 July 2005 - ODOT ITS NEWSLETTER - VOL. 3, NO. 3
We hope you enjoy the 2005 Summer edition of ITS News, a quarterly publication produced by the Oregon Department of Transportation Traffic Engineering and Operations Section, ITS Unit. Previous editions can be viewed at the ODOT ITS News and Events Web site. Please feel free to contact the newsletter editor, Jon Lazarus, ITS Project Manager, at (503) 986-6586, with any questions or comments.
Hau Hagedorn, ITS Operations Manager
The unsung heroes of the ITS unit are the ones that are there every day, managing the operations of the project(s) implemented after the fanfare of the new product or service launch is over. I was able to interview Hau before she starts her maternity leave, on what it takes to maintain and operate the ITS projects at ODOT.
ITS News: Hau, thanks for agreeing to this interview. Could we start with a little background? I know you came to ODOT about a 1 year ago, with some experience working with CARS, the 511 system adopted over a number of states in the mid-west. Could you give us a quick summary of your background?
Hau Hagedorn- ITS Unit Operations Project Manager for ODOT
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HH: Thank you for the interview! My background in ITS dates back to my undergraduate days at the University of Minnesota where I worked as a student with the Director of the U of M Center Transportation Studies. I assisted him with some highway expenditure research and analysis. Despite that being the focus of my work, it was working at CTS where I was exposed to ITS. It was then that I realized the direction with which I wanted to steer my career in transportation engineering.
I have been involved with ITS since. My background in ITS is diverse spanning Mayday initiatives, ITS architecture and plans, road weather information systems, and new technologies. It has been within the last five years as ITS has progressed towards implementation and integration of technologies that I have become more involved with deployment projects such as 511 and traffic management / advanced traveler information systems.
ITS News: What are your main responsibilities within ODOT and the ITS unit?
HH: I currently coordinate the activities of the transportation operations centers (TOCs) across the state. With this, comes a variety of responsibilities especially ensuring that the service we provide via our TOCs is consistent. To accomplish this requires developing standard guidelines and training programs for operating ITS devices and software, and acting as a resource to the end users of these systems.
ITS News: What are some of the projects you are working on?
HH: The project that’s taking up most of my time these days is the Transportation Operations Center Systems (TOCS) project in which the aim is to provide a unified system for managing incident, traffic and operations related information. The initial phase of the project will integrate the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) used primarily by our Region 1 operations center; Highway Travel Conditions Reporting System (HTCRS), and Computer Aided Dispatching (CAD) system. Eventually, the new TOCS system endeavors to allow dispatchers to control cameras, signs, highway advisory radio and view road weather information system data all from a single interface.
ITS News: Given your background and current work duties, what trends do you see coming for maintenance and operations within the ITS industry?
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HH: A good communications infrastructure is the backbone to ITS especially for systems deployed in areas that are considered more rural. As more advances are made in communications and it becomes cheaper to deploy, hopefully we can take advantage of this to build a more comprehensive ITS communications infrastructure.
ITS News: What would you assess as Oregon’s strength’s and weaknesses compared to other state’s overall ITS infrastructures?
Hau: Oregon has taken a pretty well-rounded approach to ITS deployments. ITS implementation in the urban areas is vast and fairly comprehensive. What’s surprising and may not be as widely advertised is the fact that ODOT has been fairly successful in deploying ITS in rural areas as well. Close to 50 variable message signs and 150 cameras across the State, providing good coverage on major Interstates and highways. The direction of deployments also focuses on standards which has been discussed at the national level for years, but actually implemented in a real-world environment here in Oregon.
Part of ODOT's vision says "to provide a safe, efficient transportation system" and I believe we are making strides toward those goals within the ITS unit, but I think we could do better with our communication across agency boundaries, especially in the rural areas. I believe we can do a better job communicating, training, and working with the cities, counties, and various contractor's to update our systems, which in turn notify the public.
ITS News: Thank you for taking the time time to meet with us today!
Hau: My pleasure.
