehicle, property
and reduce the congestion, that may lead to secondary damage only, injuries, etc.).
incidents. The following expands upon the key steps in • The source reporting the incident.
incident management referenced earlier in this chapter. • The number of lanes blocked.
Detection • The potential duration of the blockage.
Detection/surveillance systems support the roadway Sources of traffic and incident data can include:
and collect the data needed for system operators to
• Incident detection system, remote traffic microwave
understand traffic conditions in real time. The sensors
system (RTMS), or other traffic detectors (spot speed-
may collect data such as volume, speeds, and travel
based information).
times, or provide video images via CCTV. The data
collected feeds the system control and traveler information • Probe-based data collection (link travel times and
dissemination functions, allowing operators to intervene wide area network developed speeds/travel times).
when appropriate. The data may also be stored (archived
or warehoused) for future analysis and evaluation.

33
It is generally believed that penetrations of probe vehicles Verification
between two and ten percent can provide accurate real-
Quick and accurate incident verification reduces the time
time traffic-condition data for limited access roadways.
spent in deploying responders to the scene. Operations
This probe-based traffic information is likely to be more
personnel may verify incidents and communicate with
accurate and less expensive than other currently available
people at the site, or provide details to emergency agency
sources of data, which include:
dispatchers. Verification methods include:
• Motorist reports of incident (911, state highway
• Field units (e.g., emergency services or operator
patrol).
employee) at the incident site.
• Reporting by motorist assistance/service patrol • CCTV images.
employees.
• Communication with helicopters operated by police,
• DOT employee reports. media, or information service providers (ISPs).
• *999 cellular road emergency (could be encompassed • Combining or fusing information from multiple cellular
within 511 system – reports to data service provider). calls.
• Police patrol reports. • Airborne platforms or satellites.
• Traffic reporting services (including information from Sending Information, Internally and
helicopter-based traffic reporters). Externally
Although available monitoring methods and systems are To facilitate a regionwide view of the transportation
able to provide much of the data necessary for traffic network, an integrated transportation management system
management and traveler information, gaps in geographic shares information (automated and manually) between
coverage, accuracy, and dependability persist. Based on systems and coordinates management activities among
what has been learned about probe-oriented traffic-data- transportation agencies and related entities. The types
collection solutions, it is widely believed that significant of agencies and other entities that need to be involved
opportunities may exist for these technologies to cost- in such data-sharing provide services along a variety
effectively complement, and in some cases replace, of different transportation facilities, including highways,
traditional traffic data collection resources. arterial streets, transit (bus and rail), toll facilities (e.g.,
bridges and tunnels), emergency service providers,
By using various vehicle-locating technologies, the and ISPs. To support such interagency communication,
vehicle itself can become an important surveillance tool involved parties should take an active interest in using the
for monitoring the roadway network. Vehicles acting as National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol
probes can provide data about traffic conditions on each suite of standard communications protocols and data
link traversed. When sent to a central computer, where definitions that have been designed to accommodate the
it can be merged with input from other sources, this data diverse needs of various subsystems and user services of
allows managers to form an accurate representation the national ITS architecture.
of actual conditions in the transportation system.
Probe surveillance can typically provide the following On a more basic level, internal communications are
information: needed; on-the-scene communication by incident
responders, as well as the notification of key staff via
• Link speeds. pager, text messaging, and Blackberry.
• Link travel times.
Incident Response and Clearance
• Origin and destination of vehicles traveling through
There is no single approach to use when dealing with
the system.
different types of incidents along facilities (e.g., the
routine two-vehicle collisions or stalled vehicle, versus.
more complex, major events, such as a multiple-vehicle
accident involving fatalities and/or serious injuries, with

major structural or property damage). There are also Auxiliary Lanes: An auxiliary lane is the portion of the
issues that must be dealt with by all agencies when roadway generally available to facilitate the entry and exit
responding to incidents. of traffic from the highway, for a more uniform level of
service (LOS). Improving drivers’ access to the highway
On-the-Scene Incident Management results in a safer, more efficient roadway.
Issues that must be handled by agency staff responding
Improvement of Geometric Design: Improperly
to an incident include:
aligned highways with significant curvature may have
• First responders setting protection and reporting lane several times as many accidents as a highway with
status. good alignment. For example, Caltrans has evaluated a
number of its safety projects to determine their relative
• Unified command dictating the game plan and
effectiveness. On average, curve correction reduced
coordinating with incident responders regarding:
50 percent of all accidents, super-elevation correction
° Information about types/number of vehicles reduced 50 percent of run-off-road accidents, and
involved. truck escape ramps reduced 75 percent of runaway
° Arrival/departure time of police, tow trucks, truck accidents. Although it is usually difficult and
ambulance, etc. (includes collection of time costly to correct alignment deficiencies after building,
stamps to support contractual obligations/audits of implementation of such changes may prove to be cost-
performance). effective and even necessary, given the potential safety
benefits.
Local Incident Management Activities
Skid-Resistant Pavement: Pavement skid-resistance
Local incident management can include the establishment
properties that result in minimized skid lengths can
of traffic control via lane-control signage. Although not
significantly reduce, or eliminate, the magnitude of a
widely used in the United States (one exception is in San
crash impact. Skid resistance may also keep vehicles
Antonio, Texas, where more than 300 signals have been
on the roadway during aggressive horizontal and lateral
deployed by TransGuide), lane-control signals (LCS)
movements.
have been used with great success in Europe to help
warn drivers of oncoming congestion, work zones, and For example, longitudinal grooving of pavement has
other types of events. LCS generally consists of signage been shown to dramatically cut wet pavement-related
deployed on gantries spanning the width of the roadway. accidents. The FHWA Report “Effectiveness of Alternative
Each sign gives information specific to its own lane, (e.g., Skid Reduction Measures” references two California
speeds or warning lights). Another incident management studies where grooving of pavement reduced wet
technique involves establishing diversion routes on pavement accident rates by 70 percent and 73 percent,
alternative roadways to send vehicles around an incident. with the largest decreases in sideswipe, fixed object, and
rear-end accidents.
Role of Roadway Design
Pavement types and textures can also affect skid
Minimizing incidents begins with roadway design. Certain
resistance. Poor skid resistance on wet pavement are
elements and safety features can signal drivers to modify
mainly caused by rutting, polishing, bleeding, and dirty
their speed, and can provide the basic cues that keep
pavements. Rutting allows water to accumulate in the
drivers at a safe and comfortable pace. Roadway design
wheel tracks. Polishing reduces the pavement surface
and road-usage elements can include:
microtexture, and bleeding can cover it. In both cases,
Widening: The number of lanes can directly influence the harsh surface features needed for penetrating the thin
congestion and driver safety. Although widening a freeway water film are diminished. Pavement surfaces will lose
to add lanes over several miles falls into the category of their skid resistance when contaminated by oil drippings,
major reconstruction, there are also bottleneck situations layers of dust, or organic matter. Measures to correct
that can remedied through lower-cost improvements. or improve skid resistance should result in the following
characteristics: high initial skid resistance durability, the

35
ability to retain skid resistance with time and traffic, and The second step, ETC-only lanes, was also a huge
minimum decrease in skid resistance with increasing success, since these lanes could easily process more
speed. than 1,600 vehicles per hour; in fact, they demonstrated
rates of more than 2,000 vehicles per hour in Illinois and
Payment Systems elsewhere. With adequate driver participation in ETC
Electronic Toll Collection programs, toll lane throughput disappears as a design
issue—although new problems arise, particularly in
Without exaggeration, electronic toll collection (ETC) has
downstream merges. The transformation of plazas, which
revolutionized toll plaza operations.
were originally intended for stop-and-go traffic, into a
Since 1940 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, all American regulated, limited, safe, nonstop environment has been
expressway toll operations have required vehicles to stop a design challenge. Problems appeared as early as the
to pay a toll, almost always with cash. By the 1970s and mid-1990s, and others developed as peak-hour ETC
1980s, as traffic grew to multiples of design volumes, toll participation rates increased above 65 and 70 percent.
plaza expansion could no longer keep up with vehicle
The third step is to build express lanes, or ORT lanes,
demand, and another way to process traffic was needed.
with cash lanes on the side, similar to a highway rest area
Typically, a coin toll lane required up to six or seven or service plaza. Express lanes are full-highway-speed
seconds to process a vehicle, and a staffed lane often lanes with geometry meeting design criteria for 55 mph or
doubled that or more. Commercial-vehicle transactions greater. ORT lanes are the same as express lanes, except
approached 30 seconds. A toll expressway with two lanes they are also identical to the approach roadway: same
in each direction could easily require 12 to 16 toll lanes to lane width, same shoulders, same median, etc.
process traffic without very long queues; with three lanes
Express/ORT lanes improve traffic operations but present
in each direction, 18 to 24 lanes would be needed. Scale
one new challenge: money. Plaza conversions can cost
became impossible to manage—approach and departure
$10-$20 million or more, depending on the proximate
pavements exceeded 1,000 feet in length—and even if
roadway improvements required to safely support high-
there were enough lanes to process traffic, downstream
speed operations. In addition to the large capital expense,
merges choked traffic flow.
there is the lingering cost of supporting cash operations
Worse, as highway owners commissioned large capital for a shrinking percentage of the toll-customer base.
expansions, it simply became impossible to build enough The real solution to providing safe, simple, nonstop toll
cash toll collection lanes. This problem appeared not collection while at the same time contain capital and
only on the Illinois Tollway which, between 1991 and operating costs, is to eliminate cash.
1993, built several plazas with 14 or more lanes in each
And that is the fourth and final step in this evolution. A
direction, but it has been most severe on ticket-system
system that relies completely on ETC or video cameras in
plazas located within interchange complexes.
an ORT environment (this involves an equipment gantry
Developing and Applying ETC in Phases with electronic sensors over the highway), can effect
account-based toll-collection. For new construction or re-
ETC and the ability to collect tolls from moving vehicles
configured free highways into fee-based smart highways,
offered a solution, however radical it may have seemed,
it could probably be presumed that the only type of fee
to toll traffic congestion. The first step was to test the
collection would be through an ORT toll facility, without
technology, and concept, with the public. This was
acceptance of cash. Figure 3 illustrates ORT gantries
done for the first time on a large scale at the Dallas
located in Santiago, Chile, on Autopista Central.
North Tollway (now the North Texas Tollway Authority).
Response was immediate and positive: the public ORT’s Technology and Components
was willing to pay a five-cent surcharge to pay with a
The in-vehicle technology used today is mature radio
transponder. When the Dallas North Tollway opened its
frequency identification (RFID) transponder technology
first dedicated lanes a year later, the public rushed to
that operates with or without self-contained power
participate. The toll industry has never looked back.
supplies. These are mounted in or on vehicles and are
provided with the electronic-toll accounts. At the roadside,

ETC readers and video cameras can either identify a This business platform and support organization has the
vehicle by noting its ETC transponder or by reading the technology and CRM infrastructure to offer additional
license plate. A roadside computer (a lane controller) regional transportation services, or additional smart
takes the identification and vehicle detection information highway services, at relatively small costs.
and builds a financial transaction.
Future technology changes will be fairly incremental over
Video for violation enforcement has been under the next several years, and there may be a changeout
development since the early 1990s. Detection and in RFID technology to a national standard if a sound
machine-reading technology has evolved to the point business case can be developed (or FHWA subsidizes
where it also serves as a back-up ID system for those it). There has been some experimentation with the use
times when a transponder is forgotten, not read, or when of GPS for detection technology as well. When it can
an individual uses a toll road for a limited period of time. reliably track vehicles without failure, GPS technology
may significantly reduce or even eliminate the need for
The owner posts these ETC and/or video transactions to
ETC roadside infrastructure. This promises a great deal of
a financial database and handles account management,
flexibility in expanding charging zones.
auditing, reconciliation, replenishment, and settlement
with the customer service center, which is roughly
analogous to a mobile phone store and CRM operation.
Figure 3. Open Road Tolling Gantries – Autopista Central, Santiago Chile

37
Additional Payment Mechanisms Oyster is London’s travel contact-less smart card system.
At its heart is the Oyster card, which can store season
Parking and Transit
tickets or Pre Pay (pay-as-you-go travel value) for use
Transponders are flexibile and convenient mechanisms on the Tube, buses, Docklands Light Railway, trams and
for parking and transit applications, and payment systems National Rail services within London. While currently used
increasingly are exploring customer requirements for to pay for transit services, consideration is being given to
inter-modal transportation. using the Oyster card in a smart card transponder to pay
tolls associated with an expansion of the Central London
In 1999, Dallas Fort Worth airport introduced the PassKey
congestion-charging zone, launched in 2003.
system, which allows a single electronic tag for payment
at major airport parking facilities, toll roads, and city Mobile Commerce
parking garages. Similarly, E-ZPass Plus can be used for
The transponder potentially can do more than pay tolls. In
toll roads and parking at John F. Kennedy International,
fact, as the public begins to accept and use transponders
Newark Liberty International (in 2005), and LaGuardia
and smart cards for everyday transactions, toll agencies
airports in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan
will find more ways for their customers to pay for services,
area. This automated parking system allows E-ZPass
and more ways for public and private organizations to
customers to use their toll tag to pay for airport parking.
receive payments. This increase in convenience and
Future parking applications could include major event
usage will feed itself, building not only the brand of
locations adjacent to freeways, giving customers a more
the agency, but the demand for even more use and
convenient alternative than queuing in the cash payment
acceptance of transponders in the marketplace
lanes. As an additional privilege, speedy exit lanes could
also be made available for toll-tag-equipped vehicles, i.e.,
pay to exit. Flow Management
Lane Management Systems and Access Control
Perhaps one of the most interesting areas of inter-
modal transportation is the use of smart cards. In Lane management systems are overhead gantry systems
Orlando, Florida, the Orlando Regional Alliance for Next that combine message signs and lights, as seen in
Generation payment systems (ORANGES) project is Figure 4. In the United States, use of lane management
a regional system that utilized smart cards and smart systems is typically limited to toll plazas, reversible lane
card transponders in a common payment system with a control, and use of the shoulder as a travel lane (often
single clearinghouse for the payment of tolls, city garage referred to as hard shoulder running). In Europe and Asia
parking, and bus transit. these systems are commonplace and sophisticated, and
simulate regular traffic signs when in dynamic mode.
Oranges Smart Card Each lane has a corresponding sign on the gantry, which
provides real-time instructions to the drivers below,
including advance warning of lane closures, lane open/
closed, and speed limit.
Access Control
Access control in the form of ramp metering is used

extensively in the United States, especially in California
and Minnesota. This technique controls the rate at which
traffic can enter a mainline freeway in order to keep
traffic flowing, or at least delay the onset of lower levels
of service. Ramp control is usually operated during peak
times and can provide bypass lanes for high occupancy
vehicle (HOV) traffic. Since ramp metering holds traffic on
ramps, caution is needed to ensure that backups do not

Figure 4. Example of Lane Management and Speed Control Technology
occur on arterial systems, to simply transfer delay from or maintenance activities, and other factors. Applications
one component of the surface transportation system to to support VSLs use traffic speed, travel time, volume
another. detection, weather information, and road surface condition
sensors to determine the appropriate driving speed, given
Speed Control
current roadway and traffic conditions.
A few locations in Europe have experimented with speed
Predictive Travel Time
control that, like ramp metering, seeks to keep mainline
traffic flowing, or at least delay the onset of lower levels Real-time travel information is important, but in reality,
of service. Rather than transfer delay to ramps, the all measured travel times are past tense. That is,
philosophy of speed control systems is to progressively measurements can at best describe conditions in the
and smoothly reduce speeds as traffic volumes increase immediate past. And while this information is undoubtedly
at the onset of a peak period. “Section control” is the term valuable and, if widely available, would significantly assist
used in the Netherlands and Germany for controlling and travelers, shippers, and fleets in determining routes,
smoothing speeds on a particular section of the highway. departure, and arrival times, the real value is to be able
Section control in the Netherlands has proven to be to project trip times into the future. On the whole, the
more effective than spot radar checks. Speed control prediction of segment and point-to-point travel times for
systems may try to discourage frequent lane changing, road networks is critical to the long-term success of many
since this behavior can also lead to traffic disruptions and advanced ITS applications, including route guidance
flow breakdown. Speed control systems rely on the lane systems and advanced traveler information system
management system infrastructure previously described (ATIS). The common objective of these systems is to
and incorporates video enforcement of speed limits. deliver information necessary to help individual drivers
identify optimal routes based on real-time information
Variable Speed Limit Signage
on current/predicted traffic conditions. As such, the
Variable speed limit signs (VSLs) promote driving provision of such data will become vital to supporting
conditions that reflect reasonable speeds given time of
day, traffic conditions, weather conditions, construction

39
various smart highway applications. To learn more about A shoulder rumble strip is a longitudinal design
predictive travel time, refer to Issue 1 of the Orange Book, feature installed on a paved roadway shoulder
“Predictive Travel Time,” published in 2004. near the travel lane. It is made of a series of
indented or raised elements intended to alert
Safety and Security inattentive drivers through vibration and sound
Lane Departure Avoidance that their vehicle has left the travel lane. On
divided highways, they are typically installed on
Lane departure collisions are generally caused when
the median side of the roadway as well as on
a vehicle leaves its lane in a sideways movement,
the outside (right) shoulder.
subsequently either running off the road or crashing into
an oncoming vehicle head-on or, in the case of vehicles According to the FHWA, rumble strips can help reduce
traveling in the same direction, creating a sideswipe run-off-the-road accidents by 40-50 percent. Additional
crash. Lane departures are a major component of the information about rumble strips can be found at: http://
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s research safety.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/rumble.htm.
program for collision avoidance.
Rumble stripes are simply rumble strips with a contiguous
Lane departure avoidance (LDA) systems act on the line painted over them to better delineate the road’s edge
principle that enabling drivers to accurately recognize line.
their environment will enhance their safety. As a result,
Where rumble strips are being installed for the first time
they prompt the driver with an alert when danger exists
or where their use might be unexpected, appropriate
during a lane change, or when the vehicle is having
signs and pavement markings alerting both motorists and
difficulty staying in its lane (e.g., due to drowsiness or
cyclists to their presence is advisable.
other impairments that may prevent the driver from safely
operating the vehicle). These systems are most widely Barriers
found in trucks, due to the high costs of fatigue- and
Traditional highway guardrails and concrete barriers have
drowsiness-related crashes.
served and continue to serve an important role in traffic
Collision avoidance technologies are generally more or and work zone management. A current trend, however, is
less intrusive systems. In less intrusive systems, sensors to implement cable barriers where feasible.
inside or outside the vehicle merely warn the driver of
Cable Barriers consist of a series of three or four cables,
potential danger (e.g., steering wheel vibration, lights,
strung vertically between small posts, and are typically
or noise). More intrusive systems take over partial or
deployed in the median to prevent crossover accidents.
full control of the vehicle by making safety-enhancing
The tension of the cables absorbs all the impact of the
adjustments, such as tightening seatbelts or activating the
vehicle, restraining the vehicle within an approximate
brakes without the driver taking action.
10-foot deflection area and keeping it from crossing into
LDA-equipped vehicles are typically part of a cooperative oncoming traffic. The posts on these barriers serve only to
system linking the vehicle to the roadway infrastructure hold up the cables and do not necessarily help restrain the
via sensors, a guidance system, or both. LDA systems are vehicle. Damaged posts are pulled from their base and
developed to work on both straight and curved roads, in can be immediately replaced with very little effort. These
daytime and nighttime, and under a variety of inclement systems have performed well and are less expensive and
weather conditions. easier to maintain than the traditional barrier systems. In
addition, the cable barrier system can be placed on slopes
Rumble Strips/Rumble Stripes
as steep as 6:1, whereas the guardrail and barrier wall
Rumble strips/stripes are low-tech but effective devices systems are limited to 10:1 or flatter slopes.
for reducing accidents stemming from driver inattention,
Amber Alerts
drivers falling asleep, and drivers not properly perceiving
road edges at night or in severe weather conditions Variable message signs (VMS) stream traveler information
(visibility). FHWA’s definition of rumble strips states: (controlled from the TMC), including notifications for
homeland security/emergencies and AMBER alerts.

An AMBER alert is a message to the general public Reducing the Length of Time Work Zones Are In
about a confirmed child abduction. AMBER alerts are Place: Early completion incentives and disincentives for
generally initiated by an emergency management or restricting traffic in the contract can accomplish this.
law enforcement agency, with such information usually
Use of Smart Work Zones That Provide Real-time
delivered by an agency’s TMC.
Traveler Information: These systems can warn drivers
Most states have developed an agency-specific plan that of congestion or reduced speeds ahead, and suggest
describes all criteria for issuing and canceling an Amber alternate routes based on prevailing conditions. Such
alert, and procedures for coordination with other local systems can be deployed to provide traveler information
agencies. Plans should conform to the recommendations in work zones where permanent traffic management
of the National Amber Plan Program (http://www. systems do not exist.
missingkids.com/html/amberplan.html).
Work zones typically consist of portable DMS, portable
Vehicle of Interest traffic sensors, and portable CCTV cameras linked
via wireless communications to a central workstation.
Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) is an image-
Operators can use the system to monitor traffic along the
processing technology used to identify vehicles by their
section of roadway under construction, but the system
license plates. The system uses some form of illumination
can also automatically generate DMS-based messages
(e.g., infrared light) and a camera to take an image of
on predefined thresholds, as well as provide congestion/
the vehicle’s license plate. Optical character recognition
incident detection alerts for traffic management staff.
software analyzes the image and extracts the plate
number. This data can be used to support various types of Fleet and Freight Management Systems
law enforcement, travel time data collection, and access
Fleet management includes the monitoring and
management at parking facilities. Almost instantaneously
management of vehicles operating on the roadway. The
after being collected at the roadside, data from the license
most common component is vehicle location monitoring,
plate reader-based system can be compared against
either automatically via automatic vehicle location
various law enforcement databases to determine whether
technology (e.g., GPS), or manually via radio contact
the vehicle that has just passed the reader is a “vehicle
with the vehicle operator, for determining schedule
of interest,” which may warrant the attention of law
adherence and/or vehicle headways. Vehicle tracking is
enforcement officials. Furthermore, in extensive systems,
particularly important when the transport of hazardous
ALPR technology could provide information concerning
materials in involved. These systems offer carriers the
the movement of a particular vehicle as it moves through
ability to track numerous vehicles and collect a multitude
the traffic network.
of data (e.g., time of departure, time of arrival, speeds
Work Zones/Construction exceeding a certain predetermined threshold, driver
authentication, etc). If agreements can be struck between
The concept of work zone management is more than
fleet management companies (with the permission of the
simply the development of lane management strategies
freight fleet owners that they service) and public agencies,
and the set-up of the zones themselves. That is, the goal
this data resource could significantly help in assessing
of work zone management should be to minimize the
roadway conditions.
exposure of motorists to work zones to the greatest extent
possible, thereby reducing congestion and crash rates. The FHWA is currently studying truck travel times in
There are a number of ways to achieve this: freight corridors throughout the United States. Several
agreements have been struck with freight carriers
Reducing the Volume of Traffic Going Through the
partnered with fleet management service providers to
Work Zone: This is accomplished by diverting traffic to
share real-time or near real-time data with the FHWA. The
other routes, detours, or modes of transportation, thereby
project uses data sources that are already being collected
changing driver behavior and trip times during the life of
by fleet management service providers as a part of their
the project.
regular operations.

41
Phase I of the project provided more historical rather communication devices (e.g., PDAs, pagers, and cell
than real-time data and was analyzed manually. Phase II, phones). En route traveler information has traditionally
currently underway, is providing near real–time data. The been channeled through commercial radio, DMS, and
project is being conducted on five interstate highways, highway advisory radio (HAR). With the emergence of
chosen in part with help from carriers, to identify heavily wireless communication, en route traveler information
traveled or otherwise significant corridors. can also be distributed through wireless phones, web-
enabled wireless phones, and a variety of other handheld
Phase III of the FHWA project will focus on data privacy
devices. Regardless of how it is provided, effective
and how this issue may affect the sharing of data.
traveler information must be timely, accurate, relevant and
Questions such as whether or not the FHWA can give
perceived to have value when followed.
this data to state DOTs and metropolitan planning
organizations will be addressed. The goal of the project is Road weather information systems (RWISs) combine
to transition to a national framework and use fleet trucks technologies that collect weather and road condition
as probes nationally. information. Weather data is reported from an
environmental sensor station measuring atmospheric,
Qualcomm’s Fleet Management Services
surface (i.e., pavement and soil), and/or hydrologic (i.e.,
Qualcomm, headquartered in San Diego, CA, provides a water level) conditions. Specific data collected by such
wide range of wireless solutions to a variety of industries. sensors for provision to travelers include:
The company’s Wireless Business Solutions Division
• Atmospheric Sensors: Air temperature, barometric
delivers mobile solutions and services that permit fleet
pressure, relative humidity, wind speed and direction,
managers to communicate with drivers, monitor vehicle
precipitation type and rate, visibility distance.
locations, and provide enhanced customer service.
• Surface Sensors: Pavement temperature and
OmniTRACS and OmniExpress are the company’s
condition (i.e., dry, wet, ice, freeze point, chemical
two mobile solutions that provide an onboard two-way
concentration), and subsurface temperature.
wireless device coupled with a data chip installed in the
truck’s engine. Both products integrate with Qualcomm’s Dissemination of Traveler Information
SensorTRAC performance monitoring solution.
From a traveler’s perspective, information dissemination
OmniTRACS uses Qualcomm’s nationwide two- is one of the most important functions of transportation
way satellite wireless link to provide uninterrupted operations and management. Research proves that
communications coverage throughout North America. travelers both want and use real-time information about
Location information concerning the trucks is collected traffic conditions on the highway, as well as information
via either the proprietary Qualcomm Automatic Satellite about alternative routes, adverse weather and driving
Position Reporting system or more traditional GPS. conditions, construction and maintenance activities, and
roadway control measures. With accurate information,
In contrast, OmniExpress uses the Sprint PCS network
travelers are better able to make mode, departure
and GPS-enabled vehicle positioning to locate trucks.
time, and route choice decisions. A number of options
A two-way, text-based communication system is then
are currently available for disseminating information to
utilized to communicate with drivers.
travelers.
Traveler/Service Information Telephone
Traveler Support Information
Understanding the importance of consistency and
The effective dissemination of multimodal traveler simplicity in providing telephone-based traveler
information (either static or real-time) can support information, the USDOT petitioned the FCC to designate
users with widely varying needs. This resource gives a nationwide three-digit telephone number for traveler
travelers the information they need to plan effectively information in 1999. On July 21, 2000, the FCC
beforehand, as well as avoid congestion while en designated 511 as the national traveler information
route. Pre-trip information is typically disseminated to number (see Figure 5).
the public via websites, media broadcasts, and mobile

A number of issues must be addressed when Internet
implementing a 511 service. The following system
In the mid-1990s there were only a handful of Internet
considerations are taken from the 511 Deployment
traffic and traveler information sites. By 2004 that number
Coalition’s, “511 America’s Travel Information Number,
surged significantly. Hoping that broader dissemination of
Implementation Guidelines for Launching 511 Services”,
traveler information would help to ease congestion, public
version 1.1, June 2002:
agencies also began sharing their data with private ISPs
System Access Quality: The ability of the telephone via the Internet.
system to reliably and quickly answer calls.
Developing a traveler information website can be a
Hours of System Operation: The days and hours that time-consuming process, but it is very important to
511 service should be available to callers. have an end product that is attractive, easy to navigate,
and a good source of appropriate, accurate, and timely
Figure 5. 511 Road Sign information. Traveler information websites must be usable
by a range of people, and meet a number of Americans
with Disabilities Act criteria.
As most websites are developed independently, each

reflects the preferences of its designers. This results in a
wide range of web-site characteristics among the large
number of ATIS websites. Differences include:
• The appearance and use of each site (e.g., different

icons and navigation controls).
• The emphasis of each site (e.g., such as generic

traveler information, tourism, promotion of local
facilities, safety, road, and weather information).
• The number and types of information resources

used to create the data found on various parts of the
website, as well as the data quality of this information.
Whatever data resources and site-design characteristics

are selected by an agency pursuing the implementation of
a smart highway initiative, the development process for a
ADA Implementation: Complying with accessibility laws traveler information website should consider the following
and regulations. issues:
Standards: Ensuring usage of both 511 and national ITS • Is the information of high quality (i.e., accurate, timely,
standards. reliable)?
Number Allocation and Service Coordination: • Does the website have a high degree of availability?
Organizing and coordinating transportation agencies in That is, is it working more than 99 percent of the time
a given region to determine what 511 services will be on an annual basis?
offered, by whom, and in what geographic areas.
• Is the website accessible through the most commonly
Interregional Interoperability: How 511 services used browsers, including not only the most recent
interconnect. versions, but also older versions still in general
circulation?
• Is the website available 24-hours per day, seven days

a week?

43
• Does the website display data in an attractive, easy- moving to a digital technology, which will allow the service
to- understand format? to be expanded to handheld devices as well. Other
subscription and pay-as-you-go services are becoming
• Does the website permit users to receive information
available that provide enhanced traveler information,
in a personalized format, focusing indicated areas of
dynamic routing, and other roadway information to the
particular interest?
driver. The following are examples of privately provided
• Is the website capable of providing an automated traveler information services:
information feed to public agencies and commercial
Westwood One/SmartRoute Systems provides local
ISPs with an interest in the data?
traffic and weather information to wireless, Internet,
Dissemination of Traveler Information via Signage and voice portal customers. Traffic reports include
information on traffic incidents, road and lane closures,
DMS can advise motorists of travel conditions so they
construction delays, scheduled roadwork, event delays,
can take appropriate action to improve the efficiency and
and estimated travel times. Owned by Westwood One,
safety of their journey. For managed lane applications, the
SmartRoute Systems has access to traffic incident data
more-limited- capability variable speed limit signs, speed
from Metro Networks (also owned by Westwood One).
warning systems, and LCS can also convey lane use and
Metro Networks operates a traffic information gathering
lane status information to drivers.
and reporting operation composed of more than 2,000
Dissemination of Traveler Information via Highway reporters, 65 fixed-wing aircraft, 35 helicopters, and
Advisory Radio thousands of traffic cameras, reporting through 65
Although not as widespread as DMS, HAR is currently operation centers located in every major city in the United
used to reach highway travelers in their vehicles. States.
Traditionally, information has been relayed through the AM Mobility Technologies (MT) operates data collection
radio. Upstream of the HAR signal, users are instructed networks gathering lane-by-lane data (primarily using
to tune their vehicle radios to a specific frequency via RTMS sensors) on travel speeds, lane occupancy, and
roadside or overhead signs. HAR is an effective tool for vehicle counts along major highways. This makes it
providing timely traffic and travel condition information possible to calculate average speeds and travel times for
to the public. Its most important advantage is that it can the roads being monitored. The data is then transmitted
reach more travelers, or potential travelers, than DMS. to MT’s local TMC for fusion/analysis. Each TMC
While DMS reaches only those motorists at a particular collects real-time event, construction, and incident data
point, and can only convey a short message, HAR can to supplement MT’s sensor-based data. This additional
communicate with anyone within broadcast range. data is procured via a wide variety of methods, including
Further, the amount of information that can be conveyed CCTVs, aircraft, floating vehicles, and the monitoring of
is much greater. Its primary disadvantages are its low- emergency and maintenance services frequencies.
power restriction, which often leads to poor signal quality
(since it is affected by many outside forces such as ITIS Holdings has developed a system for the collection
weather), and the fact that it requires the driver to take and analysis of traffic information that combines
an action, i.e., turn on the radio or change the station, or information from public TMCs with historic and real-time
both. floating vehicle data (collected by ITIS) to provide real-
time information and journey-time forecasts. ITIS delivers
Concierge and Privately-Provided Value-Added this content over a variety of delivery platforms, including
Services
Internet, digital radio, and telephone services.
A number of private providers supply traveler information
Situational Awareness
services on demand as a subscription service, the most
well known being General Motors’ (GM’s) OnStar. OnStar Performance Management
provides a wide range of services to the driver including
Performance metrics can track changes in system
concierge service, telephone service, remote unlocking
performance over time, identify systems or corridors
of the car, and notification of airbag deployment. OnStar
with poor performance, identify potential causes and
currently uses third-party wireless analog networks, and is

associated remedies, identify specific areas of a including the number of lanes to remain open, maximum
freeway management program or system that requires traveler delay, and maximum/minimum speed to be
improvement, and provide information to decision- makers maintained.
and the public.
The development and distribution of such guidelines
Highway engineers measure roadway performance in would provide agency staff/contractors with specific
travel time reliability and LOS. Another area bearing measures to plan and manage work zone performance.
consideration for evaluation is the agency’s effectiveness Moreover, it is anticipated that development of service
in responding to and clearing incidents. Some incident level agreements (SLAs) establishing acceptable levels
response statistics that can be used to evaluate an of performance for work zone operations and imposing
agency’s incident responsiveness include: disincentives for failure to maintain adequate levels
• Time to detect of roadway performance, should have the effect of
• Time to notify maximizing the availability of roadways during periods
• Time to clear of construction and maintenance, while simultaneously
• Time until resultant congestion clears minimizing impacts on drivers and highway workers.
Traffic Management
Performance monitoring of the transportation network can
be used as an important tool for determining the extent to TMCs are the facilities through which highway
which LOS agreements are being met, particularly along agencies conduct the management and coordination
stretches of road designated as work zones. To this end, of transportation resources (see Figure 6). They serve
agencies should seek to develop guidelines that address as the core of the transportation management system,
traffic performance related to work zone management, where information about the transportation network (e.g.,
highway system) is collected, processed, and integrated
Figure 6. TMC for Vespucio Norte Express in Santiago, Chile

45
with other operational data and video to produce types of assets managed by such a system should include
decision-quality information. TMC operators use this physical infrastructure such as pavements, bridges, and
information to monitor the operation of the transportation airports; human resources (personnel and knowledge);
network, subsequently initiating strategies to bring about equipment and materials; and other items of value such
improvements in network operation. Within the context as financial capabilities, right-of-way, computer systems,
of a smart highway, TMCs serve as the point of data methods, technologies, and partners.
collection and system control for elements of ITS systems,
Asset management programs provide a range of benefits,
including roadway sensors, CCTVs, lane control systems,
including:
and VMS, enabling decision-makers to more effectively
identify and react to all types of incidents in real time. • More appropriately allocating available funds across
the maintenance program.
TMCs can help to reduce congestion and enhance
• Maximizing the level of service/performance.
roadway safety through:
• Assisting agency staff in better assessing/prioritizing
• Faster incident response and reduction in incident
agency needs.
(primarily secondary incident) rates.
• Reduction in nonrecurrent congestion. Most modern asset management systems are built
around a database (Oracle, Sybase, etc.) that arms the
• Enhanced communication in all aspects of
user with a great deal of potential functionality, from a
transportation management (planning, design,
simple inventory of agency assets, to a wider system
implementation, operation, and maintenance).
incorporating everything from safety inspection data to
• Monetary savings by sharing responsibilities between land management functionality. As a result, most asset
fewer staff, achieved by co-location of participating management software is highly tailored to address each
agencies at the TMC. organization’s particular needs. One key component of
most new asset management systems is a geographic
• Development of a more consistent, unified response
information system (GIS) interface that allows for a
to a situation, for better management of transportation
geographic means for accessing system data (e.g., the
resources.
production of maps and plans reflecting relevant agency
Asset Management data contained in the system’s database).
Many public agencies have found that an asset Pavement Management

management program helps maximize the benefits
The American Association of State Highway and
of their infrastructure maintenance program. This is
Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has published the
especially true in that the bond rating of user-financed
following definition for pavement management systems:
highways in the United States can be profoundly affected
“A pavement management system is a tool or set of tools
by the manner in which existing capital investments
that assist decision makers in finding optimum strategies
are maintained, and how their condition/performance is
for providing, evaluating, and maintaining pavements in a
monitored over time.
serviceable condition over a period of time.”
At its most basic level, asset management can be
In the broadest sense, pavement management covers all
defined as “a systematic process of maintaining,
phases of pavement planning, programming, analysis,
upgrading and operating physical assets cost-effectively.”
design, construction, and research. As implemented by
(Asset Management Primer, FHWA). Although asset
most agencies, pavement management systems primarily
management is considered by many to be simply a
address maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.
business approach (and related software package) for
Maintenance addressed in pavement management
monitoring/maintaining physical infrastructure, to be
is primarily programmed or planned preventative in
successful it must also be able to incorporate data from a
nature. While pavement management systems do not
variety of contrasting business processes, organizational
typically attempt to predict where infrastructure will fail,
structures, and information systems such as the
information is collected concerning deferred maintenance
maintenance management system (MMS). As a result, the
or rehabilitation.

