 |
511
|
Published by the 511 Deployment Coalition
This document also available for downloading as a
Microsoft® Word file (16.4 Mbytes)
or an Adobe
Acrobat PDF file (914 Kbytes).
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
511
|
This document also available for downloading as a
Microsoft® Word file (16.4 Mbytes)
or an Adobe
Acrobat PDF file (914 Kbytes).
|
|
|
|
Appendix B - Attributes of Existing 511 Services
Appendix C - Frequently Asked Questions
Appendix D - Core Survey Questions - Version 1.0
Appendix E - Deployment Assistance Report Overviews
Appendix F - Deployer Contacts
On March 8, 1999, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to designate a nationwide three-digit telephone number for traveler information. On July 21, 2000, the FCC designated 511 as the national traveler information number.
The FCC ruling leaves nearly all implementation issues and schedules to state and local agencies and telecommunications carriers. There are no federal requirements and no mandated way to pay for 511. Consistent with the national designation of 511, the FCC expects that the transportation industry will provide the traveling public with a quality service that has a degree of uniformity across the country. Finally, the FCC stated that it would review progress in implementing 511 in five years, making the date for review July 2005.
In early 2001, mindful of both the opportunity and challenge that 511 presents, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in conjunction with many other organizations including the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), with the support of the USDOT, established a 511 Deployment Coalition (Coalition). An executive-level Policy Committee and a supporting Working Group were established to conduct the work of the Coalition. Membership of the Coalition draws from all levels and types of government agencies, various segments of the telecommunications industry and the fields of consulting, system integration and information service provision. The goal of the Coalition is that 511 will be a customer driven multi-modal traveler information service, available across the United States, accessed via telephones and other personal communications devices, realized through locally deployed interoperable systems, enabling a safer, more reliable and efficient transportation system.
The Coalition recognizes that 511 services will be developed in a bottom-up fashion with state and local transportation agencies establishing services in areas and timeframes determined by them. The Coalition has developed this document, 511 Implementation and Operational Guidelines Version 2.0, to assist implementers in their efforts to develop quality systems and to increase the level of operational knowledge throughout the 511 community. The document, which is an update to the Implementation Guidelines for Launching 511 Services - Version 1.1, improves on the foundation set by the Coalition for ultimately helping to establish a consistent nationwide 511 service. The document also includes information beyond guidelines and is designed to give future and existing deployers insight into key issues.
As of July 2003, more than halfway to the FCC's July 2005 review date, nineteen 511 services around the country are operational, serving a resident population of over 50 million. Eight of the services have been in operation for over a year, with Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky's system having two years of operational experience. The "early deployers" mentioned in this document refers to those systems that have been operational since early 2003.
The individuals and organizations, both public and private sector, that are making 511 a reality are directly responsible for the success to date and the future of delivering 511 services to the traveling public across the county.
This document provides updated guidelines on content, cross-cutting issues and lessons learned, an overview of key national policy issues and informational resources available to support existing and future 511 deployers. Specific information new to Version 2.0 includes the following:
National Vision for 511 - the creation and adoption of a national vision by the 511 Deployment Coalition is a major step in creating a sustainable service to assist travelers across the country. The national vision for 511 states that:
511 will be a customer driven multi-modal traveler information service, available across the United States, accessed via telephones and other personal communications devices, realized through locally deployed interoperable systems, enabling a safer, more reliable and efficient transportation system.
The goals of the vision include the following:
By 2005:
By 2010:
Additional Guidelines for Roadway Content - including the addition of regional overviews or summaries as a selectable option for the caller.
Guidelines for Transit Information - increased understanding of how 511 services should work in conjunction with transit call centers.
Weather Information in the Basic Service - adding significant travel-impacting weather information to a 511 service.
Examples and Lessons Learned - these important pieces of knowledge and experiences from the early deployers can be found throughout the document, including information on:
Usage Monitoring Guidelines - the purpose of measuring a customer-oriented system's usage and performance, and how this will assist in tracking the development of 511.
After more than two years since the first 511 system was deployed, the early deployers have taught the Coalition and others much about implementing 511 services. The most important nationally relevant findings are listed below:
Information on the 511 Deployment Coalition, including Deployment Assistance Reports, educational materials, a marketing toolkit and supporting resource materials, as well as additional useful references for 511 implementers may be found at the following websites:
Deploying 19 services across the county in three years is a significant achievement. A review of these 511 systems shows that the services in operation are not designed to deliver the same content (due to local options in some cases), in the same manner and are certainly experiencing differing results in system usage. Currently, the majority of the systems use voice recognition software (12), and concatenated speech (10) to interact with the caller. All systems currently provide roadway content, which typically includes information for Interstate and US designated routes. In addition, the majority (16) of deployers have recognized the benefit of the 511 "brand," and have launched a co-branded 511 website to serve their customers through additional delivery devices, typically personal computers.
These summary statistics suggest that most 511 systems are similar; however there can be great differences. Currently, only eight services provide transit information, about half use roadside signs to promote awareness of a system, seven have touchtone-only commands and one system is bi-lingual.
Appendix B shows a more detailed overview of how existing systems are delivering content, type of content available, data found within roadway content, and how some elements of user awareness are approached. The local and toll-free numbers (where available) for the systems are listed for your convenience and you are urged to use them to familiarize yourself with the types of services / interfaces currently utilized. Any department or agency planning or enhancing a 511 service should take the time to hear what their neighboring states, comparative metropolitan areas across the country and systems that seem to fit your agency's vision of a 511 service are currently delivering.
