4.4.3.1 Traveler Information-Related Functional Flow Diagrams

Traveler Information, one of the key components of any ITS regional deployment, depends on the coordination of multiple entities. The Functional Flow Diagrams presented in this section all revolve around how Traveler Information is and could be provided. Please refer to the narratives associated with each flow diagram for specific explanations of each element.

Interactive Traveler Information flow diagram showing five elements: Information Service Provider, Traffic Management, Transit Management, Remote Traveler Support, and Personal Information Access

This functional flow diagram provides a basic representation of one way by which Information Service Providers could provide traveler information to the public in central Ohio. Interactive Traveler Information refers to providing tailored information in response to a traveler request. Both real-time interactive request/response systems and information systems that "push" a tailored stream of information to the traveler based on a submitted profile will be supported. The traveler will obtain current information regarding traffic conditions, transit services, traveler services, ride share/ride match, parking management, and pricing information. A range of two-way, wide-area wireless and wireline communications systems will be used to support the required digital communications between traveler and the Information Service Provider. A variety of interactive devices may be used by the traveler to access information prior to a trip or en route to include phone, kiosks, Personal Digital Assistants and the Web.

It is still uncertain whether the Information Service Provider functions will be performed exclusively by the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System, or shared by another party altogether, such as the Paving the Way Program, or a third party such as SmarTraveler. It is known that the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System will provide a traveler information web page. This page will provide freeway system status and stillstore video images from their cameras on the freeway system. Potential additional information will include ride share/ride match, construction information, incident information, and special event updates.

As noted in 1, the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System may itself conduct much of the functionality outlined here in this diagram. However, to illustrate the types of information flowing "functionally," it has been broken into two elements. Whatever form the Information Service Provider finally takes, the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management Center will provide freeway system status information to include: video feed from the center's cameras, speeds on links, and text that the VMS are displaying. It is anticipated that beyond the web page, the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System will provide "raw data" to other interested parties wishing to provide traveler information. However, that information would have to be formatted by those other parties for distribution to the public.

COTA's Transit Management facility plans to provide information on fare structures, coach schedules and other transit system status information to other venues beyond providing traveler information through their facilities (shelters and transit centers). Therefore, they are included as an integral part of this relationship. Projects that COTA has planned for traveler information include: real-time transit information on the web, transit center and park and ride information displays and park and ride lot VMS. OSU currently offers real-time location of its buses on its web page and "time till next bus" information at some shelters on their campus.

Remote Traveler Support systems refer to fixed devices located in public places which provide the public with traveler information (i.e., kiosks, marquees, etc.). The Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System will provide kiosks in public areas such as the arena, Convention Center and major shopping centers. COTA and the region's Freeway Management System are pursuing the ability to combine their kiosks or at least collocate them to provide travelers with multimodal traveler information. Unlike kiosks described in the Broadcast Traveler Information flow diagram, these kiosks provide the traveler the capability to interact with the kiosk and query the system for information (i.e., COTA schedules, time till next bus, freeway conditions, etc).

Personal Information Access systems refer to devices that are either owned or controlled by an individual traveler but do not allow any input or feedback from the traveler. These systems include Web pages, 211 and Personal Data Assistants (PDAs). There is a desire on behalf of all stakeholders that the information provided to travelers includes as many sources as possible (i.e., traffic, transit, incidents, rideshare and construction). As mentioned in 2, the largest hurdle in achieving this goal is in formatting and maintaining the information gathered from the wide variety of sources for to the public.

Broadcast Traveler Information flow diagram showing six elements: Information Service Provider, Traffic Management, Transit Management, Media, Remote Traveler Support, and Personal Information Access

This functional flow diagram provides a basic representation of one way by which Information Service Providers could provide traveler information to the public in central Ohio. Broadcast Traveler Information refers to delivering information in a non-interactive manner through existing communication infrastructure and low cost user equipment (e.g., FM, fax, cable TV). Travelers could access this information but could not query the system for any additional information or interact with it in any way.

It is still uncertain whether the Information Service Provider functions will be performed by the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System or another party altogether, such as the Paving the Way Program, or a third party. It is known that the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System will provide a traveler information web page. This page will provide freeway system status and stillstore video images from its cameras on the freeway system. This capability is discussed in detail in the Interactive Traveler Information flow diagram.

As noted in 1, the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System may itself conduct much of the functionality outlined here in this diagram. However, to illustrate the types of information flowing "functionally," it has been broken into two elements. Whatever form the Information Service Provider finally takes, the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management Center will provide freeway system status information to include: video feed from the center's cameras, speeds on links and text that the VMS are displaying. It is anticipated that beyond the web page, the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System will provide "raw data" to other interested parties wishing to provide traveler information. However, that information would have to be formatted by those other parties for distribution to the public.

The Media already have a close working relationship with the city of Columbus' Traffic Management Center (TMC), and it is anticipated this relationship will continue when the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System comes on line. Radio Traffic Broadcasters are currently located in the city of Columbus' TMC and will continue being located inside the facility when the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management Center comes on line. Local TV news organizations currently receive video images from the city's Traffic Management Center. They will continue to receive images from the additional cameras that are part of the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System.

Remote Traveler Support systems refer to fixed devices located in public places which provide the public with traveler information (i.e., kiosks, marquees, etc.). The Region's Freeway Management System will provide kiosks in public areas such as the arena, Convention Center and major shopping centers. COTA and the Region's Freeway Management System are pursuing the ability to combine their kiosks or at least collocate them to provide travelers with multimodal traveler information.

