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MARYLAND I-270 INTEGRATED CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT (ICM) SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION
STAGE 1 FINAL

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March 31, 2008 

FHWA-JPO-08-043
EDL Number 14423

Submitted to:

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Transit Administration
Research and Innovative Technology Administration

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Notice and Quality Assurance Statement

Technical Report Documentation Page

1.    Introduction

2.    General System Description

3.    System Capabilities, Conditions, and Constraints

4.    System Interfaces

5.    Detailed System Requirements

List of Tables
Table 1 – I-270 Corridor Stakeholders
Table 2 – I-270 ICM System User Classes
Table 3 – I-270 ICM System Data Types
Table 4 – I-270 ICM System Data Exchanges with External Systems
Table 5 – I-270 ICM System Requirements Groupings
Table 6 – I-270 ICM System Requirements Categories
Table 7 – I-270 ICM System Needs
Table 8 – I-270 ICM System Requirements

List of Figures
Figure 1 – I-270 Montgomery County ICM Corridor Map
Figure 2 – Maryland I-270 ICMS Component Diagram
Figure 3 – RITIS Listing of Incidents, Construction, and Special Events
Figure 4 – RITIS Interactive Map of Incident Locations
Figure 5 – RITIS Interactive Map of Detector Data Beacons
Figure 6 – RITIS Interactive Map of National Weather Service Alerts
Figure 7 – RITIS Graphical Timeline of Event, Incident, and Construction Information

1. Introduction

This document presents a revised System Requirements Specification (SyRS) for an Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) System along the Interstate-270 Corridor in Montgomery County, Maryland.  It provides a description of the planned ICM System and delineates high-level and detailed requirements for the system.

The document was prepared for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) under the Integrated Corridor Management Program (Cooperative Agreement No. DTFH61-06-H-00042).  It was developed by the Maryland Department of Transportation in association with Montgomery County and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.  Telvent Farradyne Inc. and the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Transportation Technology assisted with the preparation of this report.

The document is organized as follows:

1.1 I-270 ICM Corridor Boundaries, Networks, and Stakeholders

A comprehensive description of the I-270 Corridor is provided in the Maryland I-270 ICMS Concept of Operations (ConOps) document, dated June 18, 2007, and is summarized below.

The I-270 Corridor is located in Montgomery County, Maryland just outside Washington, D.C.  The corridor measures approximately 20 miles in length and consists of a variety of transportation networks, including:

A map of the I-270/Montgomery County Corridor is presented in Figure 1.  The major boundaries of the corridor include the following:

The corridor is part of the broader Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) region.

Figure 1 – I-270 Montgomery County ICM Corridor Map
Image Source: Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation

Montgomery County ICM Corridor Map
Click here for large detailed image

Key stakeholders in the I-270 Corridor are identified in Table 1, below.

Table 1 – I-270 Corridor Stakeholders

Partnering Agencies

Agencies partnering for Phase I of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Discretionary Cooperative Agreement for Integrated Corridor Management include:

Stakeholders

Other agencies with a stake in the outcome of the USDOT’s Discretionary Cooperative Agreement for Integrated Corridor Management of the I-270 Corridor include:

1.2 System Purpose

The overall purpose of the Maryland I-270 ICM System (ICMS) is to achieve the goals and objectives set forth in the I-270 ICM Concept of Operations in a manner that will ensure the combined stakeholder vision of having transportation operations within the I-270 ICM corridor operate at peak efficiency by optimizing the use of the capacities of the transportation modes in the corridor.   For the I-270 ICMS to be successful, it is imperative that its development and operation be driven by the following ICM goals and related objectives1:

The I-270 ICMS will focus on traveler and operations management decision support by emphasizing corridor transportation systems management, traveler information dissemination, and systems evaluation by leveraging, and improving upon, current data collection, fusion capabilities, and corridor transportation system integration.  By consolidating, disseminating, and archiving transportation-related data from stakeholder agencies in the corridor, the I-270 ICMS will:

1.3 System Scope

The system to be developed under the Maryland I-270 Integrated Corridor Management Program is the Maryland I-270 Integrated Corridor Management System (abbreviated as Maryland I-270 ICMS or I-270 ICMS as referred to throughout this document).

In determining the I-270 ICMS scope, it is important to consider the identified needs of the Maryland ICM stakeholders.  The following are needs identified from the Maryland I-270 Concept of Operations that are specific to the I-270 ICMS.  Note that these are system-specific needs as opposed to those that are not system related; for example, the need “update Freeway Incident Traffic Management (FITM) plans” is a non-technical coordination function.  For a list of all needs, refer to the Maryland I-270 Concept of Operations.

I-270 ICMS Data Collection and Data Fusion Needs

I-270 ICMS Decision Support Needs

I-270 ICMS Data Exchange/Dissemination Needs

I-270 ICMS Traveler Information Dissemination Needs

I-270 ICMS Data Archiving and Data Analysis Needs

I-270 ICMS User Interface Needs

I-270 ICMS ITS Device Control and Monitoring Needs

I-270 ICMS Needs – Other

The I-270 ICMS will consist of a number of major sub-systems designed to address the above needs as follows:

The I-270 ICMS will exchange data with several external corridor stakeholder agency systems (listed below) that will continue to perform traffic/transit management and ITS device control functions, but will operate collectively in a more coordinated fashion given the data provided to them by the ICMS.  Note that the ITS field devices are NOT included within the ICMS scope as there will be no direct data exchange interfaces between the devices and the ICMS.   Data exchanges will be in a single direction or bi-directional depending on the system.