On the traffic network-oriented level, pavement Advances in technology are rapidly resulting in embedded
management systems are generally concerned with: roadway sensors that are low cost, need very little energy,
and will lead to smart road surfaces in the near future that
1. Identifying pavement maintenance, reconstruction,
won’t cost much more than today’s roads. Here are some
and rehabilitation needs (based on the inventory of
examples of what these sensors can detect:
pavement the agency is responsible for managing).
• Traction is very difficult to measure since it depends
2. Determining funds needed to meet those needs.
on many of a vehicle’s parameters such as
3. Selecting feasible funding options to address those suspension set-up, type of tires in use, and the weight
needs. distribution of the vehicle. In gross terms, sensors can
detect when the road surface is icy, snow-covered,
4. Determining the impact of these options on the overall
mud-covered, wet, or dry. Computer programs can
health of the pavement system.
extrapolate road sensor data to estimate the adhesion
5. Recommending a funding option and funding strategy. capability of the road surface and advise drivers
accordingly. If this data were broadcast through
(Pavement Management Guide 2001, AASHTO Task
DSRC to the vehicle and the vehicle had a software
Force on Pavements)
program that knew what type of tires the vehicle
Some benefits of a pavement management system was using, the state of the suspension and load
include: distribution, the relative wind direction and force of the
wind, it could calculate in real time the instantaneous
1. Increased accessibility to information about the road
road surface adhesion factor and alert the driver when
network.
it approached low values.
2. Increasingly accurate data about the road network.
• Rutting occurs when vehicles riding over the same
3. Ability to track the performance of maintenance spot on a thin surface dig grooves into the roadway;
conducted on select assets. since traffic tends to fall into those “tracks,” the
4. Selection of more effective maintenance strategies. condition is continually exacerbated. Sensors that can
5. Ability to demonstrate the impact of funding-related detect how even the surface of the roadway is across
decisions. the lane will indicate when grooves are becoming
6. Enhanced ability to conduct needs analyses. pronounced and the road needs repair. Under certain
lighting conditions, a CCTV camera with specialized
7. Increased ability to communicate with management, software can also detect rutting. A laser light projector
elected officials, and other organizations working with mounted a few feet above the road surface can also
pavement. detect how level the road is across the lane.
Road/Pavement Conditions • Pavement life is very much like a vehicle’s tire life.
Traditionally, DOTs have collected asset-inventory and As the road wears down the tire rubber, so does the
condition information using one of a number of linear tire wear down the road surface. Embedded sensors
referencing methods (e.g., route name and milepost, or indicators every few miles can be used to alert the
reference point/offset, or link/node location referencing). highway maintenance engineers that the road surface
However, with improvements in GPS technology, DOTs will need repair or replacement.
have begun to complement their linear references by • Drainage systems must function properly or highway
collecting GPS-oriented data points. This change is safety can be adversely affected. Embedded sensors
rapidly facilitating the development of reliable baseline that can measure water levels and communicate to
reference maps to locate pavement sections and the highway operator on a continuous basis will be the
inventory roadside features. key to preventing accidents due to improper drainage.

47
Data Fusion and Management agencies benefit from sharing CCTV pictures for verifying
and assessing incidents. Transportation agencies (via
ITS information based on a single type of data is severely
their TMCs) can also benefit from such interagency
limited in usefulness. Only through access to, and
data-sharing when developing a regional picture of the
integration of, multiple data sources can we optimize the
transportation network that encompasses multiple agency
accuracy and reliability of the overall picture presented by
jurisdictions. The development of such a comprehensive
an ITS application.
picture can only serve to provide both the agencies
Data fusion is an activity requiring the collection of all responsible for these roads, as well as drivers traversing
available data from a variety of resources including, but the network, with a better understanding of conditions on
not limited to, incident/event data, traffic sensor data, a more regional level, thereby enhancing the ability of
and traveler-provided data, and integrates this data into multiple agencies to coordinate operations.
a standardized database. Data fusion systems generally
Such agreements typically describe the data to be shared,
have the capacity to collect and combine both dynamic
the purposes for which the data can be used (including
and static data through automated, semi-automated, and
outright restrictions on data usage), term for which the
manual means of collection/fusion.
data sharing agreement shall remain in effect, and an
Broadly stated, the purpose of data fusion is to combine indemnification clause to protect the parties entering into
a variety of data types to estimate or predict the state the venture.
of some aspect of the surface transportation network,
Remote Weather Information Stations and Vehicles as
including current/future vehicle speeds, vehicular Weather Probes
classifications and volumes, environmental information,
and transit system information. The ability to efficiently RWISs are in common use along major limited access
conduct such an operation is vital to the success of any roadways. Currently they send their information
smart highways program. periodically or upon demand to a TMC, where the
information is used by operators for advanced traffic
Warehousing of Data management system (ATMS) or ATIS purposes.
ITS technologies generate tremendous amounts of data With the advent of smart vehicles, vehicles will also
that are used primarily in real time to effect changes in act as probes, receiving and transmitting information
operational strategy. A data warehouse provides a record (e.g., weather conditions) to one another as well as the
of a given enterprise’s past operational activities stored in roadside data collection system.
some form of a database. Data warehouses are typically
designed to permit various types of analysis and reporting Decision-Support Systems
on past activities to gain insight into what has occurred First introduced in the 1970s, decision-support systems
and to facilitate decision making. Such systems provide (DSS) are a type of interactive computerized information
TMC and other agency staff with the ability to monitor system that aids complex decision-making activities. DSS
system performance over time for the purpose of making are interactive in that they allow users to choose between
both operational and longer-term planning decisions numerous options and configurations for the purpose
concerning how the network will be managed and the of receiving a customized output that is tailored to their
manner in which capital funds will be spent. As a result, specific needs. In a more precise way, DSS is defined as
data warehouses serve as a primary tool for supporting “an interactive, flexible, and adaptable computer-based
network performance monitoring; without such a system, information system, especially developed for supporting
there would be no data for analysis and review. the solution of a non-structured management problem
Interagency Agreements for Data Sharing for improved decision making. It utilizes data, provides
an easy-to-use interface, and allows for the decision
Interagency sharing of information concerning the maker’s own insights.” DSSs are generally composed of
transportation network is key to enhancing smart highway the database management system (DBMS), the modeling
operations, as well as obtaining fast and efficient system and analytical tools, and the user interface.
responses to incidents and other events that may impact
roadway LOS. For example, public safety-oriented

As part of the implementation of smart highway systems, The development of a series of RWISs, collectively
agencies need to increase their focus on the collection, referred to as the maintenance decision support system
analysis, and usage of information as part of DSS. This (MDSS) for winter road maintenance decision-makers,
includes the development of processes for ensuring that is part of a program designed to provide highway
key decision makers are provided with the information maintenance managers with improved information about
needed to support various types of management weather, road conditions, and resources so that they can
decisions related to planning, operations, and system respond more proactively to changing weather conditions.
maintenance.
The MDSS was designed with the needs of state DOTs in
If implemented correctly, DSS should serve to improve mind and allows maintenance managers to:
the availability of decision-quality information and provide
• View predicted weather conditions throughout the
tools to help agencies make better operational choices.
state.
Using DSS, agencies will be able to operate and maintain
the highway system better and with greater efficiency • Become aware of the potential for deteriorating road
under all types of conditions. conditions before they occur.
Use of DSS Tools to Provide Improved Safety • Predict impacts of weather on road conditions.
Understanding and using IT to the greatest advantage is a • Plan treatment scenarios based on available
critical challenge to traffic safety programs nationwide.” To resources including the use of chemicals and plowing
this end, AASHTO has developed a set of safety-related of roads.
strategies encompassing DSS whose purpose is to • Receive treatment recommendations based on
improve highway safety. These strategies include: proven rules of practice.
Strategy 21A: Improve the quality of safety data by
establishing programs for quality assurance, incentives, Moving Toward Smart Highways
and accountability within agencies responsible for The percipience of Thomas Edison is realized not only
collecting and managing safety data. in his experiments with electricity and the perfection of
Strategy 21B: Provide managers and users of highway the light bulb. His real genius lay in his ability to envision
safety information with the resources needed to make the an infrastructure that connected homes with light bulbs
most effective use of the data. to a power-generating plant, build the infrastructure
with private funding, and then sell the light bulbs that
Strategy 21C: Establish a means for coordinated depended on that infrastructure.
collection, management, and use of safety information
among organizations at all jurisdictional levels. A smart highway can begin to approach this genius
if roadside infrastructure is designed such that it can
Strategy 21D: Establish a group of highway safety be used intuitively by drivers and it can also facilitate
professionals trained in the analytic methods appropriate communication to and from vehicles.
for evaluating highway safety information.
Design
Strategy 21E: Establish and promote technical standards
for highway safety information systems’ characteristics When designing a smart highway with technologies
that are critical to operating effective safety management in mind, critical points of failure – those points where,
systems programs. if the interface or component fails, the system will no
longer operate - must be identified. Availability is a key
Use of DSS Tools to Provide Improved Roadway requirement for the design of the system. The design must
Weather Decision Support
consider reliability requirements, availability requirements,
Adverse weather conditions dramatically affect and serviceability requirements. System availability
the nation’s surface transportation system. and performance play a key role in achieving customer
During bad weather 6,600 people die; 470,000 satisfaction.
people are injured; and 544 million hours of time
are lost annually. (Source: FHWA)

49
Availability can be defined as whether (or how often) a Project Definition: The procurement process must
system is available for use by its intended users when be based on a strong foundation of functional system
they need it. Availability is the ratio between the time requirements and work scope requirements. The two
during which the system is operational and the total should not be mixed in one document. The functional
elapsed time. For example, if a system is operated from system specification may include or be accompanied by a
6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday only, the overall concept of operations document that spells out the vision
system availability requirement is 36 percent (60 hours for the particular project. The functional specification
out of the168 hours) but it is 100 percent during 6 a.m. should clearly state what the system has to do. If there
to 6 p.m. weekdays. A designer could pick technologies are parts of the system that are carried over from previous
whose downtime can be controlled to some extent to projects or legacy systems, then the interfaces to those
occur during the nonoperating hours. An example would legacy systems must be specified in detail usually by
be database maintenance that takes the database off-line providing a copy of the interface control document for
to archive data between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. each Friday. each interface to the systems.
When a smart highway system is designed, technology Procurement Packaging: The basic procurement
replacement also must be taken into account. This is package contains a system functional specification,
sometimes called planned product improvement (PPI). a statement of work, and a list of contract terms and
Computer modularity is a good example of PPI. When a conditions. This is all that is needed to procure the
smart highway application is designed, modularity that services of a system integrator who will finish the design
is linked to functionality must drive the design and the and produce the build-to specifications. The system
interfaces between modules must be nonproprietary. integrator may even contract to procure the physical
system and then integrate it to meet the system functional
At some point in the design of the system a “design
specifications.
freeze” must be declared and technology upgrades will no
longer be considered until after the system is implemented Risk Management: At every step of the implementation
and deployed. Up until the design freeze milestone, process, risk should be considered. There is technical
technology upgrades can be included in the design to the risk, schedule risk, and budget risk and they are often
extent the interfaces can support them. If implementing highly dependent on each other. When a new technology
an upgraded technology requires major interface changes is being considered, it may be associated with high risk.
to the system design, then it is too costly in both time and To mitigate the risk, the implementer can consider an
money to include the new technology. alternative implementation using a lower risk technology
until the new technology can be proven to work well
Procurement
enough. This adds cost to the project but effectively
When a functional specification of the system has been mitigates the risk that the new technology may not meet
finalized, a contractor is typically hired to implement the the project’s needs.
functional specification. Each functional requirement must
be translated to a physical requirement through a detailed Future-Proofing
design process. Typically this is where technology gets The challenge to a good system designer is to specify
specified and at some point the design of the system is the system with as few interfaces as possible so entire
frozen. The following issues are addressed at the detailed functional pieces of the system can be replaced. This is
design level: called a modular design and supports easy upgrades to
Standards: What standards should govern the the technology. Future-proofing a design to ensure that
technology selected? Should a proposed standard be it is not obsolete when it is fielded considers the system
adopted or should only published standards be required? lifecycle, and the ROI provided by the technology in the
Should a standard be modified to meet the special needs system.
of the project and, if so, how much change is allowed? ROI: ROI is always the driving force in choosing
Selecting the right standards is difficult and involves risk if technology. If a technology is selected without published
new technology is being adopted. standards to govern it, then the prudent contractor needs
to spend extra money to develop a lower risk design in

parallel. At some point the cost of the extra design and fashion, until eventually the old system has become
implementation far outweigh the benefits of the new the new system. This orderly replacement of functional
technology over the life of the system. components of the old system is spelled out in detail in a
migration plan for the technology. Typically, a functional
Lifecycle Planning: When procuring a system, the
path (sometimes called a thread) through the system
service life of the system must be determined. Usually in
is considered for upgrade and there are usually many
practice the service life gets extended, but the primary
functional paths through the system to plan for upgrades.
reason there is a service life is that at some point it will
not be cost effective to upgrade the technology and it will Interoperability
ultimately be cheaper to design a new system. Often the
Technology interoperability requires that standards be
needs change and make the system obsolete before the
specified and adhered to. Interoperability can exist at the
technology does. A good designer will consider how long
device level where different manufacturers can supply
the system should last and plan for an upward growth
the functional equivalent using standard interfaces. At the
path to a point.
enterprise level, large parts of the system operate with
Transitioning other systems, an example of which is the ability to use
toll transponders issued by toll authorities throughout the
Typically, an existing system is ready to be replaced by
state of Florida on Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise’s ETC
a new system, but the old system continues to generate
lanes.
revenue and can’t be shut down. Sometimes the system
is spread out over a large geographic area (e.g., Florida’s System Architectures
Turnpike system), and changeover will have to be
The following issues should be considered when choosing
done incrementally. There are three common ways to
the system architecture:
implement a new technology system concurrent with the
operation of the old system. Coordinated Operations: Does the system have to
operate in sync with other systems? Does a common time
Staged Deployment: The data interfaces between the
standard need to be used across all systems that are
old and the new are compatible and interoperable, so
operating together? Does the user interface need to have
sections of the old system can be replaced while other
the same look and feel across all systems?
parts continue to operate normally. This is often a good
way to reduce deployment risk by opening a small part Interface Definition: A good design rule is to minimize
of the new system in a remote location where failure the number and complexity of the interfaces both internal
and downtime will have little or no effect on mainline and external to the system. When considering what
operations. The bugs in the new system can be worked architecture to use, external interface requirements
out before it is introduced systemwide. must be considered to the extent they are known. User-
machine interface is a critical design issue that should be
Parallel Operation of Systems: Where there is one
solved early through the use of mock-ups and meetings
location for the system such as a TMC, both systems may
with operators. Often the user interface will drive the
run in parallel and share data. The new system is isolated
operational design of the system.
from the command and control of the old system until it
has been proven to be reliable. A typical progression is for Component Performance Balancing: When the pieces
the new system to operate with mirrored data from the old of the system are designed and specified, somebody has
system with the command and control functions turned on to maintain the system’s perspective to keep costs and
during the hours of the day where there is a low volume of schedule on track. It makes no sense to specify a device
traffic or revenue with the ability to switch back to the old that can measure time to nearest 100th of a second if
system at a moment’s notice. the rest of the system can only use data to the nearest
tenth of a second. This process is called component
Migration Paths: In some cases, a system cannot
performance balancing or leveling.
be replaced all at once, or even in pieces. Functions
of the old system that have well-defined interfaces
can be upgraded with new technology in a piecemeal

51
Designing in the Smarts a higher-tech solution is warranted if the growth plan
dictates a need for higher performance later in the
A smart system will have the ability to monitor itself
system’s life cycle. Again, the secret to blending high and
and correct itself to provide the level of service that is
low technology effectively in a smart highway is to pay
demanded of it.
close attention to the interfaces and make sure they are
Use of Technology for Planning and Design compatible and operable. Finally, consideration of the
availability of spare parts for the high-tech components
When designing a smart highway or any other smart
is essential. It makes no sense to deploy a high-tech
system, the design must account for the ability of
solution if you can’t buy spare parts for it or buy them at
machines to communicate data and act intelligently and
affordable prices.
reliably on that data. Parts of the system that involve
human welfare require highly redundant fail-safe systems Maintenance
and often require a human to watch over it. Modeling and
Technology consists of hardware and software and
simulation are good ways to evaluate the effectiveness of
various flavors of middleware. All will eventually wear out
technology and how the system that uses it will operate.
and break down. Even software will break down and fail,
Integration of Technology into Highway Design and eventually. When applying a technological solution to a
Operation system implementation, the ability to monitor how well the
equipment is operating and to predict failures in sufficient
In most cases, technology will need to be retrofitted to
time is absolutely essential to conducting preventative
a highway system with significant sunken investment. If
maintenance. When unexpected failures occur in critical
there are opportunities for new construction, technology
parts of the system, the system must be able to heal
can be considered in the design and implementation.
itself quickly using redundant components that are hot
Use of strain gauges to measure stress on the road is an
standbys. For less critical failures, the breakdown must be
example of implementing a key sensor up front. This is
isolated to as few replaceable units as possible, and there
particularly important for roads with a lot of heavy-vehicle
must be spare units on site for field replacement. The
traffic. A list of the highway operator’s critical safety-
spares-and-repairs philosophy must be specified early in
related issues needs to be developed and prioritized in
the development of the system employing smart highway
terms of lives, cost, and travel convenience. Managers
technology, since this has a big impact on the cost of
and engineers can then develop solutions that minimize
maintaining the system.
the impact to the existing system.
Early Winners References
Early winners should be identified and implemented 1. “An Examination of Fault, Unsafe Driving Acts, and
first, possibly as small pilot projects that can provide Total Harm in Car – Truck Collisions.” HSIS Summary
valuable lessons from the deployment. Often vendors with Report 7 June 2004. 14 January 2005. <http://www.
bleeding-edge technologies will donate their goods and tfhrc.gov/safety/hsis/pubs/04085/index.htm#Top>
services for the opportunity to be associated with a public 2. “GIS & Databases: Powerful Asset Management
project. In return, a highway operator can grant a certain Tools.” Software for Road Infrastructure. December
amount of latitude for the vendors to advertise their 2004, pp 15-20.
products as having been deployed on the roadway.
3. Hamm, Steve. “Intelligent Conversation with Your
Blending High and Low Technology Car.” BusinessWeek Online 1 September 2004.
In general, low-tech solutions should be leveraged 14 January 2005 <http://www.businessweek.com/
when possible to solve a system problem. A cost-benefit technology/content/sep2004/tc2004091_2857_tc024.
analysis should be performed before using a high-tech htm>
solution and a risk-mitigation plan should be drafted. 4. “Maintenance Decision Support System.” Federal
Component balancing must be done when combining Highway Administration. 26 January 2005
high- and low-tech components along with what the <http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/
overall system throughput needs are. In some cases, BROCHURE/13695.html>

5. Merritt, Rick. “Industry Link for Connected Cars?”
EE Times 10 January 2005. 7 February 2005 <http://
Eetimes.com/article/showarticle.jhtml?articleId=57300
380>
6. Orion Information Services. “Motorists Can Get

Real-Time Local Traffic Updates Using Simple Text
Messaging, Anywhere, Anytime.” SymbianOne
27 October 2004. 14 January 2005 <http://www.
Symbianone.com/index.php?option=content&task=vie
w&id=1032>
7. Pisano, Paul. “Maintenance Decision Support

System, MDSS.” FHWA 6 October 2002. 22 July
2005 <http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov//JPODOCS/
BROCHURE/13695.html>
8. Plungis, Jeff. “Tech, Intellect Will Drive Michigan’s

Auto Future.” The Detroit News Autos Insider 13
January 2005. 14 January 2005 <http://www.detnews.
com/2005/autoinsider/0501/13/B01-58875.htm>
9. Power, D.J. “A Brief History of Decision Support

Systems.” DSS Resources 31 May 2003. 23 March
2004. <http://dssresources.com/history/dsshistory.
html>
10. Task Force on Pavements, AASHTO. Pavement

Management Guide. American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials: United States of
America, November 2001.
11. “Tomorrow’s Safer Cars.” BusinessWeek Online 14

September 2004. 14 January 2005 <http://www.
Businessweek.com/technology/tc_special/tc_04cars.
html>
12. Underwood, Steve. Preliminary draft of material

prepared for the Michigan Department of
Transportation by the Center for Automotive
Research. Ann Arbor, MI; 2005.

53

Chapter 2
Needs and Issues
This chapter addresses the needs and issues facing the world’s roads, responsible for 1.2 million deaths and as
key constituents that use and/or provide smart highway many as 50 million injuries and disabilities annually. As
services. These constituents include infrastructure owner- a subset of these global numbers, the United States has
operators, the telecommunications industry, drivers and approximately 42,000 deaths and 6.3. million crashes
passengers, the automobile industry, local commerce/ annually. Forty-two
CVO, and the general public. Member States, as
well as international
While the level of importance varies from constituent
organizations, stressed
to constituent, the overall high-level needs relate to
the importance of the
saving lives, time, and money. This chapter will address
public health aspects
the shared concerns of these key constituents as well
of the lack of road
as some of the needs and issues that are constituent
safety and the need of active participation of the public
specific.
health sector as part of a multi-sector response. The
World Health Organization (WHO) suggests the problem
Commonalities of inadequate road safety will continue to get worse, as
This section addresses needs and issues that are depicted in Table 1.
generally not exclusive to any single constituent.
Now a consortium of government and industry leaders
Saving Lives have developed a “Zero Vision” for both crashes and
fatalities. The objective of Zero Vision is not necessarily
Road safety is a worldwide health concern. On April to eliminate highway deaths, but rather to create a culture
14, 2004, for the first time the United Nations General of safety that sets a road map and a timetable to work
Assembly discussed and adopted a resolution on toward that end.
improving global road safety, cosponsored by more than
50 countries. Traditionally, intersection collisions have been minimized
through geometric and signal-timing changes. Now
On May 21, 2004, the 57th World Health Assembly the opportunity exists for owner-operators to work
overwhelmingly approved a resolution on road safety collaboratively with the auto industry to reach the Zero
and health that seeks to address the lack of safety on the Vision goal in less time and with less cost.
Table 1. Disease Burden (DALYs* lost) for 10 Leading Causes
1998 Disease or Injury 2020 Disease or Injury

1. Lower respiratory infections 1. Ischaemic heart disease
2. HIV/AIDS 2. Unipolar major depression
3. Perinatal conditions 3. Road traffic injuries
4. Diarrhoeal diseases 4. Cerebrovascular disease
5. Unipolar major depression 5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary
diseases
6. Ischaemic heart disease 6. Lower respiratory infections
7. Cerebrosvascular disease 7. Tuberculosis
8. Malaria 8. War
9. Road traffic injuries 9. Diarrhoeal diseases
10. Chronic obstructive pulmonary 10. HIV/AIDS
diseases
*DALYs: Disability-Adjusted Life Years

55
Work zone safety is another area that affects drivers, According to a study by the Texas Transportation Institute,
passengers, and infrastructure owner-operators. State the average annual delay (per average person in peak
DOTs are increasingly challenged to meet growing traffic periods) increased almost three times in a ten-year period
volumes, on road infrastructure that is often 30 to 40 from 1982 to 2002. This large increment, from 16 hours
years old, by conducting iterative repairs and upgrades. of delay to 46 hours, can be attributed not only to the
The most recent data available from the FHWA (year increase of vehicles but also to nonrecurring congestion
2003) reveals that 1,028 people were killed in work zone occurrences such as breakdowns, crashes, work zones,
crashes and 41,239 people were injured. It is estimated weather, and poor traffic signal timing. The study was
that four of five people killed in construction zones are conducted in 85 metropolitan areas and concluded that
occupants of a vehicle. about 50 percent of all delays are caused by nonrecurring
congestion instances. The need to manage these
Numerous public outreach attempts and doubling of fines
situations appropriately and effectively must be addressed
for speeding in work zones have been implemented to try
by the designers of the smart highway.
and address the problem. Interaction between the vehicle
and highway infrastructure/TMCs could be an additional The results of an ABC News/Time Magazine/Washington
tool in warning drivers of impending work zone activity. Post poll of 1204 adults bears out that drivers recognize
the problem of nonrecurring breakdowns. Drivers were
Homeland Security
polled regarding what they view as “Very Effective” traffic
A variety of federal, state, and local constituencies are remedies. The results are summarized in Table 2.
interested in the ability of smart highways to facilitate
evacuations as well as to monitor the operations of
bridges, tunnels, and high-traffic roadways from a security Table 2. Effective Traffic Remedies Survey
standpoint. The use of cameras and other technologies
to monitor bridge structures or overpasses must be Remedy Percent Agreeing
considered to protect this valuable infrastructure. The use Clear Breakdowns 66
of cameras and license plate recognition in conjunction Traffic Alerts 56
with information databases can be deployed to monitor Improve Signal Timing 55
vehicles of interest and can potentially be used as a law New Roads 51
enforcement tool. Public Transit 42
Travel-Time Reliability Car Pooling 39
HOV Lanes 27
Travel-time reliability is one of the most important needs Adjustable Tolls 7
for all key constituents, especially for the commercial
City-center Tolls 7
vehicle community and commuters. Predictable travel
times draw drivers to a facility. The ability to reduce or (Source: Inside ITS, March 15, 2005)
eliminate unexpected delays is a major challenge for
owner-operators.
For a commuter, reliable information on travel time is
It is estimated that every minute of delay costs $4 for
a must. Current systems, such as websites displaying
a CVO. The growth of just-in-time (JIT) delivery has
travel time or phone numbers to obtain traffic conditions
narrowed the delivery window, as inventory logistics has
information are reliable, but they do not generally provide
moved from a “push” to a “pull” system, where product
alternate routes such that drivers can make informed
deliveries react to present demand. The importance
decisions in real time.
of travel time reliability is increasing for the success of
corporate supply-management systems. Commercial
fleets are more than willing to pay for the use of facilities
that provide minimal delays and allow them to reach their
final destination in the shortest time possible.