For additional information on these programs visit the Oregon Department of Transportation's ITS unit's web site: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/ITS/
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MOTOR CARRIER'S ITS - Bend weigh station adds Green Light weigh-in-motion
New Motor Carriers now have 22 reasons to carry a transponder in their trucks as they roll through Oregon. The state has installed its 22nd Green Light weigh station preclearance system at the Bend weigh station on US97. The system was turned on June 2 and it precleared its first customer at 4 p.m. when a 3-axle truck operated by Parr Lumber (Hillsboro OR) was weighed in-motion, electronically screened, and signaled to keep going.
Traffic on US97 was diverted to one lane northbound in May so contractors could install weigh-in-motion scales in the roadway about 1.5 miles ahead of the Bend weigh station.
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The Bend weigh station opened in May 2004. It is one of three major stations that check northbound traffic on US97, along with the Klamath Falls Port of Entry at the California border and the Juniper Butte scale north of Redmond. The Bend and Juniper Butte scales follow a random schedule for opening and closing.
Truck traffic on US97 should increase in coming years as bridges are repaired and replaced on Interstate 5 and trucks passing through Oregon are diverted to US97 through Central Oregon.
Green Light activity statewide is up 10 percent this year compared with 2004. The program is on track to preclear trucks more than 1.3 million times in 2005. For the trucking industry, avoiding that many weigh station stops would represent a savings of more than 111,000 hours of travel time and $1.6 million in operating costs.
Truckers who want to avoid stopping at weigh stations like the one in Bend should contact the Oregon DOT Motor Carrier Transportation Division. The Division is still distributing free transponders that can be used in Oregon and any other preclearance system in the country. Call 503-378-6054 for more information.
Click here for feature story on ODOT, Motor Carrier Division, Green Light's homepage.
Green Light web site posted some frequently asked questions. Here are some most common questions and answers we've been hearing:
(http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/MCT/GREEN.shtml#Frequently_Asked_Questions)
What is Green Light?
 It´s a way for Oregon truckers to save the time and money they waste stopping at weigh stations. It´s a truck weigh station "preclearance" system that´s just like systems you´ll find in many other states. But the Oregon Green Light system is better than most — it´s free! Click HERE to see previous ITS articles for more information.
Who do I contact to ask questions about the Green Light system?
The general number for the Motor Carrier Transportation division is 503-378-6054. The hours of operation are 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
You may wish to contact:
David McKane, Manager - Green Light and Intelligent Transportation Systems Programs, Safety, Investigations, and Federal Programs
Phone: 503-373-0884 Fax: 503-373-1940
David.J.McKane@state.or.us
or
David Fifer, Intelligent Transportation Systems Specialist
Phone: 503-378-6054 Fax: 503-373-1833
David.A.Fifer@state.or.us
ITS PROJECTS - ITS Project Highlights
Following is an update on select Transportation Application Development (TAD) and ITS Unit projects currently underway. For more information on a specific project, see the ITS Internet projects page at http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/ITS/projects.shtml.
 TripCheck 2.0 Launch, The Next Generation - In May, Oregon's TripCheck web site passed 1 billion total web site Hits for its 5 year history! This news comes on the heels of the release of the new TripCheck web site. The public has forwarded great suggestions and comments to ODOT over the years. Now the programmers have had a chance to implement many of those ideas in the latest version of the TripCheck web site.
Check it out at http://www.tripcheck.com and see the new TripCheck 2.0, The Next Generation!
The new site features include:
- Improved Navigation - It is now easier to get around on TripCheck with our new tabs. There are far fewer 'clicks' between sections and navigating between maps is much easier.
- Travel Alerts - Traffic and travel conditions that have major impacts to motorist are now grouped together as 'Alerts'. They will be presented on the right side of almost all TripCheck pages so they are easy to spot no matter where you are on TripCheck.
- Travel Services - In partnership with the Oregon Travel Information Council (OTIC), TripCheck now features information about commercial roadside services including: gas, food, lodging, and attractions.
- Improved Icons - Road condition icons [symbols] are easier to read. We now have two categories for our weather information 1) Weather Warning 2) Severe Weather, each with their own icon to help users determine the impact of these conditions on their travel.
- Printer Friendly Text Pages - TripCheck now has text pages that are formatted for easy printing.
 The official notice and press release was on June 29th, in which the Bruce Warner, the Director of ODOT, announced the new TripCheck web site and a new partnership between the Oregon Travel Information Council, Oregon Tourism, Oregon Restaurant Association, and Oregon Lodging Association.
