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Transportation Management Centers: Streaming Video Sharing and Distribution - Final Report

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

FHWA-HOP-19-037

September 2019


Table of Contents

[ Notice and Quality Assurance Statement ] [ Technical Report Documentation Page ] [ SI Modern Metric Conversion Factors ] [ Acronyms ]

Executive Summary
Chapter 1. Purpose
Chapter 2. Background and Literature Summary
Chapter 3. The Business Case and Decisionmaking Process for Sharing or Not Sharing
No Value Why Some Agencies Don't Share
No Value Why Most Agencies Share
No Value Ad Hoc vs. Systematic Sharing
Chapter 4. Operational Considerations
No Value Operator Impacts
No Value Management Impacts
No Value Developing a Successful Concept of Operations
Chapter 5. Institutional Considerations
No Value Contracting
No Value Intra-Agency Coordination
No Value Equipment and Network Maintenance
No Value Continuous Support Requirements
No Value Legal Implications
No Value No Value Memoranda of Understanding and Open Agreements
No Value No Value Concepts of Operations as a Replacement for an MOU
No Value No Value Service Charges
No Value Media
Chapter 6. Technical Considerations
No Value Networking
No Value No Value Network Configuration and Documentation
No Value No Value Bandwidth Estimation
No Value No Value Latency
No Value Security
No Value Video Normalization
No Value Kill-Switch Technology
No Value Technology and Infrastructure Maintenance
Chapter 7. How to Work With a Solution Provider
No Value Language in the Request for Proposal
No Value Contractor Selection
No Value Operations
No Value No Value Before and After Making an Award
Chapter 8. Camera and Communications Equipment
No Value Ideal IP Camera Specifications
No Value Emerging Features & Technologies
Chapter 9. Business Practices and Policies
No Value Free Access
No Value Reciprocal Access
No Value Tiered Access
No Value Cost Recovery Model
No Value Profit Model
Chapter 10. Recommendations
No Value Business Case Justification
No Value No Value Operational Considerations
No Value No Value Technical Considerations
No Value No Value Concepts of Operations vs. Memoranda of Understanding
No Value No Value Institutional Considerations
Chapter 11. Use Cases
No Value Maryland Department of Transportation
No Value North Carolina Department of Transportation
No Value Virginia Department of Transportation
No Value No Value Licensing Issues
Appendix A. Example Memoranda of Understanding and Other Agreements
Appendix B. Video Sharing Practices

List of Figures

Figure 1. Map. Transportation agency CCTV deployment map.
Figure 2. Illustration. Common language used to describe transportation system status levels by agencies in the National Capital Region.
Figure 3. Illustration. Information technology and operations interactions.
Figure 4. Diagram. Example of an older many-to-many stream-sharing configuration.
Figure 5. Diagram. Example of many-to-many network configuration.
Figure 6. Diagram. Example of one-to-many stream-sharing configuration.
Figure 7. Illustration. Comparative resolution and aspect ratio chart.
Figure 8. Illustration. Resolution affects the quality of the video and determines what information can or cannot be detected.
Figure 9. Diagram. Original Maryland approach to sharing data and video.
Figure 10. New Maryland architecture: sharing video and data across multiple security zones.
Figure 11. Photo. Example of MDOT's Service Patrol Mounted CCTV camera.
Figure 12. Photos. Compound figure depicts four examples of on-scene video captured from mobile streaming CCTV cameras mounted in or on service patrol vehicles.
Figure 13. Illustration. North Carolina Department of Transportation media agreement cost language.
Figure 14. Illustration. Unique language from the North Carolina Department of Transportation media agreement requiring that the agency be given 15 public service announcement spots.
Figure 15. Diagram. Virginia Department of Transportation video feed high-level network diagram.
Figure 16. Photo. CCTV feed from the Virginia Department of Transportation 511 system.

List of Tables

Table 1. Synthesis of transportation agency video sharing as of March 2019.
Table 2. IP Camera resolutions and megapixel equivalent.
Table 3. IP Camera specifications that can enable lower-cost and more feature-rich CCTV streaming to stakeholders.
Table 4. Emerging IP camera technologies beyond traditional transportation management center closed-circuit television camera capabilities.
Table 5. Highlights from three State agency approaches to streaming video.
Table 6. VDOT Media Partner Video Transition Options.
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