Author

Lee Afflerbach
Columbia Telecommunications Corporation
E-mail: lafflerbach@internetctc.com
Phone: 410-964-5700

Description

Telecommunications is the backbone of all ITS applications. It provides the means for sending data, voice, and video information between devices. This course is a primer on telecommunications for the ITS professional with little or no formal training in telecommunications. With so many ITS projects now requiring a telecommunications aspect, this course is a must for project managers.

Objectives

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the need for communications among and between advanced transportation management information systems components
• Provide a basic understanding of telecommunications terminology
• Present the fundamentals of voice, data, and video transmission.

Audience

Public-sector Transportation Professionals including US DOT engineers, planners, project managers, and field staff, FTA Regional staff, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Specialists, and others as appropriate. Transportation professionals from state, regional, and local agencies would also benefit from participation in the course.

Length

Approximately eight hours.

Prerequisites

Students should have a basic knowledge of ITS and ITS User Services.

Course Outline

The course outline is as follows:
(numbers in parentheses refer to pages)

1. Fundamentals of Telecommunications and Networks (1-48)
   1. Introduction to Telecommunications and ITS
      • Macroscopic View of Area-Wide Telecommunications
      • Telecommunications Network Design Considerations
   2. Signals (8-24)
      • Exercise #1
      • Signal Properties
      • Frequency Quiz
      • Modulation Playspace Interaction
   3. Voice Transmission and data communications (25-31)
   4. Wireline Transmission Media (32-37)
   5. Wireless Communication Media (38-47)
   6. Crossword Puzzle (48-49)
      
2. Telecommunications Networks (50-81)
   1. Local Area Networks (50-60)
      • LAN Topologies (Star, Ring, Bus) and Equipment
      • Access Method, Modulation Method, Transmission Media
      • Wireless and Wireline LANs
   2. Wide Area Data Networks (61-62)
   3. Data Communication Protocols (63-71)
      • OSI Model
      • TCP/IP
      • Error Control
      • Ethernet
   4. Standards (72)
   5. Telecommunications and Applications to ATMIS (73-80)
      • Wireless Systems, Wide-area Services, DSRC,
      • Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications,
      • Wireline systems
      • Guidelines for Telecommunications Technologies
   6. ITS Architecture and Communications (81)
      
3. Session Examination (82)