Saving Money Given that travel times may not be reduced any time
soon, knowing how long it will take to pick up a child from
Micro Level
school or meet a spouse for lunch is important. The ability
The need to provide financial incentives to highway users to accurately predict travel time is becoming more and
and operators must be taken into consideration when more critical.
designing a smart highway. Customers want their travel
Cutting-Edge Technology vs. Reliability
and safety needs properly addressed, but it is a financial
benefit that usually resonates in terms of affecting Technology offers the capability to gather and process
behavior. A preferred toll rate or savings offered by auto immense volumes of data and to rapidly deliver
insurance companies for smart vehicles are examples of information to owner-operators and users, but motorists
potential financial benefits. must have trust and confidence in the technology systems
that are deployed. The technology must provide decision-
Infrastructure operators must reduce their operational
quality information in terms of reliability, timeliness, and
costs as part of the impetus for implementing smart
relevance or else its credibility will be undermined, and
highways. An area where cost reduction could be
the technology will be underutilized. There is a need to
achieved is in incident detection and clearing. An
convey to motorists that technology implemented on a
operator’s ability to detect and clear an incident in the
smart highway will be accurate and reliable.
least amount of time will potentially reduce operating
costs.
Constituent Perspectives
Macro Level
Infrastructure Owner-Operator
The appropriate incentives are needed on a micro level
to effect individual behavior. The need for appropriate Infrastructure owner-operators include the public and
incentives and strategies to change attitudes and private sector organizations responsible for providing,
behaviors toward smarter roadways and roadway safety maintaining, and/or operating highway infrastructure.
(among all smart highways constituents) on a more global These include DOTs, toll authorities, and private
level is evident when the macro-economic impact of operators. Infrastructure owner-operators recognize the
road crashes is taken into account. The drain on national need to manage existing transportation infrastructure
economies is typically between 1 and 3 percent of gross more safely and efficiently to save lives and time, and
national product per annum. Globally, estimates suggest reduce operating costs.
that the economic costs of inadequate road safety
The need to increase mobility and travel time reliability is
amounts to $518 billion per annum. This includes direct
the primary goal of all owner-operators. Increased mobility
medical costs, as well as indirect longer-term costs. The
reduces delay for all facility users and allows for the
fact that economically active age groups are the most
increased capacity of a facility at all hours. It is estimated
vulnerable to roadway injuries exacerbates the problem.
that travelers in the nation’s largest 85 metropolitan areas
Improved Quality of Life spend 46 hours each year in peak period congestion,
costing more than $63 billion. Increased mobility has a
As mentioned earlier, reducing delay and providing travel positive impact on economic vitality, and is a selling point
time reliability is a major contributor to quality of life. As for local municipalities trying to attract new businesses.
vehicle miles traveled continue to outstrip the pace of Additionally, increased mobility can produce higher
infrastructure expansion, it appears inevitable that travel revenues for owner-operators and draw additional
times will continue to increase. Without a major shift in ridership as other facilities become more and more
travel demand management (telecommuting, carpooling, congested.
modal shift, and value pricing) the quality of life will
deteriorate. As we spend more and more time working Users need to make informed decisions when traveling,
and traveling we have less time to spend with our families thus information provided in real time must be accurate
and friends. and relevant. Infrastructure owner-operators must ensure
that this need is fulfilled, so that users with the appropriate

57
tools can then decide whether to get on a specific road, responsible drivers may approach highway safety in terms
choose a different mode of transportation, select a of avoiding, or at least mitigating, the impact of crashes by
different route and/or different time of travel. considering a more precise indication of:
Quality of Information/Data Management • Driving conditions such as surface conditions and

visibility.
A smart highway must deliver information that is timely,
accurate, useful, secure, customized where desired, • Driver distractions including cell phone use.
available, and synchronized. Information systems that
• Driver impairment such as tiredness and driving under
can deliver dynamic content (pre-trip as well as in route)
the influence.
are preferred. Owner-operators must evaluate how
business processes are conducted to ensure the most • Vehicle fitness for purpose including roadworthiness
efficient management of data throughout the enterprise. and loading characteristics.
Presenting data that is decision quality to the driver or to
• Safety-related vehicle features such as braking
traffic management personnel is the goal.
systems, airbags, and the OnStar system.
Better Violation Control
• Enhanced driving controls including adaptive cruise
The need to control the intended, authorized, or legal use control (ACC) and collision avoidance systems.
of a facility is of primary importance. Weigh-in-motion
technology protects the infrastructure from undue wear When it comes to purchasing or leasing a vehicle, drivers
and tear caused by oversized/overweight vehicles, and inevitably balance safety features against nonsafety
radar or speed enforcement cameras reduce speeds with vehicle features as well as cost. While safety features
resulting beneficial impacts on traffic flow and overall may cost more, they can also lead to reductions in the
system reliability. cost of vehicle insurance. Continuous driver education is
also a key to improved safety. It is mutually beneficial for
Security cameras and cameras that feature optical insurance companies and highway operators to play a
character recognition protect against revenue loss due to role in encouraging continuous driver education.
violation (e.g., toll violation) or theft.
Safety features are particularly important as the
Violations for red light running and excessive speed are population ages. “Vision declines with age. Starting at age
primarily the purview of the local or state police agencies. 20, the amount of light needed by drivers to see doubles
Given the demands on law enforcement resources, the every 13 years. By the year 2020, more than 20 percent
use of technology to enact automatic enforcement is of the U.S. population will be 65 years of age or older.
being more widely considered. This is an area in which Older drivers have declining vision and slower reaction
the technology is less of an issue than privacy and times, so they need enhanced nighttime visibility to
legal issues associated with using it in this way. A smart maintain their independence and mobility.”
highway can include enhanced violation control, but
this service (more than most) highlights the need for a According to a Higher Highway Safety Standards survey
public education program that explains the benefits and released in March of 2005, 99 percent of drivers felt that
safeguards associated with automatic enforcement. There bright and easy to see road markings are important to
is a trade-off for customers: Are they prepared to accept driver safety, and 94 percent felt that this should be a
automatic enforcement in exchange for a higher level of priority for state and local governments. By widening
safety? road lines, particularly in areas where a high degree of
roadway delineation is required, drivers have an improved
Driver and Passenger Perspective visibility which increases safety conditions, and ultimately
Safety leads to a reduction in the number of accidents. Studies in
New Jersey, Florida, and Montana noted crash reductions
While infrastructure owner-operators generally address where wider lines were implemented. This illustrates the
safety through enhanced geometrical design, operations point that low-tech solutions can be as much a part of a
management (incident management, speed enforcement, smart highway as high-tech solutions.
and signal control), and infrastructure maintenance,

Privacy Private-Sector Perspective
The need to secure and protect a customer’s privacy must Local Commerce and Commerce Vehicle Operators
be addressed in smart highway services and operations.
The driving motivations, or needs, for local commerce and
Operators must have the capabilities and resources
CVO include increasing safety, decreasing delivery times,
to ensure that customers’ personal information is kept
traveling with predictable trip times, decreasing expenses
confidential, and they must be prepared for scrutiny by
due to fuel purchases, decreasing or at least stabilizing
privacy groups to demonstrate that customers’ privacy is
insurance costs, reducing driver turnover, and training.
protected accordingly.
Improving visibility with respect to location of the fleet and
Operators must be able to assure potential smart highway the location of hazardous zones and incidents are also
users that their information will not be released or used by key objectives. Many of these objectives can be met with
any governmental agency, but rather that their information existing and emerging technologies.
is to be used only for monitoring traffic and providing
A key to successful smart highway operations is for
services. In addition, customers must perceive that their
commercial vehicles to interact more safely and efficiently
information will not be misused.
with noncommercial traffic and roadside infrastructure.
In cases where a transportation agency will find benefit Commercial vehicle traffic is expected to increase on the
in using personal information there must be a trade-off U.S. highway system. According to a study by AASHTO,
that the customer will accept in exchange for sharing domestic freight tonnage will increase by approximately
personal information. Washington Area Metro Transit, 60 percent in the next 15 years, not including import-
for example, offers balance protection (reimbursement export tonnage. Currently, the highway system handles
of the customer’s card balance in case of loss of theft) close to 80 percent of the domestic tonnage and a
in exchange for the customer becoming a registered reduction in tonnage hauled by trucks is not likely in the
cardholder, as opposed to being anonymous. The foreseeable future. The problem of truck/passenger car
customer is willing to forego some privacy in exchange for segmentation should be considered on some corridors.
a benefit. Where safety and critical path time issues are at the front,
the possibility of segmenting traffic makes operational
An effective outreach program will be required to educate
sense, even though there are significant infrastructure
customers with regards to privacy and information
hurdles.
utilization.
The issue of a large number of trucks on the highway
Ease of Use
system cannot be solved in a vacuum. That is, smart
A smart highway should be sufficiently intuitive so that highways alone will not resolve this problem. Other
people from all backgrounds can use it, particularly transportation modes need improvement to alleviate the
for essential services such as safety. The use of more strained trucking industry. Railroads are potentially one
advanced applications will be at the discretion of the part of the solution to a very complex problem. According
individual driver, but they should also be ergonomically to the Association of American Railroads, the average
well designed. Smart highway features should be export in the United States has to travel approximately
presented in a “plug and play” environment that allows 1,000 miles before reaching a port. In Europe, this
users a common interface for a variety of functions. average is just a fraction of the United States. The fact
Convenience that trucks have to haul tonnage large distances in
the United States frequently contributes to the traffic
Convenience cannot be looked at from a single congestion and adversely affects the commercial vehicle
perspective; that is, different drivers appreciate operations essential to a vibrant economy.
convenience in different ways. A frequent business
Automotive Industry
traveler has different needs from the casual traveler or
tourist. Each must be treated differently, and services The general goal of the automotive manufacturers
should to be developed that are customized according to as a for-profit business sector is to capture as much
each group’s needs. Supply and demand will determine market share as possible and maintain as much repeat
which applications are economically viable.

59
business as possible among its existing customers. How Do Infrastructure Operators and the
Part of the strategy for achieving and maintaining a Automotive Industry Collaborate?
competitive advantage is to offer products and services
that improve overall customer satisfaction, in a way While owner-operators and the automotive industry
that is cost effective. One of the ways that automotive can independently equip the highway infrastructure
manufacturers have sought to distinguish themselves and vehicles respectively, for the smart highway to truly
is to provide an increasing number of interactive/real- become a reality, unprecedented collaboration between
time services such as infotainment, navigation systems, these two key constituents is required.
and safety enhancements that make the overall travel Through Government-led Initiatives
experience more pleasant. The ability to provide the
In recent years, the USDOT-led programs such as the
most pleasant driving experience possible, which
Automated Highway System demonstration, IVI, and,
includes avoiding accidents and minimizing travel time, is
subsequently, the VII have resulted in collaboration
improved to the extent that there can be communication
between owner-operators and the automotive industry.
between vehicles and between the vehicle and roadside
infrastructure. Because vehicles are mass produced, the The conclusion reached from the IVI is that cooperation
automotive industry needs to have a standard means by between vehicles alone is not sufficient to reach major
which vehicles can communicate with each other and improvements in safety. Communication between
the highway infrastructure. Once these standards are vehicles and infrastructure is necessary to achieve safety
achieved the necessary equipment can be integrated into objectives.
the automotive supply chain. Effective communication
The VII Initiative is a cooperative effort between
between the automotive industry and infrastructure owner-
Federal and state departments of transportation
operators (highway operators and toll agencies), is the
(DOT) and vehicle manufacturers to evaluate
first step toward meeting this goal.
the technical, economic, and social/political
Win–win situations are beginning to emerge between feasibility of deploying a communications system
equipment suppliers and the auto industry with regard to be used primarily for improving the safety and
to the provision of information and entertainment. The efficiency of the nation’s road transportation
capabilities of OnStar in GM vehicles is well documented system. This communications system may also
but recent developments in the relationship between be used for other applications to the extent they
satellite radio providers and the auto industry also bodes do not interfere with the primary purpose of
well for additional navigation and traffic information enhancing transportation safety and mobility.
services for drivers. As recently as March 2005, Hyundai
The primary benefit of VII deployment will
Motor Company announced it will make equipment
be roadway safety. There are also expected
provided by XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. a standard
to be significant benefits to operations and
feature in all its models. Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. also
maintenance of the transportation network due
announced deals to make its equipment available as
to the real-time performance feedback that the
an option on models from Land Rover and Jaguar, both
VII deployment would be expected to provide.
owned by Ford Motor Company . It is apparent that
In addition, other commercial and business
proliferation of satellite radio throughout the automobile
applications may be enabled by a high bandwith
industry will continue due to keen competition.
data connection between vehicles and the
Sales of navigation-equipped vehicles are also growing. infrastructure. (Source: ITS America website)
J.D. Power and Associates estimates that approximately
These initiatives have stimulated dialogue regarding
850,000 model-year 2004 cars were sold with factory
roadside-to-vehicle communication, and they have
installed navigation systems; an increase of 54 percent
resulted in a number of demonstrations and operational
from the 550,000 navigation-equipped vehicles sold in
tests. The automotive industry and transportation
2003. Navigation-equipped sales in 2003 saw an increase
agencies also continue to collaborate under the auspices
of 83 percent from 2002.
of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS
America). However, on a day-to-day basis, these key

constituents generally operate and conduct research will not be subject to veto while remaining open to
independently of one another, perhaps reflecting the scrutiny. Without the active participation of the federal
different cultures and motivations between the public and government, one possible way forward is for industry
private sectors that predominate in the absence of the associations such as AASHTO and International Bridge,
coordination role played by the federal government. Tunnel and Turnpike Association to act on behalf of the
owner-operators. Alternatively, five to ten of the major
The automotive industry has made great strides with
owner-operators may create a coalition that is either
telematics (wireless communication and onboard
representative of the industry or that the industry will allow
information processing systems) focused on safety,
to trailblaze on their behalf, and jump onboard at a later
security, convenience, and entertainment. With
stage of concept maturity.
the number of Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones
now estimated to be one-third of all handsets, auto Competitive Openness – In the competitive world of the
manufacturers are increasingly adding Bluetooth automotive industry, companies are continually looking
wireless connections or docking stations. Automakers to differentiate themselves from their competitors. For
want to connect with an installed and well-maintained the public sector this can be a challenge due to the
infrastructure of roadside sensors and will look to owner- need to be evenhanded and to follow strict procurement
operators and private providers for travel information guidelines. Some states have passed public-private-
content. Much of the progress that has been made partnership legislation that provides for the private
has been through established wireless communication sector to participate with the public sector outside of the
networks that are managed independent of the owner- traditional procurement process. However, the success of
operators. the smart highway concept really requires the automotive
industry to similarly participate collectively, highlighting the
In parallel, owner-operators have rapidly rolled out the
importance of standards.
deployment of ITS technologies to support operation of
their infrastructure. While the biggest concentration of ITS Industry Size/Segmentation – Perhaps the single biggest
can be found in the larger metropolitan areas, expansion challenge facing increased collaboration is the imbalance
continues unabated across metropolitan arterials, surface of size within the respective industries. While the National
streets, and rural areas. Highway System is a national network comprising
interstate freeways and major arterial roads, its
Effective Dialogue
operational management is devolved to individual states
To achieve effective dialogue between owner-operators and toll road operators. Conversely, auto manufacturers
and the automotive industry, both have to come together have global reach. What may be considered to be a
in a spirit of mutual ambition, with a clear understanding large toll road network (e.g., 500 centerline miles) will
of individual and common objectives, a true spirit of account for a very small proportion of national vehicle
partnership, and a commitment to implement a road miles traveled. Consequently, owner-operators bring
map to success. This means that each constituent must very little leverage to any discussion with the automobile
recognize that it needs the other, which in turn means industry. Unless the latter can be persuaded that there is
both have to agree that the smart highway is the way an overwhelming benefit to making smart highways a high
of the future. At this stage, it is not clear whether the priority, the owner-operators may have to follow the lead
owner-operators agree to this among themselves, or even of the automobile industry.
whether the automotive industry is ready to participate.
To a certain extent, there is an element of the chicken and
Three issues that must be addressed in order to achieve
egg conundrum at play: What comes first, the intelligent
the necessary dialogue between these constituents are as
vehicle or the intelligent highway? A more appropriate
follows:
question may be, Who needs whom more? In the very
Public vs. Private Speeds and Accountability – short term, the most appropriate way forward appears
Traditionally the public and private sectors have moved to be through forum opportunities under the auspices
at different speeds and have had different lines of of the USDOT and through highway or toll operators
accountability. Participants must have decision-making initiating programs that involve a subset of the key
responsibility and have the assurance that their actions stakeholders (an auto manufacturer, selected service/

61
infrastructure providers, and the highway operator) who
can be agile and focused on meeting definitive smart
highway objectives within a scheduled deadline. This
iterative progress will help to break through the inertia
sometimes realized in broader efforts. The findings from
these smaller, more focused efforts can provide valuable
information to larger groups involved in setting standards
and public policy.
References
1. Costlow, Terry. “Entertainment on the Move.”
Automotive Engineering International Online January
2005. 7 February 2005 <http://www.sae.org/automag.
electronics/01-2005/1-113-1-44.pdf>
2. “Global Road Safety Crisis.” Report of the Secretary

General, United Nations, 58 (7 August 2005): Item
162.
3. Handwerk, Brian. “’Intelligent’ Cars ‘Talk’ with

Highway, One Another.” National Geographic
News 21 May 2004. 14 January 2005 <http://news.
nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/05/0521_
040521_smartcars.html#main>
4. Job, Ann M. “Cars Getting Smarter to Make Driving

Safer.” The Star-Ledger 5 September 2004. 14
January 2005 <http://wawa.starledger.com/texis/
search/+kcexl/OrempbnmCeH5qLwwwi/Search.html>
5. “Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII).” ITS America

14 February 2005. 19 July 2005 <http://www.itsa.
org/vii_meeting.html>
6. “Violence and Injury Prevention.” World Health

Organization Regional Office for Europe 08 August
2005. 7 September 2005. <http://www.euro.who.
int/violenceinjury/injuries/20040421_1>

Chapter 3
Benefits and Impacts
This chapter will describe the benefits and impacts • 25 percent less fatalities, if by road engineering,
of a smart highway. The benefits of a smart highway information, or applied telematics the average speed
primarily fall within the broad categories of saving time, of motor vehicles could be reduced by 5 km/h.
lives, and money for a range of stakeholders: users,
As smart highway technology migrates from reactive to
operators, and the general public, as well as other vested
proactive applications and services, a joint effort between
sectors including the automobile, insurance, ITS and IT,
infrastructure owner-operators and the automobile
telecommunications, and telematics industries.
industry is needed to educate drivers on its benefits.
Existing systems such as ABS and airbags are reactive
High-level Benefits and Impacts systems, triggered only under certain circumstances
Fewer Accidents and Fatalities such as sudden stopping or some form of accident.
Some of the proposed systems like ACC, forward
There are many logistical and behavioral challenges collision warnings, and road or lane departure warnings
associated with reducing accidents and improving safety. are proactive because these systems warn the driver,
We will see in Chapter 4, Smart Highway Elements, or activate the vehicle, before a crash occurs. The logic
that there are a variety of smart highway technologies behind ACC, for example, is to automatically adjust
and applications that can help to reduce accidents and a vehicle’s speed and apply the brakes to match the
improve safety. Their effectiveness, however, hinges speed of the vehicle in front. However, the state of this
on the driver’s ability and willingness to use them. For technology is not up to the point of full automation, so for
example, it is very challenging to convince drivers that now it will serve as a warning system, leaving the decision
relinquishing any control of the vehicle will increase to apply the brakes to the driver.
their personal safety and the overall safety of the road.
When owner-operators can demonstrate to drivers that If and when ACC does become fully operational and
smart highways are more secure and fewer delays will drivers become comfortable with using the system,
result than on dumb highways, there may be a greater there is always a possibility that comfort will turn to
willingness to use a wider variety of smart highway complacency. Drivers will take risks in the expectation that
services. ACC will correct, or at least give warning of, impending
collision conditions. Past experience shows that when
Changing attitudes toward existing safety measures ABS was introduced it brought a financial benefit to the
(e.g., seatbelts) along with continuing improvements in vehicle owners in the form of lower insurance premiums.
technology can have powerful results. The European However, after a few years some insurance companies
Union estimates the following benefits from preventive stopped providing this discount because of questions
and protective measures: about the real efficacy of ABS. One reason for this
• 15 percent less accident victims, if seat belts are “ineffectiveness” was that drivers would drive their ABS-
used. equipped vehicles faster or apply brakes with insufficient
braking distance under the assumption that their vehicles
• 7 percent less fatalities, if pedestrian-friendly car would stop faster than vehicles not equipped with ABS.
designs are implemented. Another explanation was the lack of knowledge in how to
• 15 percent less fatalities, if all cars are made to the use ABS; some drivers would still pump the brakes the
best level of passive safety (e.g., airbags) in their size old-fashioned way. This example highlights the necessity
category. for education about smart vehicle or smart highway
applications.
• 5 percent less fatalities, if daytime running lights are
used. A number of technologies have been developed to
increase safety including collision avoidance, lane
departure warning, drowsy-driver technology, ACC,

63
Figure 7. Integrated Road Safety Program
Enforcement:
targeting accident
causal factors and Immediate effects
high risk locations and reinforcing
Integrated Public Awareness

Education: Road Campaigns:
communities and Safety information and
schools Program targeting errant road
user behavior
Long-term effects Cumulative medium-

Engineering: term effects
targeting accident
‘blackspots’ and
hazardous locations
Source: World Bank View (Presentation)
intersection collision warning, and anti-jackknife • Vehicle Probes that Provide Road Surface Condition
technology. These technologies have great potential Data – Vehicle probes send their current location and
to benefit society by minimizing crashes and therefore road surface condition to the TMC (e.g., a message
reducing the loss of lives. is sent via a probe that windshield wipers are in
operation). The TMC processes the data as part of the
Coordination is Key
information it broadcasts regarding road conditions in
The benefit of reducing crashes is achieved through that vehicle’s location.
coordinated programs. Figure 7 illustrates the key
• Commercial Vehicle Safety Data – A commercial
components of an integrated road safety program, which
vehicle sends safety information such as weight,
provides immediate, mid-term, and long-term benefits.
brake performance, tire pressure, driver attentiveness,
The USDOT, through the VII initiative, has identified etc. to assist in improving CVO safety as well as in the
applications that will provide a safety benefit for users. performance of safety inspections.
Here are a few samples of these applications:
• Intersection Collision Avoidance – Communication
• Infrastructure-based Curve Warning – Provides a between vehicles and roadside units, and signals to
warning to drivers that their speed must be reduced to prevent collisions.
safely traverse the impending curve.
Automobile Safety
• Vehicle Probes that Provide Weather Data – Vehicle
probes send their location and weather data to the Because of the competitive pressures in the marketplace,
TMC. The TMC utilizes this information to determine some safety applications which are not demonstrable,
the weather at the vehicle’s location. will only achieve critical mass if they are made mandatory

(i.e., federal government policy initiative). For example, if could be to offer multiple levels of service. For example,
ACC is fitted into every vehicle, regardless of vehicle type, a less expensive service could provide a wider margin of
drivers will come to expect it and use it. error than the most expensive option. This service could
also be tailored for different customer groups. A premium
Even with mandatory guidelines for vehicle makers, it
package could offer a service that provides travel time
will take several vehicle replacement cycles for any new
information with a minimum margin of error (i.e., travel
feature to become pervasive. Very few customers will be
time is 25 minutes with a confidence level of 99 percent)
swayed to advance their vehicle replacement cycle to
along with travel times of alternate routes, whereas a
take advantage of a groundbreaking safety application.
more basic service could offer alternate routes without
In some cases, however, new product development may
confidence levels. The idea is to offer different service
offer a solution for those customers unwilling to replace
options to drivers. The retiree driving to Florida may want
their existing vehicles. Companies like Pioneer and its
to know the location of rest areas or services plazas, but
after-market device that combines entertainment and
in the case of traffic congestion caused by an accident,
navigation features, are a much less expensive alternative
the retiree may only want information on alternate routes,
than having a vehicle retrofitted or purchasing a new
without a level of confidence.
vehicle. When introduced, these devices are generally
not at price points that appeal to the average driver. More Offering accurate travel time will be extremely beneficial
acceptable price points are usually reached over time and for CVO. The ability of UPS and FedEx to deliver
as more players enter the marketplace. packages before a certain time of the day is heavily
influenced by traffic conditions. What would happen if the
Enhancing the Environment delivery services of these companies could be refined
The environmental benefits from the improved flow of even more? In addition to offering delivery times before
traffic that results from effective smart highway operations a certain hour of the day, they could also offer, at an
include: additional fee to customers, delivery of packages within
a more precise time window (e.g., within a 30-minute
• A reduction in traffic emissions due to improved traffic
window).
flow.
A number of technologies have been developed to save
• A lower occurrence of accidents involving vehicles
time including electronic permitting, real-time congestion
carrying hazardous materials due to enhanced smart
information, dynamic routing, fleet communications
highway safety features.
allowing engine control and monitoring, electronic log
• An ability to provide advantageous pricing (in the case books, etc. The CVO industry can leverage the maximum
of toll roads) for suitably equipped smart vehicles utility of these technologies by integrating them within
(vehicles that have enhanced safety features or more smart highway operations.
environmentally sensitive equipment).
Seamless Travel
• A reduction in air and noise pollution. In the case of
Seamless travel is an integrated driving environment
smart toll roads that implement ORT, conventional
in which the physical infrastructure is combined with
toll plazas are not necessary, which facilitates the
exceptional operations management, travel information,
passage of vehicles at highway speeds. This reduces
commercially bundled travel services, and payment
vehicle emissions from standing traffic.
systems to provide customers with a safe, hassle-free,
Saving Time value-added driving experience. Toll roads have taken
a proactive approach where drivers are viewed as
Saving time is one universally appealing advantage of customers instead of motorists. Providing services that
a smart highway. A few questions pertinent to smart improve the quality of travel to the point where customers
highways and saving time include: How long will it take do not have to spend an inordinate amount of time
to traverse any specific segment? If the travel-time thinking about or planning their trip is the hallmark of
information provided is not accurate, will the customer seamless travel.
get a refund? Will the service provider offer different level
of services based on travel-time accuracy? One answer

65
A payment system that is convenient in terms of both the You Drive,’ it involves fitting clients’ cars with a black box
payment and revaluing processes is also of paramount and using it to generate individual premiums based on
importance in achieving seamless travel. Customer how often, when, and where people drive their car.
convenience is contingent upon multiple services being
For Customers
paid through a common payment device and/or account.
For example, if an OBU can be used for toll payment as The trade-off for customers should come as a financial,
well as for retail payments (offered through drive-through safety, or mobility benefit. Customers may give up some
or position commerce) the customer has less to think private information if enticed with attractive insurance
about. Any payment system must achieve the objectives premium reductions. Alternatively, the quality of service
of multiple constituents, including the owner-operator. This for a smart highway may be regarded so highly that it will
essentially translates into optimizing all components of the offset privacy concerns.
payment systems value chain including:
Privacy: Tradeoffs
• Payment Media Management
Perhaps one of the biggest issues with a smart highway
• Account Maintenance is privacy concerns. The nature of a smart highway will
• Transaction Processing mean that more customer information will be gathered
• Revenue Management and Settlement (or will be perceived to be gathered) in exchange for
• Data Collection and Reporting an improved or enhanced driving experience. These
• Customer Service improvements would come in the form of better services
and a safer highway.
Saving Money
Privacy is an issue of relative importance depending on
Cost reduction is a benefit sought by all smart highway the individual. Persuading customers that their personal
constituents. information will not be misused is a priority. Assurances
For Insurers must be made that information will be used on an
aggregate rather than an individual level, unless the driver
Insurers can certainly benefit from smart highway features gives specific permission otherwise.
as they will help to reduce death rates and accident
claims. The insurance industry’s interest in the smart Opposition from some customers and privacy advocates,
highway is primarily focused on driver usage patterns, may create hurdles if public relations are not managed
death, injury, property damage, liability, and theft. properly. Anything that tracks people or vehicles, is
Specifically, the insurance industry provides a financial susceptible to resistance if the customer misinterprets
mechanism to insure against, and to meet the cost of, its intentions.
customers’ losses. The insurance industry therefore has a User-financed highways and state DOTs often must
strong interest in reducing claims, which it can do by one get legislation approved at the state level in order for
of the following three ways: information to be exchanged between the vehicle and
• Differentiating between genuine loss and fraudulent road side. This is particularly true of user-financed
claims. highways with bond covenants that specify how customer
information can be used.
• Refusing to insure certain risks.
The key to overcoming resistance is to demonstrate some
• Reducing or mitigating the number and cost of claims equivalent benefit in exchange for giving up some privacy.
by providing incentives or requirements to create less This could come in the form of discounted insurance
risky environments. premiums or guaranteed refunds for a lost or stolen
The insurance industry is also looking for innovative payment device. On average, approximately 22 percent
methods and business models to charge individual of vehicle ownership is insurance premiums. Proper
premiums. British insurance giant Norwish Union is incentives for driver education, suitably equipped vehicles
running an 18-month-long, 5000-customer trial of a
telematics based insurance scheme. Known as ‘Pay As

and driving on smart highways in the form of reduced insurance industry may regard the smart highway as
insurance premiums can be a “win-win” for drivers, a more safe and secure (and consequently less risky)
highway operators and insurance companies. trucking environment, leading to the possibility of lower
premiums.
Incentives for Opting In on Safety Components
Well over 50 percent of 2004 model passenger cars and Improving the Travel Experience
light vehicles have some capability to record information
for subsequent downloading. Event data recorders In addition to safety, mobility, and cost considerations, the
(EDRs) are the auto industry’s equivalent to black box smart highway offers the potential to improve the traveling
voice and data recorders used to investigate plane experience.
crashes. EDRs offer the potential to analyze auto crashes
Infotainment
in detail and are of great interest to manufacturers,
insurers, and safety groups. However, they are also of Infotainment services are gaining interest with drivers,
interest to law enforcement, which is of some concern to particularly among frequent travelers. Infotainment
motorists who fear that their vehicles have the capability services include satellite TV/radio, tourist information,
to “spy” on their driving behaviors. Linked with GPS, Internet, local information, and more. Achieving critical
EDRs can report where each vehicle has traveled, mass is a must for service providers, but the threshold
and can even communicate this to others. It is open to that defines critical mass can only be provided by the
question whether the public will accept such technologies service providers who know the breakeven point. Who
if it means a loss of privacy, even if there are tangible will guarantee the service providers that the critical
reductions in expenses. For example, auto insurance mass is actually there? What happens if a market is not
carriers are investigating whether discounts will be realized? Is the operator going to be responsible in some
awarded to drivers who demonstrate their safe driving way to assure service providers that a minimum number
skills or who travel on safer streets and at less congested of customers who will use their services? It is very likely
times of the day. that the operator will have to be involved, at least at
the beginning, until a critical mass has been achieved,
For the CVO industry, a number of technologies have
otherwise service providers may not see it as worth their
been developed to reduce costs, including performance
while from a risk management perspective.
measuring (speeds, rpm’s, acceleration/deceleration
rates, and electronic maintenance logs). This information Information may be blended with the traditional travel
is used for driver pay incentives. Smart vehicles can also content we have become accustomed to, but packaged
provide electronic alerts when engine or other equipment in more entertaining ways and delivered in a multimedia
malfunctions take place. In addition, other technologies format more commonly seen in home entertainment
have been developed to increase productivity, increase systems. To address safety considerations, information
safety, and save time and money. These applications delivery may have to incorporate interactive voice
include GPS tracking and perimeter fencing (when a technologies rather than the traditional buttons and knobs.
truck deviates from a set route by a preset distance, a
The market will determine the desired types and ratio of
notification is sent to the dispatcher warning of a possible
entertainment and travel information services.
highjacking).
Service Delivery: Options
Commercial Vehicle Operations
Services need to be designed for various customer
CVO is a market segment for which travel time is more
segments. Each segment will require a thorough
critical than most. JIT delivery, driving hour regulations,
marketing analysis to ensure proper pricing and selection
and the ripple effect of late drop-offs are all reasons why
of services. Upon availability of services, the customer
the CVO sector has a vested interest in smart highways.
can select a variety of payment options and terms
Perhaps more critically, owner-operators and associated
including:
service providers must consider CVO as a market
segment that could be very receptive to a premium quality
of service at a premium price. Furthermore, the trucking

67
Buy: This option would be the most desirable for the Paying for Use
regular users of the smart highways. It might cost more up
Selling smart highway services will have to be done in a
front, but in the long term, it would be more economical
way that clearly communicates value for services. Paying
than other payment options.
for the use of a service or infrastructure that used to be
Lease: Leasing would seem more appropriate for those free in the sense of a marginal out-of-pocket expense, is
customers that do not intend to keep vehicles longer than a challenging sale. Even today, people complain about
the vehicle’s lease contract. Alternatively, technology having to pay tolls on roads that already have been
that supports services could potentially be transferable “funded through taxes,” a common misconception. In a
between vehicles. pay-for-use environment, the customer would pay the
operator directly for the service with no subsidies provided
Subscribe: Some services, such as nationwide Internet
by any government agency or other kind of sponsor.
access, could be subscription-based regardless of vehicle
location (i.e., any smart highway). This option would be It must be recognized that some price-sensitive customers
more desirable for customers that are frequent users of that have no desire to pay for infrastructure use may
smart highways. choose alternative routes.
Trip-Based Fee: This option may work best for occasional The Shadow Option
use customers.
Alternative payment options should be sought to ensure
Rental Car: Rental car companies could offer all services maximum acceptance from customers. One approach
at additional fees charged to customers beyond the could be a “shadow” payment, similar to the concept of
vehicle rental. shadow tolling where the operator assumes some of
Pre-Trip: Some services could be purchased in advance the risk, including construction and operations, and a
of a known trip. For example, a customer could prepay government agency or sponsor pays a fee to the operator,
on the Internet to access services on a determined smart according to the number of vehicles (including type
highway and take advantage of a discount for early of vehicle) that use the roadway. Under this payment
booking. scheme, the government agency, or sponsor, could obtain
the necessary revenues by selling access to service
On Trip: Traveler information could be a service that is providers within the network and the rights to sell their
requested on demand. Some infrequent travelers may services to customers. This access fee would be built into
only need this information in selected instances. For this the cost of providing service to customers. In the end,
customer segment, paying a recurring fee (monthly) is not customers would still pay for the roadway, albeit indirectly.
preferable and an on-demand service would seem more
appropriate. Other Payment Considerations
License Plate Reading: Services could also be invoiced More sophisticated pricing plans exist such as those seen
to customers by using registered addresses from the in the cell phone or cable TV markets including:
departments of motor vehicle (DMV). To use this system,
• Free or low-cost basic service with an additional
DMV databases would have to be synchronized among
payment for premium service.
states and regularly updated. This option may generate
more privacy issues. • Flat fee per month plus pay-per-use overage plan.
• Bundled service discounts.

Funding Smart Highways
The next sections address the method of payment for Private Industry Perspective – IT/ITS
smart highways and how this will impact users. Industry
This section addresses the value proposition of
industry participation in this market. It does so from the
perspectives of the direct value-add from supporting the

ITS market and of the indirect value add to be accrued in The information acquisition, processing, and distribution
tangential and unattached markets from participation in technologies that support the smart highway program
the ITS marketplace. can be profitably offered by industry because they are a
derivative of research and development (R&D) programs
These benefits can be found either in the form of direct
based on other markets (principally defense and
contribution to the profit of the participating firms or in
aerospace) or stem from the R&D programs that were self
the indirect benefits measured in saving lives, time, and
and governmentally funded in the early days of IVHS/ITS.
money from utilizing the technologies available from a
Additionally, many of the industry pundits consider the
smart highway system. Additional benefits will accrue
ITS industry to be a subset of the overall IT industry. This
in terms of improvements in the service provided to the
has helped industries spread the cost of development
public and internal to the company as well.
over a far larger market space thus reducing the cost of
The smart highway system should offer a range of deployment and making participation in the ITS market
benefits for business and industry. There are growing more attractive to industry.
business opportunities ranging from the direct profit
The information generated by this network of ITS devices
incentive of providing engineering, design and integration
is used to support the DSS process of the individual
services, sale of equipment, communication infrastructure,
traveler (driver, shipper, or rider) and the infrastructure
and software development to the provision of contracted
managers at the various TMCs.
operations and maintenance. The smart highway system
will make the day-to-day operation of business and What makes participation in this market attractive to
industry safer, more economical, and certainly, more industries is that there is now a rational balance between
efficient. investing in the marketplace and obtaining a fair rate of
return. Early in the evolution of the ITS market there was
Direct Value Benefits an understandable requirement for industries to invest,
There are a number of capabilities offered by industry that establish a market presence, and develop a viable product
are dependent on and/or supportive of the smart highway. offering. Today, the ITS market has matured to the point of
In terms of operational management, DOTs at all levels having a normal research and product development cycle.
now have a limited but growing capability to accurately Companies are now able to justify participation in the
assess and adjust to varying road conditions and marketplace and are being rewarded with a fair return on
volumes of traffic. Industry has facilitated this capability their assets employed.
by developing an extremely diverse set of sensing Indirect Value Benefits
technologies and information processing and distribution
devices. Inground and roadside detection devices can The maturing of the smart highway system produces
accurately assess the flow of traffic while others are used benefits far beyond the profits made by those companies
to measure long-term and transient weather conditions. providing goods and services to the ITS market. If one
considers highway infrastructure to be necessary for
Information gathered from these sensors is now the safe, efficient, and economical operation of most
being marketed directly to the traveling public by business functions, from the generation and transport
commercial entities known as value-added resellers. of raw materials through the placement of goods and
The governmental segment of the market is serviced services in the retail chain, then improvements in the
by industry through the manufacture and sale of these highway infrastructure are critical to overall economic
devices for traffic management and planning functions. development. These improvements cannot be solely in
Industry has the option of providing equipment for the form of additional pavement nor can they be solely
the smart highway, providing processing power for in the deployment of ITS. Rather the true smart highway
the managers/operators of the smart highway, and/or represents the best blend of roadway capital investment
providing information to users of the smart highway in supported by efficient ITS applications and third-party
a direct or indirect fashion. In short, the evolution of the service offerings.
smart highway will provide industries with a number of
opportunities that provide increasingly favorable business
cases.