"This updated and improved web site is going to make it even easier for the hundreds of thousands of people who already utilize the site." said Bruce Warner. He continued to say "These new travel services will help state businesses by providing helpful information on hotels, restaurants, and scenic byways." TripCheck's web site now allows viewers to search for local lodging, Food, Attractions, Fuel, and Tourism Associations with their traffic and weather conditions.
For more information related to TripCheck, please contact Glen Hammer, Glen.A.HAMMER@odot.state.or.us, at (503) 986-3977.
For more information related to the Oregon Travel Information Council, please contact Craig Tutor, craig@oregontic.com, at (800) 574-9397.
 TripCheck and HTCRS combine Alerts and Announcements for better notification to web site users - In conjunction with the updates made to HTCRS (discussed in the April edition of ITS News), the new web site is displaying alerts and announcements. The new features have been a good hit with viewers on the new TripCheck web site. HTCRS is the software used to input incidents, road conditions, construction and other information about travel on Oregon highways. A new feature in HTCRS automatically displays an alert field on the web site when a severe accident or closure has occurred causing a serious delay for motorists. The new alert field also relates to the original incident causing the alert. This is very useful, so as accidents are updated and/or removed with new delay estimates, so are the alerts.
The new Alert and Announcement fields are readily visible as soon as the web user sees the front page of the web site. They continue to remain on relevant section maps even as they preview other road condition pages of the state.
The new version of HTCRS allows the entry of four general types of Alerts:
- Amber Alert: child abduction alert issued be law enforcement.
- Regional Driving Impacts: travel advisory issued for weather related impacts affecting a broad geographic area.
- Regional Events & Festivals: travel advisory issued for possible traffic congestion related to special events.
- CSEPP Community Emergency: alert specifically issued in conjunction with an emergency associated with the chemical weapons depot near Umatilla.
For more information, please contact Glen Hammer, Glen.A.HAMMER@odot.state.or.us, at (503) 986-3977.
Herbicide phone line update- The herbicide phone line has been working since April 18th, 2005. In April we have had 121 calls on the phone system, with a total duration of 235 minutes. May and June saw 184 and 32 calls, respectively. The phone number for the herbicide information is 1-888-996-8080. Herbicide activities usually start the beginning of April and last through October, depending on weather.
For more information on this project, please send an email to Hau Hagedorn, Hau.HAGEDORN@odot.state.or.us, telephone (503) 986-6568.
 Regional ITS Operations and Implementation Plan for the Salem-Keizer Metropolitan Area - The Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments acting through the Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study (SKATS) Metropolitan Planning Organization, in cooperation with the ODOT ITS Unit, has started to prepare a plan to determine how to apply ITS technologies to the Region's transportation needs. Key project stakeholders and corridors have been identified. The study will fulfill the Federal Highway Administration's requirements that all ITS projects funded through the Highway Trust Fund be in conformance with the National ITS Architecture and applicable standards. Chapters 1,2, and 3 have been finalized. Draft chapters 4,5, and 6 are currently being reviewed.
For additional information, please contact Ed Anderson, Edward.L.ANDERSON@odot.state.or.us, at (503) 986-3588.
Regional Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Architecture and Operational Concept Plan for Portland Metropolitan Area - The purpose of this project is to update the existing ITS Regional Architecture and develop an Operational Concept Plan for the Portland Metropolitan Area which will guide the implementation and operation of ITS technologies for the region. The project kick-off meeting was held on June 17, 2005. It is anticipated to be completed in August 2005.
For additional information, please contact Ed Anderson, Edward.L.ANDERSON@odot.state.or.us, at (503) 986-3588.
 Regional Trip Planner - Regional Trip Planner - This project will develop an information system that allows anyone wishing to take a trip on public transportation within the states of Oregon and Washington to access an Internet site and be able to get comprehensive travel options for using ground-based public transportation (bus, train, shuttles and taxi's). ODOT and WSDOT are continuing to work on detailing the specifications of the system. ODOT has contracted with Pacific Intermedia to develop and implement the web portals for the public and data administration interfaces. System design activities are expected to wrap-up in the fall with development, testing and data validation occurring in the first half of 2006. The system is expected to go live with Oregon and Washington providers by the end of 2006.
