Appendix C - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions	Section of Document
Why do 511?	II. Vision
Should 511 link to 911?	III. Guidelines
What is regional interoperability?	IV. and V. Cross-cutting Issues & National Policy Issues
What are the benefits to transit providers?	III. Guidelines
Will 511 significantly increase call volumes to transit customer service centers?	III. Guidelines
What type weather information should be included?	III. Guidelines
Is there a 511 logo?	VI. Resources
How have other deployers marketed their 511 systems?	VI. Resources
Do any 511 services have "other" information?	III. Guidelines
Has any deployer provided Premium Services yet?	III. Guidelines
Are deployers using 511 with AMBER Alerts?	III. Guidelines
Is Homeland Security an issue?	IV. Cross-cutting Issues
Are any systems bi- or multi-lingual?	Appendix B
How do I contact a deployer?	Appendix F

 

Many general answers of the FAQs can be found in Appendix B in the System Attributes Chart.

 

Return to Guidelines ver. 2.0

 

Appendix D - Core Survey Questions - Version 1.0

Core Survey Questions - Version 1.0

 

Deployers should consistently use the following core survey questions when collecting information about the usage, customer preferences and satisfaction of a 511 system.

 

About your use of 511:

 

1. How did you hear about 511? (Don't prompt) saw highway sign, from friend / coworker, newspaper, TV, radio, DOT website, transit signage or pass, billboard, fliers, phone bill insert, employer program, etc.
2. Do you know where 511 is available? (Don't prompt) "in this area," "statewide," "nationwide"
3. When did you first call 511? This is first time, in the past 3 months, between 3 and 6 months ago, between 6 and 12 months ago, 1 to 2 years ago, I can't remember

 

If Q.3 indicates that the respondent is not a first-time caller:

4. How many times have you called 511 in the past 4 weeks?
5. Have you ever called 511 in a different state or metro area? {"don't know" and "can't remember" are OK responses for these questions)

 

For the specific trip that you were calling 511 about this / that time: [questions 4, 8, and 9 require administering the survey with a follow-on call, rather than via an intercept at the beginning of the user's call]

 

1. What was the purpose of this trip? Commuting to / from work or school, other work-related travel, personal appointments, visiting friends and relatives, driving children to / from school or activities, shopping, travel to / from airport, recreation, vacation
2. (If necessary, follow up with) Were you making this trip as the driver of a commercial vehicle? What kind of commercial vehicle was this? Truck, taxi, limousine, etc. (check FMCSA categories)

 

[Use answers to questions 1 and 2 as basis for skip patterns later]

 

3. What kind of information were you looking for when you called 511? Roadway-related weather conditions, traffic congestion, road construction schedules, public transit information, airport information, pedestrian / bike information, food / lodging / gasoline, shopping, tourism, emergency services, border crossing, CVO information, parking availability
4. And how satisfied were you with the information you got? 5-point scale
5. From what kind of telephone did you call 511? Cellular phone, landline phone
6. Where were you when you called 511? Home, workplace, in car, in transit vehicle, along the wayside, other place
7. Did you make your call just prior to setting out, once you were already en route, or were you calling well in advance to plan a future trip? Just prior, en route, in advance
8. Did you consult any other sources when planning or taking this trip? If yes, probe for sources: radio, TV, dedicated cable TV channel, website, transit schedules, friends and relatives, travel guide, travel agent, atlas / maps, commercial vehicle fleet office or dispatcher, other telephone-based service
9. Did you make any change to your travel plans as a result of the information you got from 511? Decided to leave earlier; decided to leave later; chose to travel by a different means; decided to take a different route; chose to make stops on the way that you wouldn't otherwise have made; slowed down / changed speed; stopped along the way and waited, or waited overnight

 

About your satisfaction with 511:

 

1. On a scale from [...] to [...], how satisfied are you with 511's available information about...(using a 5-point scale)

[Adjust these questions based on the specifics of the deployment and include a "don't use this" or "no opinion" option]

 

[For traffic info users]: weather-related roadway conditions, traffic incidents and accidents, traffic congestion, parking availability, roadway construction projects, route planning

[For public transit info users]: schedules, fares and passes, planning an itinerary, "how to ride," real-time operations updates, accessible transit / paratransit, park-and-ride, rideshare services, vanpools, airport transportation options, weather-related changes to transit operations

[For commercial vehicle operators]: weather-related roadway conditions, traffic incidents and accidents, traffic congestion, truck parking availability, inspection and weighing posts, roadway construction projects