69
Recent developments in the IT industry have been automaker, nearly seven spin-off jobs are created. One
focused on developing internal management systems out of every ten jobs in the United States is dependent on
that allow businesses to be more proactive and leaner in the automotive industry. No other industry is linked to so
their support structure. The most prevalent of these is the much manufacturing or generates more retail business
implementation of the JIT inventory process. The ability and employment.
to support an efficient JIT inventory process is directly
The automotive industry worldwide spends over $1
dependent upon the capability of the transportation
trillion dollars every year on goods and services in the
infrastructure to support the timely and dependable
automotive supply chain. Even though GM, Ford, and
movement of the inventory.
DaimlerChrysler spend over $200 billion of this amount,
While improvements in physical capacity have made the there are enough other players in the game, including
applicability of JIT inventory processes more feasible, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers,
the inability to detect and respond to traffic abnormalities to assure that fierce competition is the norm and that
caused by incidents, weather, or construction have placed this competition extends well beyond the major vehicle
some limits on the true savings available by the JIT makers. Telematics is likely to become a competitive
inventory process. Implementation of the smart highway differentiator of automobiles and will increasingly help sell
bolsters the business case for JIT delivery because there cars to safety-conscious and connectivity-oriented car
can be more certainty of on-time delivery. buyers.
The smart highway predicts, adjusts, and optimizes the Supply Chains
traffic flow to account for traffic and weather-related
Given the sophisticated integration of numerous
issues. This smoothing and adjusting of traffic flow will
subsystems in today’s cars and their resulting
allow commercial traffic managers to predict, adjust, and
complexities, it may be more appropriate to view
adapt their shipment schedules with a much higher level
competition in the automotive industry as being between
of precision than available on a noninstrumented road.
the supply chains rather than between the OEMs. In fact,
Other benefits accrue in terms of accident reduction. the configuration and management of the supply chains
Statistical analysis shows that there is a clear correlation determine many of the crucial consumer choice factors
between the uninterrupted flow of traffic (both in volume including cost, build quality, and delivery lead times. The
and speed) and the reduction in accidents. A smart following are some of the chief factors at play in shaping
highway system is going to have favorable impacts the automotive industry:
on travel time lost due to accident rates, insurance
• Shifting automotive design responsibilities from the
premiums, fleet fuel and maintenance costs, manpower
OEMs to the Tier 1 suppliers.
expenditures, and overall operational efficiency.
• Increasing purchases of subsystems such as engines
Private Industry Perspective – and gearboxes rather than components.
Automotive Industry • Sharing electronic design and manufacturing
This section addresses the benefits and impacts to the information between OEMs and suppliers.
automotive industry and such closely related sectors • Increasing reliance on JIT delivery schedules.
as telematics. Other industries that will benefit from the
automotive industry are software, telecommunications, • Managing to minimize inventories.
and ISPs.
• Continuing emphasis on cost reduction.
Economic Benefits • Generation of profit.
The automotive industry is one of the largest industries An important consequence of supply-chain competition is
in the United States. It creates $6.6 million in direct the continuing withdrawal of the OEMs from self supply.
and spin-off jobs and produces $243 billion in payroll The divestiture of Delphi and Visteon are evidence of this
compensation, or 5.6 percent of private sector trend. Automotive manufacturers seem to be retrenching
compensation. For every worker directly employed by an in vehicle design, assembly, and market research,

while more of the detailed engineering is becoming will work with the network providers to offset the cost
the responsibility of the Tier 1 suppliers. Suppliers, on of the hardware. At the present time, about 3 million
the other hand, are expanding their resources through vehicles, out of a total 220 million vehicles on U.S. roads,
acquisition of and cooperation with other suppliers. have some form of telematics device. It is predicted that
by 2012 over half of the annual vehicles produced will
Telematics be fitted with some form of electronic-communications
The French merged “telecommunications” and device.
“informatique” in 1978 to invent a word that suitably
Furthermore, services from data aggregation can
described the melding of telecommunications and
be provided to more than just the driver. Automotive
information processing. Today the English word
insurance companies can reduce insurance premiums if
“telematics” most frequently refers to the onboard systems
drivers allow them to track vehicles to assure the cars are
that combine wireless communications and information
meeting safe driving criteria. Remote vehicle diagnostic
processing to assist or entertain automobile passengers.
information can be transferred to vehicle manufacturers
Perhaps no other word, or emerging technology, offers
to help them assess the performance of new vehicles
a better example of how the business model and design
coming off the production line and the performance of
environment are converging to change the industry. The
aging vehicles relative to the manufacturer warranty
term has evolved to refer primarily to automobile systems
criteria. Moreover, according to a recent article published
that combine wireless communications and onboard
by eWeek, remote diagnostics is becoming a trend
information processing to assist or entertain the vehicle
among auto owners. Owners are requesting maintenance
occupants.
alerts based on actual telemetry feeds from the vehicle
While early telematics systems combined GPS tracking rather than using the number of months or miles the
and wireless communications for automatic roadside vehicle has. Vehicle owners would receive this value-
assistance and remote diagnostics, the concept continues added service positively as long as their anonymity can
to evolve and now includes navigation and route be maintained. Vehicles can be tracked anonymously
guidance; traffic information that integrates dynamically and behave in aggregate as traffic probes to help public
with route guidance features; and multifunction multimedia traffic-management agencies respond more quickly and
systems covering display-based entertainment, Internet- effectively to incidents. All of these and similar services
based infotainment, and vehicle computing functions. will be integrated with the direct safety and information
Telematics is further defined as systems that have built-in services provided to the vehicle drivers. These integrated
terminals with automatic positioning and wireless network services will be combined with an integrated customer-
capability. Stand-alone navigation systems are sometimes payment structure to help build and sustain the market.
considered to be telematics, but dedicated in-car phones
The telematics supply chain includes manufacturers of
typically are not.
hardware and products like antennas, transmitters, and
Telematics offers a new value chain for delivering interfaces that help send and receive wireless signals;
products and services to the customer. The car radio is telecommunications service providers linking existing
evolving into a system with greater communication and wireless companies to allow seamless nationwide access;
entertainment functionality. Audio and navigation functions telematics service providers that will coordinate all
are becoming integrated into a single entertainment unit information and services delivered to the car Internet and
along with the possibility of PDA functionality, gaming their own databases; ISPs delivering web-based services
features, and Internet connectivity. As wireless data and the personalized information that drivers want in their
transfer rates increase, the higher cost of hardware can cars; and vehicle location support to help locate the car’s
be offset with server-based applications. In devising a position for location-specific service provision. This full
successful business model, the service providers must telematics value chain includes information provision,
take into account the customers’ view of the trade-off content aggregation, systems and software development,
between incurring the cost of in-vehicle hardware versus service provision, wireless networks, client components,
the airtime charge per byte. In this model, the mobile product distribution, and the customer.
phone manufacturers and the wireless card manufacturers

71
While the telematics value chain is long and includes serves nearly 4.0 million subscribers at this time. More
many players, it is still the automotive manufacturers than 60 percent of OnStar’s customers have renewed
who will ultimately decide whose hardware, software, their service.
and content are sold as a package under the
OnStar is also available in 2005 on selected models from
manufacturer’s name. While there have been a number
other automotive manufacturers, including Acura, Audi,
of starts, like Ford’s Wingcast, and while a number of
Isuzu, and Volkswagen. A detailed explanation on how the
the manufacturers have been playing it safe with the
system works can be seen in Figure 8.
purchase of off-the-shelf components and services from
OnStar, the OEMs are now looking carefully at the future The Ford and Chrysler Experience
of the telematics industry and considering the types of
Ford started a joint venture called Wingcast LLC in
products and services they will start integrating into their
2000 with mobile phone giant Qualcomm and scrapped
products to help establish their market identity. Automotive
the initiative two years later in a general belt-tightening
manufacturers are evaluating how the systems look
exercise. The intent was to equip one million Ford cars
and feel to help project and protect their brand identity.
and trucks with wireless Internet access, voice activated
Furthermore, automotive electronics products face several
e-mail, and roadside assistance communications by
barriers that are common to the industry including lack
the end of 2001. The system also allowed customers
of standards, length of the automobile lifecycle, modest
to use one mobile phone and one account for service
year-to-year increases in vehicle production, and the
both inside and outside the vehicle. The plan called for
general clout the automakers have over their suppliers
Wingcast to be on every Ford vehicle by 2004. Chrysler
for limiting prices. Success in supplying the automotive
developed a similar hands-free telematics system, called
industry depends on the supplier’s willingness to fit in
UConnect, that connects to any Bluetooth-enabled cell
with the automotive industry culture, where the brand of
phone or cellular service provider and is factory installed
the manufacturer, rather than the equipment or software
in the dashboard. The driver’s cell phone can be placed
supplier, is paramount.
anywhere in the car with the console serving as a cellular
GM OnStar Experience conduit and the driver’s voice dialing and speaking
through the UConnect system.
OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors,
is perhaps the best known provider of vehicle safety, Onboard Unit – Embedded Hardware
security, and communication services using wireless
The in-vehicle hardware for telematics consists of many
technology and the Global Positioning System (GPS)
components including the standard radio box behind
satellite network. All new OnStar-equipped vehicles
the dashboard that integrates a network card and/or
include the first year of OnStar safety and security
cell phone, a GPS receiver, a digital signal processor,
services, which are available for $16.95 plus tax per
and a microphone for voice recognition. Most of these
month thereafter. These services include automatic
components will be integrated with more conventional
notification of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle location
elements of the car audio system including receivers,
assistance, emergency services, roadside assistance,
amplifiers, speakers, and a display. This “black box”
remote door unlock, and remote vehicle diagnostics.
will also tap into the vehicle electronic bus to gather
OnStar Hands-Free Calling allows drivers to make and
performance and diagnostic information from sensors
receive hands-free, voice-activated calls from their
throughout the vehicle. Delphi, Visteon, Johnson Controls,
vehicle, as well as access location-specific traffic alerts
and other Tier 1 electronics suppliers produce the
and weather reports.
electronic bus from chipsets provided by companies such
OnStar is available on more than 50 GM models for as Motorola and Texas Instruments. Other specialists, like
2005. Over the next several years, OnStar will become a Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Sun Microsystems, provide
standard feature for GM’s retail customers in the United the backend servers that run the remote applications used
States and Canada, covering all segments and prices for diagnosing vehicle maintenance and repair problems.
except for some commercial vehicles. The company Remote computing reduces the in-vehicle computing
requirements that are subject to harsher environmental
conditions and are more difficult to upgrade or repair. It is

5. The OnStar
• “Brains” of the system application exchanges
• Calculates vehicle location data with the vehicle
• Supports voice activated dialing of the embedded cellular system and connects the driver
• Communication interface to other vehicle systems (radio, etc.) with an Advisor. If
Figure
3-Button Assembly: Simplified user interface 8. Explanation
to OnStar services of OnStar System
necessary, the Advisor
Cellular Antenna: Antenna for the embedded cellular system can contact the
Microphone: Allows the driver to speak to the OnStar Advisor and appropriate 911 center
enjoy hand-free calling through the vehicle’s audio system for emergency services.
much easier to upgrade remote hardware and software telematics more profitable is to do away with embedded
at a server site than it is to make in-vehicle upgrades. telematics and instead tie the system to a cell phone,
Harman developed an optical electronic hookup system wireless PDA, and an off-board system. Figure 10 depicts
that has become the industry standard. Harman’s some PDA’s as user interfaces.
hardware replaces the nest of copper wires that connect
The handheld devices can be further enhanced with
components with a miniature fiber-optic network. Figure 9
the support of Bluetooth short-range communication
illustrates some integrated telematics solutions.
technology. For example, a driver can set up a hands-free
Off-Board Units – Consumer Electronics link by pairing a cellular telephone with the car and control
the phone from the dashboard whenever it is in or near
Another critical hardware option is the smart handheld
the car. By pressing the talk button on the steering wheel,
device like PDAs and web-enabled cell phones. By
the driver can say a name and/or number and have the
integrating the handheld devices using a cradle or
phone automatically dial from the phone book file. Similar
Bluetooth, the system does not need to include the
to the cellular phone display, caller information as well
communications and processing capabilities of the
as signal and battery strength will appear on the vehicle
handheld. Again, this can reduce cost and at the same
instrument panel. If the car also has a navigation system,
time make it easier to upgrade. It also opens the market
the driver can autodial phone numbers associated with
to manufacturers of nonautomotive, consumer-electronics
points of interest, such as hotels and restaurants. These
products. It seems that one of the keys to making
features are similar to the HandsFreeLink in the Acura

73
Figure 9. Integrated Telematics Solution - OEM
Source: Telematics Research Group, Inc. (Presentation)
TL. The Chrysler UConnect system has a small button message-queuing encryption and authentication include
pad mounted near the radio/navigation system and is Websphere by IBM, .NET by Microsoft, and Java by Sun
connected to the car by a thin wire that disappears into Microsystems. In a relatively recent turn of events Japan’s
the audio system faceplate. A talk button activates voice three biggest carmakers—Toyota, Honda, and Nissan—
recognition for dialing, ending calls, adjusting the volume, set up a nonprofit group to develop an international
and muting. The UConnect features are essentially based standard for the software that operates a car’s electronic
on familiar PC components including an Intel X-Scale systems.
CPU, a Broadcom Bluetooth chipset, IBM ViaVoice
Software for specific applications is another component
software, and the QNX operating system. Speech
of the complete telematics system. This includes traveler
recognition technologies are a critical development in
information application software for map databases,
making these systems user friendly.
vehicle location and tracking, in-vehicle navigation
Software Applications and route guidance, real-time traffic detection and
representation, and floating car data analysis. It also
Software applications are the product of many different
includes safety applications supporting motor vehicle
companies including Tier 1 suppliers like Delphi and
EDRs, automatic collision notification, and simple onboard
smaller companies that focus on specific components or
applications like tire pressure monitoring. The automotive
telematics functions. The foundation of any telematics
companies are gaining insight on how to improve
software application is a stable operating system.
customer relations through applications that support
Although Microsoft is a player in this arena, it does not
remote diagnostics. Customer convenience is increased
dominate and QNX is generally accepted as the biggest
through applications that support home automation and
player at this time. Other operating systems include
passenger entertainment.
BREW, ITRON/uITRON, Java, Linux, OSEK/VDX, Palm
Operating System, and Wind River VxWorks. Applications
supporting the backend-server functions such as

Figure 10. Telematics Mobile Device Integration -PDA to the customer. It is critical to see that telematics provides
a two-way link between the driver and other parties
outside the vehicle including the vehicle manufacturer.
The real ROI comes when the telematics provider
understands that the driver is not the only customer for
this linkage. This collected vehicle-performance data
can be used remotely. User interface for most of these
systems is primarily voice driven enabling eyes-on-the-
road, hands-on-the-wheel interactions.
For example, ATX markets “vehicle relationship

management” services that provide real-time diagnostic
data from the vehicle direct to the dealerships. The
vehicle-performance data can help automakers keep track
of problems with vehicle components and may enable an
OEM to bring a solution to market faster. In other words,
real-time communication between vehicles and the factory
will allow automakers to analyze practical problems with
technology and product designs that will ultimately help
lower product life-cycle costs.
In another example, a vehicle’s diagnostic test can be

done online with results downloaded to the dealership.
When the vehicle pulls in, service personnel know what’s
wrong with the vehicle and fix it immediately without doing
unnecessary tests. Services for the vehicle owner can
be bundled with service to the vehicle, dealer, vehicle
manufacturer, the fleet manager, the traffic manager,
Source: Telematics Research Group, Inc. (Presentation) and a host of other external target markets. It is looking
like lower-cost telematics units will enable enough
Windows Automotive is designed to support navigation minimal customer features to basically create customer
systems, music players, and a host of other in-vehicle relationship management between the carmakers and the
devices. The operating system supports voice recognition users.
and Bluetooth wireless communication. It also supports
downloading digital music from personal electronic Telecommunications
devices through a USB connection in the dashboard. Wireless carriers are generally responsible for the
Microsoft is also developing software to support remote communication infrastructure and its related services.
diagnostics that will alert drivers to potential problems Telecommunication companies essentially carry the
under the hood and will transmit information on the wireless signals between the vehicles and the telematics
vehicle’s performance to the manufacturer. As of 2004, service providers. For example, OnStar partnered with
ten carmakers, including Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Verizon, a company created by the partnership between
BMW, had adopted elements of Windows Automotive in Bell Atlantic and VodafoneAirtouch, to give OnStar
over 20 models. customers access to Verizon’s network. At this time, many
Drivers and other users of telematics devices are focused of the telematics designs require the customer to contract
primarily on services and ease of use. The telematics with a specified wireless carrier. However, carrier choice
service providers deliver on their promise by providing call is more likely to be the norm in future designs and may be
centers with operators and by working with software and supported with connected handheld devices. For example,
content providers to integrate packages of services, such Nextel has 13 million subscribers who are predominantly
as emergency and concierge services, that are of interest business users and who spend nearly a third more on

75
their phone bills than the average consumer subscriber. personalized and customized by each user over the
With access to Motorola’s new line of GPS-enabled iDEN network. For example, drivers can supply the traffic ISP
phones, Nextel is essentially providing customers with with their standard commute routing so that only traffic
a handheld telematics alternative. However, unless the information relevant to that commute will be incorporated
handheld is somehow connected to the vehicle data bus, into the routing of the vehicle. Location-sensitive and
the remote diagnostics customer-relationship feature is condition-sensitive commerce will certainly be supported
absent from the handheld strategy. Of course, wireless is when this information is transmitted by the vehicle in
growing to include 3G data pipes, satellite television and accordance with the driver’s preferences.
digital radio, terrestrial digital radio, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, DSRC,
and all the 802.11 alternatives to conventional 2G cellular
Business Models
communication. Future production of cellular phones is In all likelihood, the business model for the future
likely to include cellular and a mix of these alternative expansion of telematics will resemble the model for cable
communication standards. television and cable Internet: automobiles will be outfitted
with some basic level of embedded telematics when
Delphi, Sun, Intel, and others are experimenting with
built. Both software and hardware functionality can be
prototypes where more can be accomplished at the gas
expanded later, if the consumer so desires. However, the
pump than filling up the gas tank. The prototypes will use
basic level of telematics functionality is likely to include
the 802.11 protocols to download the latest maps from
some form of two-way wireless communication with a
MapQuest, videos for the backseat DVD player, music
service center that may provide rudimentary safety and
for the in-dash MP3 player, and access a home security
vehicle diagnostic services free of charge, or perhaps
system. Furthermore, as more cars and trucks connect to
at some nominal charge. This would be similar to the
wireless data networks, the need arises for a backbone
modest fee charged for the most basic cable television
wireless computing grid where the vehicle acts as a rolling
programming. Presumably, the diagnostics services will
node on the Internet. Companies like IBM, ATT, AOL, Sun,
improve the timing of routine vehicle maintenance and
and Microsoft are looking into providing the backbone
repair, helping auto owners maintain their vehicles in top
computing grid for these capabilities. Now, imagine the
condition. Similarly, some of the basic safety services
possibilities for interconnected networks where the car
are likely to be government regulated and perhaps
becomes a hub. The driver could be at some remote site
even required by law. Yet, the success of these two
with a laptop computer that communicates with the hub
basic services is likely to pay for most of the telematics
at the car that possesses satellite uplink and downlink
infrastructure and provide for all other telematics services.
capability. 802.11 connectivity will also enable machine-
So, if vehicle owners desire additional services, these
to-machine, vehicle-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-roadside
could be provided at a very low marginal cost. Vehicle
communication which could help communicate unsafe
dealers or telematics service providers could also use
driving conditions and forewarn drivers of the conditions
the services to improve relationships with the customer
that other drivers are experiencing on the route ahead.
by offering the services at little or no charge. Some of the
Information Service Providers – Content services could be provided on a pay-for-use plan.
Finally, there is content to be sold by the service Maximizing Profit/Return on Investment

providers. Many of the companies that provide content
For both the public and private sector owner-operators,
have already established an Internet business. Of course,
maximizing profits or ROI is a major economic/financial
advertisers and news services see the driver as a captive
consideration. In the public sector, the ability to
target. Certainly entertainment can be transmitted by
demonstrate that highway infrastructure has a positive
many of the same communication linkages designed
benefit-to-cost ratio demonstrates the economic value of
for telematics. The customized information services like
the infrastructure. This is achieved by reducing the social
Yahoo, AOL, and MSN are eyeing the audience served
costs of delays, crashes, and environmental damage.
by the automotive platform. In addition, real-time traffic
While the public sector is not driven by a profit motive,
reports can be received by the navigation system and
can provide guidance to help drivers avoid routes that
are experiencing delay. These network services will be

there is a fiduciary duty to demonstrate that public funds a range of services that complement the physical
are being spent in such a way as to maximize the return infrastructure assets. Services may include information
on the public’s investment. services, customer service operations, advanced
traffic management, payment services, and a range of
In the private sector, the owner-operator must provide a
commercially-bundled services. The bottom line is to think
facility where the revenues exceed the costs and provide
about the user as a customer, and the owner-operator
a profit that meets or exceeds the expectations of the
as a provider. The provider must fully understand who
investors.
the customer is, what their needs and wants are, and
In today’s economic climate where competition for funds be prepared to provide services when, where, and at a
is intense, facilities that can demonstrate the potential to price that the customer finds not merely acceptable, but
achieve a ROI may have an edge over those that have a attractive.
more marginal financial or economic justification.
To make this happen is not without challenges, both from
Increasing Revenue a technological perspective and from the standpoint of
creating an organizational delivery mechanism. The good
One obvious way to increase profits or ROI is to increase
news is that toll roads are leading the way, having already
user fees, that is, tolls. Setting aside any political
developed and deployed some of the technological and
ramifications, toll increases may be very effective in a
cultural components of the smart highway. Systems are
monopolistic situation such as an estuarial crossing, but
already in place that facilitate communication between the
less so where parallel facilities exist. Users will make
infrastructure and vehicles, and customer service centers
a trade-off between the cost of using a facility and the
are the norm. Depending on whether the owner-operator
quality of the experience of using that facility. As stated
is a public- or private-sector entity, there a several ways
previously, travel-time predictability will influence users’
in which the service culture of the smart highway may
willingness to pay. Therefore, it may be possible to
develop. Given the public sector’s focus on ROI and
increase revenue by increasing the level and quality of
fiduciary responsibility, the underlying philosophy of the
customer service, rather than simply increasing user fees.
smart highway may lean towards equity and maximizing
Decreasing Expenses the number of users or customers. For the private
sector and its focus on maximizing profits, an alternative
Decreasing the expenses of operating infrastructure
philosophy may be to focus on higher-end customers who
facilities provides another way to increase profits or
are prepared to pay more for selected services. Either
ROI. Owner-operators are responsible for managing
approach is valid, and will be driven by the customer
major infrastructure assets. As a minimum, expenses
service mission of the owner-operator.
will typically include maintaining the infrastructure in
a safe condition, responding to incidents that may References
temporarily impact throughput, and (in the case of toll
facilities) operating a payment collection/enforcement 1. “Automakers Make Electronics the Difference.”
system. Inevitably these expenses will require human and TechWeb 12 January 2005. 14 January 2005 <http://
physical resources and other support services. Raising www.Techweb.com/wire/mobile/57700888>
the level and quality of customer service will inevitably 2. “Beam it Up.” The Sydney Morning Herald 10 June
increase expenses. For the owner-operators, the ability 2005. 19 July 2005 <http://www.smn.com.au/news/
to decrease critical expenses hinges on their ability to News/Beam-it-up/2005/06/09/1118347571805/html>
understand the factors that influence the different types of
expenses that will be incurred, as well as when and how 3. “Europe News: BMW –Expect Greater Integration.”
to budget for those expenses. Telematics Update 17 November 2004. 14 January
2005 <http://www.telematicsupdate.com/homepage2.
Improving Service asp?news=44089>
High quality customer service was mentioned previously
as a means of increasing revenue. However, improving
service is not just about higher profits. The smart
highway offers the potential to develop and deliver

77

Chapter 4
Smart Highway Elements
A smart highway is only as smart as its supporting components. The interoperability of these elements
infrastructure, vehicles, and drivers. This section creates the smart highway system where smart devices
discusses the technologies in use today and their exchange information that results in increased traveler
expected evolution. safety, trip efficiency, and travel enjoyment.
The Smart Vehicle

The Systems View
Smart vehicles operate at a tactical level (involving
A smart highway is a system of elements connected
the throttle, brakes, and steering) and at a strategic
through the infrastructure of the highway. It is made up
level (involving the use of onboard navigation to assist
of three elements: the smart vehicle, the smart roadway,
in route decision making). A smart vehicle conveys
and communications. They should interface in a way
information such as geographic location, to the driver,
that is ergomically appealing to the driver. Figure 11
passenger, and infrastructure in a format that can be
shows a schematic of a smart highway system and its
understood. This information could include a map
Figure 11. Sample Vehicle/Infrastructure Communication Scheme
Source: Intelligent Vehicle Technology and Trends. Richard Bishop. 2005

79
display of landmarks, streets, and points of interest, in making a trip safer and more enjoyable. For example,
as well as the instantaneous location of the vehicle. speeds along each highway lane are available and are
Currently the technology of choice is to use GPS with its used to calculate the travel time between points on the
average accuracy of nine feet, without any external error highway network. Onboard navigation systems have the
correction. With differential GPS, a vehicle can resolve ability to continuously plan a route based on the current
its location to within one foot. When GPS is augmented highway speeds and reported traffic incidents. Instead
by a directional gyroscope and acceleration sensors, an of relying on changeable message signs alongside the
onboard computer can calculate the location of the vehicle road, the smart highway of the future will communicate
based on distance traveled in a specific direction since the messages to the vehicle’s computer and the driver
last accurate position fix. This “dead reckoning” capability (also known as in-vehicle signing). Another example is
allows the vehicle to navigate in mountainous terrain, the RWIS, which automatically monitors environmental
tunnels, and cities with tall skyscrapers; locations where conditions alongside the roadway and broadcasts that
GPS signals can’t be reliably received. information to the TMC. A smart highway can also make
this information available to vehicles so they can tell what
Onboard the vehicle are a myriad of sensors sampling
the visibility is around the next curve or whether the road
various operating parameters of the vehicle. Today,
is wet and slippery ahead.
vehicles are being manufactured with sensors for tire
pressure, fluid level, light current that detects burned-out Communications
bulbs, passengers occupying seats (or not), and even
What makes the smart highway work is the ability to
detecting that a passenger is too small to withstand
communicate data and information reliably throughout
an air bag deployment and automatically disabling
the system. Short-range communications (5.9 GHz
the air bag. There are numerous safety sensors that
DSRC is 1,000 ft or less ) will be provided by DSRC
constantly monitor the vehicle’s performance and make
radios in the vehicles and in roadside units. Longer-range
instantaneous corrections to increase safety. An example
communications that can provide streams of data in a
is ABS that detects wheel lockup and momentarily
short period of time (high bandwidth) will be achieved
relieves the braking pressure. Vehicles equipped with
through an extension of wireless data communications
four-wheel drive are becoming increasingly sophisticated
that are in popular use today such as the Wi-Fi 802.11
in their ability to sense how well each wheel is performing
standard. Ranges of several miles along the roadway
and adjusting the drive power to each wheel to increase
can be achieved that enable a great variety of consumer
overall vehicle performance. Today, vehicles are being
services such as entertainment, travel assistance, and
sold with automatic stability systems that use the
access to the Internet. Commercial business may pay to
capabilities of ABS and four-wheel drive to control the
have access to the roadside Wi-Fi network to promote
vehicle in turns to lessen the chance of spinouts and
their services to travelers or to allow travelers access
rollovers.
to their commercial services. Sophisticated onboard
Soon, vehicles will be able to communicate with others software that is coming on the market in 2005 takes
using the standard radio frequency, communication advantage of real-time traffic information provided through
protocol, DSRC, and other types of wireless satellite radio to calculate optimum travel routes to avoid
communications. The ability for suitably-equipped vehicles accidents and delays.
and roadside infrastructure to exchange information will
be key to an integrated smart highway system. What Can Be Done?
A smart highway system consists of smart vehicles
The Smart Roadway
and smart roadway components, which leads again
Today, many major limited-access highways have to the chicken and the egg conundrum. Will auto
traffic sensors, changeable message signs, and traffic manufacturers build cars with smart technologies if there
surveillance devices that feed data to a TMC. Automated isn’t an infrastructure to support them? Will states build
incident-management software can detect when there is smart highways if there are no smart vehicles to take
a probable accident and alert emergency responders and advantage of them? How much can be done by the state
other drivers. Most of this data is useful to a smart vehicle independent of the automobile manufacturers?

Vehicle Infrastructure Integration On-Board Units
The VII consortium consists of the USDOT, AASHTO and Computers that are integrated with the vehicle and
a number of state DOTs and automobile manufacturers. communicate with the driver make the vehicle smart. An
The consortium is considering the key technical, strategic, OBU can have a broad or narrow array of applications.
and cost issues required for vehicle to infrastructure An example of a simple OBU is the one provided for use
communication. in ETC. ETC is used on roadways and bridges so that
tolls can be paid automatically without necessarily slowing
The overall VII integration concept at a high level is
down. This eliminates lost time and relieves congestion
illustrated in Figure 12, where the following label points
at the tollbooths or can, as in the case of ORT, eliminate
are identified. tollbooths entirely. In an ETC system, a transponder
1. Information flow between the vehicle and the driver mounted in the vehicle communicates by radio signals to
provided by in-vehicle network and human machine antennas buried in the pavement, mounted at roadside
interface/on-vehicle host computer. or in an overhead gantry. The appropriate fare is typically
deducted by the transponder from a prepaid account. A
2. Wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communications between typical unit on top of the dash or in the instrument panel
OBU antenna to OBU antenna via two-way DSRC. is about the size of a deck of cards, often containing
3. Wireless vehicle-to-infrastructure communications a display, keypad, and an audio signal that confirms
between OBU antenna and roadside unit antenna via payment.
one-way or two-way DSRC. As these systems become more prevalent and
4. Wireline or wireless communications between the infrastructure is deployed, an OBU used for vehicle to
roadside and the VII network via the Internet or roadside communications could also send and receive
private network. other information. Some automakers, under the auspices
of VII, are working to integrate the OBU with the vehicle.
DSRC will most likely be the common protocol for these
Figure 12. High Level VII Concept roadside readers and OBUs to provide interoperable
communications.
Dedicated Short-Range Communications

In North America, 5.9 GHz DSRC systems are being
developed to support a wide range of public-safety and
private operations in roadside-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-
vehicle environments for the transportation industry. The
USDOT’s VII program uses DSRC-based communication.
DSRC has several key benefits: it complements cellular
communications where time-critical responses (less
than 50 ms) or very high data transfer rates (6-54 Mbps)
are required in small zones with license-protected
authority, and it enables a new class of communications
applications that can support future transportation
systems and needs.
DSRC is also a means to address the auto industry’s

concern about changing technology. If federal mandate
dictates DSRC as a standard for communications, auto
manufacturers can go forward in implementing OBU
without fear of technology obsolescence.