MD Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) Freeway System
Montgomery County Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS)
Montgomery County Traffic Signal Control System (most likely an interface via the Montgomery County ATMS)
Montgomery County Ride On Bus Computer-Aided Dispatch / Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) System
WMATA Metrorail Rail Operations Control System
WMATA Metrobus CAD/AVL System
MARC Commuter Rail CAD/AVL System
WMATA Metrorail Parking Management System (prototype)
MARC Commuter Rail Parking Management System (future system)
Montgomery County Public Safety CAD/911 System
MD State Police Computer-Aided Dispatch / Records Management System (CAD/RMS) (future system)
Capital Wireless Information Net (CapWIN) System
Emergency Operations Center Systems
Third-Party Traffic Flow Data Systems
Information Service Provider (ISP) Systems2

1.4 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

Below is a list of acronyms referenced in this document.

Acronym         Description

ADMS             Archived Data Management System
ADUS              Archived Data User Services
APC                 Automatic Passenger Counter
ASTM              American Society for Testing and Materials
ATIS                Advanced Traveler Information System
ATMS              Advanced Transportation Management System
AVL                Automatic Vehicle Location
BOCC              Bus Operations Control Center
CAD                Computer-Aided Dispatch
CapTOP           Capital Transportation Operations Platform
CapWIN          Capital Wireless Integrated Net
CATT              Center for Advanced Transportation Technology
CCTV              Closed Circuit Television
CHART           Coordinated Highways Action Response Team
CIMS               Crisis Information Management Software
ConOps           Concept of Operations
CORBA           Common Object Request Broker Architecture
CPS                  Continual Preparedness System
DBMS              Database Management System
DC                   Data Content
DDOT              District Department of Transportation
DE                   Data Exchange
DMS                Dynamic Message Sign
DOE                United States Department of Energy
DPWT              Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation
DS                   Decision Support
DQ                   Data Quality
EMS                 Emergency Medical Services
EOC                 Emergency Operations Center
EORS               Emergency Operations Reporting System
ERG                 Emergency Response Guide
ERU                 Emergency Response Unit
FHWA             Federal Highway Administration
FIPS                 Federal Information Processing Standards
FITM               Freeway Incident Traffic Management
FTA                 Federal Transit Administration
GIS                  Geographic Information System
HAR                Highway Advisory Radio
HazMat            Hazardous Materials
HOT                High Occupancy Toll
HOV                High Occupancy Vehicle
HRI                  Highway Rail Intersection
ICC                  Intercounty Connector
ICD                  Interface Control Document
ICM                 Integrated Corridor Management
ICMS               Integrated Corridor Management System
IEEE                Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IMS                  Incident Management System
ISP                   Information Service Provider
ITS                   Intelligent Transportation Systems
IVR                  Interactive Voice Response
JMS                 Java Messaging Service
MARC             Maryland Rail Commuter Service
MATOC           Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination
MC                  Montgomery County
MCPS              Montgomery County Public School
MDOT             Maryland Department of Transportation
MDSHA           Maryland State Highway Administration
MDT                Mobile Data Terminal
MdTA              Maryland Transportation Authority
MEMA             Maryland Emergency Management Agency
MILES             Maryland Interagency Law Enforcement System
MNCPPC         Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission
MSE                 Mobile Subscriber Equipment
MSP                 Maryland State Police
MTA                Maryland Transit Administration
MWCOG         Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
NASA              National Aeronautical Space Administration
NIMS               National Incident Management System
NIST                National Institute of Standards and Technology
NLETS             National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System
NTCIP             National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol
NWS                National Weather Service
PDA                 Personal Digital Assistant
PM                   Performance Measures
PSDS               Public Safety Data System
PTZ                  Pan-Tilt-Zoom
RAID               Redundant Array of Independent Disks
RITA               Research and Innovative Technology Administration
RITIS               Regional Integrated Transportation Information System
RMS                Records Management System
RSS                  Real Simple Syndication
RTMS              Remote Traffic Microwave Sensor
RWIS               Road Weather Information System
SAE                 Society of Automotive Engineers
SD                   Surveillance and Detection
SHA                 State Highway Administration
SLA                 Service Level Agreement
SMS                 Short Message Service
SOP                 Standard Operating Procedure
SS                    System Security
SyRS                System Requirements Specification
TAR                 Traveler Advisory Radio
TCIP                Transit Communications Interface Profile
TI                     Traveler Information
TM                   Traffic Management
TMC                Transportation Management Center
TMDD             Transportation Management Data Dictionary
TRIP                Transportation Response Information Partnership
TSSM               Traffic Signal System Modernization
UI                    User Interface
UMD               University of Maryland
USDOT            United States Department of Transportation
VDOT              Virginia Department of Transportation
VPN                 Virtual Private Network
WAN               Wide Area Network
WAP                Wireless Application Protocol
WMATA          Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
XML                Extensible Markup Language

1.5 References

Below is a list of documents containing additional information pertaining to this project as well as those documents that have been referenced herein.

References Specific to the I-270 Corridor

Maryland I-270 Integrated Corridor Management System Concept of Operations, Revised Draft, Maryland Department of Transportation, June 18, 2007.