On March 8, 1999, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to designate a nationwide three-digit telephone number for traveler information. On July 21, 2000, the FCC designated 511 as the national traveler information number.
The FCC ruling leaves nearly all implementation issues and schedules to state and local agencies and telecommunications carriers. There are no federal requirements and no mandated way to pay for 511. Consistent with the national designation of 511, the FCC expects that the transportation industry will provide the traveling public with a quality service that has a degree of uniformity across the country. Finally, the FCC stated that it would review progress in implementing 511 in five years, making the date for review July 2005.
While the flexibility provided in the FCC ruling is highly desirable, it also presents a challenge. Although there is a great deal of interest in using 511 throughout the U.S., if not thoughtfully planned, 511 services could devolve into an inconsistent set of services widely varying in type, quality and cost.
As of July 2003, more than halfway to the FCC's July 2005 review date, nineteen 511 services around the country are operational, with nine of the services in operation for over a year and Cincinnati with two years of operational experience. Forty-four states have requested and received 511 planning and deployment grant funds from USDOT. The individuals and organizations of both the public and private sector that are making 511 a reality are directly responsible for the success to date and the future of delivering 511 to the traveling public across the county.
In early 2001, mindful of both the opportunity and challenge that 511 presents, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in conjunction with many other organizations including the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), with the support of the USDOT, established a 511 Deployment Coalition (Coalition).
The goal of the 511 Deployment Coalition is "the timely establishment of a national 511 traveler information service available to a majority of Americans by 2005 that is sustainable and provides value to users." The intent is to implement 511 nationally using a bottom-up approach facilitated by information sharing and a cooperative dialogue through the organizations represented on the Policy Committee, the governing body of this program. The mission of the Policy Committee is to provide guidance on how to achieve this goal.
A Working Group of managers involved in 511 and traveler information service delivery has been supporting the Policy Committee. The Working Group has extensively studied existing 511 and other telephone-based traveler information systems and the experienced and projected technological, political and economic environments in the near future to develop recommendations for guidelines (see http://www.deploy511.org/ for materials developed or used by the Working Group and Policy Committee in its deliberations, as well as the rosters of the Policy Committee and the Working Group).
This document is one of many products developed by the Coalition to support those deploying and considering 511 systems. The Coalition recognizes the efforts of all its volunteers on both the Policy Committee and Working Group without whom the national 511 program would not be where it is today. A special acknowledgment is due to Dr. Chris Hill of Mixon / Hill, Inc. for circulating a draft of this version of the Guidelines to ITS America's Rural Special Interest Group for their comments.
The 511 Deployment Coalition recognizes that 511 services have, and will continue to be, developed in a bottom-up fashion with state and local transportation agencies - with the close collaboration of the private sector - establishing services in areas and timeframes determined by them. The positive benefits of this approach are that it enables resources from many organizations to be harnessed to deploy 511 as well as providing many opportunities for innovation in 511 service delivery. A potential negative consequence of simultaneous independent actions is that the resulting services do not, from a caller's or national policy perspective, resemble a well-planned consistent service.
To reduce the chances of service confusion and inconsistency, the 511 Deployment Coalition is enhancing the established guidelines in the areas of content and consistency, as well as providing additional assistance in other areas deployers should be concerned with. 511 service consistency will be established through implementers continuing to follow these guidelines, and, as an increasing number of services are established, a national 511 service will emerge.
The 511 Deployment Coalition is cognizant that the quality of systems developed has varied in content and consistency, mostly due to the availability of information / data and financial constraints. Although 19 systems have been implemented across the country, there is still the possibility that if quality systems do not become commonplace, the transportation industry may lose the privilege of the exclusive use of the 511 number. On the other hand, if guidelines suggest services that are cost-prohibitive and unsupportable, the result could be an invisible cap in the number of operating systems, also leading to losing the privilege of the number. Thus, these guidelines are designed from a customer-centric viewpoint while being sensitive to the issues of those agencies that must gather and prepare information and manage information service provision.
The transportation industry has been afforded a tremendous opportunity to better serve its customers. As with Version 1.1 of the Guidelines, the purpose of Version 2.0 is to assist transportation agencies in establishing this customer service in the best possible manner. The Coalition and its member organizations strongly recommend that implementers carefully review and consider these guidelines in their implementation planning.
The Guidelines document has evolved from a group of "best guesses" and suggestions on what was needed to launch a successful 511 service to a document for those planning, and already operating, 511 services. This change is also reflected in the name of the document, from Implementation Guidelines for Launching 511 Services Version 1.1, to 511 Implementation and Operational Guidelines Version 2.0. The document now provides additional information and background, as well as operational examples and experiences. Any future versions of this document will provide additional specific information, parameters and recommendations as services gain valuable operational experience within their states and / or metropolitan areas.
This document is intended to serve multiple purposes and audiences, which include distributing the updated content guidelines, serving as a basis for developing and planning a 511 system and as a resource document for existing deployers that wish to begin focusing on enhancements, evaluations and other activities that may not have been obvious or possible when 511 systems were first launched.
The primary purpose of the document is to distribute the updated guidelines, Version 2.0, as they have evolved since Version 1.1 was released. These updates are for both potential deployers and those with operating 511 systems. The document is also intended to be a reference guide highlighting critical issues and noting successes achieved.
