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INFORMATION SHARING FOR TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

Information Sharing Best Practices

This subsection highlights various best practices for information sharing between incident responders. Information sharing between multiple agencies clearly has advantages in the improved management of incidents as responders are aware of what is happening, and debriefing sessions allow for learning, improvement, and relationship building. Other successful practices include the development of TIM strategic plans that address communications and technical issues with the objective of improving overall traffic incident management through better communications and collaboration. Successful information sharing initiatives cut through organizational boundaries to involve entities from traditional public sector agencies as well as response partners from the private sector and other stakeholders such as insurance divisions, coroners’ and medical examiners’ offices, hazardous materials contractors, and the media.

Real-Time State Police CAD Data and Richmond District TMC – Virginia

In 2005, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) documented integration issues encountered between the Richmond District Smart Traffic Center (STC) traffic management system (“OpenTMS”) and the Virginia State Police (VSP) CAD system. The project, known as “VSP-CAD Implementation Effort,” 24 had two components:

  • Integrate data arriving from VSP into OpenTMS
  • Customize the OpenTMS incident management subsystem to use the integrated data

This project was seen as having significant benefits to integrating VDOT and VSP information; STC staff would be able to use VSP-initiated traffic incidents as part of their operations. The open exchange of ideas and information between the involved organizations (FHWA, VSP, VDOT, and their private contractors) was critical to the project’s success. VSP and VDOT had an established common commitment for the systems’ integration built upon prior relationships that led to rapid resolution of conflicts. They developed a common understanding of the project through the Richmond Regional Data Sharing Concept Study 24 that established goals that were then shared with new agency members as they were added to the team.

During the project, VSP and VDOT identified lessons learned relative to

  • Data exchange standards for the VSP-VDOT interface
  • Publish/subscribe services to distribute the CAD data to other state agencies
  • Issues surrounding data availability and consistency
  • Security of sensitive (non-traffic) data
  • Deployment strategies and prototyping for quick implementation

Throughout the integration project, VSP and VDOT were able to identify and resolve information issues relative to incidents that were not meeting the project’s intent. STC operators were then able to track more traffic incidents and there were significantly fewer redundant calls between VSP dispatchers and VDOT STC operators. Through the joint efforts of VSP and VDOT, this successful project was recommended for expansion into other traffic management facilities in Virginia.

Integrated Incident Management System – New York City

The Integrated Incident Management System (IIMS) 25 was deployed for freeways in the five-borough area of New York City to facilitate information exchange, data sharing, and coordination of incident response management activities. Results were also reviewed to document lessons learned, analyze “before” and “after” data, and identify benefits realized during field operational tests. The following table, taken directly from the Evaluation Final Report, summarizes IIMS’s goals, hypotheses, and findings relative to activities undertaken by project participants, namely

  • New York State DOT
    • Headquarters and Region 11
  • New York City
    • DOT
    • Police Department
    • Office of Emergency Management
    • Fire Department
    • Emergency Management Services
    • Department of Sanitation
    • Department of Environmental Protection
    • Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police

Table 8. IIMS’s Goals, Hypotheses, and Findings 25


Goal

Hypothesis

Finding

Evaluate the incident management effects of the IIMS

IIMS will result in improved incident response.

Finding 3: The IIMS case studies successfully identify situations where the use of IIMS has the potential to improve incident response operations.

IIMS will result in improved communications.

Finding 8: IIMS improves the post-incident assessment/evaluation process.

IIMS will result in improved coordination of resources.

Evaluate the transportation system Performance effects of the IIMS

IIMS will result in improved mobility.

Finding 4: The case studies identify how the use of IIMS has the potential to substantially improve mobility.

Evaluate the energy and environmental effects of IIMS

IIMS will result in energy and environmental benefits.

IIMS will result in energy and environmental benefits.

Evaluate the safety effects of IIMS.

IIMS will result in increased traveler safety.

Finding 5: IIMS has the potential to improve traveler and responder safety.

IIMS will result in increased worker safety.

Assess the process improvements and institutional impacts of the IIMS.

IIMS will result in better incident management documentation.

Finding 7: The use of IIMS has resulted in better Incident management documentation.