[For all]: food, lodging, and gasoline; shopping; tourism; emergency services; special events; border crossings; pedestrian & bike travel; information about 511 itself

 

2. Please rate your level of agreement to each statement on 5-point scale

 

[For traffic info users]:

• The traffic information I get from 511 is accurate and timely
• 511 covers the areas and routes I'm interested in
• Calling 511 helps me figure out if the weather will affect my travel plans
• Information on traffic delays and incidents is provided in sufficient detail to be useful to me
• I trust the traffic information I get from 511 more than what I get from traffic reports on the radio
• Information from 511 helps reduce the stress of driving in this area

 

[For public transit info users]:

• The transit timetables on 511 are more likely to be up-to-date than the printed schedules
• I only check 511 if I suspect that services are not operating normally
• 511 covers all of the transit services I'm interested in
• 511 makes it more convenient for me to take transit
• Getting transit information from 511 is easier than any other way

 

[Additional transit statements, as applicable for the deployment]:

• I'd like to be able to order transit tickets / passes over the phone via 511
• I can quickly get through to a live operator to help plan my trip
• I'd like to be able to just give my starting and ending points and have the system work out which buses / trains I should take to get there
• I'd like to be able to get real-time updates on the status of my bus or train

 

[For all users]:

• It is easy to navigate through the 511 menu to get the information I need
• I can easily understand the information on 511
• Calling 511 helps me decide what mode (bus, subway, car, bicycle, etc.) to take for my trip
• I call 511 most often when the weather is bad
• I'd like to be able to customize 511 to my particular routes and trips
• The information I obtain from 511 is useful to me
• I am able to get the kind of information I am looking for
• Plus deployment-specific questions about way information is presented

 

3. What do you like best and least about 511? Open-ended
4. All in all, how would you rate your satisfaction with 511? 5-point scale
5. Are you likely to phone 511 again? Yes / no If not, why not? Open response or pre-codes such as: too costly, not useful, not accurate, not current, not specific enough, doesn't cover my routes / modes, I'm no longer traveling, just don't need it
6. Would you recommend 511 to a friend? Yes / no
7. What benefits, if any, did you obtain from 511? (Prompt?) Open responseor pre-codes such as: reduced travel time, on-time arrival, improved safety, peace of mind / reduced stress, avoid problems, better informed travel decision (mode, route, timing), ability to inform someone of late arrival, saved money

 

About the improvements you'd like to see to 511: [these will vary a lot by deployment, but could look something like this]

 

1. If you could improve or add new features to 511, which would you find most useful? Rank order 1 through 3: speech recognition, touchtone shortcuts, adding coverage of a certain route, more transit coverage, etc.

 

About you and your travel patterns:

 

1. Are you... male / female (record without asking)
2. How old were you on your last birthday? __years
3. What is the zip code where you currently reside?
4. What was the last level of school or college that you completed? Grade school (through grade 8), some high school (no degree), high school graduate or GED, technical or vocational school graduate, some college or junior college graduate, college graduate, postgraduate degree
5. In [last calendar year] what was the total annual income of your household, before taxes or other deductions from pay? Less than $10,000, 10-15k, 15-25, 25-35k, 35-50k, 50-75k, 75-100k, 100-150k, 150-200k, 200k+, can't say; household members don't share income
6. Do you personally use the Internet at work or school at least once a week, on average? (If the respondent goes to a workplace or school at all, that is)
7. Do you personally use the Internet at home at least once a week, on average? If yes, Is that home Internet connection via a phone line, or is it via a high-speed connection such as DSL or cable? Dial-up, high speed, both
8. Which of the following devices do you carry with you at least 10 times a month, on average? Which do you use to obtain travel information while traveling in a vehicle? Mobile phone; two-way pager / PDA / Blackberry; laptop computer with wireless communications; none of these
9. [For each trip type] Have you made a trip of this type in the past 4 weeks? Did you use 511 for most, some, or none of your trips of that type? Commuting and other work-related travel; medical and other personal appointments; shopping; visiting friends and relatives / recreation / dining; driving children to / from school or activities
10. (If Q.9 indicates commute trips are taken): What modes of travel do you use for your commute trips in a typical week?
11. (For trips other than commuting,) what modes of travel do you use in a typical week?