 TransPort Advanced Traveler Information Implementation (TATII) - TATII will deploy a ATIS information infrastructure that allows regional transportation providers to share data and then forward that data in a standardized format to traveler information service providers (such as TripCheck.com) to present that information to the general public.
The TATII project is currently finalizing the high level technical architecture and developing plans for new business processes to operate the TATII infrastructure. The next phase of designing, developing, and implementing the solution is scheduled to begin in July 2005.
Transportation Operations Release 1 - Oregon has four Transportation Operations Centers (TOC’s) that provide mission critical services to the public and several Operations, Maintenance and Incident Response programs. Currently, these Center operations include many independent software programs to perform a variety of tasks. Furthermore, each TOC’s systems are operationally separate from the others. The TOC's need a statewide system to bring together all the individual field devices, software programs and systems to support closer operational ties and to provide enhanced communication, and immediate dissemination to customers and partners.
The project is now comfortably in the architecture phase. Business processes are being mapped to system design, data requirements are being gathered and the high-level system design has begun. Accomplishments last quarter include:
- Procurement of contracted resources to complete business analysis and architecture work for the incident management portion of the system.
- Mapping and documentation of the key business processes that will be supported by the system.
- Creation of an architecture framework deliverable based on these business processes and the findings of a four day architecture workshop held between ODOT, OSU and NET.
The major events planned for the next quarter include:
- Procure contracted resources to create user interface prototypes, perform general system analysis, and create an architecture and design for the traffic management portion of the system.
- Enter into an inter-agency agreement with OSP to ensure the continued ability to communicate and share incident information between the ODOT system and OSP's dispatch system.
- Continue application, data and technology architecture activities that will result in a high-level picture of the overall system architecture that can feed detailed design.
Contact Lorena Lambert, Lorena.LAMBERT@odot.state.or.us, at (503) 986-4017 for more information.
TripCheck Cable TV project - ODOT currently delivers camera images and other traveler information to cable TV companies around the state.  To improve and expand this service, ODOT's ITS group released a request for proposals for equipment to update the delivery and content for cable viewers. ODOT selected a product called Infocaster and is produced by the Inscriber company. The new system will allow ODOT to provide cable TV companies a higher quality presentation with more graphic, text and audio base content in addition to the camera images. The new system, once implemented, will also be easier to maintain and will provide a platform for transition to more digitally formatted content.
The initial implementation of the new Cable TV system will be in Bend with our long-time partner, Bend Cable. The hardware and software has been received, and is currently being setup and configured for implementation in the Bend operations center. Other cable companies will be invited to come on board after the initial implementation in Bend is complete.
For more information, contact Jim Basile, James.A.BASILE@odot.state.or.us, at (503) 986-4383.
McKenzie Over-Length Detection System - ITS real world, rural solutions. In Oregon, on the McKenzie Hwy, an 18 mile section of rural, seasonal use only highway is restricted to vehicles and vehicle combinations over 35 feet in length due to narrow lanes and sharp corners.  The detection system measures each vehicle approaching the corridor for length. When a vehicle or vehicle combination exceeds the length threshold, beacons on a static sign begin to flash informing the driver that the vehicle is too long and to use the pull out ahead to turn around. If the vehicle proceeds through the corridor, a second detection system measures the vehicle length and sends an e-mail notification to the Traffic Operations Center notifying them of the violation.
Using the archived data from the McKenzie OLDS, ODOT can determine the effectiveness of the system. By comparing individual vehicle records from the detectors used for the warning part of the system against the individual vehicle records from the second set of detectors used for the enforcement part of the system, the number of over-length vehicles that turned around can be determined. A preliminary analysis of the system showed that 54 of the 75 vehicles that received a warning via the flashing beacons turned around.
For more information, contact Doug Spencer, Doug.L.SPENCER@odot.state.or.us, at (503) 986-3301.
ITS CONSTRUCTION - List of current ITS construction projects
Following is a list of projects that are currently under construction:
- Area 1 Permanent VMS (Sunset Highway, MP 56.23 WB) and (Lower Columbia River Highway, MP 44.79 WB). Project is nearing the final stages of construction. Signs are from US Traffic.