2004 Performance of Regional High-Occupancy Vehicle Facilities on Freeways in the Washington Region, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, July 2005.

CHART Business Plan, Draft Document (Unpublished), Maryland State Highway Administration, Office of CHART and ITS Development, November 2006.

CHART Non-Constrained Deployment Plan, Maryland State Highway Administration, Office of CHART and ITS Development, April 2005.

Freeway Incident Traffic Management for I-270, Maryland State Highway Administration, Office of CHART and ITS Development, May 2006.

Montgomery County DPWT Traffic Signal Modernization Project Draft Concept of Operations, Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation, Siemens ITS, RGA Inc., and T3 Design, July 9, 2007.

Performance Evaluation and Benefit Analysis for CHART, Maryland State Highway Administration, Office of CHART and ITS Development,  and University of Maryland, Center for Transportation Technology, May 2006.

Regional Integrated Transportation Information System (RITIS): Concept of Operations (Working Document), University of Maryland, Center for Transportation Technology, and Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, April 24, 2007.

Maryland Intercounty Connector (ICC), overview and summary information available at http://www.iccproject.com/.

General References for Integrated Corridor Management

Develop Criteria for Delineating a Corridor, Report No. FHWA-JPO-06-035, U.S. Department of Transportation, ITS Joint Program Office, April 2006.

ICM Implementation Guidance, Report No. FHWA-JPO-06-042U.S. Department of Transportation, ITS Joint Program Office, April 2006.

ICMS Concept of Operations for a Generic Corridor, Report No. FHWA-JPO-06-032, U.S. Department of Transportation, ITS Joint Program Office, April 2006.

Relationship Between Corridor Management and Regional Management, Report No. FHWA-JPO-06-036,U.S. Department of Transportation, ITS Joint Program Office, April 2006.

“ICM Implementation Guide” and other Technical Memoranda available at http://www.itsa.org/icm.html.

“Integrated Corridor Management – Analysis, Modeling and Simulation Sample Data List,” U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, November 2006.

Systems Engineering

Building Quality Intelligent Transportation Systems through Systems Engineering, Mitretek Systems, April 2002.

Developing Functional Requirements for ITS Projects, Mitretek Systems, April 2002.

Systems Engineering Guidebook for ITS, Version 1.1, California Department of Transportation, Division of Research & Innovation, February, 2005.

Developing and Using a Concept of Operations in Transportation Management Systems, TMC Pooled-Fund Study, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, 2004.

Systems Engineering Processes for Developing Traffic Signal Systems, NCHRP Synthesis 307, Transportation Research Board, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, April 2003.

Integrated Corridor Management: The Transition from a Concept of Operations to Requirements, Version 1.6, Mixon/Hill Inc., August 2007.

Requirements Engineering: A Methodology for Writing High Quality Requirement Specifications and for Evaluating Existing Ones, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Dr. Linda Rosenberg, September 1999.

IEEE Guide for Developing System Requirements Specifications, IEEE Standard 1233a-1998, Software Engineering Standards Committee of the IEEE Computer Society, December 8, 1998.

National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol Application Profile for XML Message Encoding and Transport in ITS Center-to-Center Communications (NTCIP-C2C XML), NTCIP 2306 Version 01.68b, Institute of Transportation Engineers / American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials / National Electrical Manufacturers Association, December 2006.

Transit Communications Interface Profiles, TCIP 1400 Series, APTA-TCIP-S-01 3.0.0, American Public Transportation Association.

IEEE Standard for Common Incident Management Message Sets for Use by Emergency Management Centers, IEEE 1512 – 2006, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2006.

IEEE Standard for Common Traffic Incident Management Message Sets for Use by Emergency Management Centers, IEEE 1512.1 – 2006, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2006.

IEEE Standard for Public Safety Traffic Incident Management Message Sets for Use by Emergency Management Centers, IEEE 1512.2 – 2004, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2004.

IEEE Standard for Hazardous Material Incident Management Message Sets for Use by Emergency Management Centers, IEEE 1512.3 – 2006, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2002.

Standard Specification for Archiving ITS-Generated Traffic Monitoring Data, ASTM WK7604 (draft under development), American Society for Testing and Materials, January 2008.

Traffic Management Data Dictionary (TMDD) and Message Sets for External Traffic Management Center Communications (MS/ETMCC), TMDD Version 3 Draft, Institute of Transportation Engineers / American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, 2008 (not yet published).

Message Set for Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS), SAE ATIS J2354 Version 2, Society of Automotive Engineers, February 2004.

ITS, Operations, Architecture, Other

“FHWA Rule 940, Intelligent Transportation System Architecture and Standards – Rules and Regulations,” Federal Register, Vol. 66, No. 5, January 8, 2001.

“Developing, Using, and Maintaining an ITS Architecture for Your Region: Regional ITS Architecture Guidance Document,” National ITS Architecture Team, October, 2001.

Maryland Statewide ITS Architecture, Maryland State Highway Administration, Office of CHART and ITS Development, and Telvent Farradyne Inc. April 2005.

Metropolitan Washington Regional Intelligent Transportation Systems Architecture Draft Summary Report, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, April 2005.

Performance Measures of Operational Effectiveness for Highway Segments and Systems — A Synthesis of Highway Practice, NCHRP Synthesis 311, Transportation Research Board, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, May 2003.