For those new to 511 and in the process of deploying, Version 2.0 should serve as the basis for developing and deploying a 511 system. After reviewing the document a potential deployer should know: who the key participants in the 511 field are; the difference between Basic and Optional content; the business environment most deployers are operating in; and the importance that consumer research, marketing and national consistency play in developing a customer-oriented service. While a potential deployer will not find all of the information they need to develop a 511 system, the document offers an opportunity to learn from two years of deployment experience and provides additional insight that the early 511 deployers did not have the benefit of.
For those organizations and / or individuals that have already deployed a 511 system, the document offers information on some areas that were commonly overlooked or not fully addressed by the initial wave of deployers. This includes, but is not limited to: the elevation of weather information (both forecasted and observed); the addition of regional overviews to quickly disseminate important, top-level, information; experiences with payphone operators; and standards that all deployers should be using.
Finally, the document is designed to help make the 511 Vision (discussed in the next section) a reality. If implementers have suggestions for improvements to the Guidelines or 511 services in general, please provide this information electronically to 511feedback@aashto.org.
The creation and adoption of a national vision by the 511 Deployment Coalition is a major step in creating a sustainable service to assist travelers across the country. The Vision helps to focus the Coalition's and deployer's goals, and establishes key milestones for the creation and adoption of a service that may one day become as widely known and commonly used as 411 or the Internet. Attainment of the Vision will help carry 511 from an unknown and misunderstood "frill" or option in a few locations to a mature necessity adopted by the general public.
In 1999, the USDOT envisioned using an abbreviated N11 (phone number where N is a digit from 0 - 9) dialing code to provide a simple, easy to remember and use telephone number to disseminate multi-modal travel information to the public. It was clear to those in the traveler information sector of the transportation industry that there were too many sources of information for travelers, each having its own ten-digit telephone number. The casual user rarely knew these telephone numbers and often there were multiple numbers for one metropolitan area or state. The N11 solution was viewed as a way to cut through all of the clutter, and provide one source of information on a multi-jurisdictional or regional basis. In this regard, 511 has been, and continues to be, a success. Unlike many intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies, 511 is easy to understand and provides a direct service to its users. To provide quality customer service, 511 brings ITS, traffic and incident management, public transportation and weather information all together under one umbrella.
The national vision for 511 adopted by the Coalition consists of a Vision Statement and specific elements and milestones to ensure its attainment.
With more than a year of operational experience by late 2002, and after considering a full range of consumer, business, technical and policy issues associated with 511, the Coalition established a national vision for 511 which states that:
511 will be a customer driven multi-modal traveler information service, available across the United States, accessed via telephones and other personal communications devices, realized through locally deployed interoperable systems, enabling a safer, more reliable and efficient transportation system.
The elements of the Vision can be separated in the three parts: the characteristics of 511 services, specific coverage and operational goals for 2005 and a significant increase in adoption and continued focus on improving customer service by 2010.
The key characteristics of 511 services are:
By 2005:
By 2010:
Continued leadership and active participation from the Associations involved in Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS), the USDOT, state, regional and local government agencies and private firms will be essential in making the vision a reality.
This section of the document is the most extensive, and thus, the most important for potential and current deployers. Potential deployers should pay close attention to the Basic content, as well as the lessons learned throughout the section, especially those that relate to phone systems, call routing and interoperability. Current deployers will notice some changes to the Basic content and new information in most areas, such as standards, business case studies and evaluations.
Several categories of information, or "content", are candidates to be provided via a 511 service. Some of these content categories are typical of what is offered through phone systems in operation today. Other categories are extensions into additional public sector services, while yet others are the likely domains of private service providers. All of these content categories have been examined and considered in developing the guidelines.
The overriding philosophy of the content guidelines is that there are two types of content levels:
In addition, the guidelines include "implementation recommendations" addressing content topics that have been demonstrated to provide value to callers, but are recognized as difficult to uniformly implement. Therefore, while not explicitly part of the basic content package, these levels of content are recommended as part of 511 systems as they are developed and designed, if possible. Further recommendations about specific content may be found in the Deployment Assistance Reports (DAR).
These guidelines recommend that every 511 system deployed in the U.S. should provide, at minimum, the basic content as defined in this document. It is this basic content that consumers will associate as the core of 511.
While planning and developing a 511 service, it is important to remember that 511 is a speed dial or short cut to a telephone system, which has a large base of information available. In the hierarchy of travel information, 511 is the "cherry on top," as depicted in Figure 1. Future deployers should also know that a 511 service does not "create" its own information for callers, and that a service cannot be deployed without first developing a source of information, as well as a robust telephone system.
The majority of operational 511 services with high call volumes are part of a larger ATIS that provides information to travelers via multiple media. The dissemination tools can include websites, television stations and push technologies such as customizable reports via email or pagers. Examples of these comprehensive ATIS systems include Southeast Florida, San Francisco Bay Area, Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky and Montana.
To achieve a useful and comprehensive 511 service, as with a full ATIS, deployers
need be concerned with data acquisition: where will the data come from; data
quality - is the data timely, accurate and useful; and system integration - how
will 511 deliver information from unlinked systems or systems that another agency
operates? Each of these elements is extremely important in achieving the
"Traveler Information System" layer of the pyramid in Figure
1. If there is no traveler information, as created through addressing data and
integration issues, then there is no need to continue up the pyramid to develop
a telephone system or 511 routing.