 

Return to Guidelines ver. 2.0

 

Appendix E - Deployment Assistance Report Overviews

The Coalition has published seven DARs since early 2002. Below is a brief overview of each document:

 

DAR #1: 511 Business Models and Costs Considerations (January 2002)

http://www.its.dot.gov/511/511_Costs.htm

 

The Business Models and Cost Subcommittee prepared this document to educate the other members of the 511 Working Group and the members of the 511 Policy Committee on issues salient for migrating a planned or existing traveler information service to utilize the 511 dialing code. In addition, it is understood that this document may be used to educate other entities (public and private) interested in deploying the 511 dialing code for ATIS.

 

In March 2001 a 511 Policy Committee Retreat took place in Palm Harbor, Florida where the Policy Committee directed the 511 Working Group to investigate plausible business models and the appropriateness of their application to 511. It was agreed that attempts would be made to bring public and private enterprise together to work cooperatively on 511 solutions. It was also agreed that a basic 511 service should be available to the end user at no more than the cost of a local call and that an extended 511 service could be available typically through the private sector, at an additional cost to the consumer. It is these underlying principles that are incorporated into exploration of the business models and cost considerations for enabling these partnerships and creating the recommendations herein.

 

Business models and cost recovery are the critical factors for determining the sustainability of a traveler information service and 511. In the context of 511, the service will be regarded as new from the perspective of callers who previously have not been exposed to traveler information services. With this in mind, it is important that 511 be sustainable for the long term so that market acceptance and usage can be assured.

 

DAR #2: Transfer of 511 Calls to 911 (March 2002)

http://www.its.dot.gov/511/511to911.htm

 

Introduction

There has been considerable discussion about the desirability and implications of 511 traveler information systems having the ability to transfer true emergency calls made to 511 in error. In order to implement this call transfer requires that certain capabilities exist within the 511 system. This DAR defines: how such a call could be transferred; the technical and cost implications of this implementation; and the potential legal issues that might be involved.

 

Summary

The transfer of 511 calls to 911 is not a difficult technical problem. However, there are legal issues that must be overcome in the areas of liability protection for the 511 center operator and privacy considerations. There is no question that a 511 center that implements the ability to transfer calls to 911 will incur liability for the successful completion of that call. Even if the center only recommends that the caller hang up and dial 911, there is potential liability. It is clear that state and local governments that wish to explore this transfer must seek legal counsel to examine the local laws pertaining to their liability exposure and governing the use of caller identification information from the landline carriers for 911 purposes. The wireless carriers are governed by a different set of laws and, in general, view that caller location is private information which is not available to anyone but a 911 center. Therefore, it will be a challenge to obtain the caller's location from the wireless carriers to enable the transfer to 911.

 

To effect the transfer, the telephone equipment in the 511 center must be upgraded to perform the necessary functions.  In addition, the 511 center must have special lines to support the transfer that are usually leased from the local wireline carrier. The cost for these features is estimated to be a one-time charge of about $150,000. Also, there will be monthly charges of about $15,000 plus a charge of about $0.40 per emergency call to be transferred.

 

The task force attempted to determine how frequently such erroneous calls might be received by a 511 call center. However, there is no data from the other N11 numbers that would indicate how many people might dial 511 when intending to dial 911. Further, no other N11 service currently routes misdialed calls to 911. Should the subject of transferring errant 911 calls arise, this document will provide a starting place for that discussion.

 

The Problem

A concern has been voiced that there will be times when a caller intending to call 911 will inadvertently call 511. The 911 community has done an excellent job of educating the public. Their recent "Report Card To The Nation" indicates that 99% of the public understands what 911 is intended for. However, it will take time for the 511 community to reach a similar level of awareness with the public.

 

However, it is unclear how many errant calls might be captured by a model 511 system. There is not a reliable source of empirical data that would support a finding that the calls would be substantial or negligible. The lack of data suggests that planners of 511 systems should not assume that there will be a large volume of calls to 511 that should have been placed to 911 as no historical data currently exist that suggest this to be the case. However, there is a foreseeable possibility that there will be some degree of misplaced calls to 511 that should be placed into the 911 system.

 

Conclusion

While it is technically feasible to transfer a call made to 511 to a 911 call center, there are a number of key issues that must be considered before proceeding down that path.

 

Any region considering this capability must research the liability and privacy issues associated with 911 call processing. The liability protection currently offered the telecommunications industry and 911 call center operators does not apply to transportation agencies or their contractors. Thus, each state and region should consider these issues. The actual implementation of the transfer of calls is technically straightforward and there would be both non-recurring and recurring costs to the implementer of this capability.