IIMS will improve evaluation and assessment of the process and its performance.

Finding 1: IIMS has been considered a successful deployment (by stakeholders).

Finding 2: IIMS was deployed in a cost-effective manner.

 

Through the efforts of the various stakeholders, IIMS has been integrated into normal and sustainable operations for several years. In addition to requiring high-level management support, system users were regularly asked for feedback to allow for continuous improvement. Regular communications were maintained, ensuring the system would meet all users’ needs and ultimately lead to a high-level of system usage by all stakeholders. IIMS deployment benefited from inter-agency collaboration and strong relationships between users. IIMS began with a more an informal organizational structure to allow for greater flexibility, and as system enhancements were tested and accepted, stakeholder buy-in allowed for definition of a more formal organizational structure defined in various MOUs.

The final system evaluation report noted the following conclusions:

  • IIMS provides interoperable real-time communications that allows stakeholders to communicate directly and use the system to coordinate incident response activities
  • IIMS is a successful deployment that is used by multiple users from multiple agencies to managed thousands of incidents annually
  • IIMS has been “mainstreamed” as an operational system whose operations and maintenance support have dedicated sources of funding and technical support

Combined Transportation, Emergency, and Communications Center – Texas

The Austin District of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has implemented a Combined Transportation, Emergency, and Communications Center (CTECC) as part of its evolving ITS. This facility has three primary purposes:

  • 911 and 311 (non-emergency) call-taking and dispatch for City of Austin and Travis County
  • Transportation management for TxDOT and Capital Metro area
  • Emergency Operations for City of Austin and Travis County

In 2005, TxDOT reported on the progress of the CTECC to the CAD-ITS User Group at a meeting in Seattle, Washington. 26 The facility’s key objective related to real-time, inter-agency traffic information sharing have accomplished

  • Reduced congestion
  • Improved response routing recommendations
  • Enhanced coordination
  • Earlier incident detection, notification, and response

TxDOT has performed significant ITS integration work to standardize TMC and center-to-center communications to allow multiple users to access and respond to traffic information. Continuing efforts include sharing video images and addressing conflicts in emerging/conflicting communications standards.

Portland Dispatch Center Consortium – Oregon

Portland, Oregon’s Dispatch Center Consortium CAD Integration Project 27 was undertaken to address issues of interoperability, quality of service, performance, and manageability between nine agencies in the Portland area:

  • Oregon DOT
  • Oregon State Police
  • City of Portland
  • Clackamas County
  • Washington County
  • Lake Oswego Communications
  • Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency
  • Airport Communications Center
  • Columbia 911 Communications District

The project integrated state and local traffic information centers and seven metro area CAD systems. By migrating to a standards-based, secure system, Consortium members were able to ensure a highly reliable, accurate, and scalable system that effectively shares incident and road condition information between its members.

CAD – CARS Integration – Washington

Before the project to integrate CAD and TMC information, WSP and WSDOT communicated primarily via telephone or radio by transferring data to read-only monitors in the northwest region radio room. There was no linkage between the CAD and TMC systems. Through a highly collaborative effort, this project has created an automated link to WSDOT’s Condition Acquisition and Reporting System (CARS). 28 TMC operators are now alerted to every crash reported in WSP’s CAD system; they are then easily able to include these crashes into the CARS. In addition to demonstrating a successful technology integration effort, this on-going operational project has had specific benefits and results:

  • Proven use in urban and rural settings
  • Rapid operator response through minimized keystrokes and ability to quickly update system
  • Virtual functionality wherein operators can view, edit, and accept events statewide

Through the detailed FOT, clear goals and objectives were established by participants in this project that related to system performance, system impact, institutional and technical challenges, lessons learned, and benefits. The evaluation found that functional specifications were met, with the linked data and improved integration decreasing reliance on prior methods for data exchange. Communication between responders, both on scene and within the TMC/dispatch facilities, increased and became more effective.

This project demonstrated not only how integrated CAD and TMC systems could improve response capabilities, but also how institutional barriers could be overcome. This project resulted in an integrated transportation and public safety incident management information network that allowed enhanced information-sharing between multiple agencies across multiple jurisdiction.