Deployers must recognize that 511 is a service and that it operates in an overall business environment created by the travel information market and the lead coordinating, or facilitating, agency.
Information content can be broken down into two main types, Basic and Optional. This section discusses the principles, guidelines and recommendations of those two main types, as well as highlighting the key categories of information a 511 service should provide.
Basic content comes in three general categories:
In each of these content categories, the guidelines provide general principles or philosophies and specific guidance on the type of information that should be provided to callers. Note that a key concept in 511 service planning is that 511 systems must be designed to provide information beyond a single agency, mode or content type. While content is organized in different types and categories, one principal carries throughout all content:
As the primary means of travel in the United States, roadways (highways and arterials) and information about major roadways should be a principal part of a 511 system. The core of many existing telephone-based traveler information services is highway conditions reporting. As these systems migrate to 511 access and new systems are established, the following guidance should be considered.
There are five key principles associated with roadway content:
The fundamental structure of a telephone system design matches highways very well. Telephone systems are usually accessed through a "menu tree" that is navigated by voice commands or by touching a phone's keypad. Eventually, a caller reaches their desired destination in the system and either gets a recorded or digitized voice message. When seeking highway information, a caller will first find the specific highway or corridor for which they desire information, unless a regional overview is available and selected. The caller will then find the specific segment of highway or corridor that they are interested in, especially if it is a lengthy road.
Segment specification is left to the implementer, but should follow logic with segments defined between major towns, landmarks, roadways or by climatological differences (see DAR #6: Weather and Environmental Content on 511 Services, for more detailed information on weather information provision). In urban areas, segments should be defined between major interchanges and will generally be smaller in length than non-urban segments. Once the 511 service knows the specific section of highway that the caller is interested in, it then provides the caller a report of the relevant basic content. This process is graphically illustrated in Figure 2, with "Regional Overview," "Routes," "Segments" and "Content" serving as the key descriptors of the content guidelines.
Regional Overview - while not applicable in all areas,
regional overviews can provide the caller with a general, high-level of information
on a region, helping to determine if they should seek additional detailed
information by going to the routes / corridor and continuing through to the content.
For each of these highway content types, it is necessary to provide details that enable callers to assess travel conditions and make travel decisions associated with a route segment. Table 1 illustrates the detailed information needed for each content type.
Table 1 - Basic Content Detail Needed for Each Highway Content Type
* Major congestion information and incident / accidents are considered part of the "Road Closures / Major Delays" content type
1 - Desirable if the deployer has the capabilities to include this information as part of the service
The following "implementation recommendations" address content topics that have been demonstrated to provide value to callers, but are recognized as difficult to uniformly implement. Thus, providing the following content is recommended to be included when launching services if possible, but not explicitly part of the basic content package for highways. As services improve and evolve towards the long-range vision, these items should be incorporated into the service if not done so at the outset.
Regardless of the size and nature of a 511 service area, there are likely to be one or more public transportation service providers in operation. In many cases, these public transportation operators already have established methods of communicating to the public about their services, including websites and customer service centers accessible by telephone. If properly utilized and coordinated with these existing communications methods, 511 can assist public transportation operators in better serving their customers and even attract new customers. The following guidelines should be considered when developing the public transportation information component of a 511 service.
There are many different approaches that public transportation operators could take to implement their portion of 511 services. These guidelines are intended to maintain this implementation flexibility.
Information access via telephone has proven to be extremely important in transit customer service. The principal purposes for these services are for general agency and service information, communicating service disruptions and changes and trip planning. At the basic content level, 511 should assist in providing callers with general agency and service information and communicating service disruptions and changes. Also, callers could be directed to where they can obtain more detailed information and trip planning.
The following five basic principles should be followed:
The fundamental structure of a 511 telephone system design matches public transportation operations. Telephone systems are usually accessed through a "menu tree" that is navigated by voice commands or by touching a phone's keypad. Eventually, a caller reaches their desired destination in the system and gets either a recorded or digitized voice message or possibly a live operator. In complex or large areas, the 511 service area may be segmented in sub-areas to simplify agency identification. Sub-areas may be dealt with by using voice recognition as described in San Francisco above.
Once the 511 service knows the specific public transportation agency that the
caller is interested in, it then provides the caller a report of the relevant
basic content. This process is graphically illustrated in Figure 3,
with "Geographic Sub-area," "Agency" and "Content"
serving as the three key descriptors of the content guidelines.
The following implementation recommendation addresses a content topic that has been demonstrated to provide value to callers, but is recognized as difficult to uniformly implement. Thus, providing the following content is recommended if possible, but not explicitly part of the basic content package for public transportation.
The Coalition's Implementation Guidelines for Launching 511 Services - Version 1.1, succinctly states what information, or "content," should be provided by a basic 511 service and the degree of uniformity and consistency of each service across the country. However, weather information was not described as an integral part of a 511 service or included in the basic level of content that all services should provide across the country.
With a Task Force formed in 2002, the Coalition focused on the guidelines associated with weather content, especially on the impact of weather conditions for travelers. In this section, weather content overall and weather-related principles and quality are covered.
Since traffic, road conditions and weather information are intertwined, and weather conditions and forecasts likely to impact the ability to travel are desired by the 511 callers, the Coalition has included additional guidance and information on weather, which stems from DAR #6: Weather and Environmental Content on 511 Services.