 

DAR #3: 511 and Homeland Security (June 2002)

http://www.its.dot.gov/511/511secur.htm

 

Prior to September 11, the U.S. homeland had been mostly spared from terrorist attacks. Now, transportation agencies are beginning to address the need for threat and vulnerability assessments and re-examine how existing emergency management plans will be implemented during a homeland security emergency or alert. Travel information is an important component of emergency management and the telephone is one of many delivery mechanisms. As 511 systems become more widely deployed, it is reasonable to ask - what role should 511 systems play during homeland security emergencies and alerts and what are the organizational, technical, cost and other impacts of doing so?

 

This DAR discusses the challenges and opportunities for 511 systems, their designers and operators, arising from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Neither location had a 511 system, but relevant lessons were learned. While it does not provide the solutions, this DAR highlights the issues and suggests related guidelines.

 

Linkage Between 511 and Homeland Security

 

It is important to acknowledge the existing relationships between the transportation and emergency management communities with regard to major incident response. These relationships formed the basis for the responses to the September 11 attacks. Among the many stories of human tragedy and heroism on September 11, transportation agency staff guided hundreds of thousands of travelers to safety in the minutes and hours following the attacks. Given the disruption caused by the attacks, this effort continued for days and weeks. Providing accurate, timely information to travelers was critical to safety and mobility, not just in the New York and Washington D.C. regions but also throughout the eastern seaboard.

 

How Can 511 Support Emergency Management?

 

Under "normal" conditions there are multiple media for dissemination of information to travelers. However, on September 11, the need for a rapid exodus on foot from the affected areas precluded the options to use the Internet, television or even radio. For many, cell phones became the primary means of communication in the hours following the attacks. Just as transportation agencies responded to that need, it is apparent that had a 511 system been available it too would have contributed to support emergency management and evacuation.

 

As the number of 511 systems multiplies in the years ahead, familiarity with 511 as the telephone number for travel information may become as commonplace as 911 is today for emergencies. People from a city, region or state with 511 systems may not hesitate to dial 511 for travel information when traveling on business or visiting unfamiliar locations, including for homeland security emergencies.

 

Are There Homeland Security Considerations for 511 Systems?

 

While a homeland security emergency has many parallels to a major incident in terms of detection, response and recovery, there are differences as well. Perhaps the most troubling is the combination of:

• The potential for large numbers of people to be the target of an attack, or to be impacted by its immediate aftermath, creating a spike in demand for travel information or related news.
• Transportation infrastructure itself may be the target of an attack, e.g. bridges or railway stations, or be indirectly impacted, e.g. closure of surface streets due to exclusion zones around sensitive buildings or facilities, highlighting the need for accurate travel information in a dynamically changing environment.
• Communications infrastructure may be the target of an attack, e.g. communications hubs, or be indirectly impacted, e.g. collateral damage to fiber optic cables, highlighting the need for communications network redundancy.
• An attack could occur at any time, with or without warning, when available response resources are insufficient.
• The nature of an attack could be outside the envelope of knowledge and experience of transportation operations staff, e.g. weapons of mass destruction, delaying an accurate assessment of need and appropriate response.
• An attack could comprise multiple primary and secondary events over a short period of time, designed to create confusion and lure emergency responders and civilians into a "trap," this highlights the need for accurate travel information in a dynamically changing environment.

This combination of circumstances leads to challenges for a broad spectrum of emergency responders, law enforcement and transportation agencies. This, in turn, will impact how travel information is gathered and disseminated. Where 511 systems exist, or are planned, it appears prudent that their designers and operators take account of such challenges.

 

A recurring theme throughout the DAR is that many issues apply to traveler information systems in general, of which 511 systems are but one delivery medium.

 

DAR #4: 511 Regional Interoperability Issues (March 2003)

http://www.its.dot.gov/511/511secur.htm

 

The purpose of DAR #4 is to offer 511 implementers technical advice on how to deal with callers who logically want information on transportation facilities and services outside of the area served by your 511 system.  Callers to 511 may not know which jurisdiction they are in nor where the boundary for the next jurisdiction is - they just want information about the travel conditions ahead of them.  This is an issue of interoperability between state borders and within states where there may be a metropolitan 511 system(s) and a statewide system as well.

