ET Meeting Slides

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U.S. Department of Transportation

State DOT/Local DOT cont’d

Stakeholders/Users

Benefits

Operators

·Less congestion.

·New sources of data from mobile sources.

·Improved response through better incident detection.

·More effective and efficient communication with drivers via targeted in-vehicle messaging.

·Lower operating costs from more effective use of resources and less reliance on infrastructure-based data collection.

Traveling Public

oImproved safety from individual warnings.

oReduced travel times.

oBetter quality and flow of information, tailored to the needs of drivers in a specific area.


	Risks
	The greatest risks are not technical but institutional.
	An appropriate financial model must be in place since the benefits distribute widely but the costs are borne narrowly. The operating expenses of the Core could be part of the DOT budget. It could be subsidized or paid for by user fees and sale of the collected data. The policy must be in place beforehand to ensure successful operation.
	The most significant benefits not realized until sufficient penetration of connected vehicles in the traffic stream. That means if penetration takes longer to build up than anticipated, the cost savings and other benefits will likewise take longer to materialize delaying the return on investment.
	In addition, a gap in the connected vehicle environment due to either a gap in communications coverage or regions not serviced by a Core System (late deployers) will substantially reduce the benefit for those that have the Core System in place.
	The skills to operate a Core System may be in high demand if current educational pipelines are not synchronized with anticipated demand.

	Other Considerations

	Owner/Operator versus Participator
	A local DOT may be able to use an existing Core especially if already put in place by the State DOT. If not the local DOT may need to establish its own minimum Core System to gain these benefits. A large municipal region may want to operate its own Core anyway for greater control and reliability.
	A State DOT may want to operate a Core System because no other entity is likely to operate a Core with statewide coverage. Operating the Core may be the best way to address rural and urban needs in an integrated fashion that satisfies all stakeholders.

	Outstanding Questions
	What barrier will the minimum requirements to operate a Core System pose to States and smaller local DOTs?
	What happens to traffic control and traffic flow at boundaries across operating regions where one has a Core System and the adjacent region does not?
	Could there be a Core System with multiple-State coordination? For example, a jointly-operated or franchised Core System to serve a multi-State corridor or a metro area that overlaps multiple States?