81
For short ranges of less than 15 meters, DSRC is • Border Clearance
expected to be used for the following applications: • Onboard Safety Data Transfer
• Unique CVO Fleet Management
• Access Control
• Driver’s Daily Log
• Toll Collection
• Vehicle Safety Inspection
• Data Transfer/Info Fueling
• Transit Vehicle Data Transfer
• Traffic Information
• Transit Vehicle Refueling Management
• Drive-Thru Payment (Retail)
• Rollover Warning
• Parking Lot Payment
• Low Bridge Warning
• Infrastructure-based Probe Data Collection
• Rental Car Processing Extended DSRC operations up to 335 meters are
envisioned for the following uses:
For slightly longer ranges from 15 meters to 90 meters,
• Curve Speed Assistance (Rollover warning)
DSRC is suited for the following applications, especially
for CVOs: • Infrastructure-Based Stop Light Assistant
• Intersection Collision Warning/Avoidance
• Toll Collection • Cooperative Collision Warning in the Vehicle-to-
• Data Transfer/Info Fueling Vehicle Mode
• Data Transfer/CVO/Truck Stop • Vehicle-Based Probe Data Collection
• Data Transfer/Transit Vehicle (yard) • Cooperative ACC
• Mainline Screening
Figure 13. DSRC Performance Envelopes
54 DSRC PERFORMANCE ENVELOPES

~
~
33
30 Data Transfer and

Internet Access Services
27
Data Rate (Mbps)
24
5850 - 5925 MHz Band
Performance Envelope
(Approximate)
21
18
12
Emergency Vehicle Services
Safety Message Services
9
3 Toll and Payment Services
0 902 - 928 MHz Band Performance Envelope

600
800
200
400
1000
1800
2800
3000
3200
3400
3600
1200
1400
1600
2000
2200
2400
2600
0.5 Mbps Range (ft)

Source: http://www.leearmstrong.com/DSRC/DSRCHomeset.htm

Figure 14. Heads-Up Display
• Cooperative Vehicle System – Platooning
• Highway/Railroad Collision Avoidance
• Imminent Collision Warning
• Emergency Vehicle Video Relay
• Road Conditions Warning
• Work Zone Warning
• Enhanced Route Planning and Guidance
Extended long-range DSRC operation is not ideal for long

ranges but some applications for public safety have been
proposed such as:
• Approaching Emergency Vehicle Assistant

• Emergency Vehicle Signal Preemption
• Transit Vehicle Signal Priority
• Green Light – Optimal Speed Advisory
Figure 13 represents the proposed DSRC performance

Voice Recognition
envelopes referenced in the section by range and data
rate. Safe driving begins with a driver totally focused on the
task of driving. A safer driving experience is realized if
Safety Systems drivers do not have to take their hands off the steering
A smart highway, simply put, will be a safer highway. The wheel or refocus their attention on controls inside the car.
reason for making vehicles and highways smart is to Voice recognition technologies accomplish this. Voice-
increase safety by reducing the chance of human error activated control systems have been developed that
on the roadway. Drowsy drivers cause accidents, speed- allow the occupants to use voice commands to control a
related deaths, and distraction-based accidents. These variety of vehicle systems and features. Voice activation
issues are being addressed by technology and the way works with such features as cell phones, audio systems,
the vehicle and driver interact. navigation, climate control, and other electronically
controlled systems. Presently, primary controls and
Heads-Up Display
those crucial to safety are not being addressed by
A heads-up display (HUD) allows the driver to view this technology. However, these systems can reduce
critical vehicle information without looking away from accidents by minimizing the time the driver’s hands are off
the road. Gauge and indicator images are projected the wheel and eyes are off the road. Voice control over in-
on the windshield in front of the driver (see Figure 14). vehicle cell phones is gaining more widespread use today.
Experimental HUDs are being tested that display low-
In the future, voice-activated control systems will interface
light level or infrared images from sensors mounted in the
with other in-vehicle systems through multiplexing
front of the vehicle to enhance nighttime or poor weather
networks. Voice commands will be processed by the
visibility. HUD images can be turned off by the driver when
computer and an appropriate signal will be sent to the
not needed.
commanded device. These systems are being designed
Under the FHWA VII program for improving safety, there to work with any spoken voice, without requiring training
are several approaches being evaluated which will for each user.
provide driver assistance. These safety systems, now in Pedestrian and Animal Avoidance
various stages of development, will provide information,
warn drivers of dangerous situations, recommend actions, These systems are intended to prevent collisions with
and even assume partial control of vehicles to avoid animals and people on the road. External animal warning
collisions. HUDs (Figure 10) can play a major role in the systems are located today at migration routes and where
delivery of this information. there is a history of animal-vehicle collisions. These
warning systems use relatively low technology, such

83
as turning on roadside flashers. Smart highways would but more complex systems could include warnings
use infrared television cameras that detect movement of impending collisions or a vehicle straying from the
and broadcast warnings to vehicles through their onboard roadway. Two methods are proposed to monitor driver
navigation systems. An extension of this technology for alertness: one method uses infrared cameras that
the smart highway system would use computer image detect eye motions and compute trends that track driver
analysis to make sure there are no stationary objects on vigilance and another monitors driver performance in
the road ahead. A scanning camera every few miles could maintaining the vehicle in its lane, using cameras that
easily provide this level of safety, but a way to effectively detect lane markers.
communicate the information to the occupants in a car on
Automated Collision Avoidance
the road is needed. This is where the wireless infrastructure
and the onboard navigation and display units come into Having a low-powered radar unit or laser unit in the front,
play—the ability to effectively convey the information to the sides, and rear of the vehicle enables many additional
driver in real time. safety capabilities for the smart vehicle. A frontal collision
warning system warns the driver when it detects objects
Automatic Crash Notification
in the path of the vehicle, for example, a vehicle slowing
Telecommunications, automotive, and location technologies ahead. Some systems also apply braking to help avoid
are converging to quickly and automatically notify a collision. The collision warning system has several
emergency responders as soon as a vehicle is in a serious advantages over human performance in helping to avoid
collision. Currently a serious accident is determined by the collisions that include constant attention to the vehicle
deployment of any of the onboard air bags. ACN systems ahead and reacting more quickly to changing situations on
use wireless telecommunication technologies to immediately the road. Units on the side and rear of the vehicle provide
alert a private emergency call center when a passenger inputs to the vehicle’s onboard computers, which is
presses the car’s Mayday button or the car’s air bag aware of the vehicle’s location. Knowledge of the braking,
deploys. In an emergency, the dispatcher at the call center steering, and acceleration inputs can determine if there’s
quickly informs the appropriate emergency dispatcher of a potential for a collision as a driver changes lanes or
the vehicle’s location, based on the transmitted position even swerves to avoid something in the road.
from the onboard navigation system. It has been proven
Enhanced Vision Systems
that the chance of survival for an accident victim is greatly
increased if emergency care can be provided within the A low light or infrared light-sensitive camera may also
first hour of a serious injury (what doctors call the “golden be used in addition to radar or laser object detection
hour”). Reducing emergency response times saves lives systems. The combined information from vision-based
and reduces the long-term impact of injuries. Knowing the systems and millimeter/microwave transceivers provides
severity and location of emergencies will also save tax a reliable picture of the road ahead, and may be used
dollars and target emergency resources. to support other functions such as vision enhancement.
In the future, input from the smart highway sensors will
In addition to exact location and voice communications, the
also be used to enhance the driver’s perception of the
next generation of ACN technologies will send emergency
road ahead. Road-based sensors might be used to relay
responders sophisticated crash data that can predict injury
information on the current traction of the road surface
severity in rear, side, and frontal crashes. This data will
and the geometry of the road in the immediate path of
begin immediate patient diagnosis and the dispatch of the
the vehicle. This information, along with stored data on
appropriate care, facilitate treatment at the scene of the
the vehicle’s performance, can be used to calculate the
collision and en route to the emergency room, and allow
optimal speed considering the need to decelerate safely.
hospital emergency rooms to anticipate the critical care
A smart vehicle with all this real-time data can apply
needs of incoming patients.
the brakes, augment the vehicle stability, and adjust the
Monitoring Driver Alertness steering response to minimize passenger anxiety, as
well as reducing the risk of losing control of the vehicle
Driver alertness monitoring is designed to detect an
and crashing. Ideally on a smart highway used by smart
impaired driver, whether from inattention, drowsiness, or
vehicles, each vehicle would relay information to the
intoxication. A simple system may merely sound an alarm,

vehicle behind it: for example, that it was slowing and at movement and lightning on system operation. In addition,
what rate it was decelerating, so there would be few to no wire malfunctions can impact the system operation on an
rear-end collisions in the future. extended length of road.
All-weather/night vision provides the driver with The development of lane-departure systems based on
information about objects in the path of the vehicle that magnetic technologies has focused on magnetic markings
could not normally be seen at night at a safe distance and tapes. The California Path Program has tested the
or in adverse weather conditions. It is especially helpful use of a system based on magnetic markings. The test
for identifying pedestrians and animals crossing in front demonstrated the effectiveness of the system and found
of the vehicle. Some systems display information about that, in general, marked spacing of 2 to 4 meters provided
the roadway, such as the proximity of upcoming vehicles satisfactory results. Noticeable degradation was observed
and changes in the road. The information is generally when the marked spacing was increased from 4 to 6
displayed in the driver’s normal field of vision through an meters.
HUD.
The Minnesota DOT has developed automated driver-
All-weather/night vision systems can use radar, low-light assistance systems for heavy-duty vehicles such as
level television cameras, or infrared lights and a detector snowplows. The development included a lateral warning
on the front of the vehicle. Data is fed into a computer and guidance system developed by 3M. This system
that continually processes the information and creates an used magnetic pavement marking tape that can take the
image displayed in front of the driver. Potential capability place of the regular lane striping. The system is no longer
includes the ability to distinguish between other vehicles commercially available.
or obstructions and nonthreatening objects, reducing the
The main advantage of machine vision/image processing
possibility of false alarms.
systems is that they are designed to use the existing
Lane-Keeping Systems infrastructure without expensive modifications. Two
lane-departure warning control systems based on
Lane-keeping systems (LKS) fall into three categories:
machine vision are currently available in the United
• Warning systems that do not alter the vehicle States: AutoVue™ by Iteris, Inc. and SafeTRAC™ by
trajectory, but require driver action in response to Assistware, Inc. Both of these systems use machine
warnings to affect the vehicle trajectory. vision technologies. With these products, the camera
can be attached to the windshield, dashboard, or ceiling.
• Intervention systems that have the ability to affect
The device is programmed to recognize the difference
vehicle trajectory but are meant to augment driver
between the road and lane markings. The unit’s camera
commands, not replace them.
tracks the lane markings (both solid and skip) and feeds
• Control systems that have the ability for full automatic the information directly into the unit’s computer, which
control of vehicle steering. combines this data with the vehicle’s speed. Using image
recognition software, the system predicts when a vehicle
Lane-departure warning and control systems provide
drifts towards an unintended lane change. When this
an effective countermeasure against road-departure
occurs, the unit automatically alerts the driver to make a
crashes, many of which occur due to driver drowsiness or
correction.
distraction. Most of the work on lateral lane warning and
control systems has focused on three technologies: Traction Control
• Active-wire Guidance Traction control enhances driving safety on slippery

• Magnetic-Sensing Technologies roads while the car is accelerating and can stabilize a
• Machine-Vision Technologies vehicle when it is negotiating curves. Traction control
on all four wheels combined with ABS can result in
There are several disadvantages with the use of active- augmented vehicle stability that reduces the chances
wiring technology including the requirement for high of a driver losing control of the vehicle. Traction control
wire placement accuracy, and the influence of pavement is an enhancement of an existing ABS that prevents
wheelspin while accelerating on wet or slick surfaces. It

85
uses the same wheel speed sensors to monitor wheel wheel is turned but today’s smart headlights are more
speed during acceleration, but requires some additional sophisticated in that they adjust for speed as well as
control solenoids and a pump to apply braking pressure steering input. A smart highway that communicates road
to control wheelspin. The traction control system brakes geometry to the vehicle can improve the ability of the
the drive wheel that is starting to spin to shift torque to the vehicle to aim its headlights more effectively. Further,
opposite drive wheel that still has traction. Most traction collision avoidance technology can have an input to the
control systems only operate at speeds up to about 30 headlights so obstacles in the road at night are pinpointed
mph. Additional control strategies used to limit wheelspin by the headlights.
include reducing the throttle opening, upshifting the
Smart Roadway Lighting
transmission, retarding spark timing, and deactivating
fuel injectors. Most traction control technologies cannot Although lighting systems along the road are powerful
prevent a driver from losing control when descending and can illuminate large areas, they are expensive to
steep slippery roads. In fact four-wheel drive vehicles install and operate. A smart highway can cue the lighting
often impart a false sense of security to inexperienced systems when they are needed and turn them off when
drivers who then drive too fast for the conditions. they are not. For example, a smart highway may sense
animals on the roadway at night and turn on two or three
Suspension Control
very bright overhead lights when vehicles are known to be
A smart vehicle suspension system remembers a set approaching the area. The bright lighting will most likely
of shock damping settings for each direction of vehicle drive the nocturnal animals away, and can be turned off
lateral acceleration to enhance ride control. There are again either after the animals leave or the vehicles have
suspension dampers working in extension during the passed. Specialized lighting systems along the roadway
outside of a turn and in compression on the inside of can serve other safety purposes such as speed control.
the turn, counterbalancing the centrifugal forces on the
Speed Control and Pacing
vehicle during a high-speed turn. The smart suspension
system has a second set of enhanced ride control Experiments in Japan have shown that drivers
parameters that increase damping in compression and subconsciously will regulate their speed to match a
rebound on both sides of the vehicle. Today, the state moving object next to the vehicle, such as a series of
of the art is sensing vehicle performance in real time strobe lights. Smart highways with guardrails or safety
and applying controls to the suspension to mitigate any barriers equipped with rows of low-powered, fast-
tendencies that decrease stability. Tomorrow’s smart switching lights could set a sequence of lights that turns
highway and smart vehicle will collaborate and exchange on and off, which moves a car length of light along the
information about the road surface so the vehicle can guardrail at the safe speed limit for the section of roadway.
proactively configure the vehicle’s suspension for an
The same concept could be applied to lighted markers
impending rough road condition or sharp curve on slippery
embedded in the road to delineate the lanes that are
roads.
controlled by the highway. If unsafe speeds are detected,
Smart Headlights the lights could shift to red, telling the driver that an
unsafe condition was beginning to occur.
Many vehicles today come with high intensity headlights
such as xenon lights. These purple looking lights do an Speed and changes in speed can also be communicated
excellent job of lighting up the road significantly further to other vehicles, preparing them to slow down if
than conventional headlights at the expense of blinding necessary. When used in vehicles as a traffic probe
oncoming drivers. Most properly aligned high intensity application, this information can be used to determine
headlights have a blackout bar that cuts the beam at the occurrence of traffic congestion or incidents.
level of the driver of an oncoming car. A smart headlight
Energy Management
directs its high intensity beams to where the vehicle
will be in the next 100 to 200 feet so that it senses the Many sensors and lighting systems are on the highway
direction of the car and adjusts the headlight aim point for the benefit of the vehicles. When there are no vehicles
accordingly. Vehicles have been sold in the past 20 in the immediate area, a lot of power hungry systems
years with headlights that pivot slightly as the steering can be put on standby, operated at reduced power, or

turned off. A good example is the smart lighting systems In the future, approach lanes can be equipped with
along the roadway. If lighting can be cycled on and off guidance devices and DSRC radio could tell the vehicle
relatively quickly with no adverse effect on longevity, at what speed it should be during the approach. The
upstream sensors that sense the presence of vehicles embedded toll lane sensors would be able to sense how
and their speed can signal ahead to light up sections of many vehicles were in a lane along with their spacing,
the roadway in advance of the vehicles getting there. so that each vehicle in line can make a smooth and safe
Dangerous curves, animal crossings, and disabled approach to the toll booth.
vehicles on the side of the road would be places where
Variable Speed Limits
broad area lighting would enhance safety. Because the
lights would not be used all night long, the overall energy A smart highway with embedded sensors can theoretically
consumption would be less and more lighting could be map vehicle speed and location on its surface in real time.
installed. With this dynamic map on a per lane basis and a value
for the LOS that the smart highway is required to provide,
Data from Vehicle Data Bus
the smart highway can set the optimum speed for each
A smart vehicle can share its data with others through lane dynamically. Variable speed signs per lane every few
the vehicle’s short-range radio and this information can miles will inform drivers of the speed. The onboard display
be used to enhance the safety of the driving experience. will also receive the optimal speed for the lane the vehicle
For example, rain-sensing sensors used to activate the is in and either set that speed automatically or advise the
windshield wiper systems can also send this information driver of the maximum and minimum safe speed.
to the other vehicles notifying them of the inclement
Active Rumble Strips
weather conditions. The information can also be sent to
the TMC through the vehicle-to-roadside communications Rumble strips are usually rough sections of pavement on
for broader dissemination. the shoulder of the road used to alert a driver that they
are leaving the paved road surface or approaching a
Speed Enforcement
section of road to which the driver needs to pay particular
The smart highway will allow drivers to travel at the safest attention. Active rumble strips are variable height bars
traveling speed. However, drivers will be ticketed for embedded in the road surface that can be raised or
exceeding the speed limit or dropping below a minimum lowered by remote sensors. Active rumble strips can also
threshold. Enforcement can be conducted by automatic be tuned to be dominate in one direction of travel versus
photo radar systems. As a car passes through a beam another so they can be used to alert drivers when a lane
emitted by a radar antenna, the radar antenna makes is changing direction or when construction zones are
a series of measurements of the vehicle’s speed. Upon active.
identification of a vehicle traveling at an unsafe speed, a
Tunnel Structure Management
signal is sent to the central processing unit, which in turn
directs the high-speed camera to take a photograph of the Long tunnels present unique safety hazards to the
violator’s license plate. The cameras used in photo-radar smart highway because potentially large volumes of
systems are high-speed industrial cameras specifically vehicles are contained in an enclosed space with only the
designed for traffic-enforcement photographs. Photo-radar entrance and exit for escape. Egress tunnels and tunnels
units can be mounted for fixed or mobile deployments. for maintenance workers can be used for emergency
When the units are mounted for mobile use they are evacuation if necessary, but again it is a problem of too
usually mounted inside a specially equipped vehicle few exits for too many people. If a disaster happens in a
or on a tripod. Alternatively, the units can be mounted tunnel, the smart highway needs to provide the tools for
permanently on concrete or aluminum poles, bridges, or first responders to mitigate the disastrous consequences.
co-located with other devices. The gasoline tanker truck accident in the Mont Blanc
Tunnel in France in the late 1980s cost many lives and
Smart Toll Plazas
closed the tunnel for about three years. The following are
Until ORT becomes the norm, vehicles traveling on toll some of the important resources that the smart highway
lanes at unsafe speeds will remain a serious safety could apply to tunnel management:
hazard to both toll plaza workers and to other drivers.

87
• Fire suppression systems generally rely on either Autonomous Navigation
cooling the heat source of a fire or taking oxygen from
In-vehicle navigation systems provide turn-by-turn
the fire.
directions to a user-specified destination. Driving
• Video surveillance in the near infrared spectrum to instructions can be delivered by voice prompts, graphic
provide tunnel operators with real-time information on icons such as arrows, scrolling video maps, or a
the status of the traffic flow in the tunnel on a lane-by- combination of delivery methods. Prior to the trip, the
lane basis. driver inputs the desired destination either manually,
selected from previous trips, or from a list of common
• Carbon monoxide detectors that activate ventilation
points of interest. The computer then accesses the stored
fans or increase the volume of air being swept
digital map database or accesses the current map via
through the tunnel. If the carbon monoxide level
the client server and plans the route based on selected
remains above acceptable levels, incoming traffic
user preferences such as minimizing travel time or
could be metered at the risk of causing backups on
travel distance. Instructions are then given to the driver
the highway leading to the tunnel entrance.
as the vehicle approaches upcoming maneuvers. If the
• DMS both within the tunnel and upstream of the driver deviates from the intended route, the computer
tunnel entrance coupled with real-time sensors in the recalculates the route and delivers new instructions. GPS
tunnel to provide control functions over the traffic flow. in conjunction with GIS digital maps are used by an OBU
to locate the vehicle geographically. A logical extension of
Convenience Systems this current capability is to interface the onboard route-
Smart highway/smart vehicle systems can improve the planning software with current traffic conditions and travel-
travel experience, in addition to improving safety. time predictions. The OBU could then optimize the trip
for the vehicle to avoid reported traffic incidents or road
Adaptive/Intelligent Cruise Control
construction sites.
This technology serves as a convenience to the driver
Commercial Systems
as well as a safety enhancement. ACC improves
on traditional cruise control by allowing a vehicle to Smart highway systems are really about data, and
automatically follow another vehicle at a set distance. communicating data to systems that can then make smart
With ACC, the driver sets the system when his or her decisions that enhance safety. Much of this real-time data
vehicle is at the desired distance from the lead vehicle can be used by value-added providers who repackage the
and the ACC maintains that spacing up to a preset vehicle data or combine it into useful and entertaining information
speed. As with conventional cruise control, the driver for the drivers and passengers.
must remain alert to override the system if necessary.
Probe Data
When the distance to the lead vehicle and/or relative
speed indicates a need for braking, some ACC concepts It has been shown that using instrumented vehicles as
disengage the throttle and give a warning to apply the data probes on the highway can provide reliable and
brakes. Other concepts actually tap the brakes to warn accurate real-time information about traffic conditions.
the driver. When the lead vehicle changes lanes or Although no final consensus exists concerning the
exits and the road is clear, the ACC will adjust to a user- penetration of probe vehicles required to provide accurate
specified cruise speed. travel time/condition data on urban freeways, various
studies conducted over the past few years indicate
When actuated by the driver, a microwave radar unit or
that the requisite percentage of probe vehicles (as a
laser transceiver on the front of the vehicle determines the
percentage of total traffic volume) falls somewhere
distance to the vehicle ahead and the relative speed. The
between 2 and 10 percent. Furthermore, this assumes
computer continually adjusts the throttle (and brake tap
that such probes are uniformly distributed across the
system if so equipped). Braking can override the system
area for which travel time/condition data is required.
at any time. Intelligence is incorporated in the units to
This probe-based traffic information is likely to be
detect momentary loss of radar return that occurs when
more accurate and less expensive than other sources
the lead vehicles follows a curve in the road.
and provide a highly accurate picture of current traffic

conditions. For a vehicle to be used as a probe, it must for short-range communications and wireless broadband
be equipped with an automatic vehicle location sensor for longer-range data communications). Furthermore,
(e.g., GPS) and have the ability to relay that position vehicles will be able to communicate technical capabilities
to a centralized data server, or be tracked by roadway to the smart highway upon entering it, including the status
infrastructure (e.g., non-revenue automatic vehicle of the in-vehicle devices. Given this information, the smart
identification toll antennas or license plate readers). highway can identify the vehicle and associate it with
a certain level of integrated technology to enhance the
Infotainment Systems
travel experience and make it safer. If a smart highway is
Entertainment systems onboard the vehicle are gaining fee-based, discounts can be provided for smart vehicles.
popularity as people spend more time in their vehicles.
Field Transaction Support
Some of these systems include:
A smart highway will have to have a central command
Video Infotainment – High quality color video displays
and control center or TMC. Long stretches of highway
provided today in parts of the vehicle where the driver
such as Florida’s Turnpike will have more than one TMC
won’t be distracted by them. Most of the systems play
and vehicles will be handed off from one TMC to the next
back prerecorded shows and movies from DVD. However,
much like air traffic controllers hand off airplanes between
in the future, current films may be downloaded to a
towers. A TMC will gather data from roadside sensors in
vehicle through a high bandwidth wireless data link to
its sphere of influence and manage the data so that travel
nearby stores that today rent DVDs.
information is available throughout the network.
Audio Infotainment – Bluetooth short-range wireless
Vehicle Detection
communications are being adopted in vehicles for a
variety of uses. One use may be to provide high-quality Each vehicle with DSRC is expected to periodically
surround sound to each passenger’s headphones. The transmit its identification code as it travels the smart
source of the sound can be tailored to each passenger’s highway. The short-range information it transmits will
selections from a vehicle entertainment system offering most likely be the vehicle ID, the current speed, the
many channels of to choose from. type of vehicle, and some standardized code to indicate
the vehicle’s performance (acceleration capability,
Games Infotainment – Computer games for both
deceleration capability, weight, bumper height, and
children and adults are already in vehicles. These games
maximum people capacity). It may even be possible for
play through the entertainment system that plays DVDs
the seat sensors to indicate how many people are in the
and accept controller inputs through jacks mounted in the
vehicle and even deduce whether they are children or
back of the seats. adults.
Automated Number Plate Recognition

Integration of Smart Highway
Elements If a vehicle entering the smart highway of the future does
not have a working DSRC radio, the smart highway may
What can be done today and tomorrow? take a picture of its license plate, convert it to data, and
Many elements of the smart highway system are available use that to track the vehicle at various data collection
today, they have only to be integrated. This section points along the smart highway.
explores what can be done today and what will be Vehicle Classification
possible in the near future. A partial list of smart highway
system capabilities and when they could reasonably be There are sophisticated sensors available today that can
available to the public is provided in Table 3. reliably classify a vehicle so the smart highway could
associate a license plate number with a vehicle type and
Roadside Infrastructure thereby infer some of the performance characteristics of
It can be assumed that vehicles of the near future the vehicle. Remote sensing can be done by any or all of
will have the ability to automatically control speed, the following techniques:
automatically control braking, automatically know position • Axle Counting
and be able to communicate with the road (through DSRC

89
Table 3. Smart Highway Integrated System Capabilities
Capability Present 2007-2015 Beyond 2015

Real-time traffic conditions delivered in-vehicle
through satellite radio broadcast
Optimum route navigation using real-time
traffic conditions
Dynamic speed control - distance keeping
Green light delay for potential red light runner
Traffic signal violation warning
Truck rollover sensing/warning
Streaming infotainment - radio
Lane departure warning/keeping
Use probe vehicle for travel time, incident
detection/management, and origin-destination
measurements
Emergency services - auto notification
Speed control by roadway
Streaming infotainment - video

Vehicle-to-vehicle communication for safety
Infrastructure-to-vehicle communication for
safety
Use of Wi-Fi along limited access highways
Central monitoring of vehicle performance and
preventative maintenance
Open road tolling
New traffic control strategies based on VII
Dynamic value pricing
Emergency vehicle preemption warning and
transit priority
Use VII data for asset management
Weather and road condition information based
on VII
In-vehicle signing
Boarder crossing
Vehicle-based work zone warning
Vehicle platooning with on-ramp vehicle
interrogation clearance, auto steering, auto
navigation
Intersection collision warning (roadside based
first, vehicle - roadway cooperative second)

• Weight Classification driver. The warning sign would need to be placed at least
• Size Classification 300 feet from the overpass to allow the vehicle time to
stop.
Security and Safety
Overweight Vehicles
Smart highways with strategically placed sensors and
actuators can be used to significantly enhance security Overweight vehicles cause a lot of damage to the
and safety along the highway. surface of roads each year and in some rare cases,
cause roadway failure. Weigh-in-motion sensors
Cameras and Image Processing
using piezoelectric sensors can measure a vehicle’s
Image-processing software combined with digital cameras weight while it is traveling at highway speeds. Once an
are resulting in remarkable advances in remote sensing overweight vehicle has been detected, the sensor can
and remote response systems. For example, a digital send a message to a central TMC, activate a camera
camera with near infrared light gathering diodes and to take a picture of the vehicle and the vehicle’s license
special software can detect rollovers for a mile or more plate, and convert the license plate number to digital data
along their field of view. Generally, most vehicles are that can be processed by computers for later violation
much hotter on their undersides than on their topsides. enforcement. Roadside signs can be activated to alert
When a vehicle initially overturns, the vehicle image the driver that the vehicle is overweight and must exit the
processed by the camera appears hot on top and stands roadway.
out significantly from other vehicles on the scene. Infrared
Pavement Condition Sensors
sensors and technology can differentiate between an
active fire and the hot glow of metal. Advances in micro-mechanical and nano-mechanical
devices technology are resulting in embedded roadway
Other specialized software detects changes in a scene
sensors that are low cost, need very little energy to
based on motion. If a vehicle is stalled or moving very
operate, and will lead to smart road surfaces in the near
slowly in the traffic lanes, an alarm can be sounded at
future that won’t cost much more than today’s roads. The
a monitoring station and a human can be engaged in
following are a few examples of some of the capabilities of
determining what the problem is and address it.
these pavement condition sensors:
Overheight Vehicles
• Traction is very difficult to measure since it depends
Accidents caused by vehicles that are too tall to fit under on a great many of a vehicle’s parameters such as
a bridge or highway overpass cause major damage to the suspension set up, type of tires in use, the weight
roadway and create long delays even when they impact at distribution of the vehicle and so on. In gross
low speeds. Low-technology sensors and alerting devices terms, sensors can detect when the road surface
can warn vehicles if their height is within inches of the is icy, snow covered, mud covered, wet, or dry.
minimum overpass clearance. A simple system, which Computer programs can extrapolate road sensor
would save hundreds of thousands of dollars and many data to estimate the adhesion capability of the road
lives, can be set up sufficiently in advance of a bridge or surface and advise drivers accordingly. If this data
highway overpass consisting of two poles on either side were broadcast through DSRC to the vehicle, and
of the roadway with a low power laser projector on one the vehicle had a software program that knew what
and a receiver on the other. The height of the beam off type of tires the vehicle was using, the state of the
the pavement would be approximately two inches lower suspension and load distribution, the relative wind
than the minimum clearance required. The two inches direction, and force of the wind, it could calculate in
considers the vehicle’s suspension flexibility if it should real time the instantaneous road surface adhesion
bounce slightly when approaching the overpass. When factor and alert the driver when it approached low
the laser beam is broken, a warning sign 1,000 feet up the values.
road would light up to warn the approaching vehicle that it
• Rutting occurs when the road surface is relatively
will not fit under the overpass ahead. This warning could
thin and the constant traffic in the same spot on the
be combined with active rumble strips to further warn the
road surface results in grooves. Sensors that can
detect how even the surface of the roadway is across

91
the lane will indicate when grooves are becoming Chickens or Eggs – What to Do When You
pronounced and the road needs repair. Under certain Have to Choose
lighting conditions, a CCTV camera with specialized
software can also detect rutting. A laser light projector A smart highway system depends on a smart roadway
mounted a few feet above the road surface can also and a smart vehicle. But what if an educated driver with a
detect how level the road is across the lane. dumb vehicle wants to use the smart highway, or what can
be done if a smart vehicle wants to use a dumb highway?
• Pavement life is very much like a vehicle’s tire life. These situations will occur often in the early days of smart
As the road wears down the tire rubber so does the highway deployment. Table 4 is a partial list of what can
tire wear down the road surface. Embedded sensors be done under these conditions.
or indicators every few miles can be used to alert the
highway maintenance engineers that the road surface
will need repair or replacement.

Table 4. Highway/Vehicle Capability Matrix
Dumb Vehicle – Dumb Dumb Vehicle – Smart Smart Vehicle – Dumb Smart Vehicle – Smart
Highway Highway Highway Highway
Road conditions relayed Road conditions relayed Road conditions relayed Road conditions relayed from
through changeable through changeable through satellite radio to vehicles ahead or directly
message sign, if available message signs onboard navigation devices from highway sensors via in-
vehicle signing
Emergency alerts through Emergency alerts through Radio automatically tunes to Road conveys emergency
HAR or AM/FM radio HAR, highway-dedicated the HAR frequency when an alerts to the vehicle directly
stations FM station or e-mail/text alert beacon is detected (e.g., through in-vehicle
message alert to driver’s signing) and the driver is
PDA alerted immediately with a
recommended course of
action
Travel time by discrete Travel times by discrete Travel time by discrete Travel time between point of
segments are conveyed segments through segments are continuously departure and destination are
through web sites and changeable message signs, monitored by the vehicle continuously monitored by
changeable message signs a smart highway web-site, (communicated from vehicle the vehicle (communicated
or e-mail/text message to to vehicle) and route is between vehicles and to the
driver’s PDA replanned based on driver TMC) and route is replanned
entered criteria such as based on driver entered
“save time,” “save fuel,” or criteria such as “save time,”
“scenic route” “save fuel,” or “scenic route”
Traffic conditions available Travel times available Traffic conditions available Traffic conditions are sensed
through cell phones, HAR, through cell phone (driver in real time through the on a lane-by-lane basis
and AM/FM radio initiated), changeable onboard navigation system throughout the route and
message signs, email/text automatically processed
message alerts sent to by the onboard navigation
driver’s PDA or cell phone system; steering and speed
(TMC initiated) or publicly are adjusted automatically;
available AM/FM radio station traffic updates also sent to
traffic reports in-vehicle devices or PDAs
Road geometry (curves, Road geometry (curves, Road geometry is relayed Imminent road geometry
dips) and poor visibility are dips) and poor visibility from vehicles ahead and constantly available to
indicated by static signage, communicated by speed and steering is the vehicle from sensors
reflectors on the road side, changeable message sign adjusted accordingly embedded in the highway
or reflectors in the road and roadside or in-road and read by the vehicle
reflectors
Manual steering and Manual steering and braking Manual steering, Auto steering and braking
braking - but changeable message acceleration and auto based on sensors embedded
signs warn of need for braking with dynamic cruise in the roadway centerline of
reduced speeds (e.g., work control each lane
zones)

93
References
1. “Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Linking Solutions
to Problems.” Federal Highway Administration 19 July
2004. 14 January 2005 <http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.
gov/congestion_report/index.htm>
2. Patton, Phil. “Driving; Road Signs of the Times.” The

New York Times 21 January 2005. 7 February 2005
<http://travel2.nytimes.com/mem/travel/article-page.
html?res=9E0DE5D81038F932A15752C0A9639C8B
63>

Chapter 5
Smart Highway Business Model
What is a Business Model? public vs. private operation, SLA content and detail, and
performance metrics. This approach provides checks and
A model is a replica, framework, representation, copy, balances to insure a successful implementation.
mock-up, or reproduction. A business model extends
beyond this definition and describes a replica of an This business model approach also provides the
enterprise or a mock-up of a corporation. Essentially, enterprise with a cross-functional view of each business
a business model describes how a business will process and parts of the organization involved in its
be designed, how it will be planned, how it will be execution.
implemented, and how it will be operated and maintained. The creation of a business model strongly supports an
A business model includes: enterprise’s ability to readily evaluate the benefits of
Organizational Elements including executive, supporting functions and processes internally, externally,
administration, finance, engineering, and operations. or any combination thereof. A business model can be
implemented in a variety of ways including public, public-
Business and Process Elements such as understanding private, or privatized.
markets and customers, developing a vision and strategy,
designing products and services, marketing and selling,
How Should a Business Model Be
producing and delivering, invoicing and servicing
customers, and support and maintenance.
Used?
By using a business model as a guide, an enterprise
Technology Elements including the type of toll system,
can easily move through the process of defining its
telecommunications and computer technology and
business strategy to deliver products and services with
support technology.
a high degree of purpose, confidence, and success. The
Implementation Elements such as planning, design, proposed business model, from American Productivity
training, documentation, and project management. and Quality Center (APQC) International Benchmarking
Clearinghouse, suggests a high-level, generic approach.
Why Should a Business Model Be The suggested business model provides a guide for the
Used? enterprise as it moves through the process of defining,
planning, implementing, and managing its business. From
A business model provides structure for the identification developing a business strategy, business goals, and
of operating functions and business processes. It also objectives, through defining business rules, supporting
serves as a navigation guide through the evaluation and procedures, and deliverables, an enterprise can navigate
implementation process. the business world with more confidence and agility.
In the case of smart highways, it is not enough to Every enterprise relies on the same operating functions
buy high-tech sensors, educate drivers, and equip such as finance, human resources, engineering, and
vehicles; the highway operator must also set up customer service, as the building blocks of their business.
business operations to take full advantage of new These operating functions are usually referred to as
services being offered and new data being collected. vertical or silo functions. The processes used to run the
Although all functions and processes may not need to business traverse these vertical functions and add value
be implemented, they need to be assessed. Assessment to the product until it is delivered to the customer. For
of each function, based on its value and criticality to example, processing of a customer’s order may start at
the business process, provides metrics to validate a customer-service kiosk, then move to accounting, over
the importance of this function in the overall business to order fulfillment, then to shipping, and finally to the
process. These metrics will also drive decisions regarding customer. In this example, the business process traversed
five operating functions. Although these building blocks

95
(operating functions) are similar across enterprises, other organizations to plan and implement their
the accuracy and completeness of the plans that are activities from a cross-functional, process viewpoint
used to construct and operate the enterprise (business instead of a narrow functional viewpoint.
model and processes) are what provide a competitive
Originally, this model was seen as a classification of
advantage. The business model provides the enterprise
business processes. That charter has changed over
with insight for execution of this process, for improving
the years to become a useful tool in understanding and
the efficiency and effectiveness of the process, and for
mapping business processes.
improving and enhancing the process.
An Example Key Components: Smart Highway

Figure 15 is from the APQC International Business Model
Benchmarking Clearinghouse and represents a process
The APQC business process model in Figure 16 has
classification framework business model. The intent of
been tailored to represent our approach to a smart
this model is to present a high-level, generic enterprise
highway business model. Using this modified business
business model that will encourage businesses and
model example, an enterprise can be lead through
the process of defining, planning, implementing, and
maintaining a smart highway. There are two very distinct
Figure 15. Process Classification Framework

Figure 16. Business Model
processes represented—the business model process, and available products and services, complaint resolution, and
the management, support, and operations processes. The communications.
business model process describes the steps necessary
Alignment of these two steps is crucial to the success of
to successfully navigate through defining, planning,
a business model. If the internal enterprise is not aligned
implementing, and maintaining the enterprise’s business
to support the external opportunities, the model will fail.
and the management, support, and the operations
Monitoring changes in the market, weaknesses, and
processes provide the structure necessary to support the
competitive offerings throughout this process adds value
efficient and effective operation of the enterprise and its
to the results. This information drives the next phase in
business processes.
the development of the business model.
Market, Customer, and Enterprise Objectives
Strategy, Goals, and Business Objectives
This is where the business model process starts to take
shape. Our first step looks external to the enterprise Strategies, goals, and business objectives will take their
involving a definition of the market space, evaluation lead from the work completed in the first phase of the
of the required financials, identification of potential business model. Again, alignment of these phases insures
opportunities, competition, customer base, and current a successful entry into the identified market space as
offerings that characterize the opportunity. well as reducing false starts or entries into saturated or
dry markets. Monitoring external environmental issues
The next step looks internal to the enterprise to define (such as demographics, social and cultural trends,
enterprise objectives, goals, vision and mission, customer ecological concerns, relevant markets, assessing new
needs, customer wants, current customer satisfaction with technologies, analyzing and understanding competition,

97
tracking economic trends, and assessing political and
regulatory issues) will form the strategy and goals for
the business. Business concepts such as developing a
long-term strategy, formulating business unit strategies,
and developing an overall mission statement along
with organizational strategies (such as organizational
structures, relationships, and organizational goals), will
continue to fill out the business model.
Plan Product and Service Offerings

As with the previous phase, the planning of product
and service offerings is driven from the results of the
strategy, goals, and business objectives phase. Defining
new product and service concepts and plans is driven
by the information gathered by the previous phases
and based on customer needs. Planning and deploying
quality metrics, defining life-cycle and development
targets, and integrating technology into the solution are
important components of the process. Converting these
concepts and plans into product and service specifications
requires engineering (value engineering), document
design specifications, prototypes, product and service
enhancements, elimination of outdated products and
services, elimination of reliability and quality problems,
designing and acquiring the necessary materials and
equipment, designing, building and evaluating prototypes,
refining and testing results, and managing deployment of
product and services. In conjunction with this work, the
marketing and sales strategies need to be developed.
Sales and Marketing

Marketing and selling of services is the next phase of
this process. Developing a powerful marketing message
supported by service benefits and attention-grabbing
advertisements, will provide the public with a strong
image of the enterprise and its products and services. The
sales strategy needs to include advertising capital and
expenses, sales forecasting processes, negotiation terms,
order-processing procedures, point of sale configurations
and locations. Diagram 1 is an example of the steps
an enterprise can undertake in its marketing and selling
efforts.