 

A real world example: since December 2002, the metropolitan Cincinnati system (ARTIMIS) has been successfully passing Kentucky suburban incident information into the Kentucky statewide Condition Acquisition Reporting System (CARS-511) using Traffic Management Data Dictionary (TMDD) ITS standards, implemented in Traveler Information Markup Language (TIML) / eXtensible Markup Language (XML). Kentucky traffic events reported in ARTIMIS are imported to the CARS-511 system for fully automated reporting without any manual data re-entry. Although the two 511 systems were developed at different times and independently, the standards are allowing seamless data exchange as no call transfers or manual processing are necessary.  This DAR will provide information on how you may also achieve this kind of interoperability.

 

N11 systems, by design, are not national in scope. Only 411 gives the appearance of being national in scope and that is accomplished with an integrated database behind the systems which its business model supports. With the overlap and varied boundaries of agencies, regions, travel patterns and the unknowns of cellular routing, 511 deployers need to look beyond their borders to make 511 a success with the traveling public. If 511 developers, deployers and operators accomplish regional interoperability through data sharing, then we may achieve national interoperability ultimately as well. This national interoperability may ultimately yield a 511 system where the caller may be asked, "City and state, please."

 

DAR #4 addresses many technical topics, including:

 

Data Transfer / Sharing Issues -

• What Data or Information Should Be Shared?
• Over How Wide an Area Should Data / Information Be Shared?
• Incorporating Outside Agency Data

 

Call Transfer Issues -

• Transferring to a Limited Number of Systems
• Technical Aspects of Call Transfer
• Technical and Financial Impact of Call Transfer
• Charges for a Call Transfer
• Special Consideration for "Misplaced" Wireless Calls

 

The DAR also investigates many factors that must be addressed when dealing with the issue of interoperability and determining which type of transfer best fits the needs of a particular 511 service. Most of these factors determine how a system would work and / or which standards are in use or available to make the transfer seamless to the user.

 

Finally, the document offers a list of recommendations for implementers that include the following general system design considerations:

 

• Identify travel corridors, other regions and neighbors and consider how to include their information for callers to your system either through data sharing or call transfer.
• Recognize that your neighbors are also dealing with this issue and engage them in a two-way, or in some cases, multi-way dialogue.
• Use the SAE ATIS (J2354) standard when developing and upgrading information databases and system communications to facilitate the exchange of information.
• Examine and understand wireless calling areas at the boundaries of your system and develop a plan for dealing with misrouted calls. Especially be mindful of the placement of signage near a border which may lead to someone calling 511 and not getting through because they are being handled by a switch where 511 is inactive or are routed to another state's 511 system

 

More specific recommendations include the following factors relating to call transfers and data sharing need to be considered:

 

• Arrangements for handling requests for your information from a neighbor system - data or call transfer.
• The estimated number of callers to need "outside" information and what the nature of that information will be.
• The number of "outside" information sources to be incorporated based on logical travel patterns in the region.
• Availability of data from these "outside sources" to be incorporated into your own system.
• Effort required to integrate data from "outside sources" into your system.
• Existence of 511 and other telephone "outside" systems for calls to be transferred to and the suitability of those systems to accept and handle transfers.
• The cost of call transfers to the outside sources in terms of the number of calls and cost per call.
• Likelihood and acceptability of "dead end" calls that result from call transfers.

 

If an implementer determines data sharing is preferred, then the following items need to be considered:

 

• Use the SAE ATIS (J2354) standard.
• Recognize the need to parse and size information to match your system.
• Be careful in menu design not to overload your system with "outside" focus.

 

If an implementer determines that call transfers are preferred, then the following items need to be considered:

 

• Address "dead ends" and inform a caller when they will occur.
• Estimate call transfers costs, who will pay them and how to minimize such costs, possibly through existing state contracts.

 

DAR #5: Public Transportation Content on 511 (June 2003)

http://www.its.dot.gov/511/511ptrns.htm

 

The Coalition recognizes that 511 services will 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 purpose of this DAR is to share information regarding the types of public transportation data that can be provided via 511 and the issues associated with this provision. This DAR's main audience is the transit community, 511 planners and implementers.

 

The rationale for this DAR is to produce a "511 basics" guide for transit agencies to both address getting started with 511 and also planning for enhancing basic services as experience and demand warrant. It is about providing the public with information about your agency and its services so that travelers may make informed decisions as they travel through the transportation system.

 

The transit community is very interested in playing an important role in 511 without increasing the number of calls to already busy customer service centers. There may be some misconceptions about what 511 has to be to be considered "successful." Some agencies may believe that if they cannot provide certain types of information, then they cannot participate in 511. 511 and the provision of public transportation information on it is not only about real-time information.