Personal Information Access systems refer to devices that are either owned or controlled by an individual traveler but do not allow any input or feedback from the traveler. These systems include faxes, pagers, cable TV and e-mail. The region would like to see the development of all such systems. The use of a cable TV traffic channel which would operate during rush hour is currently scheduled to be part of the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System and will broadcast freeway information (flow map, CCTV images and incident information). Such a channel would provide a rotating video feed from the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System, a map illustrating speeds on specific roadways through color-coding and information on construction that could affect commuters. Additional information could include special event news as it pertains to the interstate and roadways. It should be noted that there is a desire on behalf of all stakeholders that the information provided to travelers includes as many sources as possible (i.e., traffic, transit, incidents and construction). As mentioned in 2, the largest hurdle in achieving this goal is formatting and maintaining the information gathered from the wide variety of sources for distribution to the public. E-mail, fax and pager traffic alert systems are also of interest to the region. Such systems will work by allowing travelers to receive specific route information on a scheduled basis. (i.e., at 5:20 p.m. Monday through Friday traffic information will be sent to the traveler's fax machine, pager or e-mail address. In the case of e-mail, in addition to a text traffic update message, a stillstore video image of the interested route will be sent along with a map showing any incidents and speeds on the route.

Traveler Traffic Information Dissemination flow diagram showing six elements: Traffic Management, Roadway, Information Service Provider, Safety Management, Transit Management, and Media

This functional flow diagram allows traffic information to be disseminated to drivers and vehicles using roadway equipment such as VMS or highway advisory radio. Traveler Traffic Information Dissemination provides a tool that can be used to notify drivers of incidents; careful placement of the roadway equipment provides the information at points in the network where the drivers can tailor their routes to account for the new information. This diagram also provides a link for traffic information from a TMC to the media (for instance via a direct tie-in between a TMC and radio or television station computer system), transit management center, safety management center and information service provider.

Traffic Management communicates with the Roadway to monitor and manage traffic flow. Incidents are detected and verified and incident information is provided to Safety Management. Other pertinent information is disseminated and transmitted to Transit Management, Information Service Providers and to the Media. All of these entities also collect information to be fed back into Traffic Management to be disseminated and passed along to other agencies requiring the information.

The Roadway contains equipment that monitors and controls traffic. This equipment includes highway advisory radios, VMS, cellular call boxes, CCTV cameras, vehicle detectors, traffic signals, railroad grade crossing warning systems and freeway ramp metering systems. The Roadway also provides the capability for environmental condition monitoring including weather sensors, pavement icing sensors, fog, etc.

The information that is obtained by the equipment in the Roadway is sent to the Traffic Management center for dissemination and formatting. After this is done, the Roadway information is then transmitted back to the roadway via VMS, altered signal timing plans, railroad grade status, etc.

The Information Service Provider collects, processes, stores, and disseminates transportation information to system operators and to the traveling public. The Information Service Provider is focused on delivery of traveler information to subscribers and the public at large. Information provided includes basic advisories, real-time traffic condition and transit schedule information, yellow pages information, ridematching information and parking information that comes disseminated from the Traffic Management center.

The Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System may itself conduct much of the functionality outlined here in this diagram. However, to illustrate the types of information flowing "functionally," it has been broken into two elements. Whatever form the Information Service Provider finally takes, the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management Center will provide freeway system status information to include: video feed from the center's cameras, speeds on links, and text that the VMS are displaying. It is anticipated that beyond the web page, the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System will provide "raw data" to other interested parties wishing to provide traveler information. However, that information would have to be formatted by those other parties for distribution to the public.

Using the Traffic Management center information, the Information Service Provider could also provide specific directions to travelers by receiving origin and destination requests from travelers, generating route plans, and returning the calculated plans to the users. This is a long-term goal in central Ohio

Safety Management operates in various emergency centers supporting public safety including police and fire stations, search and rescue special detachments, and HAZMAT response teams. Safety Management creates, stores and utilizes emergency response plans to facilitate coordinated response. The fist step toward this integration is the city of Columbus police and fire dispatchers receiving the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System feed for improved freeway and major arterial incident response.

Disseminated real-time traffic information is used to aide the emergency dispatcher in selecting the emergency vehicle(s) and routes that will provide the most timely response. Interfacing with Traffic Management allows strategic coordination in tailoring traffic control to support en-route emergency vehicles.

Transit Management receives special event and real-time incident data from the Traffic Management center. Transit Management uses this information to furnish transit travelers with real-time travel information, continuously updated schedules, schedule adherence information, transfer options, and transit routes and fares. COTA transfers information to travelers via its web site, traveler information displays in transit shelters and via park and ride VMS. OSU currently offers real-time location of its buses on its web page and "time till next bus" information at some shelters on its campus.

COTA also provides information to the Traffic Management center on road speeds and travel times from transit vehicles equipped with AVL, acting like probes in traffic along arterial streets.

Media represent the information systems that provide traffic reports, travel conditions, and other transportation-related news services to the traveling public through radio, TV, and other media. Disseminated traffic and travel advisory information that is collected is provided here. It is also a source for traffic flow information, incident and special event information and other events that may have implications for the transportation system.

The Media already have a close working relationship with the city of Columbus' TMC and it is anticipated this relationship will continue when the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System comes on line. Radio Traffic Broadcasters are currently located in the city of Columbus' TMC and will continue being located inside the facility when the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management Center comes on line. Local TV news organizations currently receive video images from the city's Traffic Management Center. They will continue to receive images from the additional cameras that are part of the Columbus Metropolitan Freeway Management System.

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