Author

Dr. Brian L. Smith
University of Virginia
E-mail: briansmith@virginia.edu
Phone: (434) 243-8585

Description

Many ITS professionals get involved in the design and/or operation of transportation management systems. It is important, however, to step back and consider the essential functions that these systems perform. This course will prepare students to define functional requirements for the procurement or design of a transportation management system.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this course students should be able to describe the objectives and core functions of transportation management:

• System state estimation
• Management strategy development
• Management strategy execution
• Management strategy evaluation / feedback

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 six hours.

Prerequisites

Students should have a basic familiarity with ITS, the ITS user services and Traffic Flow Theory.

Course Outline

Numbers in parentheses refer to pages.

1. Introduction (1-2)
2. Transportation Management (3-11)
1. Objectives
2. Core functions
3. Traffic Signal Systems (12-22)
1. System State Estimation
2. Management Strategy Determination
3. Traffic Adaptive Signal Systems
4. Management Strategy Execution
5. Management Strategy Evaluation
4. Quiz 1 (23)
5. Freeway management systems (24-46)
   1. System State Estimation
   2. Management Strategy Development
   3. Management Strategy Execution
   4. Dynamic Traffic Assignment
   5. Dynamic Message Signs
   6. Highway Advisory Radio
   7. Management Strategy Evaluation/Feedback
6. Quiz 2 (47)
7. Exercise (48-51)
8. Conclusion (52)
9. Session Examination (53)