Diagram 1. Market and Sell
Smart Highways
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Legend
Blue - Represents a work product or deliverable of an activity.
White - Represents an activity within the business process that creates a work product or deliverable.
Dotted Line - Encircle external work product or deliverables.
ITS Orange Book™

Production and Delivery Incident Avoidance – Incident avoidance is related to
roadway infrastructure and how well it directs and guides
What business structure will best support the production
the driver. Key considerations include reliable, timely, and
and delivery process? Should these services be produced
accurate motorist information; improvements in signage;
in-house or should they be outsourced? Should the
lighting; and roadway markings.
enterprise partner with a vendor to deliver these services?
• Dynamic Road Geometry
Are the skills available in-house to create and support
• Onboard Vehicle Unit
these services? What performance metrics and SLAs
• Smart Lighting
should be established?
Payment Systems – With the goal of offering the motorist
Answering these questions requires an evaluation of
a convenient payment system, consider integrating
current assets such as skillsets and resources, current
the enterprise’s payment systems with partners and
business structure and functions, current vendor and
other services that are offered as part of the motorist’s
partner agreements, and current technology and
experience.
communications structure. The next step involves
acquiring the necessary resources, selecting and • Tolls
certifying vendors that could be partners and competitors, • Parking
establishing materials and supplies, developing purchase • Transit
agreements, and acquiring appropriate technology to • Nontransportation
support the delivery of services. • End to End (integration with other partner and
nonpartner service offerings)
With respect to a smart highway, the following list
• Revenue Management
of services could be provided by the smart highway
• Retail Distribution Network
infrastructure. Key components and points for
consideration are listed as bullet points after each service Flow Management – Think proactive traffic management.
description. For each service, the business value add, The following list provides points for consideration to
technology availability, cost-benefit, and motorist benefit improve traffic flow. Controlling access to highways and
should be evaluated by the enterprise. providing communication to navigation devices in motor
What Services to Provide vehicles are just a few of the options that should be
considered for managing the flow of traffic.
Incident Management – The term incident as it is used
here refers to any event that degrades safety and slows • Lane Management
traffic, including disabled vehicles, crashes, maintenance • Access Control
activities, adverse weather conditions, special events, • Payment (nonstop)
and debris on the roadway. Incident management yields • Headway Control (vehicle spacing)
significant benefits through reduced vehicle delays and • Cooperative Driving
enhanced safety to motorists through the reduction of • Speed Control
incident frequency and improved response and clearance • Corridor Management
times. It also enables responders at all levels to work • Predictive Travel Time
together more effectively and efficiently to manage
incidents no matter what the cause, size, or complexity. Public Safety – Providing real-time information to the first
Keys to incident management include: responders of an emergency, updating that information
dynamically as situations change, and tracking vehicles of
• Detection interest will be invaluable in enhancing public safety.
• Verification • Immediate Information Provided to Emergency
• Response Responders
• Clearance • Support to Fire, Police, and Rescue (e.g., Wi-Fi,
• Restoration WiMax)
• Security (ID vehicle of interest)

Construction Work Zone Control – Protection of Asset Management – Management of smart highway
work crews and rerouting of traffic can contribute to assets is a crucial factor in managing both maintenance
better flow management and to the implementation of and improvement costs. This service will aid in the
safety measures that improve safety for work crews and planning cycle for renewal, replacement, and addition of
motorists. all smart highway assets.
• Advanced Warning
• Building
• Speed Control
• Sensors
• Detour Awareness
• Roadway
Enforcement and Security – Services to support local, • Signage and Marking
county, state, and federal law enforcement will improve • Lighting
road safety and provide for a safer community. • Drainage/Smart Structures
• Unsafe Driver Detection • Configuration Control
• Speed Enforcement • All Other Infrastructure
• Vehicles of Interest Situation Awareness – A smart highway is susceptible
• Amber Alert to many environmental events that can’t be controlled.
The ability to access weather forecasts and other external
Fleet/Freight Management – Each of these help provide
conditions will enhance the ability to manage traffic flow,
better safety awareness and management as well as
accident avoidance, incident management, and public
provide important information to both fleet and freight
safety.
management companies.
• Atmosphere Conditions
• RFID
• Road/Pavement Conditions
• GPS tracking
• Sensor Management
• Automatic Vehicle Location
• Vehicle/Probe Data
• Bill of Lading
• Incident and Event Reports
• Hazardous Materials Management
• Fleet-focused Information Enterprise-level Services
Traveler Support – Supporting direct communication to The following services are considerations for enterprise-
vehicle navigation systems and roadside traffic signage level planning. Each help contain and manage costs as
will improve the motorist experience and provide improved well as provide the motorist with excellent services.
motorist safety and travel times.
• Risk Management
• Predictive Travel Information • CRM
• Route Management • Total Quality Management
• Concierge Services • ERP
• Location-based Services • Partner Identification and Management
• Decision Support
Performance Management – This service is essential
for measuring the health of the smart highway as well as Each of the above points should be evaluated as to
improving and providing additional services. If the current requirements (customer need) and value/benefit (is this
LOS cannot be measured, how can it be improved or of value to our customers and our business), keeping in
enhanced? mind that the enterprise’s business may extend beyond
the highway. What additional services can be offered that
• Traffic and Road Network Rating
will enhance the customer experience? As internal and
• SLAs
external partnerships provide value to service offerings,
consideration should be given to other industries and
their service offerings/products to determine if they are
applicable to the enterprise’s business strategy. Finally,

101
an assessment of the existing organizational structure
should be undertaken to determine if it supports the
current business plan and operations or if revisions are
necessary.
Invoice and Service Customers

Accurate billing of the customer, backed by a strong
customer service center, will lead the way to a strong
customer relationship. Additionally, a quick response
to billing inquiries, efficient after-sales and post-sales
service and handling of warranties and claims, promptly
responding to information requests or handling customer
complaints, all help strengthen this relationship. Other
points to keep in mind are to confirm specific service
requirements for individual customers, identify and
schedule resources to meet service requirements, provide
the service to specific customers, and ensure a high level
of quality service.
Diagram 2 is a high-level summary of the processes

and key elements involved in invoicing and servicing the
customer.

Diagram 2. Invoice and Service the Customer
Smart Highways
103
Legend
ITS Orange Book™

Internal Resources or Private Partners Business Process Analysis –
and Third Parties Production and Delivery of Potential
As stated previously, the assessment of each function,
Smart Highway Applications
based on its value and criticality to the business process, Each of the services that can be produced and delivered
provides metrics to validate the importance of this function for a smart highway has a number of subprocesses
in the overall business process. These metrics will also that go into the successful delivery of the service. The
drive decisions regarding public (internal resources) following section details the subprocesses that go into the
vs. private (partners or third parties) operations, SLA delivery of two potential smart highway services:
content and detail, and performance metrics. Resource • Location-based Services (LBS)
availability, criticality to the business process, specific vs. • Predictive Travel Time
general expertise, costs, and a number of other points
will need to be reviewed during the decision process. In Following the process maps that detail the key steps
general, these strategies have been used to achieve the involved in delivering each of these services is a list of
following objectives: private sector companies that can potentially assist in the
delivery of these services.
Market, Customer, and Enterprise Objectives – These
are most often done internally at the enterprise. Mobile Traveler Services
Strategy, Goals, and Business Objectives – These are The envisioned infrastructure for the smart highway
most often done internally at the enterprise. provides the ability to enhance predictive travel times as
well as the capability for both public and private interests
Plan Product and Service Offerings – This is most often
to deliver a wide range of wireless-based services.
a combined effort of internal resources augmented with
These services can piggyback on the smart highway’s
private partners or third-party providers.
communications technology infrastructure that enables in-
Market and Sell – This is most often a combined effort vehicle devices to interact with the roadway infrastructure.
of internal resources augmented with private partners or
Not only would this technology support public-oriented
third-party providers.
safety and traveler information applications, but in-vehicle
Produce and Deliver – This is most often a combined devices would also facilitate the creation of a market
effort of internal resources augmented with private for other LBS. When integrated with CRM applications
partners or third-party providers. and data mining techniques, the potential for targeting
consumers with personalized LBS provides an attractive
Invoice and Service – This is most often a combined
services base.
effort of internal resources augmented with private
partners or third-party providers. From a commercial perspective, motorists receive
information related to “next-exit” services (including at a
All of the above decisions and agreements, whether
minimum generic food, fuel, and lodging information), or
internal or external, require detailed SLAs. Each SLA
by integrating vehicular-status data with existing customer
should contain at least performance metrics, penalty
CRM-based preferences, suggestions for preferred
metrics, delivery descriptions, and durations. services or brands.
In order to comply with privacy rights, motorists control

the types and frequency of contact and even choose to
disengage from commercial services through voice- or
touch-activated commands.
Location-Based Services
Diagram 3 depicts the high-level process whereby
in-vehicle devices interact with the smart highway
infrastructure providing LBS. When the system

Diagram 3. Location-Based Services
Smart Highways
105
Legend
Dotted Line - Encircle external work product or deliverables .
ITS Orange Book™

establishes a communications link with an in-vehicle Other service requests may touch on any number
device, an identity match with available data takes place of motorist’s needs presenting options based on the
to determine what type of information to push to the motorist’s current situation as well as information about
device. near-term events and possible destinations.
In cases where the in-vehicle device is new, the system Potential services are limited only by the content streams
establishes communications and acts according to and processing power of the LBS provider and the
preferences established with the service provider at the transmission capabilities (bandwidth and coverage) of
time of service initiation including entering a passive wait the roadway communications infrastructure. The wireless
state or pushing appropriate information. industry has shown immense capabilities for transmitting
voice, data, and video, and as such, the potential is
If the device has communicated with the system before, a
enormous.
CRM record exists providing some level of personalized
information about the user. Predictive Travel Time
The service provider’s system calls personalized Predictive travel time is defined as a near-, mid-, or long-
preferences from the database and transmits relevant term estimate of traffic-network travel times based upon
service-related suggestions for display on the in- all available information, including current traffic-network
vehicle device. If one of these suggestions matches conditions, weather, and travel demand forecasts.
the user’s needs, the user chooses that option and the
Multiple data streams will be required to support the
order fulfillment process begins. When the user has no
development of predictive data for use by the various
current need for services, the system passively waits
channels that will have an interest in this information.
until the next point where relevant information matches
One vision, as depicted in Diagram 6, presumes that a
personalized preferences. In all cases, the system
combination of public and private concerns will publish
updates CRM data to note any changes in personal
and distribute the available information to their consumers
preferences.
or constituents.
The system maintains constant communication with the
Predictive data is a product of the fusion of near real-time
device during the passive wait state to address the user’s
data and the multidimensional analysis of historical trend
need for service or information.
data. Private companies are the most likely source for the
Throughout this process, the in-vehicle device development and distribution of predictive data through
continuously provides data to the LBS about its status their proprietary analytical algorithms. Their analysis will
and the status of the surrounding environment. The data produce value-added information for distribution to public
captured via this linkage updates the service provider’s entities or commercial third parties who would in turn
database with near real-time information about the vehicle publish to their market segments.
as well as that portion of the roadway on which the vehicle
The Use of Near Real-Time and Predictive Data
is traveling.
As depicted in Diagrams 7 and 8, the potential exists
Diagram 4 depicts LBS data tracking and consolidation.
for public interests to combine predictive information with
Request for Alternate Route Information near real-time data to modify operational strategies.
Diagram 5 depicts a service request from a motorist for Commercial third parties supply predictive information not
alternate routing information. These types of requests only to the public entities that manage the road network,
make use of public and private data resources including but also to fleet operators and other commercial concerns
near real-time speeds, travel times, incidents and work whose business models depend on increased travel
zone updates, current weather conditions, predictive efficiencies.
travel times, etc., in order to present accurate travel
options to the motorist.

Diagram 4. LBS Data Tracking and Consolidation
Legend
Diagram 5. Request for Alternate Route

107
Diagram 6. Predictive Travel Time: Data Stream
Diagram 7. Predictive Travel Time: Combining Production Information with Near Real-Time Data
Legend
Blue - Represents a work product or deliverable of an

activity.
White - Represents an activity within the business

process that creates a work product or deliverable.
Dotted Line - Encircle external work product or

deliverables.

Diagram 8. Predictive Travel Time: Improving Operational Conditions
Legend
Blue - Represents a work product or deliverable of an

activity.
White - Represents an activity within the business

process that creates a work product or deliverable.
Dotted Line - Encircle external work product or

deliverables.
Technologies and Vendors Data Aggregators
The suggested infrastructure and applications introduces The sample content providers listed below have
an integration of technologies that have not commonly demonstrated the ability to address the specific content
been associated with highway infrastructure or the needs of the transportation industry by providing detailed
transportation industry. These applications and a sampling traffic information:
of potential vendor partners are listed here. • Navigation Technologies
Private Data Collection Services • Telecenter
• Mobility Technologies
• Econolite
• SpeedInfo LBS Content Providers
• AirSage • Daimler-Chrysler
• D.R.I.V.E.S. • Microsoft
• Mobility Technologies • Qualcomm
• VIASYS • Yahoo
Predictive Travel Times Business Intelligence Suites
• TrafficCast Business intelligence is a broad category of applications
and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and
providing access to data to help enterprise users make
better business decisions. Systems that exemplify
business intelligence include medical research,

109
customer profiling, market basket analysis, customer Systems Integrators
contact analysis, market segmentation, scoring, product
Systems integrators specialize in building complete
profitability, and inventory movement.
computer systems by putting together components from
• Business Objects different vendors. Unlike software developers, systems
• Cognos integrators typically do not produce any original code.
• Computer Associates Instead, they enable a company to use off-the-shelf
• Hyperion hardware and software packages to meet a company’s
• Informatica computing needs.
• Information Builders The following systems integrators have exhibited proven,
• MicroStrategy repeatable methodologies with regard to large-scale data
• Oracle warehousing and business intelligence initiatives. They
have multiple successful design and implementations
Database Management Systems
of high-volume business intelligence solutions featuring
A DBMS is a suite of programs which typically manages many of the software vendors identified here.
large structured sets of persistent data, offering ad hoc
• Cap, Gemini, Ernst & Young
query facilities to many users. They are widely used in
• CIBER, Inc.
business applications.
• IBM
A DBMS can be an extremely complex set of software • Knightsbridge
programs that controls the organization, storage, and • North Highlands
retrieval of data (fields, records, and files) in a database.
It also controls the security and integrity of the database.
Common Infrastructure – Multiple
The DBMS accepts requests for data from the application
program and instructs the operating system to transfer the
Service Providers
appropriate data. Other examples in which a common infrastructure, such
• IBM DB2 as a highway, is utilized by multiple service providers
• IBM Informix include:
• Microsoft SQL*Server
VICS
• NCR Teradata
• Oracle 10g VICS is a nationally available ATIS service in Japan
• Sybase ASE that collects raw data on current road conditions and
delivers fused traveler information to drivers whose
Client Relationship Management
vehicles have been equipped with VICS in-vehicle
Customer information acquired from sales, marketing, units (communications occurring in real time via FM
customer service, and support is captured and stored in multiplex broadcast, infrared beacon, and radio beacon).
a centralized database. The system may provide data- Radio transceivers are utilized for delivering data on
mining facilities that support an opportunity management expressways, while infrared beacons are utilized on
system. It may also be integrated with other systems arterial roads. Both of these technologies utilize point-
such as accounting and manufacturing for a truly based wireless communications that deliver data at
enterprisewide system with thousands of users. designated locations where VICS-equipped vehicles
are within the range of the radio transceiver or infrared
• Art Technology Group beacon. FM multiplex broadcasting uses existing FM
• Onyx radio broadcasts to provide traveler information to drivers
• PeopleSoft across wider areas. Although the VICS data collection and
• SAP dissemination system is publicly operated, the in-vehicle
• Pivotal equipment used by drivers to access this data is provided
• Selectica by a wide range of private-sector electronics companies
• Siebel that offer different options for viewing the data. It is up to

the driver to select and purchase the type of unit desired. power among themselves. The existence and operation of
This public-private partnership has led to the deployment this overarching electrical power transmission network is
of millions of privately developed in-vehicle units all especially important given the trend in the U.S. to create
making use of the common VICS data stream. For more a wholesale market for electricity, in which a number of
information, go to: http://www.vics.or.jp/eng/index.html electricity generation companies compete to sell their
electricity to other companies that will retail the electricity
U.S. Electrical Generation/Supply to the consumer (thereby creating pressure for lower
The traditional structure of this industry revolves around prices and higher service/value levels).
the use of a “regulated monopoly” approach to both the
Trafficmaster
generation and the supply of electricity. Public utility
companies generate and transmit about 75 percent of Trafficmaster is an ATIS system covering most
the electricity in the United States, with the remainder major motorways and trunk roads/arterials in the
produced by some 3,000 public or cooperative utilities. United Kingdom. It is composed of traffic sensors, a
Over the years, the electrical utilities’ individual power communications network/data fusion engine, and a range
transmission grids have evolved to be encompassed of in-vehicle information units. Although Trafficmaster
by three major grid networks. These networks consist is privately owned and financed, it operates its data
of extra-high-voltage connections between individual collection system via a public-private partnership with
utilities designed to permit the transfer of electrical energy the UK’s Department of Environment, Transport, and
from one part of the network to another. Virtually all U.S. Regions. Although Trafficmaster has developed a range of
utilities are interconnected with at least one other utility in-vehicles and handheld units to make use of its real-time
by these three major grids. Within the three major power information feed, a number of other automotive electronics
grids, control area operators facilitate the reliable and manufacturers have developed other types of in-vehicle
efficient operation of the interconnected electric power devices (generally customized to the specific model of
systems, allowing the interconnected utilities within each vehicle) that make use of Trafficmaster’s data stream. For
power grid to coordinate operations and buy and sell more information, go to: http://www.trafficmaster.co.uk/.

111

Chapter 6
Implementation and Deployment
The preceding chapters have presented a wide array of Before proposing implementation of any of the smart-
technologies, services and business processes related to highway technologies, however, we need to examine
the broad topic of smart highways. To complete the circle, the needs and objectives of smart-highway constituents,
implementation and deployment must also be addressed because in the end, they will have to pay for them. They
by considering, and in some cases, revisiting: must perceive value for in the additional services, for the
• The focus for deployment additional cost.
• The primary needs of smart highway constituents
• First is the motoring public, those who pay for the
• The vision and rationale for smart highways road through taxes or tolls.
• Implementation approaches and contract models
• The business case • Secondly, there is the highway owner that builds and
operates the facility.
• External requirements and constraints
• Then there are third parties who will pay to use the
Deployment Focus highway infrastructure to offer driver products and
services.
To make smart highway implementation and deployment
a worthwhile endeavor, it is important to focus upon areas For each of these, what do smart highways represent?
that have been referenced throughout this ITS Orange What do they want from a smart highway?
Book. As a reminder, these include but are not limited to:
Drivers
• Data coverage that is timely, comprehensive and
The smart highway, for a driver, will supply information
standardized
that makes the drive on the facility smooth, safe, fast,
• Integrated applications that eliminate the need to fuse and convenient. Consumers shop at Wal*Mart to save
data together on the backend. 50 cents on a pound of coffee, but pay $6 to log on to
T-Mobile at Starbucks while drinking a very expensive
• Vehicle to roadside communications infrastructure
cup. Many people pay more than $100 a month for
suitable for multiple applications, such as the
multiple cell phones and remote e-mail devices. If smart
collection and dissemination of data to and
highways provide desirable or expected services as part
from TMC’s, infrastructure, vehicles and vehicle
of the landscape, the technology feature will attract use.
manufacturers (e.g. probe data on vehicle
Consumers will pay for value when it is perceived. ETC
performance)
has already shown drivers will pay to save travel time
• Private sector involvement in developing technologies and avoid stop-and-go conditions. It is also clear that
and services that customers will pay to support consumers like having information, but it is less clear that
they will pay for it. Google, even though approaching the
• Technology selection and implementation that takes
status of “necessity of life,” is still supported by advertising
into account varying life cycles for infrastructure,
and not subscriptions.
vehicles and supporting third-party consumer
electronics Given the plethora of high-tech “tools” in the average
tote bag or briefcase, it might be reasonable to assume
Who Are Smart Highways For? the driving public may be interested in receiving more
information through their existing devices and services,
Well-maintained roads, safe conditions, good vehicles, rather than adding on to them. Another purchase that
and ready information on travel conditions are expected. does not have a direct, tangible benefit, might be a very
Smart highways help owner-operators meet these goals tough sell.
through the efficient application of IT.

113
Highway Owners with other companies to package a complete service
to the customer. Similarly, as the business side of a
For the highway owner, the smart highway uses or
public-private partnership, third parties are customers
provides data (for manipulation into information) to
of the smart-highway, purchasing right-of-way and
meet customer needs, support safety and emergency
communications access, and raw data.
operations, and maximize ROI. Support for safety and
emergency operations is part of the fixed responsibility of Smart highway owners build facilities with 30- to 40-year
any highway operator. Smart highway integrated incident finance horizons and pavement designs based on 20-year
detection, emergency dispatch, driver notification and lifespans. Highway engineers work through long-term
rerouting, and monitoring of system performance, all planning and implementation phases over several years.
greatly enhance the highway operator’s ability to provide Highway core competencies revolve around design and
a safe facility and effective emergency services. Highway care of massive fixed assets, not the design, purchase,
safety, in fact, has been one of the foremost justifications and operations of IT systems. Highway owners and
for the application of ITS technologies to date. operators are IT users. Just as Motorola sells rapidly
evolving phones to mobile communications vendors, IT
Less understood, but arguably no less important, is
producers can provide rapidly changing products and
the need to maximize owner value. This is the mantra
services for the highway industry.
of any private enterprise, but it’s no less significant to
government entities. The public is, ultimately, the owner IT industry core competencies, combined with those of
and beneficiary of the highway infrastructure, which, the highway operator, can provide the complete highway
like any physical asset, depreciates over time without customer-service package: ETC account services,
maintenance and improvements. A smart highway with decision-grade driver information, vehicle information
steady information on wear-and-tear can greatly aid in monitoring, accident emergency services, roadside
targeting early intervention to keep infrastructure in a services, and reliable traffic flow at posted speeds.
high state of repair. This is the most cost-effective way to
The question remains: How do we marry the private IT
maximize the retained value of the facility.
industry, which sees new product launches every six
The flip side of value maximization, of course, is value months, , with the public roads sector, which has evolved
depletion, which comes about through increasing slowly since Caesar lay down roads for his armies, and
operating costs leading to deferred maintenance. The almost imperceptibly since Eisenhower built roads for his?
U.S. highway industry has seen this: The DOT’s costs
to rehabilitate roads that were ignored in the 1960s and The Smart Highway Vision
1970s have been enormous.
“Vision” identifies the core competency and gives the
Toll-operations costs have increased with the advent of reason for an enterprise’s existence. What is the vision,
ETC while the cash-collection infrastructure has been kept the core competency, and rationale of a smart highway?
in place. A smart highway that helps owners cut operating
Corporate strategy authors Prahalad and Hamel identify
costs to free up funds for road and bridge maintenance,
three tests to identify a core competency:
and enables toll operators to eliminate the fixed costs of
1. Access to a wide variety of markets.
toll plazas, will truly benefit the highway operation.
2. Significant contribution to perceived customer
Third-Party Product and Service Providers
benefits.
The benefits of a smart highway for the IT and automotive 3. Difficult for competitors to imitate.
industries includes ”shelf space” for their products and
A smart highway corridor is the gateway to many markets:
services to consumers, the opportunity to sell to the
drivers, multiple third-party industries and business
highway owner, and the option to access the infrastructure
ventures that supplement the highway core operation.
for R&D or commercial operations.
As for imitators, it is possible – though very unlikely – that
Starbucks does not offer Internet service, but T-Mobile
a “competitor” will undertake construction of a nearby
does. T-Mobile does not make phones, Motorola does.
roadway that costs $40M a mile to build.
Each business mines its core competency and partners

A Case Study in Successful Technology Applications in Highways:
Electronic Toll Collection
Consider the fifteen-year history of electronic toll collection (ETC) and how it rose from a novel business proposition
and technical R&D project, to a prerequisite for toll industry design and operations. Current estimates are that half
of the approximately $6 billion in annual toll revenues in the United States is collected by electronic toll collection,
and the percentage has not stopped growing. In the eye of the two main parties involved in highway operations, the
driver and the highway owner, there is a clear and compelling value proposition that makes the money spent on ETC
worthwhile.
Unlike cash-paying toll customers, ETC customers get to drive either through, or around, toll plazas. ETC makes
the trip substantially more predictable and convenient than the trip would be otherwise. We all always seek “faster,
better, cheaper:” ETC is widely perceived by drivers as faster, usually much better, and now often cheaper, with ETC
discounts. Even when there is no discount, a given toll amount is less perceptible to ETC customers than to cash
customers. “Cheaper” is in terms of perception, if not in reality. Which costs are felt more, $4 in cash at a toll plaza, or
$4 buried in a line item on a credit card statement? $4 cash at a booth hurts more when you have to buy lunch at the
next exit, and you only have $5 in your wallet.
The toll owner gets to eliminate toll plaza traffic congestion, thereby gaining political tolerance to remain in
existence—and even expand. The reality is that there would be no new toll roads such as those in California,
Colorado or suburban Toronto, were it not for high-speed ETC. The most heavily trafficked first generation toll roads
from the 1940s and 1950s would likely have been dissolved had electronic toll collection not relieved their traffic
congestion. This, in fact, is precisely what happened in Jacksonville, Florida in 1988. Toll plazas there had significant
traffic congestion on a regular basis, a sales tax was approved to fund the elimination of tolls. If the Illinois Tollway
still had the same 30-minute backups in 2005 at its mainline plazas that it had in 1988, the toll authority could quite
possibly be in an untenable position going forward. The Illinois Tollway routes would have been handed over to the
Illinois DOT, which has publicly stated many times the great challenge of affording maintenance for Tollway routes.
The value proposition is quite clear: vote for non-stop ETC or perish.
These are immediate, major, perceptible benefits. The facts that ETC has added operational costs for the owner,
and account maintenance effort and costs for the driver, have not stopped ETC expansion. The benefits are now
considered to be minimum service offerings. ETC is expected. The lessons leaned from this successful model should
be taken into consideration when considering potential smart highway applications.
Florida Turnpike Enterprise – SunPass ETC Illinois Tollway – I-Pass ETC

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To significantly contribute to perceived customer benefits Manual). Now, with probe data, vehicle count, and speed-
means the customer sees real value in the offering, that detection sensors fairly commonplace, it is easy and
is, the service makes a difference to the customer’s essential to measure these basics on an ongoing basis:
quality of life. ETC certainly meets this test. Driver • Vehicle count, classification, and movement.
information directly related to accident avoidance or traffic • Lane-mile hours at greater than or equal to posted
delays will likely pass this test, as could information that speeds.
contributes to a successful trip (this can increasingly be • Hourly average-speed profiles.
delivered by radio, handheld devices, or cell phones, • Lane-mile hours at varying LOS
too). Direct highway-vehicle interaction, with data streams
• LOS numbers including hourly traffic and CV percent
in either direction, could pass this test, but that would
weighting.
be most applicable to unique and immediate locations;
• Accident statistics.
for example, vehicle behavior on long inclines with high
• Incident action statistics including:
vehicle operating stress.
• Time to detect
Of course, the driving customer may not directly perceive • Time to notify
“significant contributions.” The customer will only • Time to clear
experience a highway with smooth, quiet pavement and • Time until travel delay clear
steady operating speeds and few congestion points. That
the roadway is performing so well due to instrumentation, These operations measurements are critical for
good maintenance, and excellent emergency services managers, since they help determine appropriate
dispatch and clearing will be recognized by the smart expenditures for emergency vehicles, staffing, and means
highway owner-operator, who in this case, is the customer of notification to the general public to minimize secondary
gaining the unique benefit. incidents.
A smart highway owner-operator is a smart customer of Comprehensive data enables the private-sector owner to
IT products and services. Therefore, one vision of a smart measure incremental return on incremental investment,
highway could be: and gives the public-sector manager compelling
information to present to executive and legislative officials
A smart highway is a premium-service integrated systems on how tax dollars are improving the public welfare.
highway that provides information and controls to drivers,
their vehicles, and highway owners, in order to meet the Collection of this information has long been part of
service and safety needs of the drivers and owners, and highway management. What is new, though, is the ability
to maximize infrastructure value for the public. to collect large amounts economically, and managers
are increasingly doing this. The FHWA and its state
Smart Highway Rationale DOTs have already initiated the Highway Performance
Monitoring System (HPMS), described as follows:
Highway Management with Performance
The HPMS is a national level highway information
Monitoring Measures
system that includes data on the extent,
As managers of state-of-the-art roadways, smart highway condition, performance, use, and operating
owners need to apply the same methods and techniques characteristics of the Nation’s highways. In
prevalent in private industry. The first principle of good general, the HPMS contains administrative and
management is to collect data and report to shareholders extent of system information on all public roads,
an accurate picture of the business. Show investors how while information on other characteristics is
their money—tax allocations or private debt or equity—is represented in HPMS as a mix of universe and
being used, and show the taxpayer and/or toll payers sample data for arterial and collector functional
what they are paying for. systems. Limited information on travel and
paved miles is included in summary form for the
Highways sell access to, ideally, a safe and freely-moving
lowest functional systems.
path. Highway engineers measure product performance in
travel time and LOS (as defined in the Highway Capacity

