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Evolving TSP to meet the needs of the ITS community

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Background

There are a number of ways to give transit vehicle an advantage over private vehicles. Dedicated lanes Optimized timing plans matched to transit schedules Bus Priority at Signals

This talk will focus on the last method

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GTT TSP Timeline

Basic IR Signaling

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

ID Coding

Gated Low Priority for(Fixed Time Controllers)

LoggingSoftware Support

GPS Priority ControlSmaller

J1708 Emitter

Multimode TSP, IR,GPS,Network

LED Emitters

Central Management Software

OFF the Shelf H/W TSP solution

AVL Integration

2nd Generation GPS

DSRC Demonstration

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Timeline- 1970s Unconditional TSP Infrared Signaling

• Emitter is always “ON” Controllers may or may not have TSP capability Door Switch disable

• Range setting used in an attempt to minimize disruption to timing- 1980s Still Infrared but now conditional TSP

• ID Coding• Emitter can be gated ON or OFF by AVL system using discrete lines• Basic Time plans• Gated Priority for fixed timed controllers

- 1998 New line of Emitters• Smaller with integrated PS• J1708 interface

- 2000 Radio GPS introduced• J1708 Interface• Not line of Sight• Turn Signals• More ID codes• ETA

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Timeline- 2008 LED Emitters Introduced

• 90% power Reduction• Zero Range Degradation over the life of the Emitter• Higher Reliability

- 2010 Central Management Software Launched• Windows C# SQL Database• Standard and Custom Reports• Easier Configuration and Approach Mapping

- 2012 Multi-Mode Opticom• Ethernet/Wi-Fi• GPS, IR, and Network Priority control• Backwards Compatible• DSRC Compatible• Additional Relative Priorities• Evacuation Mode• Expanded Time Plans• Vehicle Logging

Opticom™ Central Management Software

Intersection Setup – Communications, Phase Selectors, Asset Management, Approach Map Administration

Vehicle Setup – Vehicle Registration, Asset Management, Regional Coding, Security Rules

Day-to-Day Operations Monitoring – Health of the System

Wizard for Scheduling Tasks such as Phase Selector Communications, Systems Management and Report DistributionConfiguration of Special

Events so that buses can receive temporary high priority treatment Canned Vehicle Usage

reports, Systems Management Reports

Standard and customized report format for tracking vehicle and/or intersection behavior across a region or jurisdiction

Wizard for Configuring up to 5 roles within the agency or jurisdiction

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Timeline

- 2012 2nd Generation GPS• Modular Platform• Improved Radio Performance• Reduced Size• In vehicle confirmation/conflict lights• USB, Ethernet, serial, and J1708 interfaces• In vehicle logging• Optional in-barn Wi-Fi connectivity for log download, provisioning and

firmware upgrades • GPS output in NMEA format for other onboard uses• Spare configurable inputs and outputs • Option to add dead reckoning unit• Option for additional internal and external radios (incl. future DSRC or

P.S. 4.9 GHz)

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Timeline

- 2012 Centralized TSP • Off-the-Shelf Hardware• GTT provides Vehicle Software Application, and product integration.• Interface with traffic control server

- 2012 AVL Passenger Counter Integration• Additional Parameters

Schedule Adherence

Passenger load• DSRC Compatible

An Eye to the Future - Centralized Priority Control

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Opticom™ Vehicle Unit or

Opticom™ Software on COTS Hardware(optional DRU)

Opticom™ Management

Software

Traffic Controllers

Vehicle Data

Vehicle Data

Central ServerOpticom™

Priority Control Software

Priority Request or

ClearPriority

Request or Clear

Cellular /Fiber Internet

Vehicle to Infrastructure

Optional 3rd Party ATMS

Maximizes Integration and Use of Existing Infrastructure TodayKey Element of Priority Control in a DSRC Environment Tomorrow

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How Can We Make TSP Work Better? Issues

- Location accuracy• Where are we in relationship to stops?• Latency impacts accuracy

- Integration of Multiple Systems• Incompatible operating systems, and data protocols• Co-ordination of stakeholders

- Multiple Vehicle and Intersection Systems• Passenger counters, AVL, Priority control, video, message signs, controllers

- Multiple Antennas• AVL data, Cellular, AVL GPS, Priority GPS, Priority data

- MOE reports• Ridership• Schedule adherence• Fuel and carbon efficiency

- EVP Interoperability- Technology Investment- Congestion

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How Can We Make TSP Work Better?

Opportunities to investigate- Open source Hardware

• Prices dropping• More options

- New Technologies• GLONASS• DSRC• Cellular Apps• GOOGLE

- Increased Connectivity- Better Situational Awareness

• Congestion alerts• Accident reports

- Interoperability Across Jurisdictions- Integrated Corridor Management

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Conclusion

Technological advances are rapidly flooding into the Transit space. Standards such as NTCIP are key to ensuring system interoperability.

Stake holders must work together to define their objectives and priorities for TSP- Does the community favor private vehicle traffic over buses or is

transit the favored mode of transportation- Does the system need to work with EVP?- Does the system need to operate across communities? - Who owns the system?- Who owns the data?

Suppliers must be flexible in implementing the customer’s desired system, not just providing a pre-defined solution.

Suppliers must cooperate to provide integrated solutions