Enchanted Way Camera and RWIS in Salem
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- Arndt Road VMS and Perkins Road VMS (installing two signs: I-5, MP 280.70 and I-5, MP 261.88. The VMS have been completed and are operational. Construction is complete. ITS support coordinator to coordinate network circuit for sign and camera.
- Astoria VMS (Hwy 101, MP 9.98 NB). The bid has been awarded. Currently under construction.
- Baker City VMS (Old Oregon Trail Highway, I-84, MP 309 WB). Project is in construction. Sign is from US Traffic.
- Butte Creek Ice signs. Contractor has completed their portion of the project. ODOT will need to commission the sites and test the system.
- Doak Mountain RWIS (Hwy 140, MP 53.70). Currently under construction.
- I-5 Hugo (I-5, MP 64.22 NB), Glendale Road (I-5, MP 83.32 SB) VMS, and Crowson Road (I-5, MP 13.17 SB). Project is in construction. Sign contract awarded to Daktronics.
Enchanted Way Camera View in Salem
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- Lake Creek VMS and CCTV (I-5, MP 214.53 NB). Currently under construction. Sign is supplied by US Traffic.
- I-5 Siskiyou Summit VMS (I-5, MP SIS 66.51 NB in California). Sign contract awarded to Skyline Products, Inc.
- Modoc Point RWIS (US 97 north of Klamath Falls). Project is in construction.
- Region 5 VMS (I-84 at MP 214.00 EB) and OR 207 (MP 26.5 NB) Project is in construction. Sign contract awarded to Skyline Products, Inc.
Select projects in design include the following:
- Region 2 Miscellaneous Operations: This project consists of 3 Highway Advisory Radios (HARs), with warning signals in the Eugene-Springfield area and an upgrade to the Cushman Flood Warning System near Florence on US 101. This system will report status into HTCRS, 511, and TripCheck systems. A camera will also be added for verification purposes. This is currently under design.
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McKenzie Pass Over-Length Detection System (OLDS)
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US97 South Madras VMS (MP 214.12 NB) and ORE138 Junction VMS (MP 97.12 NB). Both currently under design. Anticipate a November 2005 bid opening.
- I-5 South Medford Interchange (I-5 MP 27.3). Camera and fiber optic installation. Currently in design stage, with expectation of construction in 2006.
- I-5 North Albany VMS and Camera (I-5 at MP 236.8 NB). Currently under design.
- I-5 North Santiam Highway to Kuebler Boulevard. ITS is currently designing cameras and fiber optic infrastructure to serve the future needs of the Salem area. Design to be completed the first part of July 2005. This project will include two cameras operated by NWTOC. Currently under design.
ITS METRICS - Get the Latest ITS Statistics
 TripCheck usage data - A quarterly summary of the TripCheck and ODOT travel information phone system usage numbers follow. For more information, click on the image on the right to go to the TripCheck Metrics page, also located on the Benefits tab at the ITS Unit Internet Web site. This page includes graphs of the current month's usage data for TripCheck visits, pages views, hits, and calls to the ODOT phone system. At this site, you can also see a forecast of TripCheck visits estimated through March 2007.
The approximate TripCheck average for the second quarter of 2005 (April, May, and June):
884,831 visits per month
4.07 million page views per month
18.84 million hits per month.
The approximate ODOT road and weather phone system (including 511 calls) average for the same period last year was 20,439 calls per month:
67,154 calls in April
22,825 calls in May
21,603 calls in June
The average for this period is 37,194 calls.
 Green Light Metrics - The Green Light program is now serving 3,640 trucking companies that have 31,777 trucks equipped with transponders. Since January 1999, the preclearance program has enabled trucks to avoid stopping at Oregon weigh stations more than 5.6 million times. Operating a heavy truck is estimated to cost $1.24 per minute and stopping at a weigh station can take five minutes. On that basis, so far Green Light has saved truckers $34.7 million in operating costs and 466,000 hours of travel time.
Trucking Online Metrics - As of July 1, a total of 6,270 companies are Trucking Online, including 1,731 based in Oregon. There are about 24,000 total companies with trucks registered in Oregon and now the ones doing business online include about 30% of those based in another state or Canada and about 19% of those based in Oregon.