The overriding basic principle for providing weather information is simple: if weather will impact a person's trip, then they should be alerted to that actuality or possibility. Weather information is a basic component of 511 information provision and it is recommended that deployers provide travelers whatever weather information is available to them that may affect travel. This includes weather information provided by the National Weather Service and private sector value-added meteorologists, as well as roadway weather or surface conditions, both observations and forecasts, which can be provided by mobile and stationary sensor data information gathered by maintenance and operations personnel.
Ideally, if one is traveling from Point A to Point B, it is recommended that deployers provide the most appropriate transportation information in the shortest amount of time. Travelers need prioritized hazard information for the impacts of both current and changing weather conditions, and if there is weather forecasted along the route that will impact travel. These reports should be segmented by route or trip where appropriate.
It is recommended that 511 services provide information on current and changing travel conditions and forecasts for upcoming weather phenomena that are likely to impact the ability to travel. This also includes the weather impacts on transit operations - on guideways, railways, pathways - and related passenger information such as wind chill effects on those waiting at bus stops. Deployers may look to various market packages in the National ITS Architecture for the origins for this type of information including: Environment Information Collection; Weather Information Processing and Distribution; Winter Maintenance; Maintenance and Construction Vehicle Tracking; Roadway Automated Treatment; and Maintenance and Construction Activity Coordination.
The gathering of weather data for maintenance efforts can be a prime source of information to be shared with travelers via 511.
As part of an effort to determine road weather observing needs, the FHWA's Road Weather Management Program has stratified the country for weather conditions and by season. Some 511 deployers may believe that there is no "weather" in their area and its impact on travel is not uniform across the country, but indeed there is "weather" in each area of the country. Weather impacts are different in the summer and winter months and a new realization on weather's regional impacts is arising.
The FHWA worked to divide the country by the effects of summer and winter weather by looking at a handful of weather elements within the top 61 metropolitan areas. Summer and winter indices were developed for each and the cities were then ranked. Based on the rankings, the country divided up into categories - 5 for winter and 6 for summer. These categories are shown in the figures below with Category 1 being those areas where weather events are likely to have a more pronounced impact on travel. The categories give deployers a good idea as to the priority that weather information should take on their 511 system depending upon their location in the country.
These figures and categories are not finalized as the FHWA continues to revise this effort with its completion later in 2003, but this does give 511 deployers insight as to the necessity of weather information on their system. 511 systems in a Category 1 area of the country will need more detailed, comprehensive weather information provided on a consistent level as weather has a greater impact on travel than those in Category 5. But, weather is also a factor in a Category 5 area, at times, as El Niño rains in Los Angeles provide just as great of an impact on travel as winter storm conditions do in the Midwest.
Because of the highly localized nature of fog and other factors affecting visibility, the factor analysis used to develop the indices was unable to incorporate visibility data.
There may be specific geographic or climatological locations within these stratification categories where weather events have more pronounced or seasonal impacts, such as mountain passes in the winter months. In these cases, it is recommended that the 511 system serving those areas devote particular attention to these localized areas and conditions.
Weather information on a 511 system can range from a regional alert (hurricane, winter storm, etc.) to a route specific observation or alert (low visibility, icy pavement, high winds, etc.). Deployers should include any available weather-related information that could impact a person's travel and attempt to package and deliver the information in a consistent manner. The two keys to weather are relaying impacts and providing navigational references to aid the traveler.
The following recommendations address a content topic that has been demonstrated to provide value to callers, but is recognized as difficult to uniformly implement, and may vary slightly based on local or seasonal need. Thus, providing the following content is recommended for inclusion in the launch of a service if possible. As services improve and evolve towards the long-range vision, these items should be incorporated into the service. It is recommended that 511 weather information be assembled and presented through a 511 system in the following manner:
As stated in Version 1.1 of the Guidelines, the Coalition recognizes that additional content beyond the basic content described in the previous section could be provided by a 511 service. In fact, so long as quality basic content is being provided, the Coalition encourages that 511 implementers consider providing optional content that will benefit callers.
Again, this optional content is up to the discretion of the system implementers and can include additional content supported by the public sector and / or private sector supported services. Based on local demographics or geography, some of these optional content categories would be expected by local callers. Implementers should factor in these expectations into their service planning process.
In providing additional content implementers have essentially two choices:
The following list is representative, but not complete, of the possible optional content categories. Implementers may choose to implement these and other types of content (Please note that the Coalition is not assessing the merits of each of these content options, merely providing them for deployer's consideration):
In examining the addition of optional content, system implementers should be careful to design a system that complements - rather than diminishes - the impact of the basic content services. Also, each of the options listed above may require extra and complex interactions to provide via 511. As these are intended to be illustrative examples, assessments of the relative practicality or merits of each optional content category are not provided
Across the country, optional content has been limited in its use, to date. The first 511 service to provide optional tourism and travel-related services was the I-81 Region 511 service in Virginia. The service includes information on lodging, restaurants and "things to do" in the 35 county coverage area. On average, 8% of the callers each month access the available travel services section of the menu, with approximately 90% of those callers selecting lodging, which users can be automatically connected to without dialing an additional phone number. The Auto Connect feature is dual purposed: safety and convenience. This system uses voice recognition for the queries and is fully automated using both text to speech and recorded messages.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), operator of the 511 service for the San Francisco Bay Area, has included optional services that are expected by their callers. Those optional services include information on bicycling and carpools / vanpools. The carpool / vanpool information is provided via a call transfer to a regional or local rideshare operator, depending on the jurisdiction the caller is interested in.
