Office of Operations
21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies

Guidelines for Virtual Transportation Management Center Development

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Contact Information: OperationsFeedback@dot.gov

United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Operations
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov

Publication #: FHWA-HOP-14-016

December 2014

Table of Contents

[ Notice ] [ Technical Report Documentation Page ] [ List of Tables and Figures ]

Executive Summary
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1
Purpose
1.2
Intended Audience
1.3
Virtual TMC Related Definitions
1.3.1
Transportation Management Center (TMC)
1.3.2
Virtual TMC Definition
1.3.3
Traffic Management Functions
1.4
Choosing the Virgual TMC Model
Chapter 2
Current TMC Operational Practices
2.1
TMC Deployment Models
2.1.1
Centralized
2.1.2
Distributed/Decentralized
2.1.3
Virtual
2.1.4
Hybrid:Virtual
2.2
Geographic Area Covered
2.2.1
Single Jurisdiction TMC
2.2.2
Multiple Jurisdiction TMC
2.2.3
Regional or District TMC
2.2.4
Statewide TMC
2.3
Number of Agencies Involved
2.3.1
Single Agency TMC
2.3.2
Multiple Tranportation Agencies
2.3.3
Multiple Agencies and Disciplines
2.4
Interview of Current Deployed Models
2.5
Profile of the Agencies Reviewed
2.5.1
Alabama Department of Transportation
2.5.2
Los Angeles County
2.5.3
Metro Regional Integration of ITS (RITIS)
2.5.4
Michigan Department of Transportation
2.5.5
Minnesota Department of Transportation
2.5.6
New Hampshire Department of Transportation
2.5.7
Oregon Department of Transportation
2.5.8
San Diego ICMS
2.6
Current TMC Deployments
Chapter 3
Virtual TMC Implementation Guidelines
3.1
Virtual TMC Implementation Steps
3.2
The Planning Process
3.2.1
Objectives
3.2.2
Operational Considerations
3.2.3
Organizational Considerations
3.2.4
Business Models for a Virtual TMC
3.2.5
Planning for a Virtual TMC vs. a Centralized TMC
3.2.6
Relevant Factors to Virtual TMC Planning
3.2.7
Establishing a Core Management Team
3.2.8
Implementing Data Storage and Archiving
3.2.9
Determining a Financial Model
3.3
Security
3.4
Developing a Training Program
3.4.1
Current TMC Training Practices
3.4.2
How to Provide Training for Virtual TMCs
Chapter 4
Virtual TMC Benefits and Challenges
4.1
Benefits
4.1.1
Cost Savings
4.2
Challenges
4.2.1
Regional Stakeholder Buy-In
4.2.2
Legacy Systems
4.2.3
Servicing Agreements
4.2.4
Lines of Communication
4.2.5
Security
4.2.6
Risk
Chapter 5
Case Studies
5.1
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
5.1.1
Background
5.1.2
Architectural Overview
5.1.3
Deployment and Operations
5.1.4
Lessons Learned
5.2
Idaho Department of Transportation
5.2.1
Background
5.2.2
Virtual TMC Initiatives
5.2.3
Deployment and Operations
5.3
Nebraska Department of Transportation
5.3.1
Background
5.3.2
Virtual Initiatives
5.3.3
Deployment and Operations
5.3.4
The ATMS System
5.4
Kansas Department of Transportation
5.4.1
Background
5.4.2
Architectural Overview
5.4.3
Deployment and Operations
5.4.4
Lessons Learned
Appendix A:
Resources, Notes, and References
Appendix B:
Acronyms
Appendix C:
Agency Questionnaire Responses

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