Smart highways have the capability to easily support instrumentation and detection of field conditions of the
and supplement this area-wide data-collection effort to following items may be able in provide early indications of
benchmark performance. required treatments.
In much the same way as traffic engineers conduct Pavement:

studies to determine 85th-percentile speeds as • Pavement temperature, moisture, and chemical
appropriate speed limits, collection of data over time composition.
enables smart highway owners to determine reasonable • Pavement rutting and irregularities.
performance levels, comparative performance levels, and • Pavement deck loadings with weigh-in-motion devices
improvement goals. to determine ESALs.
Maximizing and Preserving Road Value • Deformities, where possible.
Similar to measuring operations performance, it is Structures:

possible—if not increasingly expected and essential— • Deck temperature, moisture, and chemical
to constantly measure infrastructure performance. composition.
Many periodic inspections are conducted by hand or • Loads and deflections.
by vehicle on a regular basis. This is now typically • Beam positions.
performed annually for expressways and toll highways, • Scour or flow velocity.
and at least biannually for all structures in the United • Ambient weather conditions.
States. Techniques for pavement testing and on the
The overall goal would be to augment the annual review
fly measurement of cracking and deformations have
cycles with constant streams of data, and measurements
improved greatly, but these are still, relatively speaking,
of data difficult to collect visually, such as extreme
limited snapshots with a lot of space and time between
locations on bridges or tunnels. This often may be no
the pictures.
more than through the use of cameras and strain gauges,
How would increasingly fine data collection be used? but if these efforts enhance data and improve safety by
The Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) reducing the number of times humans must go to extreme
methodology laid out in GASB-34 requires that all major locations, the measurement-taking sensors will have
civil infrastructure must be carried as depreciated assets helped immeasurably.
on financial balance sheets. Depreciation is normally
applied by a simple mathematical formula such as straight Performance Monitoring in Concession
line or declining balance methods. With greater condition Contracts
data and professional judgment of the significance When highway owners contract out for road or bridge
of the data, engineers may rate the depreciation of a construction, materials are tested and installation/
given facility higher or lower than the simple calculated placement is inspected. The final product is measured for
amount. In other words, it becomes increasingly possible smoothness and for component material quantities.
to quantify what our highways, bridges, and tunnels
are worth, given construction cost and depreciation. If One current trend in the highway industry is to contract for
they are maintained, they are worth more. Now ROI for highway delivery and operations through build-operate-
infrastructure maintenance can be measured. The better transfer (BOT) contracts, or concession contracts.
the data, the better the measurement. For these types of contracts, the same inspection and
guarantee concept applies, but a different product must
If highways, bridges and tunnels are maintained in a be measured. For a BOT or concession contract, the
high state of repair, they are generally considered to contracting entity or governmental body should have a
have depreciated little, except for wearing items. It is an means to independently determine contract compliance.
axiom that regular preventive maintenance is the most This contract-compliance measurement must take place
cost-effective use of limited highway dollars. However, throughout the BOT or concession period, advising the
premature maintenance and periodic replacement owner of what is happening to the owner’s property.
of all pavement, all bridge decks, and other highway
elements, can become prohibitively expensive. Regular

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Regarding pavement condition, this concept is already The motorist is a customer looking for a product and
offered by the private sector in terms of guaranteed service. Some desired products and services remain
pavement, whereby a DOT contracts with a paving constant, such as smooth traffic, good pavement, and
company to place, and maintain at a specified condition safe conditions. Other customer demands change, such
level, the pavement for a 20 to 30 year period of time. as convenience items, innovations, and assistance when
Koch Industries, among other American companies, offer traveling in unfamiliar areas. A regular shopper buys milk
this product today. A smart highway would simply be able on each trip, but only buys a new kind of cereal once in a
to collect data and observe how well the guarantee is while. And, sometimes, tastes change and a product does
being honored. not move off the shelf anymore. In the technology arena,
floppy disks and camera film sell much more slowly than
BOT/concession contracts could have requirements
they used to. In the highway arena, roadside call boxes
with respect to physical condition as well as operating
are much less significant than they were ten years ago.
performance. Regarding operating performance, one type
How many drivers venture out on the interstate without a
of disincentive for poor traffic performance is proposed
mobile phone?
for the Melbourne, Australia Mitcham-Frankston Freeway,
which will be a toll concession contract: The smart highway owner-operator finds the right location
for commerce with market research based on traffic
Users of the Mitcham-Frankston Freeway will
forecasting. Best Buy’s business model is to find good
get free toll credits if ConnectEast fails to meet
real estate on which to stock a lot of high-tech consumer
performance targets, the State Government
goods on shelves, to raise the construction money, and
revealed. In an Australian first, successful tollway
build big boxes to hold those retail shelves. Best Buy
bidder ConnectEast has declared regular users
does not make PCs or televisions; they forecast how
will be compensated once a year if the company
much traffic would come to their store to buy Sony and
does not meet performance benchmarks once
Samsung hardware.
the controversial tollway opens in 2008. The
benchmarks cover customer service, road The third-party providers are the most animated group in
condition, tolling accuracy, landscaping and some ways. Drivers first and foremost want open roads
environment. No other tolled freeways in the to drive their vehicle on, and owner-operators want to
country offer users compensation if performance build and maintain those roads and tap into potential
standards are not met. revenue streams from them. Vendors want to sell
anything to anyone, and compete on the basis of price
An extension of this concept to incentive and disincentive
and differentiation. They sell civil construction, asphalt,
payments for operations and maintenance contractors
concrete and steel, fiber, IT hardware and software, toll
would provide a solid base for good pavement
equipment, customer service equipment, signs, and any
management.
other product/service that they can find someone to buy
while using the smart highway.
Two Implementation Approaches
The relationship between all three is dynamic. The
The Retail Store smart highway owner-operator establishes the ground
In meeting the taste and service demands of traveling rules, makes basic location and service decisions, and
customers, the retail store model illustrates the sets standards and operating conditions. Within those
relationships of the three primary parties to smart parameters, the vendor community competes to improve
highways: the technology product and service offerings. The
• The motorist – the retail customer. direction that innovation leads is not always predictable
and it shouldn’t be; there has to be room for an innovator
• The highway owner-operator – the store owner and
to come up with a new product.
shelf-space provider.
• The third-party provider – the vendor supplying
product on the shelf for purchase, or enabling the
store to stay open.

“Full Monty” vs. the A la Carte Model In many areas, the IT and communications industries
have settled into standardized protocols, primarily
The Full Monty Approach
TCP/IP, but in the area of roadside-to-vehicle devices,
In an article from the 2003 this is not yet the case. The Full Monty approach will
Tolltrans Magazine, Bob McQueen require a high degree of standardization acceptance,
characterized the blending of smart but standardization eliminates competitive advantage
highway infrastructure and services and product differentiation, the very things that promote
as the “Full Monty,” referring to innovation. Once a standard is adopted, other vendors
the complete serving of food that will try to trump it and improve it, and that will continue
British General Bernard Montgomery until the incremental improvements provide only limited
(pictured) always had for breakfast. additional services.
The Full Monty approach applies to a highway (or bridge Consider personal computers. Ten years ago, many
or tunnel) designed to fully instrument, process, and functions were performed only with limitations imposed
disseminate as much data as conceivable and to provide by speed or processing power, and so there was much
ample opportunities for third-party commerce. hardware and software innovation by many parties
to differentiate themselves and charge higher prices
This Full Monty approach to implementing a smart
for premium performance. Today, of course, this is no
highway includes an integrated system with a single set of
longer true, as basic, low-end consumer computers
detection, control, and broadcast peripheral devices and
can now perform virtually any normal office chore,
markings that not only build in the fiber-communications
display movies on DVDs, and survive with much harsher
backbone infrastructure, but also the roadside-to-
treatment than was previously possible. PCs today
vehicle devices, regardless of the application for which
are interchangeable, low-margin products, and the low
the devices are used. Consequenty, if an automobile
price/ease of replacement wins the competition to sell
manufacturer wants to communicate with its vehicles, it
these products. Ethernet and the TCP/IP standards have
would not be using its own roadside devices or services
a similar history. Ten-megabit PC network cards that were
it procured, but rather use the smart highway roadside
premium products ten years ago can now be purchased
devices. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication would be
for $10, if they can be found anywhere, yet 10 megabit is
facilitated by the automobile manufacturers and play a
still an ample speed for any routine PC function except for
vital role in developing a comprehensive smart highway.
intensive video or database operations.
If a driver wishes to use an Internet connection, it would
In the highway arena, it is safe to assume that
be through the smart highway roadside devices. All
architecture based on the TCP/IP communications
traffic sensor information, regardless of who is acquiring
protocol and the PC building block platform is going to
or purchasing that information, would be collected and
be around for awhile, and so can be built in as part of
brought to a single TMC.
the comprehensive smart highway. Once a universal
The advantages lie in a simpler system implementation industry standard for vehicle-to-roadside communications
and operation, and what would be expected to be is adopted, it will be much easier for the highway industry
a less expensive total project. Also, for nationwide to also offer this service. The VII program is the current
deployment of some roadside-to-vehicle smart highway foundation, through the use of 5.9 GHz DSRC, upon
concepts, it appears that economies of scale demand which the USDOT is attempting to enable standardization.
this approach. This has been considered in the case of
Until we arrive at this standardization horizon, it will be
vehicle-to-roadside communications for vehicle health
problematic for a highway owner to provide this service.
and performance monitoring. Nationwide deployment of
these types of systems would have a huge cost, and so it The a la Carte Approach
is believed that a single, standardized system available for
The a la carte, or pay-as-you-go, build-as-you-can-pay
all potential interested users is necessary.
approach more aptly describes the current state of smart
highway development. This model describes a smart
highway using the instrumentation, processes, and

119
dissemination as needed to meet immediate, tangible Selling Smart Highways – A Business
needs, with the limited and immediate participation of Case Template
other stakeholders or private third parties.
Highway infrastructure investment is comprised of a large
The a la carte model would include a single smart proportion of fixed costs applicable to many aspects of a
highway communications backbone and operations highway over an extended period of time. The fixed costs
center. The a la carte moniker would describe a for the highway, at $30M to $50M per mile, and the large
distributed system facilitated by the smart highway owner, IT infrastructure proportion of that, are not easily allocated
with administration and control of multiple systems and to individual functions in any meaningful manner. Any kind
their roadside devices by multiple vendors, third parties, of ROI analysis on portions of the basic smart highway
or governmental entities. Under this approach, the smart would be highly dependent upon a clear explanation of
highway owner would build (or procure) only the fiber- the assumptions and allocations of fixed costs. A simple
communications backbone infrastructure and those reliance on ROI alone to develop a business case may
roadside devices needed for immediate day-to-day needs. not be adequate.
As further opportunities or needs arise that can be met
in an economically viable fashion, those supplemental In this age of inadequate public-sector funding for highway
devices or services can be provided. construction, expansion, or even maintenance, a smart
highway developer must present a compelling business
An example of this is a toll road with a high-bandwidth case for the highway owner-operator. If a prospective
communications trunk line needed for toll, maintenance, entrepreneur wants to borrow money to open a
and emergency dispatch operations, where smart restaurant, that entrepreneur needs to present a business
highway expansion of this basic system would occur as case showing how the borrower will use the proceeds,
the extension of this system is funded, or sold, to other and how the lender will recoup their investment. A smart
service providers. highway business plan is no different. What measurable
Internal applications would include expanded owner- benefit can be expected from the smart highway services?
actionable or owner-condition information. For example, What is the ROI? What other function or activity does the
as toll roads improve their communications infrastructure smart highway facilitate? What is the public interest?
to support toll collection and security, they may add many Until recently, it has been challenging to demonstrate
roadside cameras and weather sensors, and collect financial or public policy return on a smart highway
additional traffic information from the toll system. The investment. This is now changing for several reasons:
Illinois Tollway has, in fact, added many smart highway
roadside elements, including most of its roadway • Investment costs are dropping. With the broad
cameras, in precisely this fashion. The Tollway also acceptance of ETC, almost all U.S. toll highways
collects travel times from its over 1.3 million transponders have—or will soon have—significant communications
because the incremental cost of collecting and posting and data management infrastructure in place. The
that data is very small. large fixed costs required to deploy technology in
the field are greatly reduced. The incremental cost
External applications would be third-party service of adding cameras, signs, or sensors is substantially
providers using the highway communications trunk line to limited to the roadside site costs and the system
communicate with vehicles or support vehicle-to-vehicle control at the management end of the fiber. The
communications. system costs to communicate with and control these
The a la carte approach allows for flexibility in the devices are dropping as Ethernet networking protocol
future, not only in technology developments such as the and a small number of commercial operating systems
needed standardization, but also in the application of the are becoming commodity items.
technologies. In 1985, did we know that ETC was going • Returns are increasing. Performance measurement
to revolutionize the toll industry? No, and there doubtless of traffic operations and system condition is needed
will be many technological and customer service offerings not only to support improved management of public
in 2025 that we have not yet developed, or perhaps even facilities, but also to support increased reliance on
imagined. the private sector to provide and maintain highways.

This is most critical for the concession-model delivery their own, but the vehicle is likely to be a late model
of toll highways. In the safety arena, it is clear that car with most IT and electrical updates, navigation
incident prevention, detection, notification, servicing, assistance, etc.
and clearing are increasingly important as average
• What type of service area are people accessing with
highway-operating speeds increase.
the highway: are there many tourist destinations,
• Public expectations are changing. The need for smart business destinations, manufacturing, farming or
highway services is growing, not only out of increased other types of commercial traffic, or is this a rural
traffic demand, but frankly because availability of data facility requiring additional customer vehicle services?
on demand is common—it is part of our daily living
• What is the value proposition for those customers?
environment. Many cars have onboard navigation
Given the customer base, what will those customers
systems and computers built in. These vehicles
need and expect and/or be willing to pay for? In the
carry drivers and passengers using cell phones
case of toll customers, a well-run facility is expected
with Internet access, handheld e-mail devices, or
in exchange for tolls. There must also be perceived
laptop computers with wireless cards. Why can’t
value in exchange for highway tax dollars.
four passengers in a minivan on a three-hour trip
participate in an online meeting with others at remote • What work is proposed, for how much? This is
locations? Why can’t a traveling salesman on the road the definition of the project, contract, payment
find out where the nearest clothing store is after he mechanism, and the proposed scope, schedule
got his shirt dirty at a gas station? Expectations for and budget. For operations contracts, the contract
information access are growing. length, performance measures, and specific
contract incentives/disincentives must be included,
The areas addressed in a typical private investment
as well as terms of disengagement. The degree of
evaluation outline are applicable and appropriate to
standardization and legal mandate compliance also
evaluate smart highway improvements including the
should be discussed, as FHWA compliance renders
following issues:
many of the subsequent decision elements moot—
• What is the customer base? compliance just becomes part of the fixed costs of the
enterprise.
• What is the value proposition for those customers?
• How will work and operations be organized? Who
• What work is proposed?
performs the design, procurement, installation, testing,
• How much will it cost? operations, and maintenance? How and by whom is
contract compliance assured? These questions drill
• How will work and operations be organized?
down into the issues of the owner organization chart
• What is the ROI? Are there alternate possible and how the engineering, finance, operations, and
scenarios? administrative arms of the organization are staffed
and controlled. As an example, if the highway owner
• What are strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
already has large IT maintenance resources available,
threats to success?
then any new procurement should probably only have
• What is the lifespan, and what is the exit strategy? limited system maintenance provisions. If, however,
there is no IT maintenance arm, careful consideration
• What is the customer base?
(and budget) should be given to addressing system
• What is the traffic composition: local vs. out-of-state, maintenance in the prospective contracts.
commercial vehicles, income demographics and types
• What is the ROI? Often in highway operations and
or conditions of vehicles, are there a large percentage
administration, operational expenditures are simply
of rental cars? For example, the rental car issue in
part of the fixed cost of doing business, and ROI
major tourist or shopping destination areas provides
calculations based on a large number of assumptions
some unique circumstances. Rental cars are unlikely
are often suspect. In these cases, the project
to have ETC transponders unless the individual has
proposal should consider costs of alternate means

121
to provide the same essential service. For example, • What is the lifespan, and what is the exit strategy?
a telecommunications backbone is essential for a How do we determine when to get rid of those call
toll road. So the only calculation should be, given boxes? If a proposed service does not find a receptive
a certain need for bandwidth and reliability, which audience, how is that measured and when is the
alternate paths are available to move data? Fiber, system cancelled? If the smart highway element or
digital microwave, leased telco lines, other? Given all program is needed for the 30-year life of the facility,
the realistic assumptions one can make about system how is the work installed in 2005 going to be kept
function and future growth, cost out the options and current through 2035?
choose the lowest present value. Then, look at the
These questions can serve as a checklist for project
constraints set by the low-cost option. For example,
proposal preparation, to help identify the critical issues in
leased telco T-1s may be the most economical, but
pursuing a smart highway investment or budget allocation.
then there is little if any capacity for growth or change,
and this limitation may be unacceptable. If the smart
highway approach is designed to push organizational Implementation Contract Models:
optimization with performance measures, or to Different Models for Different
facilitate a performance-based concession or Purposes
operations contract, then small present-value savings
Since the days of the interstate highway construction,
with many limitations may be a poor choice.
highway contracting has been in a state of
ROI, however, should be calculable for premium metamorphosis. Standard highway design and
services, because a smart highway owner needs construction methods simply do not work in technology
compensation to provide those premium services that arenas; it is impossible for the typical multiyear design,
are above and beyond the responsibility of competent review, bid, and construction cycle to keep up with
freeway or toll highway operation. The return would month-by-month technology changes. The toll highway
potentially come from driver fees, or more likely in industry and the highway ITS industry, with much greater
concession income or revenues from other third institutional experience in operations and technology
parties using the smart highway right-of-way. applications, have had more experience with systems and
technology procurements, and offer examples of effective
Are there alternate possible scenarios? In other
procurement methods available for smart highway use.
words, what happens if revenue forecasts are not
Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, but the
met, or other assumptions about the project with
range moves from more direct public agency control, to
respect to contract price, schedule, or technical
larger and larger private-sector participation, as we move
compliance are wrong? What happens if a service
from design-bid-build procurement to the concessionaire
is wildly popular and a system cannot handle the
model. For the sake of this discussion, the buyer is always
volume?
the public entity ultimately responsible for the smart
• What are strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and highway development, even where a concessionaire has
threats (SWOT) to success? The SWOT analysis day-to-day responsibility for facility financing, operations,
is listed here only to remind the smart highway and maintenance. A range of alternate contract models is
project developer that a reality check of potential shown in Table 5.
pitfalls is warranted. A smart highway provides
Advantages and disadvantages of each model are shown
unique transportation services and embodies
in Table 6, which also identifies four sample projects for
unique opportunities within it. However, a realistic
discussion related to various model options.
assessment of the capability to engage in long-term
IT operations and the challenges posed by technology
changes must be considered. Recall those unused
roadside call boxes.

Table 5. Alternate Contracting Vehicles for Smart Highway Development
Contracting General Basis of Compensation Compensation by Examples

Categories
Professional Services Hourly rates plus expense Highway Agency Consulting, Research,
Design
Design-Bid-Build Fixed Pay Items and Highway Agency Standard Highway Plans for
Quantities of Materials Construction
Design-Build Fixed Pay Items for Design Highway Agency Design-Build Highway
and Implementation Construction, Toll Systems
Procurement
Design-Build-Operate Fixed Pay Items for Highway Agency Toll System CSC Provision
Facilities and Operations and Operations
Finance-Design-Build- Customer Payments Highway Agency and Retail Various Highway
Operate Sales Concession Models
Operations Easement Customer Payments Sales for Operations Utility Easements For
Provided on Highway Comms and Cell Phone
Easement. Services.
Federal Enactment Goods and Services to FHWA FHWA Purchase and
FHWA Implementation of 5.9 GHz
ETC Standard

123
Table 6. Advantages and Disadvantages of Alternate Contracting Vehicles
Contracting Advantages Disadvantages Examples Given for

General Discussion
Categories
A. • Low risk for all parties. • Product liability lies with owner Example 1 –
Professional • Design developed with owner, • Large engineering expenses, no Vehicle-Roadside
Services • Well suited when results are not pre- competitive bidding cost control Operational Tests
determined or outcome still in question. • Not suited for large deployments
• Good use for research and of commodity or high-tech items
development.
B. • Low commodity item cost • Functional responsibility lies with
Design-Bid- • Design is strictly controlled by owner owner
Build • Traditional DOT procurement method • Large engineering fees
• Limited warranty and
maintenance
• Design and inspection are slow,
not suited to IT systems
C. • Whole responsibility lies with contractor • Large product mark-up required Example 2 –
Design-Build • Owner gains proprietary design to cover design and overhead Highway
innovations expenses Performance
• Suited for IT systems • Owner has less strict control Monitoring System
• Faster system delivery than design-bid- over design; detail design
build disputes are common
• Functional design requires less detail • Limited “standard components,”
work prior to contracting “standard prices,” cost
comparisons can be problematic
• Measurement of contract
compliance is more complex
• Proprietary hardware or
software, owner generally has
little price leverage
D. • End-to-end service responsibility is • Careful contract design is
Design-Build- contractor’s required to insure that the
Operate • Better for IT systems to address contractor has the same
obsolescence and require upgrades and incentives as the owner
end of contract • Owner loses much control over
• Contractor is responsible to design and design details unless they are
live with the system explicitly called out in the contract
• Contractor may drop in an existing • Operations contracts can
system and be ready to provide preclude operations experience
operations in a very brief period of time for in-house staff
• Operations contracts yield very explicit • Measurement of contract
operations costs compliance requires ongoing
review of key performance
indicators

Contracting Advantages Disadvantages Examples Given for
General Discussion
Categories
E. • End-to-end service and profit-and-loss • Careful contract design is Example 3 –
Finance- responsibility lies with contractor required to insure that the Commercial Smart
Design-Build- • Smart Highway owner does not need to contractor has the same Highway Services
Operate invest major management resources incentives as the owner Radio
• Contractor is responsible to design and • The owner loses all control over
live with the system, and make upgrades design details unless they are
through life of contract, because explicitly called out in the contract
upgrades are in the contractor’s best • The Smart Highway owner gains
interest no operations experience and
• Contractor may drop in an existing internal-agency history
system to provide operations in a very • Enforcement of contract
brief period of time compliance can be difficult, as
• Contractor may innovate with products concessionaires will always
and services not envisioned by the Smart attempt to minimize operating
Highway owner. costs, inevitably reducing service.
F. • Smart Highway owner has no role • Smart highway owner has
Operations except as regulator no contractual participation in
Easement • No operations risk for owner. Easement business operations (except for
purchaser pays for damages special contracts such as fiber
• No expenses. Easement purchaser comms services)
pays fee for access • Smart Highway owner has no
controls except those specifically
enumerated in easement contract
G. • Major expenses that are hurdle to •Smart Highway owner loses Example 4 –
Federal smart highway implementation are borne all control except as allowed by OmniAir or other 5.9
Enactment by FHWA for common good beyond FHWA GHz standardization.
jurisdictional boundaries of a DOT or toll • Hidden or unexpected costs
agency must be borne by Smart Highway
operators
Sample Implementation Models Example 1 – Vehicle and Roadside Operations Tests
Four sample models are presented; three with business What is the value proposition for those customers?
case examples to show how evaluation could be
Vehicle purchasers will, hopefully, be willing to purchase
developed. These four sample models would, as
supplemental hardware or make vehicle purchase
presented, serve as strawmen to organize a project
selections based on the availability of supplemental
design and proposal, and raise some issues for
smart vehicle functions with respect to safety, operating
consideration.
reliability, and driver-actionable information.
Vehicle manufacturers will, hopefully, be willing to pay

smart highway access fees to communicate with operating
vehicles, to collect data for a variety of purposes, and
meet vehicle purchaser demands.

125
The smart highway owner, through this project, purchases How will work and operations be organized?
agency prestige and public goodwill in support of an
The smart highway owner would provide the right-of-way,
R&D project as well as early indicators of possible smart
communications infrastructure, site engineering review,
highway implementations.
and approval for roadside device installation and possible
What work is proposed? temporary access to toll facilities.
A smart highway owner, with outside assistance probably The project team consultants would develop the test plan
from the FHWA, could solicit participation in a test and and initial report.
development effort from technical parties familiar with
The project team vehicle and equipment manufacturers
newly proposed standards and one or more vehicle
would develop the prototype equipment and outfit test
manufacturers (or a consortium) to investigate ETC
vehicles.
integration into vehicles for smart highway purposes as
well as optimized ETC operations (for integrated power The project team consultants would prepare the report,
supply, for example). A research contract could be initiated conduct the review cycle, and organize the presentations
with a team comprised of academic, public-sector, vehicle, and publications of results.
and vehicle supply industries to test one or multiple
What is the ROI? Are there alternate possible scenarios?
vehicle-to-roadside technologies.
Costs of this project would probably be treated as R&D
This could be an opportune time to test a mock-up of
expenditures: as there is no potential of immediate retail
the 5.9 GHz OmniAir standard with a vehicle operator to
sales or economies of operation, an ROI calculation could
try the additional application layers. The smart highway
be misleading or not feasible.
owner role would be to provide the right-of-way, project
operations support infrastructure, and use of the existing Alternate scenarios would include competitive proposal
ETC network. The 5.9 GHz equipment could also be structures with various benefits for the smart highway
installed in some proximate lanes with legacy equipment, owner. This would most likely take the form of a public/
to test out conversion implementations as well as typical private partnership with possible in-kind contributions.
toll operations.
What are strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
This would be a consulting and R&D project, either threats to success?
paid on an hourly rate and expense basis, or a pre-set
Strengths: Competent players and industry leaders.
level of compensation. Work tasks would include some
combination of: Weaknesses: Difficulty in early identification of obvious
financial benefits to test program. Success may be difficult
• Test hardware mock-ups in vehicles and for roadside
to measure.
installation.
Opportunities: Early participation and ability to guide
• Report on test program development, results, and
technology development. Possible leveraging into
conclusions.
financial advantage and/or competitive advantage in
• Recommendations for industry standards industry.
development.
Threats: Leapfrogging by other technologies developed
Selection would be based on team qualifications and solely in the private sector.
technical proposal merits, and price considerations would
What is the lifespan, and what is the exit strategy?
have to be negotiated.
This project would only last for a finite period of time,
How much will it cost?
perhaps 18 or 24 months, after which the prototype
This figure would have to be estimated based on level equipment would be dismantled or a decision could be
of effort and peer agency discussion. Part of the smart made to expand the project.
highway’s compensation would be in-kind services in
right-of-way and use of communications infrastructure.

Example 2 – Highway Performance Monitoring System The project organization depends on the existing
smart highway organization, resources, and toll/ITS
What is the customer base?
development. In general, the functional design will be
Customers for the smart highway owner are the drivers performed by a consultant with traffic, IT, and operations
choosing to use the facility over other routes. management experience. The system will be designed
and delivered, and possibly operated, by a systems
For the highway engineering and IT consulting industry
integrator.
in the United States, the smart highway owners and
operators are the customers, which includes the FHWA, What is the ROI? Are there alternate possible scenarios?
the 50 state DOTs, and the toll agencies and owners.
Costs of this project would probably be treated as general
What is the value proposition for those customers? overhead expenses, possibly under the engineering
division. As there is no potential of immediate retail sales
HPMS application and optimization will enable the
or economies of operation, no ROI calculation is possible.
smart highway owner to measure traffic operations and
incident conditions, identify needed traffic operations Alternate scenarios would include competitive proposal
improvements, and target areas for improvement to structures with various benefits for the smart highway
improve the product for the driver to the greatest extent owner.
possible and justify tolls or other fees.
What work is proposed? threats to success?
This would involve a two-contract effort to functionally Strengths: Increasing standardization in IT hardware and
design, and a request for proposal (RFP) for a design- software elements. Improving price structures. Broader
build or design-build-operate contract to acquire an HPMS availability of maintenance and operations services.
that would take advantage of today’s vehicle-tracking and
Weaknesses: Difficulty in the appropriate management
travel-time measuring capabilities.
and synthesis of data, i.e., “drowning in the sea of
The design effort would establish the criteria and reports.”
benchmarks that will be used to measure highway
Opportunities: Improved management through
performance, consistent with HPMS guidelines and
knowledge based on detail and factual data, and not
highway capacity design. The RFP contractors would
merely periodic observation.
develop the HPMS, using the IT and communications
network in place and augmenting those resources with the Threats: Changing IT technologies. Software
supplemental devices and data processing as needed. maintenance and obsolescence. Maintaining trained
personnel to operate the system.
Dependent upon the needs analysis and existing
organization of the individual smart highway operator, this What is the lifespan and what is the exit strategy?
could be structured as a design-build-operate contract
The hardware lifespan may be from five to ten years,
so the systems integrator would also maintain the site
but the base IT computers and commercial software will
over time and operate it on a day-to-day basis. This work
only have a five-year useful lifespan. The methodology
would overlap and build on existing TMCs, or provide a
and analytical methods and data collection tools will
base for a new TMC.
change over the life of the implementation. The exit
How much will it cost? strategy will include transition to another vendor at
contract termination. All data will remain property of the
The consultant effort would identify an engineer’s estimate
smart highway owner, or may be shared with a partner
based on contract requirements and existing traffic
depending on the executed agreements.
monitoring infrastructure.
Example 3 – Commercial Smart Highway Services
How will work and operations be organized? Radio
What is the customer base?

127
Customers for the radio stations would be advertising ROI and alternate scenarios would be determined through
roadside service providers such as restaurants, hotels, the competitive procurement process. The goal would be
gas stations, attractions, etc. for the smart highway owner to solicit this radio service
at no additional cost except for provision of space and
What is the value proposition for those customers?
communications links.
Advertising service providers would pay to have their
locations advertised on commercial HAR such that drivers
threats to success?
would know where to find trip-related services. Services
would vary depending on prospective customer profiles Strengths: A familiar concept to consumers, advertisers,
including commuters, out-of-state rental car drivers, long- and radio operators. Increasing availability with digital
haul drivers, vacationers, etc. bands.
What work is proposed? Weaknesses: Not all vehicles have digital radios. The
market for radio advertising may not be strong enough.
Once digital radio becomes widely available, it will be
possible for smart highway agencies to contract with Opportunities: Chance to reduce roadside signing and
radio stations to have a supplemental band broadcast blue sign indicators and to clean up roadside appearance.
for smart highway use. This smart highway services Chance to provide more, and more timely, data to drivers.
radio would include location guidance for services as
Threats: Other advertising venues such existing radio
advertised, highway notifications on roadway features,
stations.
weather, accidents, travel times, and anything else of local
or regional interest. The smart highway operator would What is the lifespan, and what is the exit strategy?
maintain override rights for emergency services and
This concession would last for a finite period of time, three
notifications.
years with extension options, after which the contract
This service could be contracted either through a design- would be rebid.
build-operate contract, or simply through a concession.
Example 4 – OmniAir
Issues of advertising rights, smart highway control
of content and emergency overrides, and potential Every procurement method briefly described, from design-
advertising demand along the corridor in question would bid-build through design-build and so on, assumes that
guide deliberation of the optimum contracting model. portions of the smart highway model are to be provided
Business case development would have to explore on a case-by-case, owner-by-owner basis. For some
potential radio costs and potential advertising revenues. smart highway services to be offered, such as advanced
roadside-to-vehicle data transmission, it is widely viewed
How much will it cost?
that a nationwide implementation involving multiple
A marketing firm would have to develop an analysis of vehicle manufacturers and multiple highway owners
market potential and what the smart highway owner could would be required. It is simply not possible for individual
do to maximize the attractiveness of the proposition. DOTs or toll roads to implement systems for which they
receive no immediate benefit. FHWA funding for design
How will work and operations be organized?
and implementation of such a system would likely be a
The smart highway owner would provide the right-of-way, prerequisite.
communications infrastructure, site engineering review,
The path forward will require nationwide application of
and approval for roadside device installation.
technologies that also meet other needs of individual
The radio broadcaster would own and operate the system, agencies. Certainly the OmniAir 5.9 GHz standard
collect ad revenues, and provide direct communications to for ETC is intended to provide just such a path: using
the smart highway TMC. transponders that are needed in any event for ETC, for
other smart highway applications at minimal incremental
What is the ROI? Are there alternate possible scenarios?

cost. Toll agencies still need an incentive to pay for 5.9 year, particularly those transponders with sealed batteries.
GHz and vehicle manufacturers still need an incentive to It would seem that if a national program would pay to
support 5.9 GHz with permanent vehicle installation. replace all the lane ETC hardware and early changeout
of about 80 percent of the tags in circulation, the toll
One potential partnership would be a public-public
industry could break even from a cost standpoint, except
partnership between the FHWA and the toll industry. As
for implementation costs. The nationwide cost would be
illustrated in Figure 17, a number of key players from
on the order of magnitude of $480M for transponders and
state and federal government, vehicle manufacturers,
$75M for lane installations, or $555M. Competitive pricing
standards bodies, and technology companies are involved
for transponders would be critically important.
in the 5.9 GHz effort.
With the roadside hardware in place on several thousand
Consider a U.S. toll industry with a current potential of
miles of the most heavily used expressways in the United
20M transponders and about 5,000 toll lanes with ETC
States, a large-scale implementation for tolling and
(these are approximate numbers: the precise numbers
nontolling (e.g., safety) applications can be started. Short
are growing daily, but now the market is relatively
of a federally-mandated requirement for an OBU to be
mature). Further, consider a talking-point price of $30
mounted within the vehicle, toll roads may be the logical
per transponder and $15,000 per installed lane of ETC
starting point as customers already have a need for an
hardware. Nationwide, tags and lanes would have values
of $600M and $75M, respectively. The toll industry must
replace 15 percent to 20 percent of its transponders per
Figure 17. OmniAir Players
DOT
Standards
NHTSA Bodies
FHWA IEEE
SAE
Industry
ASTM
Canada
ISO
FCC
Reprinted with permission from the OmniAir consortium - Tim McGuckin