Guide to Contracting ITS Projects, NCHRP Report 560, Project 03-77, Transportation Research Board, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, 2006.

National ITS Architecture, Version 5.1, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, available at http://www.iteris.com/itsarch/, October 2005.

Freeway Management and Operations Handbook, FHWA-OP-04-003, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, 2003.

Monitoring Urban Freeways in 2003: Current Conditions and Trends from Archived Operations Data, Publication FHWA-HOP-05-018, Federal Highway Administration, December 2004.

2. General System Description

The I-270 ICMS is comprised of eight (8) specific sub-systems (see Figure 2, Maryland I-270 ICMS Component Diagram), which are described in the sub-sections that follow.   The foundation of the I-270 ICMS is the existing Regional Integrated Transportation Information System (RITIS), a system conceived and guided under the auspices of the Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination (MATOC) partnership and developed by the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Transportation Technology.  Building upon the RITIS foundation will allow for expedited I-270 ICMS development and deployment by leveraging synergistic system development efforts that have been underway in the Washington Metropolitan area since 2004 and that are planned as part of the MATOC initiative.  Further, as RITIS is a regional system, the modifications and enhancements to build the I-270 ICMS will allow for a more rapid deployment of Integrated Corridor Management systems in other corridors in the region.  However, while several I-270 ICMS sub-systems already exist as part of RITIS, upgrades will be needed to achieve all the functionality defined in this ICMS Requirements document.  In addition to the eight sub-systems, the I-270 ICMS involves critical data exchange interfaces with the external systems identified in the Component Diagram.  While some of these exchanges currently exist through RITIS, the majority must be developed.   In addition, some external systems have not yet been developed, but interfaces to these systems will be established as they are implemented.

Additional details regarding existing RITIS functionality are provided in Section 2.2.1, ICMS Internal Sub-Systems.

2.1 System Context

Figure 2 depicts the Maryland I-270 ICMS Component Diagram which provides the overall system context in which the I-270 ICMS will exist.  Specifically, the Component Diagram identifies high-level components that comprise the entire ICMS and, importantly, the boundaries between the I-270 ICMS and both existing and new external systems.

The left side of the diagram identifies the I-270 ICMS sub-systems.  The right side shows the external systems that will be required to interface with the I-270 ICMS.  Existing systems and sub-systems are shown as clear boxes, while new systems and sub-systems to be developed appear as orange boxes.  Data flows shown with black lines currently exist, whereas orange colored lines represent new data flows to be implemented.

Specific details about each of the components in the diagram are provided in subsequent sections of this document.

Figure 2 – Maryland I-270 ICMS Component Diagram
Image Source: Telvent Farradyne

Maryland I-270 ICMS Component Diagram

2.2 Major System Capabilities

Below is a description of the major capabilities of each I-270 ICMS sub-system as identified in Figure 2, Maryland I-270 ICMS Component Diagram.  Taken together, the descriptions provide an overview of the major system capabilities for the entire I-270 ICMS.

2.2.1 ICMS Internal Sub-Systems

The I-270 ICMS consists of the following internal sub-systems, as discussed below:

The description of each ICMS sub-system is followed by a discussion of current corresponding RITIS functionality, where applicable.

Data Collection Sub-System – This I-270 ICM Sub-System retrieves and stores corridor transportation network data from external stakeholder systems based on established data exchange interfaces.  Data may include:

Additional details regarding specific data collection requirements are shown in Table 3, I-270 ICM System Data Types.

RITIS currently collects various event and sensor data as follows:

Incident and Construction Event Data – Real-time Traffic Management Center incident management and construction management data from the following systems:

Detector data, CCTV video, and other sensor data:

Data Fusion/Integration Sub-System – This I-270 ICMS Sub-System organizes, correlates, and processes all collected transportation network data for subsequent analysis, dissemination, and storage as appropriate.   To ensure data quality, this sub-system will perform data quality assessments, data imputations, and abnormality checks.  Imputation refers to the replacement of missing data with a substitute that allows data analysis to be conducted without being misleading.  During the design phase, an inventory of all available data sources will be made to determine the desired data precision and reliability and the best data adjustment methods to minimize distortion and maximize the usefulness of any substituted data.  The selected method(s) will be internally consistent, efficient, traceable, and objective. 

Decision Support Sub-System – This I-270 ICMS Sub-System will be used to analyze real-time and archived multi-modal corridor transportation data to support (1) agency operational decisions, and (2) traveler decisions within the corridor.  Operational decisions include I-270 ICMS recommendations for implementing system changes (e.g., changes to arterial signal system timing and DMS/HAR for diverted freeway traffic resulting from an incident).  This sub-system will support traveler decisions by providing access to fused multi-modal data showing conditions and travel times by mode.  Ultimately, this sub-system will interface with an intermodal corridor simulation model (to be developed) that can process both archived and real-time data in a manner that provides recommended route and mode choices.

Data Dissemination Sub-System – After processing and formatting the data, this I-270 ICMS Sub-System will broadcast the data to stakeholder agencies through a publish/subscribe capability.  This capability will allow agencies to “subscribe” to particular data of interest.  The ICMS then “publishes” the requested data as it becomes available.  To ensure that Transportation Management Centers (TMC’s) receive only data that they can use and to minimize the volume of data transferred, the ICMS will incorporate a mechanism for recording TMC data preferences.  Each receiving agency will decide which data to accept.  The ICMS will be able to filter data by selected characteristics or combinations of characteristics available in the system such as device type, geographic location, and incident severity.