By December 2003, Kentucky also plans to make travel and tourism information available. The Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association (SEKTDA), is designing a service so callers will be able to speak to a live agent. Each agent will have access to a large database of specific information relating to the amenities, attractions, events and other activities found in the 42 county Southern and Eastern Kentucky region.
Other states, such as North Carolina, have a strong desire to provide tourism-related information through their 511 services. Many states see the solution being a call transfer from the 511 service to an existing statewide tourism call center, thus eliminating the need to incorporate outside data feeds or upgrade databases.
The accuracy, timeliness and reliability of information on 511 is an important issue for the 511 community and users as well. In an increasingly advanced information society, callers are generally accustomed to high quality information. 511 content must be no different. In 2001, ITS America, in its national consumer research on 511, determined that "those surveyed said that if they used 511 and found the information to be inaccurate in their first few uses, they would be unlikely to give the service another chance."
Therefore, 511 implementers must focus on the following five quality parameters:
Information quality is a major concern of the Coalition. The quality of basic content information will largely determine the success of 511. This is why the information is recommended to be tailored to the travelers' needs along their route. It is recommended that 511 services give callers the ability to gauge the quality of the reported information to enable them to properly weigh the information in their decision-making (e.g. "There is a report of an avalanche…" vs. "An avalanche has occurred…"). However, the Coalition has not included specific quality parameters as part of this version of the guidelines. This is for two reasons:
Many of the individuals and agencies early in their 511 development and deployment process found that there was a large misunderstanding common throughout the country - that transportation departments and agencies already possessed all of the data and information necessary to provide a quality 511 service. While the concept of dialing an easy to remember telephone number and providing quality decision-level information to the traveling public was easy to grasp, the complexities of the systems behind the service, or the total lack of relevant technologies to assist in providing the service, were not.
The USDOT "Infostructure" or Integrated Network of Transportation Information (INTI) initiative has a clear tie to providing quality information to travelers be it through 511, ATIS or ATMS (Advanced Traffic Management Systems). The deployment of roadside detectors, wireless communication devices and other systems is key to the development of a nationwide 511 service. In fact, many states are presenting 511 as the "face of ITS" to elected officials and the public, and are using 511 as a way to increase the coverage area of detection and systems. The more detection and base-level of technological investment there is, the better the 511 service, and the more consistent the level of information provided can be. If every state or region has a similar level of detection and integrated networks for collection of information, then the products could also be similar.
Since the early deployers launched their 511 services in 2001 and 2002, most have found additional ways to use this valuable resource. Some of these ways include broadcast messages in emergency situations, working in conjunction with traffic and incident management and supplementing AMBER Alerts. 511 is also seen as an additional dissemination tool for Homeland Security needs, although no system has been specifically designed for it.
Broadcast, or "floodgate" messages, can be a critical tool for disseminating information to the traveling public during a major incident, be it weather, event or security-related. Broadcast messages can be implemented in various ways, but the two basic types are uninterruptible and interruptible - meaning a caller can override or terminate the message.
In times of emergencies, uninterruptible broadcast messages can deliver a brief, important message at / or after the greeting of a 511 service and terminate the call, thus creating a 511 system that has short call durations and is able to disseminate the most critical information to all callers and nothing else. This will alleviate some of the peak capacity issues that deployers are experiencing. The uninterruptible message relating to a lesser service disruption with a large impact requires a caller to hear the whole message before they may continue to additional, selectable information. Other forms of the message type are broadcast by service, mode or geographic area. Interruptible messages can be placed in the same areas of the system, but are typically used for less important information.
Virginia DOT (VDOT) found that 511 is a welcome asset during incident and traffic management situations. The 511 service is being used in conjunction with permanent and portable changeable message signs (CMS) to relay critical information to travelers during major incidents, typically hazardous material spills that can close an Interstate. Because CMS are limited to three lines of text on three panels, multiple detour listings and describing complex situations is generally not possible. The CMS convey the necessary information as they normally would in these situations, but they also prompt travelers to dial 511 for additional information. In one situation, VDOT used CMS up to 100 miles from an incident to alert drivers to dial 511 where they received information on up to three detours depending on their desired destination. VDOT has documented that by using the CMS and 511 together, call volumes to the service doubled almost immediately.
The AMBER Alert is a child abduction response system that uses radio, television, changeable message signs and emergency broadcast systems to disseminate information about kidnapping suspects and victims soon after the crime is committed. The system is designed to solicit aid from the public to look for victims by providing known details such as descriptions of vehicles and individuals. In recent months, 511 services have become an additional tool for disseminating AMBER Alert information quickly and completely. In fact, many states have realized a significant increase in unsafe driving from the amount of information displayed on the message boards, which seems to be supported by University of Minnesota research that recommended changes to the Minnesota AMBER Alert messages on CMS, including referring drivers to other information sources to retrieve more detailed information. As a solution, Utah DOT is using less detailed AMBER Alert messages on its CMS and prompting drivers to dial 511where they can receive accurate detailed information about the situation. This process was recognized by the AMBER Alert representatives in Utah with the designation of the 511 system as a "certified" source of AMBER Alert information.
Caller expectations are for timely information. Providing a time / date identifier to provide callers with a sense of reliability and accuracy of the information provided is desired by some deployers and some customers. If a 511 system provides basic content quality as defined in the guidelines, then time stamping the information is unnecessary and undesirable. If a system knowingly provides information that is updated not as conditions change, but based upon a periodic schedule, then the schedule should be communicated to callers in association with the particular message.