129
OBU (transponder) for toll payments. Price points will vary by smart highway technology and in-vehicle units, not
once a unit is installed in the vehicle as opposed to being distracted. Operators must understand and account for
a windshield-mounted device. potential liability issues as part of its SWOT analysis.
Public/Private Partnerships Privacy Issues – There are any number of individuals

and privacy advocates that expressly warn drivers to
Each of the sample implementations has one thing in
“watch out for big brother.” Highway operators and toll
common. There are core services that the highway
authorities need to get the appropriate consent from
or toll operator is best suited to provide and there are
the individual customer or the state, depending on how
services that the private sector is best suited to address.
information is to be used. While the majority of customers
The private sector has the ability and need to maintain
do not object to information being used in the aggregate,
competitive advantage in terms of better technology or
they do have serious concerns about individual
a cheaper price point. While the highway can provide
information with regard to tracking or information sharing.
the shelf space, the private sector can provide the
Individuals will often consent to the use of their private
commodities (technology) and services from which
information if there is something in it for them, which
the customer can select. The manner in which the
usually means some type of financial benefit.
public/private partnership is organized will affect the
implementation and operation costs, as well as ROI for Law Enforcement – Any automated or electronic speed
any implementation method. or violation enforcement system, enabled by a smart
highway, must be approved by the appropriate legislative
External Requirements and body whether that be municipal, state, or federal
government. The highway operator or toll authority must
Constraints
also consider in its SWOT analysis, the risk of customers
Potential Legal and Legislative Constraints not wanting to travel on the highway if it is perceived as
being an “enforcement trap.”
Federal and State Funding – Any state or federal
funding/earmarks for smart highway initiatives on a large Municipal Debt Constraints
scale (where government funding is required) must
Bond Covenants – In the case of toll road operators who
compete against any number of other transportation
are bond financed, there are very specific restrictions
projects being considered by state or federal government.
in terms of how customer information can be used.
It is therefore incumbent upon highway operators to
For example, it is often stated explicitly that customer
clearly communicate the advantages of smart highway
information given for the purposes of opening a toll
development, particularly in terms of saving time, lives,
account can only be used for that purpose. A toll authority
and/or money.
will have to consult its legal department to ensure it is
Liability – Any technology that alters the way a highway not violating any bond covenants if customer information
works exposes agencies, particularly toll agencies to is used for the provision of services by a smart highway
legal liability in accident cases, particularly with respect private-sector service provider.
to joint and several liability. The same can be said for
Budgetary Constraints – Bond packages normally
the automobile manufacturers. Any highway operator or
include an official statement by the transportation
toll authority must be careful to inform its customers of
enterprise, including a plan for how monies are going
the extent and purpose of new services and how to use
to be spent. The smart highway operator will have to
them correctly. Efforts of consortia such as the Rosetta
operate within these constraints which may mean a very
group (the output of the FP4 Telematics Applications
incremental approach to smart highway development.
Programme) and the car-2-car consortium should be
Subsequent budgets however can detail the benefits of
followed particularly with regard to human-machine
smart highway operations and include the necessary
interaction. Vehicle manufacturers or smart highway
funding.
operators want to ensure that drivers are being aided

Standardization to equip their vehicles with communications hardware
(e.g., OBUs) that will only work on a limited number of
Any smart highway investment made by a highway
highways. Commuters who use the same road every day
operator or vehicle manufacturer has increased risk if:
may be the exception. The key issue is that consumers
• The technologies being used are proprietary. do not generally buy into any program that they consider
• There are a limited number of vendors that supply the “flavor of the month.”
technologies being implemented on the highway. The limited-scope issue does not apply to the early stages
• New standards are imposed within the industry after of smart highway development where feasibility testing
the highway operator has implemented numerous is essential, but it does apply to medium- to longer-term
technologies. sustainability. If consumers know that there is a multiyear
plan for expandability or a national rollout, it will improve
ROI goals may be significantly undermined if a plug and their motivation to purchase suitably-equipped vehicles or
play environment with multiple vendors is achieved and components to retrofit existing vehicles.
the highway operator still has a proprietary system that
required significant sunken investment. References
For these reasons, highway operators, toll authorities, 1. Brooke, Ken, Kevin Dopart, Ted Smith, Aimee
and vehicle manufacturers would be well advised to Flannery. NCHRP Report 520: Sharing Information
get involved with or, at a minimum, closely track the Between Public Safety and transportation Agencies
appropriate relevant committees and organizations for Traffic Incident Management. Miretek Systems,
(i.e., U.S. – VII and OmniAir, US Alliance of Automobile Inc.: Washington, D.C., 2004.
Manufacturers [AAM], and the Europe – ROSETTA
2. Leopold, George. “Standards Gap Blocks Ramp to
project, car-2-car consortium) in order to have some
Smart Highway.” EETimes 14 January 2005 <http://
influence over, or understanding of, standards
www.eetimes.com/news/97/981news/standards.html>
development.
3. McQueen, Bob. “The Full Monty.” Tolltrans 2003: 52-
Regional Issues (Limiting Scope) 54.
The appeal of smart highways will be limited if the region
does not embrace or plan for the expansion of a smart
highway network. Consumers will feel less motivated

131

Chapter 7
Summary and Conclusions
Summary This chain or business process can be made very efficient
and effective through the smart application of advanced
The development of this ITS Orange Book™ has been technologies in close concert with streamlined work
one of the most challenging exercises in the series to activities, work products, procedures, approaches, and
date. Not only did we address the present state of the organizational structures. We have also learned that this
art, but we also considered the possible future of smart chain or business process stretches across organizational
highways. The vision for smart highways contained in this boundaries and will require partnership and cooperation if
book extrapolates the current state of the practice and we are to address it completely and comprehensively.
presents a useful tool for communicating the nature of
the concept. It also provides some guidance on the path Close fitting of approaches, technologies, procedures,
required for developing future smart highways, looking at organization, and people is the ultimate goal of the
both customer and vehicle perspectives. There is a wide smart highways concept, driving us forward to deliver
spectrum of advanced technologies and management the best customer experience, maximum value, and
solutions that can be applied to the operation and optimum operational effectiveness. A key question in
management of a smart highway, and we have captured the exploration of the future smart highway is how we
the state of the art in these technologies with this ITS get from where we are today to where we want to be
Orange Book™. tomorrow.
We have also understood in the course our research The answer to the question has multiple parts.
that smart highways are much more than the specific
First, we have identified that there are several different
or isolated application of technologies, more than the
interest groups or constituencies involved if we are to
installation of field devices and telecommunications.
take a total process view. This will require that meaningful
In the broader sense, smart highways represent a
dialogues are established between all relevant parties,
completely new way of thinking about the operations
with the objective of synchronizing major activities and
and management of major road networks. Taking the
aligning policy, business objectives, investment plans,
needs of the customer and the operating organization
and development cycles. If we consider the vehicle and
as the starting point, it is possible to define an integrated
the highway to be a single system, then it is obvious that
approach to operations and management that maximizes
the proponents of the different elements need to work
the ROI for all parties. This integrated approach features
together within a common framework of understanding.
a blend of advanced technologies across all elements of
With respect to the latter, we identified in this book that
the smart highway—vehicles, infrastructure, operational
this is a particular challenge, given the widely varying
management, and information services delivery systems.
length of the typical development cycle of the products or
It also encompasses a change in what we do as well as
services in each of the major interest groups.
how we do it.
Second, we need to define a safe, effective transition
The operating procedures and organizational structures
strategy that takes us in increments from today to
that we develop and run in support of our goals and
tomorrow. Each increment must move us forward by
objectives can be fine-tuned and redesigned to work
clearly showing an ROI (increased safety, value, customer
in complete harmony with the advanced technologies.
service, or operational effectiveness) and a step towards
This creates a management-solutions approach in which
the ultimate goal. With each step in the transition path, we
technologies, processes, organizational structures, and
also need to take full advantage of the practical lessons
procedures are fully integrated to achieve optimum
learned and experience gained to fine-tune the future big
effects. Taking it a step further, the operating procedures
picture or ultimate objective.
can be viewed as a coherent business process, consisting
of a chain of activities and work products.

133
Third, there is a considerable amount to be gained These participants range from service providers,
through prototyping and experimentation; all of the merchant partners, and information delivery organizations
constituencies involved in the smart highways big picture to operational management sources.
respond best to action-based project work.
We have come to the belief that true progress on

Conclusions
technical, commercial, and organizational fronts can Implementation
really be made through the execution of a carefully
focused series of large-scale pilot projects. This would Technologies Abound, Solutions are Present, and
Coordination is Vital
also have the effect of pulling the constituencies together,
providing a vehicle for practical understanding of the The treatment of current and future smart highways in this
varying motivations and development cycles. The book has highlighted that technologies abound and that
candidate business models and partnerships could also solutions are already present. While new technologies
be subjected to practical testing in the course of these will emerge and innovative solutions will be developed
projects. In order to establish a first view of our end point that harness these technologies, one of the key areas
for the smart highways concept, we developed a future for progress and learning will be in the coordination
vision that described the essential features and elements and cooperation between different participant groups.
of a smart highway. While we consider this a work in Using the smart highways concept as a discussion
progress, we hope that it will serve as a support tool for vehicle should enable the wide range of partners to
the necessary dialogue between interested parties, and establish communication channels, share information
offer inspiration to keep us moving towards our goal. and knowledge, and compare business aspirations
The vision was from the perspectives of customers and and directions. The current FHWA VII initiative offers a
vehicles, offering a wide view of what impact a smart tremendous opportunity to help in this regard.
highway would have on these groups in the future.
How to Buy a Smart Highway
Since many of the elements of the future smart highway
It is unlikely that current procurement techniques alone
are yet to be implemented, it was important for us also to
will be suitable to support the effective procurement of the
describe the state of the art of smart highways today. This
total smart highways package. Information services and
highlighted the fact that many of the technologies and
other services will require innovative partnerships and
applications required to support smart highway services
different procurement mechanisms than those used to
are already available and some are in use. Technologies
acquire the physical elements of asphalt, concrete, steel,
and applications focused on the driver, the vehicle, and
and roadside infrastructure.
the infrastructure were identified and described as part of
the picture of today’s smart highway. These elements are How to Retrofit
delivering value and benefits to drivers and infrastructure
We need to develop some practical plans and approaches
operators in terms of time savings, increased customer
for the incorporation of new technologies into existing
service, and improved safety. These existing benefits
highways. The whole process of retrofitting smart
and impacts were explored alongside the potential value
highways will need to be analyzed and documented if we
and benefits that could be delivered by the future smart
are to be successful in the conversion process. Since we
highway.
are not likely to build more new highways than existing
We also identified and discussed the challenges and ones, this process has an important role in the evolution
opportunities associated with the selection and adoption of smart highways.
of appropriate business models for the development The Synchronization Challenge
and operation of the future smart highway. The broad
spectrum of services and features suggests that a wider The development of smart highways requires such
array of partners will be required for the future than was close coordination between groups of people that don’t
necessary for the conventional current infrastructure. traditionally cooperate that a successful approach may
closely mimic a choreographed ballet. Each partner
will need to move smoothly and effectively while taking

complete account of the movements of the others, and highways, and simple matching of these to the needs and
the overall effect of their combined movements. The objectives of the public and the consumers, will be very
communication channels necessary to achieve the important.
required degree of synchronization will need to be very
effective and support information on current and planned
Management and Operations
moves as well as information on the characteristics and Low Cost Short-term Actions
needs of each participant group.
There is the possibility that benefits could be maximized in
The Partial Implementation Issue the near term through the adoption of a series of lower-
cost strategies aimed at improving the interoperability of
The full smart highway can only deliver the full range
vehicles and infrastructure without the DSRC link. For
of value and benefits when all vehicles are equipped
example, it is possible to define a range of measures that
with suitable in-vehicle equipment. There is a gap to
would improve the ability of a smart vehicle to operate
be bridged from the zero-equipped situation today and
on less than smart infrastructure—the application of
the 100 percent-equipped desired situation. There
radar reflective paint to key features along the length of a
will inevitably be a transitional situation in which only
highway. While this would not support the full interactivity
a proportion of the vehicle fleet is equipped, and it
required to support the complete range of smart highway
could take up to 15 years to reach complete saturation.
services, it would enable partial, yet valuable benefits to
Obviously there will be scope for a range of aftermarket
be unlocked.
products that will enable existing vehicles to be retrofitted
with the equipment. This would help to shorten the Longer-term Strategies
transition period but will not avoid it. During the transition
The longer-term strategies that will move us to tomorrow
period, it will be important to maximize the value and
are inevitably the most challenging and costly items.
benefits achieved by both the consumer and the
Successful longer-term approaches will require close
infrastructure operator. This will justify the investment and
coordination across all parties and a smooth transition
provide a strong incentive for progress to completion.
from a zero-equipped to 100 percent-equipped vehicle
How to Incorporate into New Construction fleet, moving from blue skies to real benefits and effects.
It would seem that one possible transitional approach
We need to take a close look at the current plans,
lies in the development of premium services and
specifications, and design approaches that we use to
infrastructure available only to those willing to pay for
guide the planning and design of current highways.
the additional service and acquire suitable equipment for
New and amended specifications are required that
their vehicles. Perhaps the initial users of this system will
support the seamless integration of information and
be transit and freight operators who already have trained
telecommunications technologies from the ground up.
drivers and can easily make a cost justification for the
Since it is much cheaper to incorporate these elements
required investment. It is also apparent that there will be
during the construction of a new facility, we need to take
a significant role in the transition for aftermarket products
full advantage of our current knowledge by building it into
and services supplementing the emerging OEM elements
our current plans and proposals.
of the smart vehicle.
Political Support and Public Outreach
Qualified Drivers, Infrastructure, Services
Significant investment will be required in order to build
The longer-term strategies associated with late-stage
new smart highways and convert existing ones. Some
smart highways will, we believe, require the development
of the investment will be associated with the vehicle and
of qualified drivers, infrastructure, and services. What we
be passed on to the consumer. Other investments will
mean by this is that drivers will require a higher degree
require public-sector investment actions that must be
of training on the use of the smart highway, and vehicles/
accompanied by the relevant political support. Outreach
infrastructure will have to be suitably equipped. All three
to politicians and nontechnical decision makers combined
elements will require inspection and testing and will be
with an effective consumer-marketing approach will be
subject to qualification. The emergence of the OmniAir
vital to the success of the smart highways concept. Clear
consortium addressing the wireless link between the
communication of the benefits and advantages of smart

135
vehicle and the roadside infrastructure is an important commercial and information-related assets. Effective
development in this regard as it provides a model for how maintenance and management of the total lifecycle of
future organizations may address the other elements of such assets will itself require the effective application
the smart highway. of information technologies in the form of sophisticated
asset management hardware and software solutions. We
Operational Needs
foresee the application of information technologies to data
There is no question that smart highways have the collection, data management and retrieval, information
potential to make a huge impact on the management processing, and information delivery in connection with
of highway networks. The availability of a rich stream advanced asset management. We expect the future smart
of operational parameter data from equipped vehicles, highway to be run in a very efficient manner through
combined with data describing the operational status of the application of such systems to ensure optimum
the infrastructure, will take us from being data poor to intervention and reinvestment.
data rich in short order. Taking full advantage of the new
Extending this even further, we expect to see the adoption
information availability by turning it into useful information
of ERP and objectives-focused organizational techniques
that can, in turn, support the development of effective
as used in the wider fields of commerce for the past 10 to
operational management strategies will be one of the new
15 years, applied to transportation infrastructure operation
challenges facing infrastructure operators. We foresee the
and management. This will be closely coupled with CRM,
emergence of a new network-manager role for highway
customer service techniques, and the use of the new data
operating organizations similar to that which already
stream to understand customer needs, provide services
exists in telecommunications. The highway network
and products tailored to those needs, and ensure that all
manager will be responsible for tapping the full potential
activities and work products are very closely related to
of the new data stream, converting it into information,
organizational objectives.
and developing traffic management and other operational
management strategies that increase the effectiveness Back-office Acceleration is Required
and efficiency of infrastructure operations, customer
Although the smart highway puts a significant emphasis
service, travel information, and traffic management. This
on the smart vehicle and its interaction with smart
role may also extend to the commercial exploitation of
infrastructure, the back-office elements of the smart
the new data stream and in the case of toll agencies,
highway are just as important. The hardware and software
the optimization of the total revenue stream through the
solutions that are required to make use of the rich stream
dynamic management of revenue and traffic.
of new data and convert it into useful information and
ETC, Travel Information, and Traffic Management in appropriate management strategies will play a vital role in
the Smart Highway Context the operation of the smart highway. Fortunately, many of
An important aspect of the smart highway concept is the the needs for the smart highways back office are common
integrated application of traffic management, information, to the needs of other big business and commercial
and payment services within an overall coherent structure. applications. Therefore, it should be possible to make
While electronic payment systems will enable fully flexible extensive use of commercially available hardware
and adaptable pricing strategies, travel information will and software packages for business and commercial
support an information flow allowing the driver to get applications. There are also existing planning and
best value through optimum use of the network. Traffic modeling tools available for traffic management, and we
management techniques will ensure that the investment believe that these can be adapted to serve as the kind
made by the driver is matched through a consistently high of real-time decision-support tools that will be required
level of customer experience. to develop traffic management strategies, based on the
newly available data stream from the vehicles and the
Managing the Assets of the Smart Highway roadside.
The smart highway of tomorrow will have new assets
in addition to the asphalt, concrete, and steel of
current highways. Information and telecommunication
technology assets will be incorporated along with

Performance management activities. This will enable us to see how
the information will be utilized, allow us to identify key
Measuring the Performance of Smart Highways
performance measures and monitoring points, and ensure
The availability of a complete and continuous data that our organizational structure will fully support our
stream that describes current vehicle and infrastructure technologies and address our objectives. The business
performance will open up new vistas with respect to process that is defined will also be invaluable for business
operational management, performance monitoring, and modeling, partnership development, and operational
transportation planning. This will present a challenge, management strategy testing.
along with the opportunity of better data, leading to
How Smart is Your Highway? – An Index
management that is more effective. The challenge lies
in changing our current thinking and practices with One way to engender interest in the application and
respect to data collection and use. Many of the current adoption of the smart highways concept among
practices are designed to circumvent problems due to infrastructure owners and operators may lie in the
lack of required data. We may have to reevaluate our definition and communication of a smartness index for
approach to the monitoring and management of highways, highways. The smartness index would be calculated
going back to basics by defining the original need and based on how many smart highways features were
determining how it can now be addressed using the new operational on highways and over what length of the
data stream. This should present exciting possibilities highway. This metric would enable infrastructure operators
to adopt and adapt some of the very best management to monitor their progress and relate highway smartness
and monitoring practices from other fields, where similar to other key metrics related to saving lives, time, and
monitoring and management of data has been available money. This metric could also be used in combination with
for a number of years. a “return on toll” metric for toll road operators to measure
the value that a smart highway delivers relative to the fee
Consequently, management techniques have matured
charged to users.
and been tried and tested, enabling us to consider
adopting them with some degree of confidence and From the Naked Highway to the Fully Appointed
at considerable time and cost savings compared to Infrastructure of Tomorrow
developing metrics and approaches entirely from scratch. In concluding this final chapter of our ITS Orange Book™
We foresee the emergence of a completely new science on smart highways, we would like to look back to the
of highway network management based on the smart use origin of the current version of the concept in the “Smart
of the new data stream. Highways – The Full Monty” article published in Traffic
New Strategies and Approaches Technology International in 2003. On a lighter note, we
could describe today’s highways as naked, as they lack
Leading on from the effective use of the new data the proper attire (infrastructure and services) required to
stream and the conversion of the data into meaningful support the services that will be required in the future.
information, we expect that new traffic management They lack the ability to provide status information and
strategies and approaches will be discovered, evaluated, cannot support interaction with smart vehicles, preventing
and considered for adoption. Better information regarding us from dealing with the vehicle and the infrastructure as
actual vehicle performance, driver behavior, and a truly seamless single system.
infrastructure operation should enable us to develop
more refined and sophisticated approaches to traffic
management and the operational management of the
infrastructure.
Defining the Entire Process with Activities, Work

Products, and Performance Metrics
To get the very best from the new data, information, and
strategies, we believe that it will be essential to develop
a total process view of the smart highway operations and

137

Additional References
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/0,1759,174982,00.asp>
Ervin, Robert D and Kan Chen. “Toward Motoring Smart.” Issues in Science and Technology, 5.2 (1989): 92-97.
Federal Highway Administration. Freeway Management and Operations Handbook. Office of Transportation
Management: Washington, D.C., September 2003.
“FHWA White Paper: Right-of-Way and Asset Management.” Federal Highway Administration 13 October 2004. 26
January 2005 <http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/asstmgmt/ampprow.htm>
“Hughes, Riding Gale, Sets Record of 7 ½ Hours in Flight From Coast.” The New York Times 20 January 1937. 7
February 2005 <http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0119.html>
McQueen, Bob, Judy McQueen. Intelligent Transportation Systems Architectures. Artech House: Boston, 1999.
McQueen, Bob, Rick Schuman, Kan Chen. Advanced Traveler Information Systems. Artech House: Boston, 2002.
Schechner, Beth. “Despite Bumpy Road, Automotive Networking Standardization Efforts Need to Continue.” ABI
Research 19 January 2005. 7 February 2005 <http://www.abiresearch.com/Pdfs/IVN-xBW04pr.pdf>
“Traffic Responsive Driving Direction Can Be Your Immediate Answer to High Fuel Cost and Traffic Congestion
Problems.” Traftools 21 December 2004. 14 January 2005 <http://www.directionsMag.com/press.releases/
?duty=Show&id=10849&trv=1&PRSID=9668481d0027d917e82a1643b4b60b4e>
Turnbell, Michael. “New SunPass Options on Way.” Sun-Sentinal 24 January 2005. 7 February 2005 <http://pqasb.
pqarchiver.com/sun_sentinel/783029461.html?did=783029461&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&date=Jan+24%2C+2005+
author=Michael+Turnbell+Transportation+Writer+desc=NEW+SUNPASS+OPTIONS+ON+WAY>

139

Contributors
Mike Akridge John Benda
Traffic Engineering and Operations Office - FDOT Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Deputy State Traffic Operations Engineer Manager of Maintenance & Traffic
605 Suwanee Street, MS 90 2700 Ogden Avenue
Tallahassee, Florida 32399 Downers Grove, IL 60515
USA USA
michael.akridge@dot.state.fl.us jbenda@getipass.com
www.dot.state.fl.us (630) 241-6800 ext. 3903
(850) 410-5607 (630) 241-6109 FAX
(850) 410-5501 FAX
John Bonds
Lou Amadori PBS&J
PBS&J Sr ITS Specialist
Senior Consultant 22390 Janice Ave.
482 S. Keller Road Cupertino, CA 95014
Orlando, FL 32810 USA
USA johnbonds@pbsj.com
louisamadori@pbsj.com www.pbsj.com
www.pbsj.com (408) 873-2514
(407) 806-4122 (408) 252-9856 FAX
(407) 647-4281 FAX
Lee Bonds
George Baker Bonds & Kincaid
OnStar 445 Sherman Avenue
Public Policy Manager Suite W
400 Renaissance Center Palo Alto, CA 94306
Detroit, MI 48265 USA
USA leebonds@earthlink.ent
george.baker@onstar.com (408) 410-0458
(313) 667-0794
(313) 667-0822 FAX Kan Chen
PBS&J
Frans op de Beek University of Michigan
DHV Professor Emeritus
Director, Traffic Management and ITS 2420 Skyfarm Drive
Netherlands Hillsborough, CA 94010
frans.opdebeek@dhv.nl USA
31 33 462 2869 kanchen@pbsj.com
(650) 375-8890

141
Armand Ciccarelli Don Erwin
PBS&J PBS&J
Associate Project Manager Sr Program Manager
482 S. Keller Road 482 S. Keller Road
Orlando, FL 32810 Orlando, FL 32810
USA USA
armandciccarelli@pbsj.com donerwin@pbsj.com
www.pbsj.com www.pbsj.com
(407) 806-4187
(407) 647-4281 FAX Robert “Tip” Frankiln
Viasys
Mike Davis Director of Business Development - ITS
PBS&J 26 Lake Wire Drive
Program Manager Lakeland, FL 33812
Turnpike Mile Post 263 USA
Building 5315 tfranklin@viasyscorp.com
Ocoee, FL 34761 www.viasyscorp.com
USA (863) 607-9988
mjdavis@pbsj.com (863) 607-9955 FAX
www.pbsj.com
(407) 532-3999 Tim Gallagher
(407) 532-3989 FAX Electronic Transation Consultants
1200 Executive Drive East
Tom Delaney Suite 100
PBS&J Richardson, TX 75081
Senior Consultant USA
482 S. Keller Road tgallagher@etcc.com
Orlando, FL 32810 (214) 615-2302
USA
tjdelaney@pbsj.com Doug Henderson
www.pbsj.com Econolite
(407) 806-4121 Manager, DCMS Business Development
(407) 647-4281 FAX 10391 Ness Wood Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89135
Randy Doi USA
RDoi Consulting dhenderson@econolite.com
President www.econolite.com
26394 Feathersound Drive (702) 528-5768
Punta Gorda, FL 33955
USA
doird@aol.com
(941) 575-2979

Rick Herrington Melissa Hurst
North Texas Tollway Authority PBS&J
5900 West Plano Parkway Production Specialist
Suite 100 482 S. Keller Road
Plano, TX 75093 Orlando, FL 32810
USA USA
rherrington@ntta.org melissahurst@pbsj.com
(214) 461-2020 www.pbsj.com
(407) 806-4442
Luis Hevia (407) 647-4281 FAX
PBS&J
Associate Project Manager Keith Jasper
482 S. Keller Road PBS&J
Orlando, FL 32810 Program Manager
USA 3859 Centerview Drive
luishevia@pbsj.com Chantilly, VA 20151
www.pbsj.com USA
(407) 806-4257 keithjasper@pbsj.com
(407) 647-4281 FAX www.pbsj.com
Dan Himes Judy Kincaid

Viasys Bonds & Kincaid
National Director of Business Development 445 Sherman Avenue
7295 S.W. 140th Terrace Suite W
Miami, FL 33158 Palo Alto, CA 94306
USA USA
dhimes@viasyscorp.com jkincaid@jk-associates.com
(305) 256-1902 (650) 838-9816
(305) 252-3884 FAX
Job Klijnhout
Kevin Hoeflich Rijkswaterstaat
PBS&J Director
Deputy Program Manager Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management
263 Milepost Transport Research Center (AVV)
Turkey Lake Service Plaza, Bldg 5315 Boompjes 200 (visiting address)
Ocoee, FL 34761 3011 XD Rotterdam
USA P.O. Box 1031 (postal address)
kevinhoeflich@pbsj.com 3000 BA Rotterdam
(407) 532-3999 ext. 3431 The Netherlands
j.j.klijnhout@avv.rws.minvenw.nl

143
Dr. W.J.J Knibbe Dr. -Ing Kerstin Lemke
Rijkswaterstaat BASt - Federal Highway Research Institute
Senior Advisor Bruederstr. 53
Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management 51427 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
Transport Research Centre (AVV) Lemke@bast.de
Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management
Boompjes 200 (visiting address) Dr. -Ing Christine Lotz
3011 XD Rotterdam BASt - Federal Highway Research Institute
P.O. Box 1031 (postal address) Section Traffic Management, Telematics
3000 BA Rotterdam Bruederstr. 53
The Netherlands 51427 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
w.j.j.knibbe@avv.rws.minvenw.nl Lotz@bast.de
Rene Korevaar Amando Madan

Rijkswaterstaat Skanska
Project Assistant 4029 Ridge Top Road
ITS Service Management Suite 320
The Test Centre for Traffic Systems Fairfax, VA 22030
Kluyverweg 4 USA
2629 HT Delft (703) 383-0081
The Netherlands (703) 383-8346 FAX
r.korevaar@avv.rws.minvenw.nl
Paul Mannix
Susan Kuca PBS&J
PBS&J Sr ITS Specialist
Business Development, IMS Business Sector 263 Milepost
482 S. Keller Road Turkey Lake Service Plaza, Bldg 5315
Orlando, FL 32810 Ocoee, FL 34761
USA USA
susankuca@pbsj.com paulmannix@pbsj.com
www.pbsj.com www.pbsj.com
(407) 806-4140 (407) 532-3999
(407) 647-4281 FAX
Bob McQueen
Dr. Haniph A. Latchman PBS&J
University of Florida Business Sector Manager, IMS
Professor 482 S. Keller Road
463 Engineering Building Orlando, FL 32810
PO Box 116130 USA
Gainesville, FL 32611 bobmcqueen@pbsj.com
USA www.pbsj.com
latchman@list.ufl.edu (407) 806-4328
(352) 392-4950 (407) 647-4281 FAX
(352) 392-0044 FAX

Phil Miller Bonnie Reid
PBS&J General Motors
Senior Consultant Program Manager
482 S. Keller Road 30500 Mound Road
Orlando, FL 32810 Warren, MI 48090
USA USA
philmiller@pbsj.com bonnie.reid@gm.com
www.pbsj.com (586) 986-6021
(407) 806-4198 (586) 986-2684 FAX
(407) 647-4281 FAX
Eric Sampson
Joe Mooney Transport Technology & Standards Division
PBS&J Head
Sr ITS Specialist Zone 2/04 A
482 S. Keller Road Great Minister House
Orlando, FL 32810 United Kingdom
USA Eric.Sampson@dft.gsi.gov.uk
joemooney@pbsj.com
www.pbsj.com Jim Schultz
(407) 806-4362 Michigan DOT
(407) 647-4281 FAX ITS Program Manager
18101 W. Nine Mile Road
Marcelo Morales Southfield, MI 48075
Ascom Chile USA
Country Manager schultzj3@michigan.gov
Av. Apoquindo 4445, Oficina 401 (248) 483-5131
Las Condes, Santiago (248) 569-3103 FAX
Chile
Marcelo.Morales@ascom.com Rick Schuman
56 (2) 263-1057 PBS&J
Division Manager, TNI
Wendy Peckham 482 S. Keller Road
PBS&J Orlando, FL 32810
Sr ITS Specialist USA
482 S. Keller Road rickschuman@pbsj.com
Orlando, FL 32810 www.pbsj.com
USA (407) 647-4511
wendypeckham@pbsj.com (407) 647-4281 FAX
www.pbsj.com
(407) 806-4445
(407) 647-4281 FAX

145
Steve Underwood
Center for Automotive Research
1000 Victors Way
Suite 200
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
USA
sunderwood@cargroup.org
(810) 333-5328
Christopher L. Warren
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise
Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer
Milepost 263, Building 5315
Turkey Lake Service Plaza
Ocoee, FL 34761
USA
christopher.warren@dot.state.fl.us
www.floridasturnpike.com
(407) 532-3999 ext. 3102
(407) 822-6679 FAX
Chris Wilson
DaimlerChrysler
Vice President ITS Strategy & Programs
1510 Page Mill Road
Palo Alto, CA 94304
USA
christopher.wilson@daimlerchrysler.com
(650) 845-2579
(650) 845-2555 FAX
Salahdin Yacoubi
Autopista Central
Chief Operating Officer
San Jose 1145
San Bernardo, Santiago
Chile
syacoubi@autopistacentral.cl
56 (2) 470 7570

146

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2005

Sponsored by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise

Sponsored by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise

List of Figures .....................................................................................................................................................................ix

List of Business Process Diagrams and Tables ..............................................................................................................xi

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................................xvii

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ..............................................................................................................................xxi

Chapter 1 What is a Smart Highway? ..............................................................................................................................23

The Smart Highway Deﬁned...................................................................................................................................23

Peering Into the Future ...........................................................................................................................................23

Motivating Customers ................................................................................................................................23

A Customer-Centric Infrastructure .............................................................................................................26

Smart Highway Services ........................................................................................................................................27

Trafﬁc Management ..................................................................................................................................27

Avoiding and Managing Incidents ..............................................................................................................27

Synergy of Traveler Information and Trafﬁc Management.........................................................................28

Payment Systems .....................................................................................................................................28

Commercial Vehicle Operations ................................................................................................................28

Customer Service .....................................................................................................................................28

Back-Ofﬁce Functions ...............................................................................................................................29

Enterprise Resource Planning ...................................................................................................................30

Customer Relationship Management ........................................................................................................31

Smart Highways — Today ......................................................................................................................................31

Vehicles: More Performance .....................................................................................................................31

Vehicles: More Information ........................................................................................................................31

The Current State-of-the-Art ...................................................................................................................................32

Incident Management ...............................................................................................................................33

Smart Highways iii ITS Orange Book™

Sending Information, Internally and Externally ..........................................................................................34

Incident Response and Clearance ............................................................................................................34

On-the-Scene Incident Management.........................................................................................................35

Local Incident Management Activities .......................................................................................................35

Role of Roadway Design ...........................................................................................................................35

Payment Systems .....................................................................................................................................36

Additional Payment Mechanisms ..............................................................................................................38

Mobile Commerce .....................................................................................................................................38

Flow Management ..................................................................................................................................................38

Safety and Security ...................................................................................................................................40

Traveler/Service Information .....................................................................................................................42

Situational Awareness ...............................................................................................................................44

Moving Toward Smart Highways ............................................................................................................................49

System Architectures .................................................................................................................................51

Designing in the Smarts ............................................................................................................................52

Chapter 2 Needs and Issues ............................................................................................................................................55

Saving Lives ..............................................................................................................................................55

Travel-Time Reliability ...............................................................................................................................56

Saving Money ............................................................................................................................................57

Improved Quality of Life.............................................................................................................................57

Cutting-Edge Technology vs. Reliability ...................................................................................................57

Constituent Perspectives ........................................................................................................................................57

Infrastructure Owner-Operator ..................................................................................................................57

Driver and Passenger Perspective ............................................................................................................58

Private-Sector Perspective .......................................................................................................................59

How Do Infrastructure Operators and the Automotive Industry Collaborate?............................................60

Chapter 3 Beneﬁts and Impacts .......................................................................................................................................63

ITS Orange Book™ iv Smart Highways

Fewer Accidents and Fatalities ..................................................................................................................63

Automobile Safety ....................................................................................................................................64

Enhancing the Environment ......................................................................................................................65

Saving Time ...............................................................................................................................................65

Saving Money ............................................................................................................................................66

Commercial Vehicle Operations ................................................................................................................67

Improving the Travel Experience ............................................................................................................................67