All RITIS data is “cleansed” where appropriate and formatted for retransmission in the above mentioned standards to various agencies, third parties, individuals, and other groups depending upon security settings and permission levels.  Data is made available through the following methods:

Traveler Information Dissemination Sub-System / Internal Information Service Provider – This I-270 ICMS Sub-System provides the capability for the dissemination of processed corridor transportation information to corridor travelers via (1) a system-to-system interface between the Traveler Information Dissemination Sub-System and a third-party Information Service Provider (for redistribution to travelers via, for example, in-vehicle navigation devices), and (2) direct dissemination to travelers through an internal (I-270 ICMS) website and e-mail-, fax-, and pager-based subscription services.  Regarding the latter direct dissemination method, the I-270 ICMS traveler information web site will provide access to real-time, corridor specific traveler information for the public.  Users of this web site will be able to search for information of particular interest to them, including determining the best mode(s) for making a trip within the corridor.  This website will also be able to push user-defined traveler information to an assortment of remote devices such as cell phones, PDA’s, and pagers.

In RITIS, sensitive data (such as license plates, names, and certain first-responder information) is removed from data before it is made available to travelers via the following methods:

Data Archiving Sub-System – This I-270 ICMS Sub-System archives raw and processed corridor transportation data.  Archived data will serve as a source for both traditional and innovative corridor-level transportation analyses and as a valuable record of decisions made and actions taken for incidents and other scenarios in the corridor.  This sub-system will allow users to better use the ICM system and respond to or manage future transportation scenarios.  Additional archived data uses include transportation planning, multi-modal transportation system performance monitoring, corridor modeling and simulation, incident detection, roadway impacts, construction impact analysis, air quality analyses, transit management, and transportation emergency management planning.

All data that is collected by RITIS is archived indefinitely for use by planners, researchers, after-action review committees and other groups.  The data is archived in several relational database management systems.  All data is stored on RAID arrays and is archived at two physical locations to prevent data loss.

Data Analysis and Performance Measurement Sub-System – This I-270 ICMS Sub-System will allow ICMS users to have a web accessible, on-demand, one-stop shop for multi-agency, multidisciplinary, multi-jurisdictional data continuously accumulated from public and private transportation sources in the corridor.  The web-based user interface will include tools for querying and reporting data in a wide variety of predefined and ad-hoc formats.  Innovative graphical techniques will include creating performance reports such as, for example, three-dimensional (3D) data query and spatial/temporal graphing visualization tools and querying the incident databases to graph incident statistics, derive performance measures, and create graphical timelines of individual incidents.

All data within RITIS is made available through the RITIS web site that allows users to customize data queries and data requests.  Users can download historical data for use in their own applications, or they can use the RITIS on-line tools to create graphical representations of the data.  A number of pre-defined performance measurement reports and graphs can be quickly selected, or the user can specify strict filtering and reporting parameters.

User Interface Sub-System – This I-270 ICMS Sub-System provides user interfaces for:

Following is a brief description of the external systems which comprise the right side of Figure 2, Maryland I-270 ICMS Component Diagram.

The RITIS web site features a wide range of highly interactive incident, detector, and weather event data visualization tools, including the following:

         RITIS Graphical Timeline of Event, Incident, and Construction Information
Figure 7 – RITIS Graphical Timeline of Event, Incident, and Construction Information
Image Source: UMD/CATT

2.2.2 ICMS External Systems

The I-270 ICMS will interface with a number of external systems, including:

MD CHART Freeway System – The Maryland Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) system is the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) transportation management system which is primarily responsible for management of the freeway network in Maryland.  The CHART system software is distributed in operation centers throughout the state based on Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA).  The CHART system software is currently undergoing a major upgrade that may include:

In addition to the CHART system software, ITS infrastructure in the corridor includes:

Montgomery County ATMS – Montgomery County’s Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS) software is used in the Transportation Management Center (TMC) to facilitate management of the County’s arterial network.  The ATMS is used to control county CCTV cameras, DMS, and HAR assets and provides access to the Traffic Signal System and Ride On Bus CAD/AVL system.  The TMC uses the County-owned cable television station to provide up-to-date transportation information.  Another unique asset is the County-owned and operated traffic monitoring airplane which flies every morning and evening peak period.  The airplane is equipped with a camera that can send real-time video back to the TMC. 

County TMC operated ITS infrastructure assets in the corridor include:

Montgomery County Traffic Signal Control System – The County’s existing traffic signal control system utilizes COMTRAC software running on a Data General platform.  Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT) is in the process of updating the traffic signal system to include an actuated traffic signal strategy.  The project will commence in the summer of 2008 with expedited deployment at intersections within the I-270 ICM corridor.  Note that the capability to download timing plans in response to events taking place on I-270 already exists within the current traffic signal control system.  Timing plans for these type of events are either existing or will be developed as a backup plan. The project is expected to finish between 2009 and 2013.  Priority will be given to signals in the corridor.

