A Tech-driven Engineering Case on the Current Trends in the Transportation Domain as well as some of the State-of-the-art Principles that can be applied to enhance the Current Transportation System.

1. Intelligent Transportation
System
- Sharat Sawhney

2. BACKGROUND
• The rapidly increasing vehicle population in India, spurred by the
population boom and economicupturn lays a critical burden on traffic
management in the metropolitan cities and towns of the country.
• The cumulative growth of the Passenger Vehicles segment in India during
April 2007 - March 2008 was 12.17 percent. In 2007-08 alone, 9.6 million
motorizedvehicles were sold in India.
• World Bank reports that the economic losses incurred on account of
congestionand poor roads alone run as high as $6 billiona year in India.
• As reported by Commissionfor Global Road Safety(June 2006), the global
road deaths were between 750,000 to 880,000 in the year 1999 and
estimated about 1.25 million deaths per year and the toll is increasing
further.

3. Problems to Solve
• Poor Driving Experience
• Safety
• Capacity of road systems
• Risks in transportation
• Traffic congestion
• Transportation efficiency
• Increasing pollution.

4. Solution
INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEMS

5. What is ITS
• Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is an established
route to resolve, or at least minimize traffic problems.
• Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is the application
of computer, electronics, and communication
technologies and management strategies in an
integrated manner to increase the safety, mobility and
efficiency of the surface transportation systems.

6. Our ITS Taxonomy Model
VEHICLE LEVEL:
Technologies deployed within vehicles, including
sensors, information processors and displays that
provides information to the driver.

7. Our ITS Taxonomy Model(ctd)
INFRASTRUCTURE LEVEL:
Sensors on and by the side of roads collect important traffic
data. Tools of communication provide drivers with pertinent
information to manage traffic better. These tools
include roadside messages, GPS alerts and signals to direct
traffic flow.

8. Our ITS Taxonomy Model(ctd)
CO-OPERATIVE LEVEL:
Communication between vehicles, and between
infrastructure and vehicles involving a synergic
combination of vehicle level and infrastructure
level technologies

9. Sub-Systems of ITS

10. Advanced Traffic Management
Systems (ATMS)
Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) integrates various sub-systems
(such as CCTV, vehicle detection, communications, variable message systems,
etc.) into a coherent single interface that provides real time data on traffic
status and predicts traffic conditions for more efficient planning and operations.
.

11. Advanced Traveler Information
Systems (ATIS)
Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) provide to users of
transportation systems travel -related information to assist decision making on
route choices, estimate travel times, and avoid congestion. This can be
enabled by providing different information using various technologies such as :
• GPS enabled in-vehicle navigation systems.
• Dynamic road message signs for real time communication of information on
traffic congestions, bottlenecks, accidents and alternate route information
during road closures and maintenance
• Website to provide a color-coded network map showing congestion levels on
highways (a.k.a. congestion index).

12. ATIS

13. Advanced Vehicle Control Systems
(AVCS)
• Advanced Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS) are tools and concepts that
enhance the drivers control of the vehicle to make travel safer and more
efficient .
• For example, in vehicle collision warning systems alert the driver to a possible
imminent Collision.
• In more advanced AVCS applications, the vehicle couldautomatically break or
steer away from a collision, based on input from sensors on the vehicle. Both
systems are autonomous to the vehicle and can provide substantial benefits by
improving safety and reducing accident induced congestion.
• The installation of high tech gadgets and processors in vehicles
allow incorporation of software applications and artificial intelligence systems
that control internal operations,ubiquitous computing, and other programs
designed to be integrated into a greater transportation system.

14. AVCS

15. Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO)
Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO) comprises an ensemble of
satellite navigation system, a small computer and a digital
radio, which can be used in commercial vehicles such as trucks,
vans, and taxis. This system affords constant monitoring of truck
operations by the central office and Provides traceability
and safety.

16. CVO

17. Advanced Public Transportation
Systems (APTS)
Advanced Public Transportation Systems (APTS) applies state-of-art
transportation management and information technologies to public transit
systems to enhance efficiency of operation and improve safety. It includes real-
time passenger information systems, automatic vehicle location systems, bus
arrival notification systems, and systems providing priority of passage to
buses at signalized intersections(transit signal priority).

18. Advanced Rural Transportation Systems
(ARTS)
Advanced Rural Transportation Systems (ARTS) provide information about
remote road and other transportation systems. Examples include automated
road and weather conditions reporting and directional information. This type of
information is valuable to motorists travelling to remote or rural areas. This
has been widely implemented in the United States and will be a valuable asset
to countries like India, where rural areas are widely distributed.

19. Ideas and Applications

20. Incident Detection
• ITS can be used to detect when there has been an incident on any transport
system, and to communicate this knowledge to a control center.
• ITS can, further, be used to put into effect information and/or traffic
management strategies in response to certain types of incidents, in order to
reduce their impact.
• For example, an accident may occur on a motorway. This isdetected by
roadside CCTV cameras, and picked up in the control room. Variable
message signing(VMS) is then activatedto: (a) manage the traffic that is too
close to the accident to take another route (by e.g. lane closures, lane control,
temporary speed limits); and (b) the VMS is used to advise traffic further away
from the accident to take another route.
• Similar concepts were developed by the GOTICproject in Sweden in incident
detection and management on Gothenburg’s tram system.