The tailoring of content to telephonic media poses some issues. Often, the data available for inclusion in a 511 service is from a traffic management center software package or data available on an agency website. Reading information on a website or looking at a graphical user interface (GUI) is a much different experience than listening to the same information over the telephone.
To convert these types of data into usable information for dissemination through the telephone, a deployer should try to eliminate the use of free form text. This may require a database modification forcing operators to use pull-down menus where blank text boxes were formerly used. Since most operational 511 services deliver information using concatenated speech or text to speech technologies, Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VXML) has become the de facto standard for interpreting and delivering the information. This means that most data feeds to 511 are being provided in an XML format.
Another way that deployers have provided content via telephone is to treat the medium as if it were an on-demand radio report, complete with recordings made by professional voice talent. The Central Florida 511 service covering I-4 disseminates its information in this manner. Most travelers are accustomed to hearing radio-style traffic reports and have made the system one of the most heavily used in the country.
The design of the system and how the caller will interact with the menu options must also be taken into consideration. This issue should not be taken lightly, for a poorly designed system will lead to unhappy users and a decline in usage. A quality design is best achieved by using experienced personnel and thorough system testing. It is difficult to design a comprehensive, easy to use automated phone system, however, it can be achieved.
Striving for a consistent 511 service across the United States is very important to the Coalition and was also clearly stated in the FCC report and order designating 511 for travel information. While consistency is vital, meeting a travelers' needs should always be the top priority. However, those needs change from place to place and from caller to caller. Variations in systems are shown in the Attributes of Existing 511 Services table in Appendix B. Sometimes variations are by a deployer's choice and other times are due to a lack of quality information or resources available.
Another reason why variations exist, or why information need varies, is that the same caller may have completely different needs depending on the trip type, season or geography.
For example, Joe, a daily commuter in the San Francisco Bay area may dial 511 regularly to check on his commuting routes to and from work. On the weekend he may need to know information on available transit service to Pac Bell Stadium. The following week, while driving through northern Arizona on vacation, Joe may be most interested in the weather-related road conditions. While daily commuting and transit service to a baseball stadium may not be relevant in northern Arizona, early-spring road conditions are.
Many deployers are in the process of adding additional content to their existing systems, or plan to improve the quality of content that they already have. Arizona and Florida, both recipients of separate competitive funding awards from USDOT, are expanding the depth and breadth of the information available to their users.
In Arizona, ADOT, under the 511 Model Deployment, is adding the following new content elements, or enhancements:
Florida DOT (FDOT), through iFlorida, the Surface Transportation Security and Reliability Information System Model Deployment project, is enhancing the content of the existing Central Florida 511 service that covers I-4 through Orlando to points east. The primary change is the addition of travel times or delay information on all of the limited access highways and most of the major arterials in Central Florida. FDOT will achieve this by using toll tag readers on the limited access highways in the region and also by deploying license plate readers to provide segment travel times for about 128 miles of seven principal arterials.
The iFlorida project will also provide current weather information and time-slice (starting and ending time) forecasts for defined road segments. This will be achieved by deploying additional roadway weather information systems (RWIS) and incorporating current and forecast information from private partner Meteorlogix. Projected conditions from 15 minutes to two or three days out will be provided for each identified roadway segment.
Telecommunication systems are the access and delivery points of all 511 services. Guidelines for these systems are more general than the content guidelines, since each telecommunication system can be established differently behind-the-scenes and still deliver identical information in a near identical manner to the user. These guidelines tend to be more "rules of thumb" for now, but will likely evolve based on additional customer and user input over time.
The key telecommunication elements of a 511 service allows the system to accept calls, interact with the users, process queries and commands and provide useful information back to the callers. Each of these system elements must be properly planned and must function consistently to have a successful 511 service.
The service should be capable of accepting calls from both wireless and landline phones, and do so without extensive delay to the caller. The call should go through and be routed to the proper answering point, be it a local or toll-free number. See additional related information on System Access Quality and Call Routing in later sections.
To most callers, the user interface is the system. For most 511 services today, the interface is a voice recognition system, ideally with a touchtone back up. If the interface does not work properly (does not recognize commands), consistently or is cumbersome to use, then the 511 service is not meeting the needs of the caller, no matter how good the underlying information is. The User Interface Guidelines can be found in section C.ii below.
Data for 511 systems is typically stored in one or more computer servers, which can be located on-site at the implementing agency or off-site with a contactor. Both system arrangements have proven to work effectively. Currently, there is no specific guideline for how data is stored or how commands should be processed. However, the system should be designed to minimize the delay in processing the command to reduce the amount of time the caller is required to stay on the phone. Most of the systems deployed today typically process a command within one to three seconds. Any delay longer than ten seconds is noticeable to the user and may prompt them to terminate the call.
Information should be provided in a succinct message, which conveys all the necessary information to allow the caller to determine if an action needs to be taken on the caller's part to improve the quality of their trip (reduce delay, avoid hazardous conditions, etc.). The result of the command, or query, should be delivered in a consistent voice and manner and should be of high-quality.