Montgomery County Ride On Bus CAD/AVL System – Ride On is Montgomery County’s local bus service that provides concentrated service within the I-270 Corridor.  Bus service emphasizes connections to Metrorail, Metrobus, and MARC Rail.  The current Orbital CAD/AVL operating system is being upgraded to OrbCAD XP.  Upgrades to the Ride On Bus system will include:

Additional County Bus System ITS infrastructure includes:

WMATA Metrorail Rail Operations Control System – Metrorail’s automatic train control system includes a computer-based operations control center and vital control equipment installed throughout the transit system to provide safe, automatic systems for train protection, operations, and supervision.   WMATA also provides a web-based trip planning tool called the RideGuide which incorporates both rail and bus systems.  Additional ITS infrastructure in the corridor includes:

WMATA Metrobus CAD/AVL System – Metrobus is WMATA’s regional bus transit network serving the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.  The CAD/AVL system runs Orbital’s OrbCAD communications and dispatch software in the Bus Operations Control Center (BOCC).   Planned enhancements to the system include:

MARC Commuter Rail CAD/AVL System – MARC, under the Maryland MTA, runs the commuter rail service in the corridor.  MARC’s monitoring and control system will include GPS train location and a schedule adherence and alert system.  In addition, it includes the following capabilities and ITS infrastructure assets:

WMATA Metrorail Parking Management System – WMATA is testing an advanced parking management system at the Glenmont Metro Station, which will potentially serve as a prototype for other Metro parking lots.

MARC Commuter Rail Parking Management System – MTA is considering the development of an automated parking management system at MARC Commuter Rail lots to monitor parking space availability on a real-time basis.

Montgomery County Public Safety CAD/911 System – Montgomery County’s CAD/911 system provides CAD/AVL capabilities for both the police department and fire and rescue services.    The Public Safety Data System (PSDS) includes the following capabilities:

MD State Police CAD/RMS System – Maryland State Police is responsible for enforcement, security, and crash investigations on the freeway in the corridor.  The State is currently in the planning stages of creating a consolidated Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management System (CAD/RMS) to effectively coordinate statewide public safety information across the State agencies that have a police force.  As envisioned, this system will enable sharing of anti-terrorism and homeland security data, but equally important, it will replace multiple legacy end-of-life systems that do not interoperate.  It will also facilitate quicker response times, improved officer safety, and improved records retention and analysis. The CAD/RMS will be developed in conjunction with agency stakeholders, including the Departments of General Services, Natural Resources, Transportation, Maryland State Police, and Maryland Aviation Administration.  Currently, Maryland State Police is the biggest user of the CapWIN System (see below) which will be used to obtain transportation incident data from Maryland State Police in the corridor.

Capital Wireless Information Net (CapWIN) System – The Capital Wireless Information Net system and mobile software application suite enables:

The CapWIN system utilizes an open, standards based infrastructure in a secure (FIPS 140-2 certified) environment designed to easily adapt to rapidly evolving communication technologies and to ensure compatibility with existing agency systems by utilizing standard web services-based components.   Key CapWIN system enabling technology includes:

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) System – The Montgomery County EOC uses the Previstar Continual Preparedness System (CPS) as their primary resource and information management system.   The CPS software includes a number of software modules that allow for implementation of National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliant processes for all hazard planning, response, and recovery.  Previstar CPS software is based on a Microsoft platform, SQL Server database, and ESRI-compatible GIS mapping.  The software can operate stand-alone on a PC or on web-enabled devices across a local or wide area network.

Third-Party Traffic Flow Data Systems – This represents private companies that provide either raw or processed information directly to the I-270 ICMS.  This could be detector data from privately installed detection devices in state highway rights-of-way or privately collected and distributed vehicle probe data.   RITIS, for example, currently receives traffic flow data from SpeedInfo, a provider of real-time traffic data using privately installed detector infrastructure on major arterials and evacuation corridors in the District of Columbia.  In addition, the I-95 Corridor Coalition is currently sponsoring a traffic monitoring project to provide travel time and speed information on major roadways within the corridor.  Travel time and speed information will be acquired from INRIX, a vendor that specializes in the collection of traffic data using probe technology, in which the positions of vehicles in the traffic stream are anonymously tracked.

Information Service Provider Systems – This represents private companies that serve as third-party traveler information service providers for traveler information provided by the I-270 ICMS.  The companies typically collect and distribute data by working in conjunction with public agencies.  For example, CHART provides freeway system data to Traffic.com through RITIS.  Traffic.com repackages the data, together with data from other sources (including their own detectors installed in Maryland highway right-of-way), and either distributes it directly or through additional business relationships with media outlets.

2.3 Major System Conditions

The I-270 ICMS server equipment must exist in a facility designed as a high-availability networking data center with redundant, high-speed connections to all major Internet backbones.  The networking data center must able to accommodate standard 19” rack mountable servers, networking equipment, and associated hardware.  Redundant power supplies delivering 110 VAC and 240 VAC must exist for all equipment, and all equipment must have both battery and generator failover capabilities.  The networking data center must have redundant cooling and humidity control for the equipment which will limit the temperature of the room to within +/– 10 degrees of 70 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity not to exceed 30%.

Redundant configurations of the I-270 ICMS server equipment will be provided such that the overall system architecture includes the necessary levels of redundancy to provide a system designed for a mission critical 24x7 environment with an objective of 99.9% availability.  The minimum acceptable availability is 99%, including scheduled downtime.  The redundant configuration will be capable of having the primary and backup equipment installed in geographically separate sites.  The two sites will be connected through standard Wide Area Network (WAN) telecommunications connections.  The initial installation of the system will be at the same site.  However, the capability of later separating the backup systems from the primary system will be provided.