 From January 30, 2003, through June 30, 2005, companies doing business online have used a home or office computer for 281,995 transactions or record inquiries that formerly required a phone call, fax, mail delivery or field office visit. The Motor Carrier Transportation Division is counting on trucking companies to shift as much business as possible to the Internet so it can improve its service to those who still must do business by phone, mail, or in person.
ITS MAINTENANCE - System Maintenance Updates
 ITS System Maintenance Report - This section update shows some of the requests for work completed by our staff and gives a break-down of high-lights and areas where maintenance and enhancement work was done. TripCheck.com, 511 phone line, Herbicide line, and HTCRS are examples of the systems supported.
April 1-June 30, 2005
52 Requests for Work were completed; 31 for repairing system failures, 21 for creating new capabilities or making system enhancements.
In April, an ITS software maintenance contract has been established; Joey Mendoza of Galt Foundation is on site full time performing system monitoring, resolving system problems, and making system enhancements. Here is a sampling of significant ITS system improvements:
- As TripCheck V2 was deployed, an updated version of Highway Travel Conditions Reporting System was also developed to feed new types of information to TripCheck.
- We deployed a new version of Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) and 11 new HAR devices along Highway 101. We are continuing to work with the HAR vendor to resolve issues with the software.
- Using Highway Advisory Telephone (HAT/511) technology, we created a Herbicide Spray notification system; people with sensitivities to chemicals used for spraying along Oregon highways can obtain information about times and locations that ODOT crews are scheduled to conduct spray activities.
- We deployed a more reliable method to obtain NOAA weather forecast information for TripCheck.
- We deployed systems to page key personnel when wind conditions at Port Orford for flood conditions at Seaside reach critical levels.
- We repaired a serious bug in processing camera images that are displayed on TripCheck, adding reliability.
ITS will deploy New Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) - The ITS unit has had an interest in PDA enabled computerized maintenance systems for a while and now it's going to be a reality, with MicroMain. MicroMain is a server based application, which provides the users with client, web, and PDA interfaces.
Let's step back a bit and discuss what a CMMS is. A CMMS is a maintenance management tool that would typically be used in a factory or plant environment. Most CMMS will track repairs, maintenance, projects, upgrades, configurations, warranties, site inventory, and spares inventory. A typical CMMS will schedule preventative maintenance, distribute repair tickets, manage warranty repairs (Return Material Authorization status), manage vendors & contractors, and provide a large number of metrics and reports. The metrics can help with preventative maintenance frequency, staffing, budgeting, replacement schedules, etc.
When MicroMain is installed and working properly, it will allow technicians and managers to access the system in a number of ways. Firstly, the PDA interface (Pocket PC) makes the system very convenient for technicians to carry and use –and it’s easy to keep dry and undamaged. This is a very important requirement if we want to capture all the work that is done. The ability to have complete maintenance history for a work site at the fingertips of our technicians is something that has been technologically possible –but not available- for a long time, and something that can make a huge difference in the amount of time taken and the quality of a repair. The ability to track all of the equipment at a particular site -and any regional spares- in a logical way is important when looking at mean time between failures, equipment lifecycle, and buying replacements/spares. Armed with such information, technicians can come to a site prepared with the right equipment, and know where spares are located to get a site back online more quickly.
Secondly, the web interface is essential, as it allows anyone in ODOT to have access to the CMMS with little set-up, and no local installation. MicroMain’s built in reports are geared to our industry, and custom reports are easy to generate. A simple report such as a workday summary could save each technician several hours a month by providing details for timesheets that would otherwise have to be researched. The custom modifications we do need are basic, and can be done from within the program –as opposed to hiring a programmer to add features.
ODOT is hoping we can begin configuration and trial use by the end of July. Full deployment to all ITS technicians should take place by late fall.
ITS in the News
TripCheck.com clicks with drivers, gets an upgrade
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Popular web site adds features for Oregon travelers
Link to Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050630/NEWS/506300361/1001
Operating Our Transportation System for Better Performance
Wednesday June 15, 2005 Updated by NARC, Telecast June 7, 2005
National Transportation Operations Coalition
Elected Officials' Perspectives (Recorded Version)
http://www.ntoctalks.com/narc/telecast_june7_05.php
Online map will document road work this summer
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Link to story in Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon:
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050614/NEWS/506140323/1001
*Unstuck in Traffic
[transport-communications] Tuesday, June 7, 2005
After years of development, experimentation, partnering, and testing, the in-vehicle navigation system (IVNS) is ready to hit the road.