 

There is hope of reducing the number of calls to transit customer service centers and 511 is another outlet for the information required by those callers. 511 may not reduce the number of calls to customer service centers overall, but it may enable transit agencies to provide their public transportation information to a new audience. With the increasing coverage of 511 systems, more sophisticated marketing, growing brand awareness and continually improving content, overall usage of 511 is likely to soar in the future.

 

DAR #6: Weather and Environmental Content on 511 Services (June 2003)

http://www.its.dot.gov/511/511weath.htm

 

The purpose of this DAR is to share information regarding the types of weather and environmental information that can be provided via 511 and the issues associated with this provision. This DAR's main audience is the public and private providers of weather data, 511 planners and implementers. The term "weather" is used in a variety of means throughout this report, at times we are referring: to atmospheric information; to road weather (e.g., a pavement temperature forecast); or to road conditions (e.g., icy). The term "data" is used throughout as that data that weather and environmental systems generate, while the term "information" is meant as that information created from the weather and environmental systems data.

 

The rationale for this DAR is to produce a recommendation to deployers on "basic" 511 weather and environmental content and to provide for "consistency" of weather and environmental information content and presentation across 511 systems. The Task Force feels that exception reporting is what 511 callers want - travel conditions are good except for black ice between mileposts 10 and 14 as an example. It is recommended that the 511 weather and environmental information provided be actionable, so that travelers will slow to 20 miles per hour due to icy conditions if pavement temperature readings report this.

 

A recent analysis of weather impacts by Mitretek shows that an average of 6,500 fatalities and 450,000 injury accidents occurred annually during adverse weather between 1995 and 2001. There have been activities in the road weather arena for many years trying to reduce the above impacts and provision of weather information to travelers via 511 is another means of accomplishing this.

 

The Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM) produced the Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WIST) National Needs Assessment Report, which examines weather information needs for roadways, railways, transit, marine transportation, pipelines and airport ground operations. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has prepared: a Weather-Responsive Traffic Management Concept of Operations that begins to define the needs and activities of freeway and arterial transportation managers and how these needs change or differ during adverse weather; the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) project, which is a multi-year effort to prototype and field test advanced decision support components for winter road maintenance; and the Weather in the Infostructure white paper that discusses the fundamental data needs of the weather Infostructure component and provides an estimated aggregate cost for national deployment of road weather data collection systems.

 

There were also many activities throughout the years by the private sector as well in this area. One of note is the Advanced Traveler Weather Information System (ATWIS), developed by the University of North Dakota from 1995 to the present. ATWIS resulted in the #SAFE (the number to dial on cellular phones for this information) technologies that have been successfully deployed in several statewide 511 systems.

 

The Task Force has a vision that all segments used to provide information to the public via 511 would have sufficient climatological and meteorological homogeneity. Practically, this type of segmentation would prove to be a daunting task for 511 deployers today. The Task Force realizes this and therefore encourages deployers to determine their segments with sufficient climatological and meteorological homogeneity, but understands that this may not be possible.

 

Traffic, road conditions and weather information are intertwined - weather restrictions affect traffic and determination of road conditions depends on weather information. There are different requirements for different segment definitions, such as local vs. long distance travel or synoptic scale vs. micro scale in meteorological terms.

 

Weather conditions may change dramatically with fog, storm, wind, etc. and it is recommended that consumers be provided with options before encountering these hazards. The quality and utility of weather information provided to callers is critical if we are to continue to provide a valuable service via 511.

 

DAR #7: Roadway Content Quality on 511 Services (June 2003)

http://www.its.dot.gov/511/511road.htm

 

The first 511 service became operational in the Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky area in July 2001. Every service in operation provides some form of information associated with roadway conditions. And while early feedback from 511 users has been positive, there is recognition within the Coalition that the ultimate quality and utility of information provided via 511 is a critical part of providing a valuable service to callers.

 

With many of the services likely to have their preponderance of callers interested in roadway conditions, the quality of roadway-related content will in many cases dictate overall satisfaction with 511. The 511 roadway quality "levels" discussed in this DAR are for the basic 511 telephone travel information service. Roadway data quality needs vary greatly by application: traffic incident detection; long range system-wide planning / modeling; oversize truck permit routing; construction project report analysis; long range impacts of suburban development; etc. It is understood that all of these activities may need different levels of data disaggregation and quality.

 

The purpose of this DAR is to provide, in a single document, the most up-to-date information on guidelines, state-of-the-practice, state-of-the-art, implementation experience and lessons learned related to gathering and providing quality roadway content over 511 services.