2.4 Major System Constraints

A number of system issues (institutional, technical, and operational constraints and assumptions) have been identified in Section 4.9 of the Maryland I-270 ICM Concept of Operations.  Major institutional, system, and operational constraints for the I-270 ICMS are summarized in this section.  Section 2.6, Assumptions and Dependencies, addresses additional I-270 ICMS issues.

Major Institutional Constraints

Major System Technology Constraints

Major Operational Constraints

2.5 User Characteristics

Table 2, below, provides a detailed summary of the user classes for the I-270 ICMS.  Each user class includes characteristics associated with their expected agency/organization, position level, and a brief description of how the respective user class will interact with the I-270 ICMS.

Table 2 – I-270 ICM System User Classes


User Class

Agencies/Organizations

Positions

Interactions with I-270 ICMS

Operations Personnel

TMC (traffic and transit) operators
  • MDOT: MDSHA, MTA-
  • MARC
  • WMATA
  • MC DPWT
  • Select operations centers for agencies not connected to I-270 ICMS
  • Traffic operations and maintenance personnel
  • Transit operations and maintenance personnel
  • Traffic operator supervisors
  • Transit operator supervisors
  • Monitor roadway and transit facility conditions in the corridor
  • Assess incidents occurring throughout the corridor to determine if the incident will affect traffic and/or transit operations in their area
  • Monitor and interpret data from I-270 ICMS for potential response
  • Based on I-270 ICMS information, notify other staff, supervisors, internal and external departments, and appropriate authorities of adverse conditions requiring a response
  • Use I-270 ICMS information to determine need to adjust signal operations
  • Monitor and operate agency systems and input/initiate I-270 ICMS communications
  • Use I-270 ICMS information to determine need to adjust signal operations
  • Assess need for rerouting buses; determine best alternative route
  • Based on I-270 ICMS information, request signal change/preemption
  • Use I-270 ICMS information to inform drivers and passengers of incidents affecting transit operations
  • Use I-270 ICMS information to manage I-270 HOV restrictions

Control center and dispatch center managers
  • MDOT: SHA, MTA-
  • MARC
  • WMATA
  • MC DPWT
  • Select operations centers for agencies not connected to I-270 ICMS
  • Traffic control center manager
  • Transit control/dispatch center manager
  • Monitor systems using I-270 ICMS information (such as freeway management, transit management)
  • Use I-270 ICMS to coordinate with other agency functions
  • Use I-270 ICMS to monitor and evaluate multi-modal corridor system performance

Service patrols
  • MDOT: SHA
  • MC DPWT
 Patrollers and supervisors
  • Monitor events in service area
  • Evaluate events with potential impact on service area
  • Provide information about incidents and roadway conditions to TMC operators
  • Evaluate performance of service patrol activities

Transit vehicle operators
  • MDOT: MTA-MARC
  • WMATA 
  • MC DPWT

Bus and rail operators
  • Receive I-270 ICMS incident information from transit operations center
  • Inform transit riders of incidents

Management personnel for operations and maintenance
  • MDOT- SHA, MTA-MARC
  • WMATA
  • MC DPWT

Operations Managers
  • Use I-270 ICMS information for decision making, coordinating resources, and directing staff for incident response
  • Supervise operations staff who enter or access I-270 ICMS-accessible information
  • Use I-270 ICMS to coordinate programs such as maintenance, construction, and special events with state and local jurisdictions
  • Use I-270 ICMS to monitor and evaluate multi-modal corridor system performance
  • Use I-270 ICMS performance information to review/update operational multimodal operational response policies and/or procedures

Public Safety

Public safety operators and dispatchers

911 centers

Call takers and dispatcher

Log call and dispatch information into CAD, to be shared through I-270 ICMS

Emergency Responders

Law enforcement agencies
  • MD State Police
  • Montgomery County Police
  • WMATA Transit Police
  • MdTA Police riding MARC trains
  • Other law enforcement agencies using CapWIN
  • Police officers
  • Barracks commanders
  • Police dispatchers
  • Provide information and updates to I-270
  • ICMS through CapWIN and CAD interfaces
  • Monitor incidents
  • Monitor traffic conditions to provide input for incident response coordination
  • Monitor events outside their service areas and evaluate the impacts of these events on activities in their area.

Fire departments and emergency medical services

MC Dept. of Fire and Rescue Services

Fire dispatchers

Share CAD data through interface

Tow truck operators

Towing companies

Tow truck drivers and dispatchers
  • Use CCTV pictures to determine needed equipment
  • Check desired route for delays prior to dispatching
  • Review incident information before dispatching

Travelers

Corridor travelers –private vehicle, commercial vehicle, and transit users

 

 
  • Receive multimodal (traffic and transit incidents) alerts via I-270 ICMS via PC, cell phone/pager/PDA/e-mail
  • Information provided to travelers via I-270 ICMS about roadway and transit facility conditions (bus operations, rail operations, parking), events, transit schedules and fares, etc.
  • I-270 ICMS multimodal trip planning tool will allow travelers to make informed decisions about their trips
  • I-270 ICMS information provided to travelers via third-party information service providers such as real-time, multi-modal trip updates using in-vehicle navigation devices as well as PDA’s and cell phones

Information Service Providers

Traveler information service providers - Public
  • MDOT: SHA, MTA
  • MC DPWT
  • WMATA

Control center operators
Information technology staff

Receive I-270 ICMS traveler information and provide to travelers within operational jurisdiction via agency system traveler information mechanisms (websites, HAR, DMS, etc.)