Link to article in GPS World:
http://www.gpsworld.com/gpsworld/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=163680
*Keep on Trucking
[transport-communications] Monday, June 6, 2005
GPS wireless phones could record truck driver log data required by law.
Link to story in Federal Computer Week:
http://www.fcw.com/article89076-06-06-05-Print
*Black Boxes for Cars Slow to Catch On
[transport-communications] Friday, June 3, 2005
Link to story in USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2005-06-02-black-box-usat_x.htm
*ITS Benefit of the Month: Simulation Study Predicts Use of Automated Decision Support Tools Can Decrease Travel Times by Up to 29%
[transport-communications] Friday, June 3, 2005
Link to further information from US Department of Transportation:
http://www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov/ITS/benecost.nsf/ByLink/BOTM-June2005
Preliminary Results Show a Significant Payoff from New Ramp Meters in Downtown Atlanta
Last updated, Wednesday June 1, 2005
National Transportation Operations Coalition:
http://www.ntoctalks.com/icdn/atlanta_rampmeters.php
511 National Progress Report
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Link to report from the National 511 Deployment Coalition:
http://www.deploy511.org/docs/511%202005%20NPR%20Final.pdf
*Intelligent Transportation Systems Benefits, Costs and Lessons Learned - Executive Summary
[transport-communications] Tuesday, May 3, 2005
Link to report from the US DOT's ITS Joint Program Office:
http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/jpodocs/repts_te/14073.htm
Amber Alert system goes high-tech
Monday, April 27, 2005
Oregon's Amber Alert System was expanded to include alerts sent to resident's cell phones, BlackBerries, pagers and/or e-mail accounts.
Link to story in Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon:
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050427/NEWS/504270350/1001
Storm Brewing Over Online Data from National Weather Service
[transport-communications] Tuesday, April 26, 2005
A bill has been introduced to limit what the NWS provides.
Link to story in Computerworld: http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legislation/story/0,10801,101345,00.html
Link to news release from Senator Rick Santorum:
http://santorum.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressOffice.View&ContentRecord_
id=1180&Region_id=0&Issue_id=0&CFID=14454322&CFTOKEN=75856620
Link to proposed legislation: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:s786is.txt.pdf
*Cameras at Intersections Can Reduce Accidents
[transport-communications] Friday, April 22, 2005
Study suggests these traffic monitors do change driver behavior.
Link to story from HealthDay:
http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=525224
Link to news release from the Cochrane Collaboration:
http://www.cochrane.org/press/wiley/2005.04.20.red_light_cameras.doc
*Survey: Traffic Signal Operations Poor
[transport-communications] Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Link to Associated Press story:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-04-20-traffic-signals_x.htm
Link to further information from the National Transportation Operations Coalition:
http://www.ite.org/reportcard/
*Study Proves that Virtual Traffic Signs Make Driving Safer
[transport-communications] Thursday, April 14, 2005
http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=58734&src=0
*These stories provided by Bernie Wagenblast and The Daily ITS news, in the Transportation Communications Newsletter. For a free subscription send an e-mail to transport-communications-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or contact the editor, Bernie Wagenblast, at i95berniew@aol.com.
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 ITS OREGON AND THE PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR TRANSPORTATION STUDIES
PRESENT
A PANEL DISCUSSION OF THE ITS EUROPEAN SCANNING TOUR GROUP
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2005, 4:00 PM
PARSONS GALLERY, URBAN CENTER, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY.
For more information, contact Robert Bertini, at (503) 725-4249 or bertini@pdx.edu.
Please contact David Crout at croutd@trimet.org or (503) 962-5613 if you plan to attend.
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The 2005 National Rural ITS Conference in beautiful Spokane, Washington,
September 11-14, 2005.
http://depts.washington.edu/trac/nrits2005/
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One-day workshop in Portland on electronic payment systems
TBD, late October time-frame.
Contact Susan Howard, LTK, at showard@ltk.com or (503) 944-1192.
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