2. Project Approach

As discussed in the previous section, the project consisted of three major parts: data comparative technology examination, a technology viability assessment, and the compilation of historical travel time data. These three parts were accomplished through the execution of five activities, as described below.

2.1 Technology Assessment

The primary focus of the technology assessment was to determine which of the two technology options, ALPR or GPS, was best suited for testing at the Otay Mesa crossing. The intent of the assessment was not to imply that one technology was superior to the other with respect to the capture of border crossing travel time. Rather, it was intended to determine whether either technology would function adequately under the conditions as they exist at the Otay crossing, and whether there was a significant opportunity to learn about the capabilities of a particular technology.

This activity was accomplished by comparing functional characteristics, and assessing the degree to which these characteristics might affect the ability of the technology to function in the Otay Mesa crossing environment. The assessment also included a review of potential business models for gaining access to the travel time data, and the implications of choosing between a capital investment approach and a data purchase agreement approach.

In completing this task, the study team examined documentation regarding the two technologies, and conferred with representatives from providers of both types of technologies. Additionally, the study team solicited cost estimates from both providers for the instrumentation and support services associated with establishing a travel time data feed at the crossing.

The study team then completed a comprehensive examination of options, and provided to FHWA a recommendation regarding which technology to deploy. The results of these activities are provided in Section 3 of this report.

2.2 Stakeholder Coordination

At the onset of the project, FHWA and the study team recognized the importance of gaining appropriate national, international and local insight into the operations at the Otay crossing, from the perspective of the agencies and users. The team conducted two separate stakeholder sessions in the San Diego / Otay Mesa area-one at the start of the project, and one after the system had been selected and data was being gathered. The Study Team designed these sessions to:

• Communicate the objectives of the study and the objectives of the US DOT Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in collecting a baseline, historic, cross-border travel time data set;
• Gather information related to the cross-border journey to better understand how and when these data should be collected;
• Summarize the needs of the stakeholders and potential uses of these data;
• Provide updates about the study as it progressed; and
• Assess the importance of providing real-time data to various stakeholders in the future.

Stakeholders from the following groups were invited to attend the sessions:

• Cross-border motor carriers, freight forwarders, and logistics companies;
• State and local transportation agencies from the San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico (MX) region, including Caltrans, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the state of Baja California, and the Instituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación de Ensenada (IMIP);
• US and MX customs staff from the Otay Mesa port of entry – US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and MX Aduana;
• US and MX federal transportation agencies – FHWA and MX Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT).

The input received from stakeholders is detailed in Section 3 of this report.

2.3 Technology Deployment

The two different technologies required very different deployment paths and present different infrastructure approaches. By nature of its design, ALPR requires the installation of devices at fixed locations on both sides of the border. It then relies upon this fixed infrastructure to detect and decipher visual images of license plates, which are required for all vehicles operating in the US. Hence, ALPR requires nothing be done on the part of the border user (other than maintain a legible license plate).

In contrast, GPS requires the installation of GPS devices in vehicles, which places some burden on the vehicle owner to support the travel time measurement infrastructure. The remainder of this infrastructure (typically) consists of the satellite owner (in this case the US Department of Defense), and the vendor that receives, processes, and forwards data from the devices.

Based upon the analysis of technology options, the FHWA concurred with the recommendation to deploy GPS for this project. This required the selection of the GPS data provider, Calmar Telematics, and the execution of a subcontract to procure their services. Once the contracting was completed, the data provider then proceeded to negotiate data access agreements with candidate carriers.

2.4 Technology Testing

The third, and primary, activity was the capture of data over an extended period in order to determine whether it was of sufficient quantity and quality to determine border crossing travel time. This task consisted of ongoing statistical analysis of weekly data files provided by Calmar. As additional data was received, the study team processed and analyzed it, and stored both raw and processed data in a database for future use.

The study team then examined the data within the context of known border operating conditions and conferred with the motor carriers that participated in the project. Sections 3 and 4 of this report contain the results of the testing and the conclusions drawn from the travel time data.

2.5 Data Archiving

The final component of the project was the archiving for future use of one year's worth of GPS data and associated travel time calculations. The study team has created and will transfer to FHWA files containing both the GPS data as provided by the data provider, and the processed data as used to calculate border crossing travel time.³

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