21. Variable Speed Limits
• Due to the speed flow relationship in traffic, above a certain speed
(around 80 kmph on motorways), flow in vehicles per hour past a
given point begins to decline – the effect of higher speed is cancelledout
by the larger gaps that drivers leavebetween vehicles.
• Therefore, at peak periods, it can be effective to lower speed limits to
maximize road capacity and also to reduce congestioncaused by the
over-reaction of drivers to changes in speeds, and the “wave propagation”
effect that this has.
• In order to do this, variable speed limit signing is required together with, if
possible, some form of automatic enforcement (e.g. average or point
speed cameras). The reduced congestion and speeds have a knock-on
benefit on energy consumption.

22. Ramp Control
Ramp control is used at peak periods to
regulate the flow of traffic along a slip
road (ramp) onto a motorway or other
grade-separated road. Sensors on the
main road detect traffic density and then
the optimum level and spacing of joining
traffic is calculated, and its access
onto the main road regulated by traffic
lights. This should in theory minimize the
congesting effect on the main road
of the joining traffic.

23. Traffic Signal Control
• ITS is used to manage linkedand isolatedtraffic signalled junctions more
efficiently, in relation to actual demand on the network in real-time.
Inductive loop detectors in the pavement surface detect traffic levels,
speeds and queue lengths.
• They communicate this to a local signal control computer and this in turn if
necessary communicates with a computer controlling the signals for a
whole area of a town or city (a “cell”) – but communications are kept as
local as possibleto minimize communication times and costs.
• The signal controllers compute the most effective cycle times and green
times for their signals,but these have to be within user-defined maxima and
minima– so if the maximum cycle timeis 120 seconds, the signal controller
cannot override this.

24. Traffic Signal Control(ctd)
• Such signal control systems can be adapted to give priority to certain vehicles–
most typically, trams and/or buses.
• Detectors note when a priority vehicle is on approach and (again withinuser-
defined limits) can bring a green signal forward, or delay a red signal, in order
that the priority vehicle does not have to wait to get through the junction.
• Increasingly, the identification of the priority vehicle is by satellite (GPS –
geographical positioning system)linked to the public transport operator’s
control room.
• This means that priority can be given only to those vehicles that need it (ones
running late) whereas, with inductive loop detection, all public transport
vehicles are given equal priority, which is less efficient.
• Emergency vehicles can also enjoy priority, similarly.

25. Traffic Signal Control(ctd)
• Smart signal control systems can also be used as a form of access control, or
“gating” to certain sensitive areas.
• For example, one road may be used by a large number of public transport
vehicles, or be particularly environmentally sensitive– therefore, queueing traffic
may be particularly undesirable in that location.
• Signal timings can be used to “move the queue” from the sensitive area to a
less sensitive one, and then only to permit through the optimum amount of
traffic into the sensitive area.
• This system of “gating” – in real time – is used in Kingston, a suburb of London,
UK.
• The same technique can be linked to pollution monitoring, so signals react in
real time to “move” queuing traffic around, such that pollution hotspots do not
build up in certain parts of town.

26. Demand Responsive Transport
Management
• Demand ResponsiveTransport (DRT) is a form of public transport that,
instead of operating on fixedroutes at fixedtimes, operates with some level
of diversion/flexibility to take users where they want, when they want.
• From the user perspective, the most flexibleform of public transport is the
taxi, but it comes with a matching price tag. DRT normally comes some
way between a taxi and a conventional bus and, to maximize the
flexibility and the efficiency of the service,a sophisticated
booking/scheduling system is frequently employed.
• Current Example is Ola or Uber.

27. Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA)
• Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) uses satellite GPS technology to indicate
to a vehicle its own locationrelative to speed limits.
• “Active” ISA then introduces automatic control to the vehicle’s engine and
braking system so that the driver cannot exceed the speed limit.
• There are trials of ISA underway in the UK, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Evaluation of the UK trial indicates that mandatory active ISA could
produce (given a 1998 vehicle fleet) annual fuel savings of 2.3 billion litres of
petrol and 1.4 billion of diesel in the UK alone . The key European Project on
ISA is PROSPER.

28. Vulnerable Road User Systems
“Vulnerable” users include children, the elderly and disabled people. They are
all disproportionately represented in road accidents, especially as pedestrians.
ITS can be used to adapt our transport systems to make them easier and safer
to use for these groups of people. For example:
• Pedestrian crossings that sense, using cameras, how long people are taking to
cross the road, and givingthem more time if they need it.
• Audible public transport information for blind/partially sighted people. In some
cases, this can be provided only when needed – blindand partially sighted
people are given a pocket-sized device that activates a bus stop or other
information point to give them audible information when they need it.
• Auditory location finder for blind/partially sightedpeople.
• Real time next stop indicators (visual and audible) on buses and trains.

29. Multimodal Trip Planning
• Many public authorities are concernedto provide ever better (public)
transport information in order to encourage a mode shift from car to public
transport in order to achieve other wider objectives. Multimodal trip
planning services – available on the phone, internet, WAP and/or SMS –
may do this.
• The user is able select their origin and desired destination,and the interface
then produces a variety of trip options on a variety of modes of transport.

30. Road user charging (RUC), Tolling and
Access Control
In any event, a means of collecting the money is required, and of enforcing
non-payment. ITS can be an extremely useful tool in so doing. Some examples
of the way in which it used are as follows:
• The London CongestionCharge
• Norway tag-based system
• Singapore in-car unit system

31. Thankyou!