Based on consumer focus groups around the country, the initial greeting should be very short, such as "Welcome to (metro area's, state's, or program's name) 511 for Travel Information." Customers expect a short verification that they dialed correctly, but comment that they do not want a lengthy introduction or long formal enunciation of agency names. Supplemental information such as website addresses or complete help instructions should not be included in the initial greeting, but provided through menu selections. Some services name the sponsoring departments or agencies to add credence to the information being distributed. In the cases of major emergencies, an uninterruptible emergency message may be provided prior to, in place of or just after the normal initial greeting.
It is recommended that implementers use voice recognition as the primary user interface. For voice activated systems, the following top-level commands should be used when a system has the relevant information available: "Highway Information", "Transit Information", "Airport Information", "Rail Station Information," "Ferry Information" and "Help." Top-level menu commands beyond the basic services are acceptable. Care should be taken when adding additional top-level commands to select descriptive terms and not to conflict with the basic terms noted here. It is possible that the specific top-level menu commands may change in future updates of the guidelines based on information collected through user input and system evaluations.
Although discouraged as a primary user interface means, systems that utilize keypad entry for navigation should use the following top-level menu tree: 1 for "highway information", 2 for "transit information" and 9 for "help using the system". Although not defined as part of the basic content package, 3 should be reserved for "airport and other major terminal and transportation facility information." Systems that use both keypad entry and voice activation should allow callers to press or say the top-level number ("press or say 2 for transit information").
Overly complicated menu trees should be avoided. Systems should not require the user to make more than 3 entries or replies before providing the desired information. At each level, no more than 6 options should be listed. Systems should allow users to request that messages be repeated and to "go back" in the menu tree.
"Shortcuts" are used often by repeat callers who know what element of information they are seeking. The use of shortcuts is encouraged and has been employed in many systems. It is possible that a future update of these guidelines could include specific guidance on shortcut methods if some are clearly better than others.
The quality and availability of the 511 service is important to attracting and retaining users. Users receive no benefit from a service that contains accurate, timely and relevant content, but is inaccessible. These guidelines address the system access quality and the hours of operation of a 511 service.
In order for the telephone system to have the ability to reliably and quickly answer calls, a 511 service should be sized to accept all calls for the 90th percentile peak hour load[1]. If live operators are utilized, or connected to, as part of a 511 service, the 90th percentile wait time should not exceed 90 seconds and callers should receive indications that they are on hold. 511 services should have an availability to callers of 99.8%. This translates to the system being out of service less than 18 hours a year.
System performance against these parameters should be measured and monitored. Most implementers are meeting these guidelines by employing an application service provider (ASP) that operates the telephone answering ports (phone lines) and uses a voice recognition software package, which is all located off-site (even across the country in some cases). By contracting this portion of the 511 service, or all of it, an implementer can benefit from the ASP's existing infrastructure, allowing the system to easily handle enormous peaks in call volumes.
Most deployers have seen a 300 - 500% increase in call volumes simply by converting an existing 7 or 10-digit travel information line to 511. For example, Southeast Florida experienced a significant increase in call volumes by converting an existing travel information phone number to 511. The system used to receive 15,000 calls per month, however, with 511 as the access number, the system now receives more than 100,000 calls per month - an increase of over 650%. For some 511 systems, major events (weather, incidents, etc.), especially in conjunction with peak travel times, can cause call volumes in a single day to exceed the call volumes of an average month.
511 services should be available to travelers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is recognized that systems will not always be "operated" 24 / 7. In instances when the system is providing static, pre-recorded messages, systems should inform the caller that it is outside normal operating hours.
In the mid and late 1990s, consumer research and anecdotal information showed that traveler information systems solely designed for the weekday commuter and only operated during specific business hours were found to have limited use and applicability. Travel information is just as important, or possibly more so, to someone traveling late at night or during the weekend than to a daily commuter. With an automated system, receiving inputs from multiple sources and using non-recorded messages, a 511 service can operate around-the-clock. To date, all 511 services deployed are accessible 24 hours a day.
The 511 Deployment Coalition asks that 511 deployers report usage statistics from their system each month. This usage information is valuable to the Coalition, other deployers and in marketing and outreach activities. As part of its National 511 Performance Measures, the Coalition reports on: 511 coverage for states, Top 60 metropolitan areas and population, quarterly total 511 usage and for systems operational for more than one year. These, and other, usage statistics help deployers gauge the consumer response to their service and enable comparisons between like systems.
The list of statistics tracked were developed by querying deployers, the 511 Working Group and telecom providers which statistics were being, and should be, tracked. All deployers should forward usage data via email to Pete Costello at petecostello@pbsj.com. The usage statistics that are tracked by the Coalition on a monthly basis are:
Currently, all 511 deployments report usage information to the Coalition. Only a few are able to report all the information desired above and with the release of this version of the Guidelines more of this information should be available in the future. The following describes the type of information needed and a rationale for providing it:
Additionally, some deployers like the I-81 Region in Virginia, are able to track where users' telephones are registered giving VDOT a monthly snapshot of where its users live (by area code or state). This is very useful information for VDOT, but is also useful for the private companies who have advertised with the 511 Virginia service. If a deployer plans to include travel services, tourism and / or premium services for its users, it should have the ability to track this useful information.
Deployers should report their usage statistics to the Coalition no later that the 15th of the subsequent month, e.g., July's statistics should be transmitted by August 15. This will allow for the Coalition to continue to track usage statistics as they are of interest to many 511 stakeholders. In the future, the Coalition may request that deployers gather additional statistics based on changing needs.
Call transfers can play an important role in providing a com