Traveler information service providers - Private
  • Regional 511 System(s)
  • TrafficLand
  • Mobility Technologies
  • Metro Traffic
  • Etc.

Private center operations and IT staff
  • Information from I-270 ICMS to supplement private traveler information distribution mechanisms
  • Information from I-270 ICMS to private ISP’s for developing business relationships for innovative traveler information distribution services and devices

Media

Television
Radio

Traffic reporters

Receive and use I-270 ICMS traveler information to supplement existing information sources

Public affairs offices
  • MDOT: SHA, MTA-MARC
  • WMATA
  • MC DPWT

Public affairs personnel
  • Monitor I-270 ICMS for pertinent information and notifications from other agencies
  • Receive I-270 ICMS alerts

Archived Data Users

Archived data users

  • Universities
  • Metropolitan Planning Organizations
  • Transportation operations agencies
  • Consultants
  • I-95 Corridor Coalition
  • Researchers
  • Public sector transportation planners and engineers
  • Operations managers
  • Consultants
  • Assess mobility trends to help understand congestion, safety, growth, etc.
  • Monitor system performance in accordance with adopted ICMS performance measures
  • Provide support for decision makers in preparation of transportation plans and programs
  • Input data for analysis, modeling, and simulation tools
  • Conduct after-action incident response reviews

Program/System Administration

Oversight committee
  • ICM Steering Committee (near-term)
  • MATOC Steering Committee (long-term)

Corridor and regional transportation managers

Provide overall guidance, strategic management, system enhancement, operations planning, and funding functions for I-270 ICMS

System managers
  • MDOT: SHA, MTA-MARC
  • WMATA
  • MC DPWT

To be determined – likely to be provided with consultant support

I-270 ICMS development and implementation oversight

Information Technology

Developers
  • UMD-CATT Laboratory
  • Others to be determined

Computer programmers and systems engineers

Integration / development services for I-270 ICMS related sub-systems and data interfaces

System maintenance personnel
  • UMD-CATT Laboratory
  • UMD-CATT CapWIN
  • Others to be determined

Computer programmers and systems engineers
  • Manage I-270 ICMS related sub-systems and data archive
  • Diagnose and fix operational problems
  • Maintain a record of system maintenance and upgrades
  • Maintain test system
  • Fix bugs in test system; implement changes in production system

User support personnel

To be determined

Computer programmers and systems engineers
  • Update training materials
    Train users
  • Refer unresolved problems to  maintenance staff
  • Maintain log of all user support responses and activities

System Administrators

To be determined

To be determined
  • Maintain data sources and links
  • Backup data regularly
  • Maintain a uniform, consistent interface to data for maintenance personnel
  • Maintain system and database system security
  • Maintain user accounts
  • Maintain log of use statistics
  • Maintain computer systems, database servers, and web servers
  • Ensure integrity of system

Information Technology Staff
  • MDOT: SHA, MTA
  • MC DPWT
  • WMATA
  • Public Safety Agencies
  • ISP’s

Agency/Organization IT system development and maintenance personnel
  • Maintain communications network to ensure data and information flows from agency data system to I-270 ICMS
  • Develop, repair, and maintain agency software, equipment, databases
  • Maintain interfaces between I-270 ICMS and agency databases and systems, including system security

Other

Commercial freight dispatchers

Freight carriers and delivery companies

Dispatchers

Monitor incidents in order to notify drivers of incidents and recommend alternate routes

2.6 Assumptions and Dependencies

The following are key assumptions and dependencies (identified to-date) impacting the development and deployment of the I-270 ICMS:

2.7 Operational Scenarios

Sample representative operational scenarios for how the I-270 ICMS will be used to provide ICM capabilities in the corridor are presented in this section.  These scenarios identify how the I-270 ICMS will interact and respond to the described events and assumed conditions.  It is understood that these sample scenarios are not all-inclusive, but they provide an understanding of the operational context in which the I-270 ICMS is expected to interrelate with agency stakeholders, systems, and travelers.

Operational scenarios include the following:

2.7.1 Daily Operational Scenario

The following scenario for recurring congestion is an example that is lived out by I-270 commuters daily.

For many people, the commute starts from north and east of Frederick, Maryland, where a commuter enters the I-270 Corridor from US-15.  After entering the I-270 ICM project boundary, the commuter experiences congestion due to high volume.  Using information from the I-270 ICMS, the DMS’s along the corridor display travel times to various known points along the corridor.  Some of the DMS’s, specifically those prior to the exits with easy access to Metro stations (Shady Grove, Rockville Center, etc.), additionally show travel time comparisons to indicate how much time it will take to get to the Washington Beltway remaining in the car versus exiting, parking, and taking Metrorail (this information would be turned off once the parking lots are filled).  DMS’s off I-270 and closer to these Metro stations will also include information about the number and location of open parking spots.

There are known points on the corridor that will slow the commute, sometimes to a complete stop, because of traffic entering the main roadway from the arterial roads.  This is especially noticed as traffic from the two-lane collector/distributor system (“local lanes”) that brings traffic from Shady Grove Road, Falls Road, and Montrose Road enter onto I-270 (“express lanes”).

At each of those locations, the commute slow